The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-02-04
The Three Priests.

y The Three Priests.
y Apropos of q notice which recently appsare
in the Baltimore Mirror registering the retur,
to that city, of Rev. Father Mccoy, we wi
take the liberty of putting in type an aueodot
recently told us at the expense of Rev. Fathe
l Kenny, of our own city. The notice referred t
contains the following passages:
3 Rev. Father Peter Mccoy, pastor of tn
> Church of st.. Mary Star of the Sea, corne
johnson and Clements streets, after o thre
months soiourn in Europe for the benefit O.
his health, returned home on Christmas Eve.
a private telegram had been sen
to Rev. Father Devipe, the assistant pastor O.
the church, stating that Father Mccoy woult
reach this city atImidnight. The secret leske(
out, and when the train reached the station
Father Mccoy was surprised to find nearly q
dozen we'll filled carriages in waiting for him
The procession folio we'd him to his house
| where the warmest congratulations were ex
changed.
This reception, according to our information
was considerably different from one of which
Father Mccoy had been the victim while in
Ireland, on his recent trip, and with which Rev.
Father Thos. j. Kenny, pastor of st. John the
Bsptist's Church in this city, is not entirely
unconnected.
1t seems that Father Mccoy has q cousin in
Ireland, very aged and venerable gentleman,
who is the parish priest of little place called
Derrymacash. This aged clergyman-Dr. Nor
gan-has fallen into some of the infirmities of
health, with resulting oddities of opiniop)
which generally cloud or crown the latter days
of long life generously and faithfully spent
in the service of God and Man. Among other
peculiar notions, the venerable doctor has an
idea that American priests are not to be trusted
on revolutionary questions, and in consequence
OF these fears, he would not permit bis cousin,
father McCoy. to officiate in his church while
recently on visit to him at Derrymacash.
IL appears that Father Kenny, innocently on
his part, was the immediate occasion ofthis can.
tlous policy. While last in Ireland be was
treated with princely hospitality by Rev.
Father McKenna and his whole parish, being
detained among them long enough to witness
the admirable details of perfection to which the
parochial administration had been reduced by
that reverend gentleman, who is, indeed, well
known here in New Orleans. One item of his
organization was society embracing hun
dreds of men, in fact nearly all the male adults
Of the parish. 1t happened that Rev. Dr. Nor.
gan's parish of Derrymacash was adjoining,
and that Father Kenny, by arrangement, went
there one Sunday to cay Macs and oficiate
'oA '"0 HonoA0oio PaSterJ VINO was SICK IN bed. |
Father Kenny took the occasion to address a
few remarks to the flock, in which he spoke
with enthusiasm of Father McKenna's socisty
ot men, aud even volunteered, Dr. Morgan
being sick, to head the men of Derrymacash if
they would go over in body and participate
n some festival about to be celebrated by that
'ocety.
These remarks reached the Rev. Doctors
'ars through a channel which was more dis
'inguished for imagination and amplification |
hat for tame accuracy. He was thoroughly |
convinced that Father Kenny had volunteer
I'd to head his parish, with the largest
'hlllelah in his hand that could be found, in a |
oray upon the Orangemen of the County.
Now DR.. Morgan had doubtless read of Texas
n it's earlier days aud of our general Western
frontier, with their questionable doctrines of
Lynch law, bowie knife rule and revolver srbi-
ration. He didn't like all this and he didn't
hink his parish was the proper place to intro
luce it into Ireland, even in the modified !
orm it might receive while passing through
clerical ch annel.
Hence it was, that Father Mccoy, who was
heartily welcome as a cousin, got the cold
houlder as clergyman, and hence it is that
Father Kenny's name will go down to pos.
erity in Derrymacasb as that of ire eating.
ree-fghting, lawless, revolutionary American
priest.