The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-04-29
TIE DIOCESE OF sAVANNAH.


The Right Rev. Bishop Gross has written tn
anfJoiped letter to the Missions Catholiques:
Permit me to lay before you the condition q
my diocese, since the epidemic which d seolate q
my episcopal CITY.
On the 10Th Of August the presence of yellov
leve1 at savannah was announced All tn
whites who had the means. to the number n
o.ooo, Immediately left tie city and took re-
tose IN the neighborinK States and in tn
mountains and woods of Georgia Those VIII,
could not leave. and who numbered GOT O. three
toufths OF whom were Cathotics, had to SUITE
all the horrors of the plague which ragged wisl
anexam pied fury. or the 5000 whites, 1901
| Toll victims during the months of August Sep
| TENDER ard October. while in preceding year.
| the mortality scarcely reached $50 OF ter
priests, i've died of the fever and two others
| were dangerously attacked.
Thanks be to God. our clergy have been
worthy of their past, and OF The Catholic
Church. From the fret day of the epidemic's
appearance to the last the priests of Savanna b
aud those of the surrou nding country invited
to partake of the labors and peris of their
brothers OF the city, could have been found
| the STRICKEN bury ing the dead and epcourag
ing the living to endure the pestileuce like
men and Christians. This devotedness of the
clergy brought about the conversion of con-
siderable NUM- Der OF Professionals who Oh their
DEATH bed, declared themselves Catholics Sew
eral jews initiated them. Our holy religion
made great advances during the epidemic to-
vannah. - "a"
Almost all our religious establishments are
mepaceo with rain, il God does not hasten to
our aid. The Catholics of Savannah, forming
the third of the Catholic population of the
diocese, have always been the chief support of
WORKS iooking to the mai ntenance and propapa.
ton OF Catholieity in Georgia. The plague
ruined them. The yellow fever having broEe en-
out just W hen the harvest of 1876 was ripe the
cotton took another direction. 1t was sent to
Charleston, Wilmington and other mel ghboripg
clIles. For This reason, and also because ne
merchants 81 the North have lost conf encs
in the sanitary condition of our CITY, the com
merce or Savannah is destroyed for several |
years to come. The Catholics, no for lack of |
means could not leave the city during the |
plague spent for medicines. funeral ohsrges |
ere the little means they had saved and most
OF them have had to contract debts
All our religions Embellishments and ALI onr
W rks are snhering. Oar seminary of Macon
"a, indispensable Tor the formation OF O native
clergy capable of resisting the infeet iops tis.
eases OF our climate, is without professors.
resources fail us with which to Procure and
keep them. Our two orphan asylu ms of Wasb
Of heart-rending distress The children thew
'helter are almost dying with hunger
There are not far from 500 900 negroes in nv
llocese. l have opened mission among them |
4nd hoped to procure priests for that work
Thloh could be made to bear great fruit for |
ne ooiored people are neglected by the Pro
estants. but without unusual suocor, shall
70 forced to retard indefinitely the executio
# this project. All our missions in the interior
no in state of abandonment; we have mot
ven the wherewithal to pay the travelling
expenses of our missionaries. Many Cstholios |
various localities throughout the diocese |
re thus without religious instruction the
scraments and Christian burial.
This short account will give you some idea |
our distress.