The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-07
ALARM MANIFEST.
New Phase In the
North Brookfield
Church Affair.
A FRENCH PAPER CRITICISES.
Still Maintain
That They Are Right
But Are Worried.
A FRENCH PAPER CRITICISES.

North Brookfeld, Sept. 6.-Copies of
the French newspaper, L'Opinion Pub
lique, which arrived in North Brook
field tonight, caused much uneasiness
among the French-speaking people
who are in secession from St. Josephs
Church, and who have taken the au-
thority of the church into their own
hands by installing as their pastor
Rev. John Berger. formerly of Toledo
O., and Of late, according to his own
statements, of New York.
The uneasiness was caused by the
Heading editorial in Lopinion Publique,
which treated of the famous French
church movement of ST. Joseph's par
lsh of this town, and particularly of the
last sensational development, the hir-
ing of a priest by the dissenters. AL
though the French people who are en-
thusiastic in the secession movement
were inclined to say that The Spy was
unfair to them in it's story of Monday
relative to Sundays proceedings, it is
peculiar coincidence that LiOpinion
Publique takes the very same stand as
was outlined in The Spy Monday, and
that the facts set forth in the edito-
rial are identical in meaning with those
printed in The Spy on Monday The
editorial was unexpected by the dis
senters, the paper named having al
ways been friendly to their cause,
though of late the impression has gone
among them that to be fair to them a
paper should look upon their every step
as the right one
How well the editorial agrees with
The Spy's story can be seen from the
following translation of the part bear
ing most infinitely upon the last spec
tacular happening of the controversy:
This conflict, it will be seen, has en-
tered upon a phase of the gravest ma
ture. Last Sunday the dissenters as
sisted at mass celebrated by an al
legged priest, who gives his name as
Rev Father John Berger, and who has
not, as far as can be ascertained, seen
mt to make known in precise manner
what his past record Is However. Il
Is reported of him that he said4he wrote
to the bishop, asking him to intrust to
him the charge of ministering to the
wants of the French-speaking Catho-
lies of North Brookffeld and that he
did not receive an answer from Mgr.
Beaven"
Nothing more is needed to demon
strate that the position of the clergy
man is entirely irregular 1t is not
necessary to be a theologian to know
that priests receive their authority
from the chief ecclesiastic of the do
cese, and that they cannot exercise their
ministry in parish or place whatsoever
without having been authorized by their
chief of the hierarchy" "All persons
who participate in the ministry of a
priest who is not within the limits of
his jurisdiction, that is to say, who is
not approved by the bishop of the do
cese, are in revolt against the authori-
ties of the church, commit grave offense
and leave themselves open to the pen
atty of communication" I'm choosing
a pastor in opposition to the diocesan
authorities, the dissenters Of North
Brookheld detaoh themselves from the
Roman Catholic church, and are in re-
atty sect apart from it,"
1t is common law that the party
which claims to be injured or offended
should not establish itself Judge of its
own case, or should render Justice to
itself. 1t is the same with ecclesiastical
law : Our fellow countrymen in North
Brookfield have appealed their cause
to the highest tribunal of the church at
Rome. 1t is for them to await the de-
clsion of the holy propaganda or, IL
they are given to understand that the
decision already announced is final to
submit to it, if they wish to remain
members of the church"
not 80
IL giving announcement to these
few considerations, we are inspired nv
the charitable thought that the dissent
ers OF North BroOkfield have been led
into error. We sincerely hope that be-
fore entrusting their souls and their
money to any pastor whatsoever, they
Will take the pains to obtain proper IN
formation, and that they will not de-
lay to regularize their situation, already
so gravely compromising"
These statements from this paper
threw its readers into fever of ex-
element, as nothing of the kind was
anticipated from this quarter Through-
out Worcester county the French ele-
ment have watched with eagerness
every move in this great contest. but
now the position of the secessionists is
held as unique one, and at the same
time pernicious one in the eyes of the
church of Rome. The statement that
the participants in the ministry of the
strange priest are liable to excommuni-
cation, as well as the announcement
that the dissenters have virtually
founded sect apart from the Roman
Catholic church have created no end of
comment
These two points which were made in
Mondays Spy were the ones most
strongly urged against by the French
people, and last night v. P. Bowler,
one of the prominent leaders in the
movement, and The Spy reporter had
a long conversation on them. Mr.. Bou-
vier Insisted that the congregation, as
1t assembled Sunday, was a Roman
Catholic congregation, and could not be
made out anything else. He scoffed at
the idea that 1t was revolt against
ecclesiastical authority, and claimed
that the French people were but assist
ing Bishop Beaver to do his duty.
When The Spy reporter suggested that
Bishop Beaver and the church author
tiles might not look on it in this phil