The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-11-02
Tho Catholic Mi.sion.-se colorod Americans.
From the Brooklyn Catholic Reviewl

From the Brooklyn Catholic Revew.l
Through the kindness of the faculty Of st.
Joseph's Foreign Missionary College, Mill Hill,
we have received from the rector, Very Rev:
Canon Benoit, tho report of that educational
institution, in whose success oil Catholics, but
more especially those of the United states
have deep and prominent interest. This
report we are not able to give in full, but from
it we have selected some points which may
advantageously be borne In mind.
OF the first inspiration of this Catholic mis-.
the report, and eay nothing. The story is al.
ready familiar to our readers. The idea was
blessed by the Father of the Faithful. and in
ISL the first pious missionaries of st. Joseph's
Society vowed before God to be forever the
Fathers and Servants of the Blacks, and to
undertake no other work that ght Withdraw
them from their special mission" They sailed
for Baltimore, where Archbishop Spalding re-
ceivei them with open arms, and in the name
Of his brethren of the episcopate, added his
blessing to those which they brought with them
frosl the bishops of the Old World. The Pub-
lie has heard little of their work since then,
except through the murmurings of the undis-
suissd d;snsy of the enemies of the faith, who
appreciate as we'll Us we can the glorions mis- |
sion that awaits them-glorous in its difficult |
But il their work, as the work of the Catholic
missionary always is, has been silent and with
out parade it has also been effective, and the re-
port is able to say, The success which has
hitherto attended the labors of the missiona-
ries has been far beyond expectation, both in
respect to conversions and to the establish
|
confident affection of the colored people, who
now say that they have got their own priests,
has been fully secured and abundantly test-
fed to by the generosity and afectionate man
ner in which they responded to every appeal
A second chapel, formerly Baptist meeting
house, has also been opened in another part of
Baltimore" The little band of missionaries
has already sent one of its members, victim
to typhus fever, contracted in the discharge OF
heaaen Two others have come from st. Jo
sephs to fill his place aud 90 operate with those
already in the field. They have opened q high
school for colored boys, the first Catholic es-
tablishment of the kind opened in America
!. Among the lay Brothers are two colored. The
Brothers are employed in teaching and cate; cate
chizing. Clearly the missionaries, in q little
over year, have laid the foundations of a
% Our readers will remember the extremely
, able articles which our special correspondent,
Mr.. William Lumms, wrote last winter from
the South to the Catholic Rcrie,c on the cbarac-
ter of the Southern negro and the probability
briefly confirms the opinion then put forward
of tho admirable adaptibility of the Church
for the elevation and Gh.istanzat9n n Of the the
: inclined to piety and religion, and if they had
: Catholic priests devoted to their service large
harvest of souls would be gathered t,i IN: We
u selves in the midst of number of black pop
= ulations in different dioceses, and it is duty
Il publicly to confess in this report that there is
o no other impeachment in the way of our accept
3 ance of these invitations than the teaHt Of su
J. fcient means to educate and prepare larger
8 number of laborers for the work." And again
z; in another place it says, "They are free from
u those intellectual vices which have deeply
t. traced expression of peculiar malice upon
l. dearer to the Sacred Heart than that o.
D. preaching the Gospel to people which is sim
pie minded and inclined to believe, but humble
- despised and cast out by men. Neither they MOI
their fathers hare rejected the kno,cn truth. They
A. involved in no guilt of apostasy like the PEG
!, ple of other nations Hunted and treated like
hnir fnf w
-, ID for the value of worthless baables or for run
= u and gunpowder and reduced to slavery. Ant
~ till the other day it was illegal and n punish
~ able offence to teach them, even though they
=, y, had acquired freedom to read and write"
h h. The Society hopes that in the immediate fu
II ture their American mission will be the seed o
d the faith in Africa. This, perhaps, is lookinl
" very far ahead But there can be no doub
10 10 that as the of the Society increase
,' its missionaries will work such wonders in tn
10 South that we may not despair of seeing wha
h y" we may call superhuous force diverted int
h Africa.
oy Several important letters from American
~ Bishops are published in the report commend
Up ing the work. One of these from the lat
TO- TO- Bishop of Savannah Mgr. Persco, contain
toe the valuable statement that the colored me-
"a will give n richer harvest of souls than can b
1 It reaped in the East Indies. This isl stated o.
M dies and four in America. Bishop Quinlan, o
~ Mobile believes that as the dellrium of thei
~, suddenly acquired freedom is fast passn
~, away, leaving them in cooler and better dispo
~, sitions to hear the word of Eternal Life, n
op more favorable time to begin the conversion
rni of the non-Catholic colored people of thes
, , a States could in Gods good providenc
ic. be afforded than at the present" The Arch
IN bishop of Cincinnati says, we hail will
TO- 10, gladness and hope the Star from the Eas
he which promises to guide the colored people o
~, m the United States to the knowledge and Low
ed of the Saviour. 1t rises in England and il
nC luulines the West. England originated ant
- America perpetuated negro slavery. The tw'
~, countries now unite to render tardy justice t.
, ,a the African race-tardy, but effectual."
.e The present condition of ST. Joseph's Colleg
g is not wholly satisfactory, owing TO the wan
~, 10 of funds. There are many demands for admis
Il" sion, especially from Germany, since the perse
cution. at present there in the colleg
three deacons. four sub deacons, one in mino
of orders, and six promoted to the tonsnrate
Of seven other students have not been called t
ct, orders yet. Nine candidates have been re
lei Gently admitted, but other subjects entirel
til elig ole have been refused on the ground jus
III. stated, and must be refused until benefactor
Dk, contribute G1O year, required from eac
he student. The report points ont with regre
Ar- and sorrow that our English brethren are
I'll little negligent in contributing to this work
Nd hon hot actually mr. frOr