The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-09-07
NEW ORLEANS, SUNDAY MORNING. SEPTEMBER z 1873

> 30 is every right-minded Protestant in to
woIid. Meantime, how Jared it with the Ca
> tnoiics The Catholics, my friends, were fey
there. Five or six Highlandmen from SCOT
Land, of the old class that kept tho ancien
faith, the Irish family driven by persecution
turous spirit, or tired with fighting in a hope
less cause, would go to America, and brip ciue
!helr Catholic Faith with them, would remain
IN the wild woods and forests hewing the pri
meVai trees, pioughing the virgin SOIL hunting
the elk. destroying the wild beasts, making q
little CIVILIZATION; but signing in vain for The
sign OF the Cross, or for the visit of the priest
assembled them at Mi ht to say the Rosary
taught them, when he might, their cateohism
but, beyond this, there was no aid whatever
no heip Whatever from that religion which he
i knew and believed to be the only true revela-
Ton OF God, and with which he believed all
his hopes for time and eternity were bound.
Ana, occasionally, Spanish priest. from South
ture into the northern wilds and forests. o.
easionally, the poor Irish emigrant the poor
Irish Catholic might see at early morning
| a little canoe coming down along the solf-
| for time, he might see upon the very ton
OF the mast of the frail boat something
like like the sign Of the Cross -some French
| Jesuit and some Dominican priest, Committing
MS Life and his all, going down the Ohio, the
Missouri, or the Mississippi in search of souls.
Then great was the joy when the man of God
arrived, and when, perhaps, for the first time
dren around him was able to kneel down at
the Holy Sacrifice aud adore his God. need
not ten you that in tho year ITS the American
were defeated, the flag of England disappeared
from off the ports and cities, whilst all Anne
RIGA and the world beheld for the first time
that which I, for one, honor and revere-the
- rd md SfrsN I'LL H.
surprised to hear that when this glorious event
was accomplished, in the process Of which the |
blood OF 1rishmen was shed freely, that the i'm
mortal George Washington well indeed and
proudly avowed that the strongest force at his |
tight arm was the patriotism and courage of
freshman. Yet, in that day there was not a
single priest in the whole State or City of New
York. The first priest that settled in the city |
of New York was Father Francis Whelan, an |
Irish Franciscan, who came there in 17S5, aud |
his congregation amounted at that time to |
about two hundred Catholics in the city.
Farther oD, in the year 1903, there was only |
one bishop aud one diocese in the whole of tho
United States of AmeIica-that was the Bishoyt
OF Baltimore. 1t seems to us as it were q thing
of yesterday-our idea of antiquity carrying us
back to the middle ages. And in America,
they consider themselves old when in Ire
land are what we call robust men. knew
yself that was not bad looking man, but
was called the old gentleman frequently.
do not mean old Harry or old Nick, you know,
but the old gentleman. In 1903 there was
only one Bishop i'll America, and in 18i5-the
other day you may say, our fathers remember
1.-THE first Cathedral was consecrated by
Bishop Cheverus of Boston. Doctor Con-
molly was appointed Bishop of New York in
1922. Many MEN here may have some recol. !
lection Of that year. In that year thore was
only eight priests i'll the whole Diocese of New |
York. Do you know what the Diocese of New |
York meant at that time 1t meant the whole |
which then comprised Brooklyn, Albany,
Rochester, B Alfalo, and Newark, and in the
year ~ there was only eight priests there
friars had formed the people into societies,
taught them agriculture and made them O
happy people, and everything went on well IN
til tho year 1913. The Spanish Government at
that time in revolutionary condition, much
as it is now, said it would be better to take tho
people from under the care of the friarS and
put them under the care of the Government.
space of time they reduced California to such |
o state, that the people, dismsyed at the al !
teration, cried out to England aud America to |
come and deliver them from the Mexicans and |
take their country from it. That was what |
was passing in California. We now advance |
one step farther. We find that in 1915 there |
were four dioceses constructed in America
four Bishoprics-namely, Boston, Philadel- |
phia, New York, and Baltimore. We find, more |
over, that there were then only thirteen States !
in the Union-now there are thirty-three. |
Since England disappeared from America o
new spirit seemed to breathe over the land,
and it was simply the spirit of Religion. And
significant fact is this that, whereas, the last
act of the British in the State of New York
was to conGne the priests, sooner were
they gone than the Protestant Mayor and al
dermen Of q little town assisted ct the laying
of the foundation stone of q church, and
thereby proclaimed in the glorious words of
Washington, that all men were perfectly and
religiously free i'll America, So far up to our
! own time. We find that nInety-fVe years ago
| there were thirteen States; now there thirty
| seven. Eighty-one years ago there but
one Bishop in America Seventy years ago
| sixty years ago, there were bat fear Bishops in
America; now there ars fifty seven The pOPu-
| lation of America AT the time OF the declsra-
ton Of Independence was two million eight
millions. In what proportion did the Catholics
keep up with that immense increase Of Popu-