The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-12-06
News from Texas.


|
correspondent of the Fryemaa's Journal
writing, under date of November 10th from
Dallas, Texas, says:
Rev. Father Giesen, of the Redemptoris
Order, whose mother house is located at Cha
tawa, IN mississippi, has just closed mos
successful and glorious mission at this place
Through his eloquent pleadings, his Logical
reasonings and profound augmentation, many
have been brought back to the fold of st. Peter
ana many who never knew what Cathoiicity
was have been enlightened into q grand appre,
citation OF its beauties, its divine promises and
oonsoling sacraments. IL
Two years ago: our congregation, that now
| numbers fully five hundred souls, was CON-
posed of mere handful of faithful persons
| who assembled on Sundays in the basement OF
the Masonic Hall. to hear Mass by that fearles.
| our own church, "a we'll as q hourishinp con.
vent in charge OF the Ursuline Sisters, who are
doing an immense amount of good in our
| midst, educating the young and enlightening
all those who have been hitherto taught to re-
gard the doctrines of our holy religion as 90
many conventional forms, whereby the liberty
of the lay members is destroyed in the central
ization of power in the hands of the priest
hood, ~
Dallas has been an exceedingly difficult
| field for missionary lebors, owing largely to
the fact that aPostate Catholics had brought,
by their atbeisrical practices, their faith into
dlsrepute in tho eyes of the Protestant element
| that surrounded them on all sides, long before
our estimable Bishop ever thought of sending
priest into this sparsely inhabited section.
In 1856 colony of French Socialists, who had
been deluded by the theories of Fourier into
| the idea that grand Utopia could be easily
established by their united efforts, came to thia
country and erected their phalanx upon the
noun tain range that lies about four miles to
the west of this city. The site selected by
| these enthusiasts is one of the most beautiful
anywhere to be found upon the continent.
The long range of hills that stretched for miles
and miles away to the westward, looked down
upon the picturesque and fertile valley of the
| Trinity River, in which they cultivated their
annually realized. These people were all of
that peculiar sect known in this section as
Communes. They recognized NO Sabbath or
holy day in their calendar, and only assembled
themselves together on such days to mock reli-
gion and insult the dignity and goodness of
the Most High God. The late war ended the
attempt of these experimentalsts at the for
nation of . Social Government, and the larger
portion of them came to this city, where many
of them still are living, pursuing their various
professions and ayoc&tions in business, but
united now only in their contempt Of Gods
word and of those who endeavor to observe
its teachings. To uproot the seed of scandal
that these deluded fanatics have implanted in
the minds of the Professionals of this country
will require years of earnest, prayerful labor ;
but with the lights now before have
every reason to feel encouraged. If we cannot
redeem the apoStates, we are at least advan-
cling in the dissemination of those grand truths
that are taught nowhere outside of the Catho-
lie Church.
Texas has never been fertile land for piety,
but 1T is improving, and at some day in the
near future We trust that a biography of our
glorious old Bishop, Right Rev. DIR. Do bsis,
will be written, when Catholics may be in
formed what ii has cost to preach and
practice the principles of our religion in this
State, where the savage hordes that roamed
the plains were scarcely less invincible to the
successors of Peter than the m-civilized
popnlace, whose earliest ideas of the Church
mi n lN,l,t
about the inquisition, and a Thousand other
horrible legends that none but fools would
tell. much less believe.
Father Giesens recent mission has done great
good in this city, and We pray God that he may
be long spared 80 tell in his grand, impressive
manner, of the glories of the true faith and of
the bright rewards that await those who prac-
tice the virtues it every where inculcates. He
Is O rare man, richly endowed with those es-
sential characteristics that give success to the
missionarys labors. In this place, at least, his
many devoted and jealous Catholics, who have
been called from evil ways into paths that lead
to pleasantness and peace. ~
The Ficayuae's San Antonio correrpnnde ut
says: %
This is st. CeciIia's day, and heard capital
discourse on the history of that saint, who wac
the patroness of music, from Father Johnston
of st. Mary's Church, in which the Rev Father
paid a handsome compliment to Dryden, the
au thor of the CelebratedLo ode on St CeciIia's
Day Dryden, 1t seems, was a Catholic, and
this was one of the chef d'Gurres of that great
poet. -. -.t's s=4
Father Johnston was very eloquent on the |
subject of>church music, aud, although lie did |
not recommend play-goiug, the theatre is |
aow conducted, he yet spoke in the highest |
'erms of q well-regalated stage, such as it once
was. in the days of the mysteries and morali-
les. Cardinal Wiseman, he said, had left be-
lind him the fragment of an essay on the En-
,lish drama, in which he spoke in the highest
ernrs Of Shakespeare, its father and founder
Father Johnston was originally bred to the
,ar, and is as bold in his theology as his rela-
i've and namesake, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston,
# Confederate memory, was in war.