Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-04-23
Tribute to Blshop Becker.

l
tended services In St. Peters Churcf
ON Thursday morning, and Mt theil
close presen ted the following address Il
Bishop Becker, who 10 about to leav,
this oity for Savannah, Ga, to which
place he has been transferred by tn.
Pope:
RIGHT REVEREND BISHOP: TIL,
priests of this diocese, both secular and
regular, desire to avail themsel YES O.
the opportunity afforded by the cere
monies of Holy Thursday, to present
you this address:
We have always taught our people
that obedience to constituted authority
is primary duty of every Catholic, and
now although not only affection and
gratitude, but, as we respectfully be-
lieve, the best interests of this diocese
are arrayed against obedience, we vim.
dictate the sincerity of our counsel by
submission to the decree which trans
fers you TO another field.
The submission Is made diff cult ir
part by the remem brance Of the faith
fnl and conspicuous service you have
| rendered to this diocese. First Bishot
of Wilmington, the gratifying progress,
IL has witnt ssed during the 18 years Of
your mbency, has, under God, beer
due to you. When you came, Will
mington had two churches, It has siz
to-day. Then, one religious community
existed here; to-day FIVE religious
ord ers are doing the work OF God iu
teaching and caring for the little ones
Then, the State Of Delaware had only
i've priests; now the Catholics of Della
ware are ministered TO by IA clergymen
aafa nfM f. Ia a,,1 H.
priests aJtepded to the spiritual needs
OF the people, and to-day sevon priests
and IL churches are found there.
But that submission Ia made chiefly
difficult By the relations-iu many re.
spects as we believe, the anomalous
relations, which have always subsisted
between yourself and the priests Of your
diocese. No one can tell as We can,
with what cendescension you have
assisted In all the labors Of our minis.
try. The tolls and privations Of our
vocation lost half their weight in pres
ence Of the fidelity and cneerfulness
with which you always discharged
more than a bishops portion ofthem.
This 10 theme upon which both our
own feelings and the memory Of our
association would Invite us to enlarge;
known aversion to eulogy and to every
form OF what might SAVIOR Of display.
But IL IL, after all, the sense of our per-
s0nal loss which at the moment moves
us most profoundly. In that connec.
tton, permit us TO advert TO an appre-
hension shared by every one Of us, and
one which In this formal parting we
cannot do ourselves the injustice to
suppress-the fear lest 1t might some
times have seemed that we were want.
Ing In the Difference OF respect due alike
to yonr character aud office.
You have always been too generously
indulgent to permit us to suspect that
you were offended at q familiarity
which your unaffected nature and kind
ness OF heart pard0ned, If it did not
invite; and we beg to assure you that
II ever We seemed to trespass in this
behalf the apparent lack of due respect
had no real place In the breast of one OF
US. Had the occasion ever demanded
1t, no bishop in any diocese or in any
age could ever have relied with more
complete security on the united loyalty
and respectful affection Of his clergy.
1t Is the unanimous desire OF the
priests of your diocese that this address
Do puutDiy Iohu IN your Cnbu0uEhis Jnht
the world may kpow the esteem and
love we entertain for You. Wedeplore,
in common with our people, the act
which ruptures ties we hoped would
have lasted until the great head OF the
church above had severed them, and
avail ourselves of this public cersmo
nial as your faithful priests and your
attached friends TO bear this willing
witness to your abilities and your vir
tues, and to express for ourselves and
our people the heartfelt regret with
which we contemplate your approach
ing departure from the Diocese of Will
mington.