Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-12-16

kept, these being substantiated by
records at Quebec and other places.
FROM THE OLD RECORDS.
The first attempt to establish the
Catholic Church here was in 1912,
by Rev. Chas. Raymbout and Isaac
Jogues. but they were stopped at
Lake Superior. In 1860 Father
Rene Menace, opened the first chap
ell at La Pointe, on the 1st of Octo-
Der; and the following year he at
tempted to come to Green Bay,
to visit the islands, where some
Catholic Hurons were living; but
he was killed on the 10th of Aug
ust. on the banks Of the Menomo-
nee river. In 1865 Father Claude
Allouee went to La Pointe, and es-
tablished his chapel on the 1st of
September And, two years after,
the Indians living there moved to
the islands, but most Of them came
to Green Bay so that the Father
made a resolution to follow his neo-
phytes, and arrived here on the
last DAYS of November and Decen-
Der. 1868, and built a bark chapel
on the right side of Neenah river
Fox about a mile and half
from the mouth. He opened his
CHAPEL by celebrating Mass on the
Sd Of December, and the Feast Of
St. Francis Xavier, dedicating the
new mission under the patronage OF
the Saint After that he told the
chiefs the purpose Of his mission,
and commenced to visit the sick
and baptize the dying chi.dren.-
Soon fifty children and seven adults
were baptized. The Rev. James
Marquette, in 1878, in a report to
his superiors, gave an account OF his
mission, and says:
That in the Bales DIES Puants,
our Fathers are working with great
success to the conversion Of these
people, and have baptized more than
5000, from the beginning Of 1868 to
1913" In 1915 Father Andre
counted in Green Bay 500 Chris
tians settled there and the pagans,
enraged at his success. burned his
house and church, and also his 9th
er church, built in Menomonee.-
On the following year his successor,
Rev Charlie Albanel, commenced
a building at Depere, by the gener-
osity Of the Canadian trader, Nico-
las Perrot. That church, about 13
years after, was destroyed by fire,
through the Indians.
In 1921 the historian, Charlie
voix, came to the place; and says
he found, near Bales des Puants, the
amiable ather John Baptiste Char
don, living near his chapel, where
it was built, one mile and a halt
from the river In the beginning
of this century, about 1902 or 1904,
a little silver ''monstrance"w dug
out, here at Green Bay, at about
this place one mile and halt from
the mouth Of the river-and on its
foot was engraved the following in
scription:
See Soliel a este dome par NJ.
| Nocolas Perrot la mission de St.
Francois en- la Baye Puants, 1856"
The monstrance was brought to
| Detroit in 1922: and f.om there
| Rev. Mr.. Bonduel brought it back
to St. Johns Church, Green Bay,
in 1889, where it is now used every
! Sunday. This is the oldest church
antiquity in the United States; and
only one other ancient relic Of this
date exists, which was dug out al
Erie, on the site Of the old French
fort
| This district was under the iuris-
diction of the Bishop Of Quebec,
until the diocese of Cincinnati was
established, in 1922, and then. in
! 1882, came under the diocese of De
troit; IN 1887 it came under the
Bishop Of Dubuque till 1914, when
| the diocese of Milwaukee was es-
tabIished- And Just two hundred
years after the first mass was said
| here, the Holy See established the
| diocese of Green Bay, and elected
To that See the Rt. Rev. Joseph
/ Melcher, Vicar general Of St. Louis
who, fifteen Years previously, was
appointed to the See OF Quincy, H..
and administrator OF the diocese OF
/ Chicago, but refused