The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-04-06
Destruction Of st. Brdgets Church at whisaisz
Ala.


Ala,
AT the time this great loss was Sustained
by the town of Whistler, which is stua6s6
within six miles Of Mobile, in mentioning
the fact we expressed our conviction tksG
| the energetic Pastor, Father Lorigar
would soon have the church replaced Sg
one equally as good If not better. The Ese-
| lowing extract from the Register shs9S
that we were not mistaken and, at tkR
same time, offers an opportunity to ill
} charitable persons of assisting in gosE
work:
St. Bridget's Church, whose foundatsez
was laid and erection completed some foGr
years ago by the Reverend Father Kirwix,
of affectionate remembrance, at cost nak
less than six thousand dollars, had bat
just emerged from debt, and was locked
upon with pride and admiration by it's 09--
tire body Of parshioners. To their Zeale4E
and earnest efforts, under the practical d.
rection of the present Priest, Father Lort-
gan, much of this success was due, and az
all appearance, there was every promise Ut
their enjoying for long time the reWa,zt
of this pious labor. Its outward appese-
ance was such as to attract and gratify
the eye of all visitors to Whistler, Wink
within it's body had been placed from tinoD
SO dear to the Catholic heart, and to wnan
it had become not only Il shrine from wtlas
their prayers and oblatons were daily
offered to the Most High, but an object al
honest pride, n tangible result of their pa
tient, hopeful lhbors. ComparativetG
small though the offerings of some lasG
able ones may have been, yet every
thing had been most faithfully and judia-
ously applied, and there was the rcsnft-
sacredness, beauty, accessibility, utility al
combined.
Such was Saint Brdget's church ere thia
great calamity fell upon it. To day, alaAx
hardly pillar remains of it's foundGSi0as
and where the voice of worship was ~rDrE
to arise like q sweet incense to heaven iG
now heard the voice Of the laborer wne
clears away its broken, shattered wall. itG
beautiful altar, its vestments, those ma0y
moveless, priceless emblems OF HIM 20
whose worship they had been copsecratedv
all gore in one sad hour. Who can tell
how sad and deep must have been the SUE
ering of its present worthy Priest, himSe&
almost sacrifice to the Same disaster, lhiG
parsonage, where he was sleeping, standing
within few feet of and having received 8
severe stroke from the falling walls of the
building), upon witnessing the destrucGor
which a moment had wrought. And yetr
under this great burden, which woGk
surely be too heavy for most men, the ca
ergy of Father Lorigan seemed in no wiaO
abated, but rather to rise aud become moe1
earnest as the occasion demands. So far
as the writer can learn, there have alreadg
been subscribed some six hundred doAaGx
toward the early rebuilding of the edifeeG
and it is source of genuine gratifcaIsG
to see that this liberality has not been coO-.
fined to Roman Catholics entirely, ase
whole body of Christian people seeming 70
feel an earnest interest in aiding this holy
work. That such may speedily ba accom-
plished, is the prayer of it's immediate COB
grcgatiOD, who are now using as place Il
worship the recently completed school
house attached to the parish and it is to be,
hoped that with these facts before thea,
the entire community not only of Whistler
but of Mobile and elewhere, may coDtri
butte with their usual open handed libereI-
ty towards this pious, shsly object. TbaL
having been written without any direct,
information from Father Lorigan, must be
taken as only partial, incomplete state
ment of the loss actually sustained, yet the
writer believes that the figures given will
| If anything, fall short of those actually in
volved, and therefore trusts that it may a4-
tract the attention of those charitably diEr
posed persons who are interested in belieV-
| ing that the cause of religion should BE-
sustained, and in knowing that their cor
tributions will be most gratefully receiyeS
and promptly applied.
Whistler, March 6, 1873. &