Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1894-08-16
AN ITALIAN CHURCH.
A HOUSE OF WORSHIP CALLED
"CHURCH OF THE RAGPICKERS.u

II rs the Oueerest Place of tae Kind
New York and Probably In the Cour
try-There Sons and Daughters of Ital
Combine Religion and business.
Not many New Workers have eve
heard Of the Church Of the Ragpich
ers.' In the neighborhood of Roosevelt
street, where it is located, this is tn
familiar name of the Roman Catholi
church Of st. Joachim, of which Fathe
Vincini is the pastor. The members ar
Italians exclusively, inhabitants of tn
densely populated district roundabout
and as some of them are ragpickers ant
have rented the lower half Of the churcl
for the storage of their goods the nick
name which designates the church a
the peculiar place of worship of thi
class came into use.
Years ago, when Roosevelt street wa,
not 80 squalid and as overlooking will
human beings as it is today, this church
belonged to Methodist Episcopal con
gregation. There were merchants, sole
men of down town New York, Twins
there, and the neighborhood was emf
nently respectable.
Now the church stands with a chear
lodging house on one side and typica
slum grocery store on the other. A nest
OF tough saloons are near by, up and
down the street. Organized in 1888, the
Italian population whereabouts grew sc
rapidly within a radius of mile that
the church has now one of the largest
congregations in the city.
The building is of brick and is dingy
and dirty. 1t is only by standing across
the street that you can see a small cross
on the roof, the only thing about the
edifice that suggests its religious charac.
ter. Looking in on the first floor, you will
witness a curious spectacle. The whole
depth and breadth of the floor is filled
with rags. Rags loose, rags in piles and
rags In bales ready for shipping are all
about. Big cranes and chains for hoist.
ing purposes run here and there. Halt
buried in these piles of rags are men,
women and children-the men and WON.
en- busy asserting rags and the fat, brown
youngsters tulnbling about in play O,
sleeping, as the case may be.
1t is the biggest ragshop in this city.
1t is wholesale and retail in the sense
that here the individual ragpickersl OF
the town dispose of their wares, which
are assorted and baled and sold for man.
ufacturing purposes. The pastor of st.
Joachim's rents this lower floor to the
company that conducts this rag business
at good rental, and indeed were it not
for that the mission would suffer.
Italians are very practical about thei1
religion, when they care for it at all, and
they are very slow at contributing to the
support of the church and expect a good
deal of religion for a very little money.
The church proper is on the floor oven
the ragshop, and this in itself gives an
odd character to the services at times.
On weekdays the men are at work in the
basement when services are going on ur
stairs, and one can plainly hear them
joining in the responses and chants dur.
ing the celebration of the mass. While
a reporter was there the other day one
of the ragpickers in the basement sang a
hymn to the Virgin while the services
were going on, and his voice was of rare
sweetness and purity.
At certain hours of the day laborers
will come in, set their picks and shovels
In corner, and then join in the devo-
lions. The peanut vendors and fruit
stand keepers in the neighborhood al.
ways attend the services for at least
few minutes each day. Bootblacks wan.
der In with boxes on their backs and say
few brief prayers, and the Italian pop
ulation generally comes and goes.
Six masses are said in st. Joachim's
church every Sunday, and from 1000
to 1000 persons attend every mass, so
that some 5000 or more people wor.
ship in the little church every week.
Father Morrill,, who established this
mission, and who conducted it for
years, has been sent to New England
to organize Italian churches there.
His place has been taken by younger
priest, Father Vincini. The position of
parish priest of St. Joachim's is that of a
pun AoASh' NOb only uOeS ne marry his
parishioners, baptize their children and
bury their dead, but is their constant
adviser in other matters. He settles
their disputes of all sorts, from business
differences to lovers quarrels.
One trouble the priest has to contend
with is the manner in which his charges
get married. Coming from Italy, where
civil marriages are the proper thing, the
Italians believe that the same laws OBJ
tain here. AS a result the Italian quar-
ter is filed with professional marriage
brokers and matchmakers.
They bring couples together for a fee,
then steer them to the city hall, where
two men have for years done a steady
business securing aldermen to marry
couples, in getting certificates for them
and arranging all the details of city hall
weddings. Father Vincini tries to i'm
press upon his people that he will marry
them for nothing at all, but they still
flock to the city hall. Some of them buv
pictures of the building and send them
to Italy so that their friends may see the
IDA -