The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-07 00:00:00

CATHOLICISM IN AMERICA.

(Nom the last letter of MANHATTAN.)
The CatlAieg of this city, under the guidance of
Archbishop Hughes, are constantly progressing and
increasing not only in churches but in congregations.
No church occupied or owned by another denomi-
nation but is carefully watched, and the moment it
is offered for sale is eagerly bought by the Cattle-
lies. I know of 20 churches so bought and conse-
crated to the Catholic worship within a few years.
The last happened last week, when the old school
Presbyterian Church, corner of Henry and Rutgers-
streets, was bought and occupied by the Catholics,
under the name of St. Teresa. The old archbishop
dedicated the new church and preached the sermon.
As his political views are those of a million of Ca-
tholics
they are important. He said :—" A legiti-
mate prayer now would be to stop the effusion of
blood; to pray for mercy for both sides of the
line, and God, in His bountiful providence,
might bring this unhappy state of affairs
to a glorious conclusion. To pray for peace
at this moment would be impossible and ridi-
culous, since there was only one party to make
peace. It took but one party to make war, but it
took two to make peace, and as there was but one
party to make peace, he saw no prospect of it at
present. Unconscious of it as we were, we were
drifting like the tide to the eternal ocean." The
archbishop is the shrewdest bead of a Church on
this continent. If he were to live 50 years more
there would be but one Church in this country,
and that would be Catholic. He is a far-seeing
man is Archbishop Hughes, who ought to have
been made a cardinal long ago ; and if the Pope
of Rome expects to go to heaven when he dies,
he ought to send a cardinal's red hat to the
venerable head on this continent that has done
more to spread the Catholic religion among our
millions than 10,000 of the cardinals of the
European school ever could or would do. A great
man and a mighty priest is Archbishop Hughes.
History will class him with Richelieu and Wolsey,
only our man is greater than either, because more
humble. He and his Church started poor in this
city, when it had but 100,000. He has financiered
it into vast wealth, in a city of 1,200,000. Trinity, or
the Church of England, had 30 millions of dollars of
property, and four magnificent chapels. It has not
increased. Its rectors are fat and lazy, take the pick
of the markets every day, and have choice wine
cellars. Though seats are free in the great church
and its chapels, nobody goes. The property
is increasing. It is now possessed of 100
millions. Iu less than 30 years the executive,
legislative, and judicial state powers will be Roman
Catholic. They will confiscate this Episcopal
Church property; it will be sold ncminally by the
state, but really for the benefit of the Catholics,
and the New York correspondent of your journal,
30 years hence, will see Trinity Church and its
chapels—St. Paul's, St. John's, Trinity Chapel, and
St. George's, all in the hands of the Catholics. The
archbishop is now negotiating for the purchase of
St. George's, through a secular person, nominally
for building lots, but really for the Catholic Church
of St. George, the Dragon Slayer.