The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-04-15

About two weeks ago tho ISrELLi.
oEycER printed tho rumor that 1T. Rev.
Bishop Kahn might possibly DO selected
by Pope Leo MIL as coadjutor to 1T.
Roy. Stephen Vincent Ryan, Bishop OF
Buffalo. The Boston Republic OF last
week contains tho following article,
which shows that Bishop Kain is at
least. tho first choice, for tho conductor
ship, OF tho Buffalo ecclesiastical
electors:
As announced some weeks ago in tho
Rtpublic, the Bishop OF Buffalo, Rt. Rev.
Stephen Vincent Ryan, G. NJ, whose
health has not been Of tho bcst for some
years back, has applied to Rome for tho
appointment OF M auxiliary. His petit
tion must have been iavorably actedup
in tho eternal city, since last week tho
announcement was made public that the
electors OF the Buffalo diocese had mot
md ballotcd for coudjutor, their first
choice being Rt. Rev. John Joseph Kahn,
ut present tho ordinary ut Wheeling,
who was pronounced digntSjimUs, while
their second choice was Very Rev. Will.
lam Gleeson, tho worthy vicar.gcneral
OF the Butlalo diocese and the pastor OF
st. Bridget's church, in the episcopal
city NOV dangerously Mi, upon whom
the Holy Father, few years ago, con-
ferred the rank OF domestic prelatc and
tho title OF monsignor. 1t does not
necessarily follow, OF course, that either
OF these two prclatcs will DO chosen by
Rome for the coadj utorship OF Buffalo,
though tho recommendation OF the cleo
tors will certainly commend them to the
Propaganda aud tho Holy see; and
hence there is \ probabili,ythat Bishop
KAN may before long be called upon to
bid adieu to West Nirginin and belake
himself to Western New York to aid
Bishop Ryan, and, i'll the event OF his
appointment, TO succeed to tho Buffalo
ECO in case he ouLlivGs tho present or
binary OF that diocese.
Right Rev. John Joseph Kahn is 4 ma
tive OF the region over which he now ex-
ercIses episcopal Jurisdiction, having
been born in West Virginia, May 81,
1911; so that he is now ne /: the COM
plction OF his tii,y-lirst year. Having
early eyinced q disposition to study for
the priesthood, he was sent to st.
Charles college, near Ellicott City, Md,
for his classics, and when he had COM
pleied his course there, Archbishop
Spalding, who adopted him for the Bal
timorc archdiocese, over which that
prelatc then presided, sent him to St.
Mary's seminary, Baltimore, ior his
theological studies At st. Mary's the
future bishop OF Wheeling had as a iel-
low student Right Rev. John j. kcanc,
afterwards bishop OF Richmond, and
now rector OF tho Washington univer-
sty, and these two students, whose
names SO closely reSembled each other,
were accounted among the best semi
narians OF Their time: In fact, it was
difficult to decide which was possessed
OF the greater ability, and even then it
was predicted that
HIGH IIoSoNs WERE IN STORE
for both after their graduation, pre-
diction which was long since verified.
DR.. Kane was ordained in 1866, being
then in his twentviifth year, and he
wns ut once assigned to pastoral duty in
the national capital. He remained in
that city up to the time OF his nominal
ton to the Wheeling diocese as success
sor to the learned Bishop Whclan,
whose death took place July I, 1874 ;
and he was consecrated May % OF the
following year, so tina. he has governed
the West Virginia diocese nearly seven.
teen years now. The mitre came to him
some three years earlier than it did to
his iellow-student, DR.. keane who was
not made bishop OF Richmond until
August %, 1878.
1t was a badly impoverished and
heavily indebted diocese to which DR..
Kahn was sent in 1875. In fact, tho do
cesar debt was so large that it seemed
almost impossible for the churches to
pay it, and the future OF many churches
and institutions was thought to be seri.
ously jeopardized Bishop Whelan LETT
q statement indicating that the dio.
cesar indebtedness would probably
reach $4,000, but investigation soon
showed that these figures were alto.
gether too low, and the real liabilities
..oi tho diocese were discovered to be in
excess OF 100000, the greater part oil
which was carrying a high rate OF inter.
est, while tho principal was liable to
BIO called in any day. To meet this
emergency 4 man OF no ordinary
executive ability was needed, and
happily for the Catholics OF West
Virginia, such q man was found in DR..
Kahn. "Installcd Bishop OF Wheeling
in 1875" sad writer OF him lew
years ago in tho columns ofthc Baltimore
Il, otn Ii
and precision OF Judgment equal 10 the
emergency, adopted such measures as,
whilst satisfying all presenting claims
restored the confidence OF all holding
diocesan paper. This done, he issued
directions to his clergy to inaugurutc
such improvements in their respective
districts rs the increased wants of their
flocks seemed to demand, intilnatinc
to them his hope to be soon in their
midst to help tighten their loads and
cheer tho 1locks on in the prosecution
OF
THEIR SEVERAL WORKS."
Tho manner in which the diocese has
prospered under Bishop Kain's ad
ministration can best be judged by Q
comparison of its statistics when he
took charge of it, in 1875, with its con,
ditions OF to-day. From the directory
OF 1879 it appears that there were then
III tho Wheeling episcopaio. iorty-eight
= churches, seven chapels, twenty-ninc
clergymcn, six academies, four con,
vents and a college, hospital and or.
phantge Tho figures OF this years
directory stand as follows: Sixty-foul
churches, eight chapels, thirly.five
cicrgvmen. six academies, four converts
two orphanages, an hospital and ionr
teen parochial schools. Ii the increase