The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-09-10
AN ILLUSTRIoUs EPIsCoPATE.
Fifty one Years Of an Irish Bishops Life.
MAGNIFICENT TRIBUTE FROM AN ENGLISH
JOURNAL
tLoudon Talbot, Aug. 1917

~ rated Archbishop of Tuam, now about to
:, take place, 10 an event suggestive Of touch
70 ing and me morable recollectioEs. Ofnearly
}, 100 Patriarchs, Archbsbops, and Bishops
VI IN the Church, his Grace is believed TO be Oh @
., OF the very odes:, being now advanced
u in the fifty second year of his episcopate,
10 yet he has so far discharged al tho weghty
u duties of his vast diocese with un nbroken re-.
n guIarity and uLhagging zeal. Tuam il
!, considerably the largest diocese in Ireland,
8 and ranks next to Dublin in point Of Cstho-
lie population while it is three or four
> times larger in area, and before the famine
. had greater nGmher Of inhab!tapts. The
!, diocese includes nearly a quarter Of a mil
lion of Catholics, scattered over IG7
, square miles Of country, Very large por-
= tlon OF which is mountainoua with a sim
uous coast line of considerable extent, Dum
oers of rugged penirsulae, and scvera!
poPnlons isands, difficult at times of access
yet having churches, and demau ding epis
copal visitation. DR.. McHale was conse
Grated Cuadj ntor Bishop of Kilala on the
Sth June, 1925 and on the death of DR..
Nelly, In 1884, was promoted to the Archi-
episcopal See of Tuam, whose mitre he has
worn with exalted dignity for the long
period OF ~ years; while the next senior
Bishop of Ireland is only of 20 years stand
ing. No district in Ireland, and scarcely
any in the world passed through more
naught d duriug the long and N orable epis. |
copate of the bishop. The poorest aud |
most populous locality in the country.
| education was very backward there, the |
population isolated, and their habits simple
and primitive, Irish being spoken by all
classes. Even 80 early as fifty wears ago
organizations existed to seduce the people
from their faith, through prosely tising
schools and itinerant mission aries. The
appearance of the famine stimulated tho
hope that, through impending starvation
and tho sickness and terrible Affections that
followed, the eVangelising harvest of the
West Connaught Mission was at hand Ex-
eter Hall rang with plsudits at the marvel
lous report of legions of diversions gull
llbie old ladies and gentlemen fanatically
hung their notes and guineas to snatch the
brands from tho Popsh burning on the
seaboard of Connaught flying brigsdes of
parsons, many of them of questionable an
tecedents, scoured the country; while bible
readers and mission agents of various
grades, laden with food, clothing and
brlbes, paid constant visits to tho wretched
cabins of tho sick and the furnishing poor.
Connemara and Joyce's country were parcel
led out into mission districts; churches were
erected and clergy located in them; endow-
ments for permanent liviugs were provi-
dedj relief depots, schools, and orphansees
were founded; lucrative employ ment was
secured to all who desired it while tempt
ing offers were held out of comfortable ser.
vice in England to all who would listen to
the lnsldlous Inducements to spostasy | .
Protestant Archbishops aRd Bishops, and
leading public men from England, with tra- !
vellers from various countries, thronged to
the Connaught sea board to verify with
their own eyes the reports of the conversion 5
OF the vast mass of the population from
Popery. With slight intermission this ne
farlous conspiracy against the faith of the !
poor continued until 1861; when the creed
census then taken exposed to the world the
Infamous lying of these impostors. Never
was conviction more complete and crushing :
than that supplied by the census that fa- :
mine, pestilence and bribes were unable to
shake the faith of the most wretched peas
autry in Connaught. The collapse of funds ;;
and ths total discredit of the West Con
naught Mission followed in q few years :
came the DisestablishmenG of the Church =;
while the census of 1871 reveals that the re- !
latlve numerical status of Catholics is ;
higher in Galway and Mayo than it had =
been at tho close of the previous decade. :
The intrepid and able Archbishop had to d
provide against contingencies SO singular
and trying as to be without parallel, Mt n
least in modern history. HE pame and O
station, his piety and patriotism attracted a
the generous aims of Christeudom for the q
relief of his etlicted flock, who with uu- q
swerving fidelity have nobly defeated the O
satanic Vaccinations to lead them to apos-
tasy. Tho dangers of the coast of Con- O
naught were never able to deter the devoted a
Archbishop-athough sometimes weather r
bound in islands for wceks-even since he r,
became an octogenarian from following his q
flock to see that they were in safe pastures
He has built at leat 100 churches, compile IL
ted a splendid cathedral, founded an ad- fl
mirable college, provided ample parochial al
schools, and established relig igious houses r
of men and women all over the diocese.
But while these are few of the outlines n
of the Archbishop's deeds in his own dio- p
cese, his Grace has influenced his age on o,
wider horizon. He was distinguished b,
professor in Maynooth before his early ell al
ovation to the episcopste. He and DR.. fo
Doyle were amongst the most gifted and
energetic members of the Hierarchy so
years ago especially In opposing and over
throwing the Kildare place system of edu- ce
cation, and in aiding O'Conuell in carrying be
He stood almost alone in in
opposing the National sysr EN-, and predict II
ng its evils and subsequent abuses. He hi
vas tho attached and trusted friend of II,