The Irish standard., 1891-07-18
MR.. CAHENSLY'S COLLAPSE.
The Pope Says He Will Not Appoint
National Bishops in the
United States.
AMERICAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS
They Must Be American In Every
Particular and Not
Foreigners.

foreigners.
About the Cabens]y memorials, TO
which petitions the Holy Father has in-
formed Cardinal Gibbons that he will
never accede, as far as thav ask for bis
appointment of ''national'' bishops for
this country, purported to be concerned
about the spirltua! welfare OF other than
German American Catholics, that dis
patch which came FROM Berlin the other
day, and stated that, Ii case Cahensly's
requests were granted, 1t was felt IN
that city that the ions share OF the
ecclesiastical spoils would fall to the
German empire, in all probability cor
reetIy voiced the ambition and desires
or the individuals who concOcted this
attack upon the American Catholic
Church. It should be distinctly under
stood, though, that the German Amerl
can Catholic hierarchy, priesthood and
laity had very little sympathy, il indeed
any, with this Cahensly movement,
While not considering it incumbent
upon them to rep,diate the audaci0us
scheme, it is well-known fact that
such bishops as Archbishop Katzer, of
Milwaukee, who may be considered the
foremost German American Catho|lc
representative, Bishop NVigger and
others, together with the overwhelming
majority Of the German Catholic priest
hood and people, regarded with pro-
nounced d]sfavor this foreign attempt
to introduce yadlcal distinctions in the
American Catholic Church, and foresaw
that nothing but disaster for the Church
could ensue from the success of the
movement. The only other Catholic
element whose syrnpathies it was
sought to enlist in the CaiensIy move
ment were the French Canadians Of this
country, but as that clement has al
ready Its Representatives in tile Ameri-
can Catholic hiararc7, and counts its
priests by the hundreds IN this country,
il took very little interest In the Lu-
cerne dasco, and REGARDED Tie whole
movement with 10 little suspicion. 1t
may be here remarked that, when these
Cahensly memorials were first an
nounced in THIS country, The Boston
Repub]ic stated that, as long as the
present prudent and sagacious l'ontiff
sat in St. Peters chair, there YVES no
danger that any such pernici0us petl-
tions as they contained would be
granted, That that opinion WAS we'll
founded the notification Leo Kill. last
week sent to Cardinal Gibbons, to whom
the Holy Father gave assurance that no
national bishops would be appointed
by him, is ample proof
TheG German American Catholics have
every reasoa to be proud of the record
their missionaries have made III this
country and of the position which they
themselves enjoy. Though not coming
here as early as missionaries OF other
nationaIitles, for the very good reason
that Jhere were no German speaking
people here then to minister to-, German
priests have acted their part in the ear
.ler avangelization Of certain portions
OF this country, and acted it nobly and
well. It was German Jesuit, for ex-
ample. Rev Father Kuhn, who was one
of the first priests to preach the gospel
in certain positions Of Arizona, and
another German and Jesuit, Father
Keller, continued the work which he SO
successfully inaugurated. It was not
until after the settlement OF PennsYl-
vania by William Penn and his colon
lists that the German people began to
come to this country in any remarkable
numbers, ard Simultaneous ly with the
coming Of German Catholics arrived a
mum ber OF German priests to attend to
heir spiritual welfare. Among the
clergymen who ministered to these
PennsyIvanian colonists NAV be named
the Jesuit Fathers Schneider. Stein
MEYER and Graessel, the last named at
one time being offered mitre, but de-
declined in bis humility, to accept it.
The first systematic attempt to pro-
cure German-speaking priests for the
German American Catholics appears to
have been made by Rev. Frederic Rese,
who came to this country in 1925, and
subsequently, became the first bishop Of
Detroit. This devoted and energetic
ecclesiastic was a Hanoverian, having
been born at Hidelsheim in 1897, and
before eutering upon clerical career
he served in the Prusslan army and was
a dragoon under Blucher at Waterloo.
Shortly after tpat event he determined
to study for tRA priesthood, and in fur
therance Of that design he went to
Rome, where he entered ths College OF
the Propaganda, was ordained and as