The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-11-16
Irish Priests In the olasn fisnsa.

'But the matter, and perhaps the only
matter. which disquieta and perplexes the
mind Of the 'HiatSrinn,' In tho fact, that In
the nntdse OF all these horrors Catholic
Prtesss were not only ministering all over
the country, but coming in from France
tive vooasns made by transportation and by
death, bat keeping up steadily the need
ful Communication between the Irish
Church and it's head not only coming but
going (both times mourning the rick Of
capital punishmsntl; and not In commo-
but in email fishing iugeers or schooners
not a. hrst-clAss paasen gers but &c men be-
fore the mast. Archbishops worked their
passage know the spots, within
my own part Of ireland, where venerable
Arch bishops hid themselves, az it were. in
a hole Of the rock. Ina remote part Of
Louth County, near the base of the Fews
Mountains, fs q retired nook called Bal.
lymacscanlon. There dwelt for years in q
farm -bouse which would attract no atten-
ton, the Primate of Ireland and the sue
ceesor of st. Patrick, Bernard Mcmahon. q
Probate accomplished in all the learning
Of his time, and assiduous ia the govern
ment of HE archdiocese but he moved
with danger If not with fear, and often CO.
countered hardships in travelling by day
and by night. His next successor, but one,
was Michael O'Reiliy, and he dwelt in q
cabin at Termonfeckip, near Clogher Head,
a very wild place, and greatly out of the
way, as it lay between the great Northern
road aud the sea, and could only he found
by those who searched tor it. Here he
died. And ii such were the tolls and dan
gers of the highest ecclesiastics, We may
conjecture what kind of life awaited the
simple priests who devoted themselves to
| the mission yet it was, with full know
ledge of all this, with full resolution to
brave all thia, that many hundreds of edu-
Gated Irishwen, fresh from the colleges of
Belgium or of Spain, came to the French
seacost at Brest or St. Malo, bent ON finding
some way of crossing TO where their work
lay. Imagine priest ordained at Seville or
Salamanca, q gentleman of high old name,
| man of eloquence and genius, who has
| sustained disputations in the college halls
on.queetion of liter AZURE or theology i'm
agine him on the qnays of Brest, treating
with the skipper OF come weasel to let him
work his passage he wears tarry breaches
aud tarpaulin hat (for Disguise was gen.
orally ueedfull; he filings himself on board,
takes his full part in all hard work, scarce
feels the cold sp"ay and the fierce Tempest
for him. may be- a row of sugar canes to
hoe, under the blazing sun of the Barba-
does, overlooked by broad hated agent
of Bristol planter yet he goes eagerly to
meet bis fate for he carries in his hand q
| sacred deposit, bears in his heart a sacred
message, and must deliver it or die. I'm
agine him then springing ashore, and re-
| pairing to see the Bishop of the diocese in
some cave, or behind some hedge, but pro-
ceediug with caution by reason of the
priest- catchers and their wolf dogs. But,
fffouag would say, this ia the ideal priest,
yoa have been portraying. No !; 1t is the
real priest, as he existed and acted at that
day, and as he would again in the like
emergency. And is there nothing admira
| BILE In all thisf Is there not something
superhuman and sublime f-MitcheU on
Froude.