The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-12-18

Richard va q % IL i,ots = iittic Frenohy,
-sn:l IAN sriosfIsi HsGasswas Born Il. saintes,,
France, Oct. Is, st. Theresa's feast, 1764. 1t is
said that the blood of She Eagle Of Meaux
conrsed in his veins Ordained priest ia 1f91,
and sanctuary low, the. great Able Emery,
whom both the revolution and Napoleon ]. re-
spected, according to an understanding with
our then Bishop Carroll, sent young Mr.. Rich
ard, in company with the sanity Matignon, of
| Boston, the future Arch bishop Marechal,' and
| "a, 1892
The Italians say that the Spanish ex-Jesuits
(and there were many hundreds of them) car
| ried with them into Italy piety, learning, and
doubloons. And they did more pious,
more learned set of men were never driven out
OF State by a silly monarch-he wasIa BOur-
| bon-added to this that they were almost all
| OF noble and certainly wealthy families. But
our primitive apostles from France brought no
| money, albeit they were most learned, holg men.
Oh! what glorious page is the history of the
first fifty years of the Catholic Church in this
ment crumb bling into dust day after day |! Well,
Able Richard was sent to take charge of Hi
nois, a Wee little parish of only So, 400 SQUARE
| miles. The poor man suffered much. The
French Canadians were none the better for
being nominal Catholics, and with tho Ameri-
| can Protestants he could not converse for want
of language. In 1899, he was appointed to De-
troit, which became the theater of his apostol-
| ic work for the remainder of his life with the
| exception of excursions into more distant re-
gions, during one of which (1s21) he made a
pilgrimage to the grave of Father Marquette,
over which he planted cross, on which he
cut with his penknfe "Fr. j. Marquette died
here May, 1875.
When, in 1860, we visited Michigan, we
found Fr. Richards memory as green as ever
and his name II household word with priest
and people, Catholic and Protestant. But
| am not going to write the life of my old, dear
| friend, Nj. G and c. p. Perhaps after my death
my heirs-at-law may sell certain MSS. that
may be useful for compilation of it, unless
they sell them to wrap red herrings in. 1t
has been done before in the goodly city of
Boston. Yet there is circumstance con-
nected with Rev.. G. Richards life which is
certainly noteworthy. He was the first Catho-
lie publisher in the North west-in fact, he was
the first printer west of the Alleghanies, and
the first to print any portion of the Scriptures.
the Essay du Michigan, q paper that gave NOR
tai offense to John Bull, who at last laid his
hands on the good man. and dragged him into
Imprisonment. Poor Pere Gabriel during the
ravages of the cholera morbus in Detroit, 1882,
attacked with the disease, he ceased not min
istering to the poor and the sick, but he was
overpowered at last, and he lay down his life
with the sign of faith, and to rest in the sleep
of peace. Glorious Father Richard! how that
early recollection of thy CHEEKY and heavenly
countenance is beaming in my mind! Dear
Father Gabriel! how sad feel as stand alone
a gnarled old limb, after all these vigorous
and luxurious branches, that clustered in the
blessed garden of old Father Matthew, have
been Topped off by Old Mortality !-Catholic
Family 1lmdnac.