The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-18
MEANSWAR
Mentions Episcopal Suspension Without
Sign Of Concern, Then Proceeds
With Services Curious Crowds
Present. xcommunication
Next In Order.

North Brookfeld, Sept. 17.-Paying no
more heed to the episcopal Suspension
than he would to a street urchin, and
unsubmissive and rebelIious, Rev. Jean
Berger celebrated two masses in the
town hall today, and instead of relent-
ing under the pressure of the church Of
Rome, went step farther than before
and conducted the vesper service at
the depot hall this afternoon
Apparently as contented as if he
were in high favor with his superiors in
religion, Rev. Jean Berger kept at his
work all undismayed and showed no
signs of the fearful strain under which
he must belaboring.
He went to greater excess still He
announced openly, as he has often done
privately, his intention of disobeying
the mandates of Ri. Rev Thomas D.
Beaver, bishop of the Springfield do
cese, where Rev. Father Berger is now
performing functions sacred to the
dogmas of the church of Rome and by
the improper use of which he is every
day falling lower and lower and going
into what the Catholic church considers
the deepest depravity into which hui
man nature can fall.
Were it a layman who was enacting
the scandals now being perpetrated by
Rev. Jean Berger in this town, his acts
would not incite a particle of the alb
horrence which Catholics feel at this
unfortunate predicament. In this case
the crime would not be so aggravated
for the feeling would prevail that lay
man might not thoroughly appreciate
the enormity of his crime, but this
stranger flaunts papers which show
that he was but four short years ago
considered one of the most Jealous
priests in the west, and his abilities as
a speaker show him to be man of in
tellect far above the ordinary
AS it is, and with the notices and
warnings he has received, Rev Jean
Berger has set himself up as a second
Chiniquy, to whose memory people of
all denominations point the finger of
scorn. Everyone in North Brookfield
is one the qui vive to see what will
happen next in this sensation within a
sensation, which has already given to
this quiet little village such prominence
as it never had in the world before and
which certainly is ill-befitting the
To those at all familiar with the
stringent rules of the church which ac-
knowledges Leo XIII as it's head and
the bishops as his Wears, there is but
one thing to happen ext, and that is
the communication of the usurping
priest and even of his followers by
wholesale If they persist.
In the Catholic church the crime that
merits the suspension of a priest is a
great one indeed, for such suspension
casts a stigma on his name that will
ever be remembered, and while the sin
may be forgiven, it will never be for
gotten.
Knowing these facts as he does and
apparently regardless Of the conse-
quences, Rev. Jean Berger today
preached to two large congregations,
which were swelled to abnormal sizes
by the strenuous efforts Of the dissent
ers to make a good showing.
Masses were celebrated at o'clock
and at 10 o'clock, and at each service
there was larger attendance than last
Sunday At the high mass there were
nearly If not quite, 400 persons in the
hall, Spencer and East Brookfield SYM
pathiZers of the dissenters coming over
and materially increasing the congre-
cation.
Right here in order not to let any
mistaken impressions go abroad, it'll
would be well to say that The Spy
reporter who was ordered out so vainly
last Sunday, and who was forbidden to
enter the hall today, was present and
remained as long as he wished to- The
of the man who wanted to re-
move The Spy reporter last Sunday,
was rectified and the reporter was to-
day made welcome. Rev. Jean Berger
wore his regular lemon-colored set of
vestments, and celebrated mass quiet |
ly and solemnly.
Preparatory to his regular sermon, |
he announced that he had received mo-
4 Of &c aesi.N f,nV1
Beaver, land this said he to his au
dience, means war" 1t is evident |
that he has not the slightest intention
of backing down, for aside from these
few words. he ignored the document |
entirely, the remainder of his sermon