The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-10-12

lldu peeIl instrumental IN securing Tor
Columbus the royal favor, with other
members of his order. accompanied him
on his voyages Wadding's words are:
Socium habit itineris regii favOris au-
! tore1n SociiS." Father Roman of the
Order of st. Jerome, who in his great
humility was wont to call himself the
! poor hermit" compiled, by the request
| of Columbus, an official description of
the New World, in which he expressly
states that Father Juan Perez and 9TH
er members of the Franciscan order ac-
companied Columbus on his voyage of
! discovery
Then Father Melendez, a member of
the Order of St. Dominic, makes eX-
press mention in his work, "CrOnaca
! Provinciale de Peru" of Father Perez
having accompanied Columbus in his
voyages, and positively asserts that he
and his companions were the first to
exercise the ministry of the Catholic
priesthood in the newly discovered
/ lands of America. The same assertion
is made by George Cardoso, the author
of the History of the Saints in Por-
| tugal," in his work entitled "AgiOlOgio
Iusitsno" (vol. Ill. page 400. Father
! Fortunatus Huber, noted for his pro-
found erudition and great researches,
makes the same statement in his elab-
crate history of the Order of ST. Fran
els, 'Menologium Sancti Francisco"
and the learned Franciscan Father Pc
ter Simon, in his great work Noticias
historiales de las conquistas de TERRA
t1r1ne las midas Occidentales" (prim
motto, cap. XVII, that is, Historical
Notes of the Conquests on the West
Indian Continent" says the same. This
colossal work has not until the present
date been fully published.
BY many other historians the same
TACT is clearly atteSted. Surely so many
and such grave authorities should Suf-
fee to establish this opinion and to dis
sipate all doubt about this hitherto con-
tested point. There are some, it is true,
who persist in adjudging to Bernard
Boil, in consequence of his dignity as
Vicar Apostolic, the honor of having
first offered the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass on the shores of America. Yet it
seems that Providence decreed other
wise, and reserved this privilege for
Father Perez, for he was on the admi
rails ship which landed considerably in
advance of the remainder of the fleet.
As proof of this assumption, Count
RoSelly cites the following circum-
stance, which should not be overlooked:
I'VE are says he, lin possession of
picture, an illustration in a book writ
ten by the Benedictine FilipOno, in COM
menda ton of the labors of Father Ber-
nard Boil. On this we behold the ship
on which the Vicar Apostolic had en-
parked, still apparently far out at sea,
while the admiral's ship is lying quiet
ly at anchor"
That to Father Perez this privilege
was accorded is just, for, says Count
Roselly, this illustrious Franciscan
had sheltered Columbus when a home
less and distressed wanderer; he it was
that grasped with ready intuition the
great projects of his guests active
mind, strengthened and inspired him
in his plans of discovery, an dwith eX-
traordinary zeal and energy brought
all his influence TO bear at court in
order to secure for the hitherto name
less adventurer the favor and prOtec-
ton of Queen Isabella, by which he was
enabled to realize his fond
ly cherished idea. | maintain, there
fore that it was the just need of the
noble Franciscan to be the first to of
fer on the painless ocean the Holy Sac
ritice of the Mass; the first to call down
in the name of the Lord Jesus Heavens !
richest beniSonS on the newly discOv-
cred lands. 1t was, moreover. quite
natural that the queen should appoint |
him the astronomer of the second eX- |
pedition-to whom else would she natu- /
rally turn, aware as she was of his |
great reputation in this branch of sci |
ance and his devotion to the cause? To |
whom belonged greater credit for the |
part taken in the discovery of the new ,
world than to this humble son of st. !
Francis? To him, then, was conceded .
the privilege and happiness of being the
first to set foot on the newly found
and, to erect on it's soil the saving sign
IF our salvation-the CrosS-and cele-
orate the Holy Mysteries.
Father Marcellino da Civezza, from
whose works niue hof the above has
0een taken, cites many other incidents
n confederation of our assertion. These
We shall pass over in silence, as we
consider our statement fully establish
I'd. viz. that Father Juan Perez de
Narchena of the Order of ST. Francis
vas the first missionary who landed
lpon the shores of America and conse-
rated it by prayer and sacrifice to Je-
JUS Crucified