The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-09-12

ness was business and having q large family
dependent upon him, and the missus now only
think of number one The fact was, Il was no
,iss denying 10, he wanted yeSJ TseAIy to let
tho place. which'was standing idle o. nights,
but Ii he let it 60 Romanists there was this TO
think of: he might lose some ef his pupils and
there wasn't too many of 'em as 1T was:
Would ne give . definite answer-yes or no
WSaI, really---he hoped no ofense--is did re-
auire confederation. When he asked El0 q
year he was not aware it was for q Fap-least-
ways, Romanist, OF he might say Roman
new was no objecti Well, that was Gerry kind
of him !; Mr.. Bichester, he believedf Yes, he
had had the pleasure of hearing of him betorei
the most respectable people in B---) what
n pity it was Mr. Biehester was Papist-
leastways, a Romanist. 1t was very kind OF
could assure him money had to be an object to
him and if they wouldn't mind eco year,
and Mr.. Bichester would be guarantee for 1t,
to support he really couldn't-he didn't know
after all whether he was doing right-but he
really could not refuse the offer.
The proposal was closed with Immediately,
probably to the schoolmaster's astonishment.
But Mr.. Chichester knew too well the state OF
public feeling in b, and thonght'it quite
within the bounds of probability that some OF
the respected parents" of the dirty little,
scholars would remove them from a place
where they might be within reach Of that mys-
terious influence which Popery is supposed %
ment as TO terms of tenancy drawn up on the
spot.
And SO, on the evening of Ash Wednesday,
49,, the room was opened for its new purpose,
Mr. Bichester reciting night prayers ana the
Seven Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary to
congregation of seventeen persons IN gu, In
Guiding several of those Catholics IL they
| were ANYTHING" whom we have already. men,
| toned who had received the announcement of
the opening of q place of CATHOLIC worship
| close to their homes with Il degree OF pleasure
scarcely expected from them by the projectors
! of the movement.
MI. Bichester had opened to the little meet
| ing we have referred to his entire heart. He
had laid before them the noble ambition that
filled it of seeing new Catholic mission es-
tablished, and Catholic Church ultimately
on the subject, in which he expressed a belief
that they mi ght live to see both, had been re-
ceived with many piods ejaculation OF Cod
is good p "The Lord grant it may beW etc.
None of his audience shared his expectations,
though all were with him in his desires. But
! whether it was that special blessing reward
| ed his earnest faith--a faith of the truly apos-
| tolic kind, that worked to bring about what it
|. believed, or whether it was that he had moro
| correctly estimated the religious sentiment of
B than any of his neighbers-certain it
! is, that very few months. passed before the
| number of worshipers on Sunday evenings in
| the little dingy school-room give evidence OF
Spsasts tie last saneane. The little Catholic
| community became sufficiently numerous and
important to lay heavy on the minds of the
CONGREGATION az "CaVo AQullata," where bne
"Primitive Methodists" of b, better
| known to the profane of the place as ''the
Ranters," had their attention called at nearly
every gathering, by the Rev. Hepzibah vite-
cholEer, their respected pastor, to the insidious
entertainments Popery was making in their
MElgnD0rtIuod, aad wara warned (with vigor
cas6foniJ 81 81 syst Qnt q the PeaEas
aters who was nothing but Jesuit in dis
guse. Our friend, the schoolmaster, who sat
under the Rev. Vitechoker, was too fond of
hearing himself talk not to communicate to
Mr, Bichester. the Judgment that divine had
passed upon him and he was not little hor-
rifed to find that Mr.. Bichester, instead of be-
ing indignant at it as an insult, calmly re-
marked that too much honor had been done
him in associating SO unworthy person for q
moment with order of religious who had
| rendered incalculable services to literature, to
science, and to civilization, and, above all, to
After awhile, the little body had grown so
| considerably in numbers that priest from the
| nearest chapel arranged to como among them
| to lead their prayers and deliver short dis
| courses. Nothing was wanting for the weekly
| celebration of Mass but suitable building,
! and, proyidentially, this was soon obtained.
local agent for the sale of n highly popular
| pale ale had opened O store in D, but the
extent of his profits did not cover his expenses,
and he failed. The stores were commodious,
and were placarded to let. Mr.. Bichester Of
| fered to take them, and stated the object for
which the were required. In this he acted in
discrestly His proposal would in all proba-
bility have been refused, were it not that the
premises, though roomy, were not, in auction
GERS phraseoiogy, desirable" for business pur-
poses. AS it was, he got possession by agree
ing to high rent and tenancy of three
! years; and workmen were Immediately set in
action to prepare the lower apartment as an
oratory, and the loft above as schoot-room
and meeting-place for the congregation. The
greater portion of the expense of these altera-
tions fell, we need scarcely say, upon Mr.. BIZ
chester although the contributions of the Ca
tholics of B were liberal, considering
] their small numbers and limited means.
1T was glorious moment for Mr. BiehesteE
when the notes of the organ (his own gift) first
| resounded through tho old brewery stores in
the prelude to the Te DeHnt Lnadd1lHs, after
Mass on the Sunday of their opening a Ca
| tholio chapel The alterations made were not
extensive, not only because the funds to pay
for them were small, but because it was felt
that our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament would
find here only a temporary resting place. Yet
they had effected o complete metamorphosis of
the cob-webbed stores The walls were bril-
liant with whitewash; the altar, separated by
q rough, temporary rood-screen, was decorated
inexpensively yet with taste; the seats and
places for kneeling were neatly painted and
grained, aud though SO newly that the paint
still smelt, no aroma could be sweeter in the
nostrils of Mr.. Chichester, or Tim Brady, or
Mrs. Flanagan, the dispenser of pins and