The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-01-28
The Socalled "Con version " OF Catholic Congrega
tion to Professionalism In Rome, New York.

u
| tlon to Professionalism Rome, New York
| Referring to the conduct of some rebellion,
Catholics in the city of Rome, New York
| which the Protestant journals have magnifieG
| into the " conversion of q whole congregation
OF Catholics to Professionalism" the New YorI
Catholic Rerieo, of the 9th January, says:
TaosK" GERMAN ROMAN CATHOLICS"
AS it is not on every day of the week that o
Protestant Episcopallan bishop can buy up a
church and congregation with The privilege of
Psrading his purchase AS q " conversion from
Popery," We can hardly wonder moon that
Bishop HuntiDgton's recent speculation has
not yet ceased to afford matter for please q {
oackie in various quarters. The cackling of
geese, as We all learned i'll early youth, saved
sneient Rome once on time, aud we incline
TO believe that the memory of that anserine
exploit has suggested the tone of most of the
comments with which the Episcopalisn and
some of the other sectarian journals have
sought to disguise the real nature of the tran
sactlon in our York State Rome up in Oneida
county. One of these organs draws q touching
picture OF the evangelical fidelity with whioh
this little band of Jealous Catholics withstood
all the efforts of tneir pastor and their bishop
to withdraw them from their location in the
midst of lagerbier saloons and the freight
sheds of the Central railway, and to plant
them in more desirable spot. They were
unwilling, says this chronicler, to leave this
Wicked place entirely without o witness tor
God, aid their sense of their duty toward the
frequenters of the saloons made them DE- at to
all snch pernicious entreaties. That sorely, is
very pathetic pictured But as it happens 10
be true that the proposed chHrch was within an
easy fifteen minutes' walk of the old oue and
that, rather than obey, these rebels have for
SIX or seven years done without religious ser
vices in the lagerbier quarter, the effort to
represent them as martyrs to religious zeal
does not heem an altogether successful one.
Now that Bishop Huntington has item in
cDArge, they Will IA ole with a yerN small ex-
DeQGltuTA { time and m ar b.
the sermon u mere passing interlnde betwee
two layers, which seems to have been all
along the object of Jh cir noble ambition
Another of the Episcopalian Journals in |
sinuates that it was the Eng lish leaking part
of the congregation" which separated from |
these new aceessions to the Hnutin gton flock |
and apparently wishes to force the conclusion |
that there was sort Of race.schisnl-a difficulty
between the Irish aud German Catholics. Toni
Inslnuatlon appears to have no foundation In
fact. The congregation as q whole WAS Ger
man, aud 30 WAS It's pastor, Father Schmidt
who carried with him to the new church bhl ee
quarters of his people. Not all, even of the re-.
bells, remained obstinate in their dsobedience
rom time 10 time straggiers have re entered
,he Church and made their peace on the usual
ierms. As for the rest of them, they seem to have
allied for years to understand their position |
Ind IL as not until after the failure of repeated
'Horts on their part to be ackno wledg ed by the
Bishop of Albany that the pressure of their
;hurcn debt, united with the habit of per-
1ersity induced by long rebellion, made hem
|
would sell both themselves and their church q
purchaser YVES ready. Such a step as that of ,
actually cutting themselves eff FROM the Cath
>llc Church did Dot, we may be sure occur to
hem possible to be taken when fret
hey inserted the thin end of the wedge of dis.
'bedience six years ago. They thought 1T was
merely a question OF Two Catholic churches in
lead of one, and that though they had allowed
themselves 10 insult their bishop W hen he came y
% Rome to dedicate the church " hch they re-
used TO enter yet that he would be q ute will !
to accent another 1 h9n N hen {
hoy were READY to offer it TO him. Even the
act that no priest would lay the corner stone
I their new church, and that Protestant d.
llhlsJer RAD to be iuvlttd IS perform that ::
eremony seems not to have updeceived them
hen their building finished they sent .
'old TO The bishop that they were ready for q i
aston Of course they got none, and then they "
ltered the tone of their appeal, In laying the
orner stone they had osIeutatiously placed n
'ithln 1t certain nnCathOlic documents, ex- y
TesslVe OF their then attitude of disrespgct To y
ne constituted authorities of the Cburch This y
orner-stone they now removed, disposed of It's
oJectlona6le contents, informed the Bishop
lat they mad done so, and expressed the hope
lat he would now eend q priest. While vet
leir case was under delIbeE8tion, thew seemed a
le services of q pretended pFlest. who said
hat was called macs in German for q few y
undays aud then disappeared from among
lem. a second-a suspended Swiss or Prus- ~
next, and also departed after a
REF stay. Meanwhile their numbers we're
radually lessening by desertIon to Father
cbmidG's congregation, and the pressure of the
ebts contracted by building grew heavier ~
ally. Their appeal to the bishop brought no
suit except the advice to sell their church Il
nd join the other congregation, after having
public penance satisfied for tie long and
rieVouE scandal they had given. That, probs- >
y, is what would have happened in the end, 2
the evil one to whose suggestions they had
long lent willing ear, had not pot a most n
mpLipg bait before them, The Episcopalians
ould buy the church, providing the congrega- CO
on were among the fixtures. The thought
as such happy one, both buyers and sslers IL
} mutually amiable, that the transfer was
1ally brought about after some preliminary
instructions" Of which We can guess the Pur- b