Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-09-13
AN ITALIAN CHURCH.
A HOUSE OF WORSHIP CALLED
"CHURCH OF THE RAGPIcKERS."

It Is the Queerest Place of the Kind In
New York and Probably In the Coun-
try-There Sons and Daughters Of Italy
Combine Religion and Business.
Not many New Yorkers have ever
heard of the "Church of the Ragpick.
ers." In the neighborhood of Roosevelt
street, where it is located, this is the
familiar name Of the Roman Catholic
church of st. Joachim, of which Father
Vincini is the pastor. The members are
Italians exclusively, inhabitants of the
densely populated district roundabout,
and as some of them are ragpickers and
have rented the lower half of the church
for the storage of their goods the nick
name which designates the church as
the peculiar place of worship of this
class came into use.
Years ago, when Roosevelt street was
not so squalid and as overhowing with
human beings as it is today, this church
belonged to Methodist Episcopal con-
gregation. There were merchants, solid
men of down town New York, living
there, and the neighborhood was emil
nently respectable.
Now the church stands with a cheap
lodging house on one side and typical
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 thereabouts grew so
rapidly within 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 small cross
on the roof, the only thing about the
edifce that suggests its religious charac-
ter. Looking in on the first floor, you will
witness curious spectacle. The whole
depth and breadth of the floor is filed
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. Half
buried in these piles of rags are men,
women and children-the men and wom-
en- busy asserting rags and the fat, brown
youngsters tumbling about in play or
sleeping, as the case may be.
1t is the biggest ragshop in this city.
It 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 a good rental, and indeed were it not
for that the mission would suffer.
Italians are very practical about theill
religion, when they care for it at all, and
they are very slow at contributing to the
support of the church and expect good
deal of religion for very little money.
The church proper is on the floor ovel
the ragshop, and this in itself gives ar
odd character to the services at times
On weekdays the men are at work in thu
basement when services are going on W
stairs, and one can plainly hear then
joining in the responses and chants dur
ing the celebration of the mass. While
a reporter was there the other day on,
of the ragpickers in the basement sang ,
hymn to the Virgin while the services
were going on, and his voice was of rar,
sweetness and purity.
At certain hours Of the day laborer
will come in, set their picks and shovel
in a corner, and then join in the devo
tions. The peanut vendors and frui
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 sa.
few brief prayers, and the Italian pop
ulation generally comes and goes.
Six masses are said in st. Joachim
church every Sunday, and from 1,20
to 1900 persons attend every mass, 81
that some 5000 or more people wor
ship in the little church every week
Father Morrill,, who established thi
mission, and who conducted it TO
years, has been sent to New Englan'
to organize Italian churches there
His place has been taken by younge
priest, Father Vincini. The position o
parish priest of st. Joachim's is that of
patriarch. Not only does he marry hi
parishioners, baptize their children an
bury their dead, but is their constan
adviser in other matters. He settle
their disputes of all sorts, from bushes
differences to lovers quarrels.
One trouble the priest has to conten
with is the manner in which his charge
get married. Coming from Italy, wher
civil marriages are the proper thing, tn
Italians believe that the same laws OF
tain here. As result the Italian quar-
ter is filled with professional marriag
brokers and matchmakers.
They bring couples together for fee
then steer them to the city hall, wher
two men have for years done a stead
business securing aldermen to MARI
couples, in getting certificates for ther
and arranging all the details of city ha
weddings. Father Vincini tries to in
press npoa his people that he will MARI
them for nothing at all, but they sti
flock to the city hall. Some Of them bu
pictures of the building and send ther
to Italy SO that their friends may see th
palace in which they were married
New York World.
Tho only ranoains of the sn1endi