The Irish standard., 1898-06-18

scrlptlOn over It's entrance, 1.-The Turk,
| the Atheist and the Jew" were welcom-
ed, but "the Papist" was warned to keep
away. His mission at Brandon was
productive of the happiest results for
we are told that "six years incessant la
bor, his benevolence, his great powers
of mind, his liberality and peculiarly
happy manner of explaining the princl-
pies of his religion, enabled the young
priest to remove the existing prejudices
and bring together in a social band Of
| brotherhood Catholics and Protestants."
DR.. England's name had already been
! mentioned by some of the Irish bishops
In connection with the Episcopal dig
nifty. While he did not shrink from a
position so becoming to his talents and
usefulness, he declared that he would
never wear mitre i'll any country that
was subject to the British flag. The
American Union had in the meantime
| been expanded into great and powerful
| republic, and the church in America
had more than kept pace with the coun-
! try; there many OF his countrymen had
found refuge from British oppression,
and the British fS,g was never to float
over it's vast exIansc again. In the
multiplication Of episcopal sees in the
I; United States that of Charleston was
now created, and DR.. England was nomi-
mated and appointed it's first bishop.
| An anecdote connected with his con-
secration is interesting from the view
1t gives us of his intleXible adherence
to principle, even i'll what might be con-
sldered by some mere matter of form.
1t is customary at the conservation of
| bishops who are British subjects to ad-
( minister to them the oath of allegiance.
! This he refused to take, observing that,
as an American prolate, it was his in
| tention to renouncc that allegiance at
the earliest opportunity, and to invest
himself, as speedily as our laws would
permit, with the character and obliga>
tions of citizen of the United States.
| For time it was doubtful whether the
consecrating bishop would venture to
omit that ceremony; but finding the
bishop-elect intlexiblc and determined to
| seek conservation elsewhere, he gave up
the point. Doctor England received the
| episcopal character i'll the parish church
of st. Finbar's, at his native city, on the
2lst of September, 1920; and Charleston
was blessed with his arrival there on the
last day of December of the same year.
The new diocese of Charleston en-
braced the states Of North Carolina,
South Carolina and Georgia. These
states had been settled by English Prot
;estants. who brought with them the
prejudices of their age and country. At
the time of the revolution there were
comparatively but few Catholics in this
section, and these had an insufficient
ministry That the people of those
states held the usual prejudices we know
Irish Catholics at Charleston, in 1775,
for their faith.
1t would be difficult to imagine and
yet too extensive Il task to portray the
difficulties of DR.. England on his arrival
at his see. 1t was Bishop Englands
duty to announce to Il proud and culti-
waited community a church more ancient
more venerable, more magnificent and
| more powerful. 1t required such a mas
ter spirit as Bishop England to do his
whole duty under such circumstances;
and while doing it offend no one, but
rather conciliate ALL
His success is one of the nohlest tri-
| umphs of tho church in this republic.
He found on his arrival there were but
two churches and but two priests in the
three states. His people were chiefly
poor cmlgrants from his own country
Indeed, the Catholic body did not appear
to attract any notice: it was only to the
eye of faith that the little mustard seed
was visible.
No portion of his vast diocese escape
his vigilance, and his visitations to it's
principal cities commenced almost i'm
mediately. Churches began to rise up
around him, and the diocese of Charles
ton began to assume Il comcly form A
constitution was prepared and adopted
by him, and tho diocese became incor-
porated. Wherever he found a few Cath
olic families in Il city or town, he called
them together and organized them, and
encouraged them to hold together until
he could send them a priest
With the view of providing clergy Of
his own for the diocese, several candi-
dates having applied to him, he opened
at Charleston classical school, in WIG ch
these candidates for the holy ministry
were made teachers, while they pursued
their own theological studies under the
bishop himself. For some time the
school grew large in numbers, but soon
pent-up bigotry burst forth into Il storm
of opposition against it, and in general
against "the errors and dcforlnity of
popery."
The press and pulpit rang with the de-
nunciation of fanatacism, and Profess
tants were told that they were taxing
| themselves to set up "the Roman
Church and to educate a Roman clergy.
The public assurance of Bishop England
| hot 1,} ,l. ,,l