The Irish standard., 1900-09-08
THE HOUSE OF THR ANGEL GUARDIAN
Monument to the Zeal of Father
George F. Haskins.
ORIGINALLY AN EPISCOPAL, MINISTER
Benefactor of the Sons of Irish
Catholic migrants.

The life of Rev. George Il. Haskins,
a noted convert to Catholicity and the
founder of the House of the Angel
Guardian, has been recently issued
from that splendid institution, con,
Quoted by the Brothers of Charity, at
SIS Vernon street, Boston. Mass. The
history of. the life and times of Father
Haskins is very interesting. He was
born in 1906 and died in 1872. The
following facts are given by the au-
thor relative to the good priest:
Father Haskins was Il young man
studying for the Episcopal ministry
when LymanBeecher preached in Bos-
ton the famous TRADES against the
Catholic Church that led to the burn
ing of the Ursuline convent in Charles
town. With fellow student George
w. Lloyd. who also became a Catholic
afterward). lie attended DR.. Beechers
invectives, and together they attended
also DR.. O'Flaherty's refutation of
them afterward.. They wanted to
hear both sides, they said. While he
was still Il deacon. waiting ordination
as full Episcopal minister, he was
appointed chaplain to the House of
Industry in South Boston. Here he
was sent one day to minister to an old
Irish woman. all inmate. who, feeling
herself near death, was piteously beg
ging for a priest. The superintendent
had told her she could have the chap
lain of the House. who would do as
we'll. Chaplain Haskins, hearing her
begging for a Catholic priest, put on
his hat Immediately and went all the
way to the Cathedral and brought
the old lady Father Wiley, who gave
her the last sacraments of the Cath
Ollie church before the superintendent
had time to be consulted or even to
hear Of it. "God bless you, sir; God
bless you, and may the grace of God
make a Catholic of yourself before
you die!' was the old womans CRATE
full greeting to Chaplin Haskins next
day when he went in to see her. A
few years later he was a full f1edged
Episcopal minister with the very inl-
portant rectorship of Grace Church,
in Providence, r. l. His fondness
for boys and his zeal for winning them
for God began to show itself as soon
as he found himself master of rec
tory. The sunniest room in it was fit
ted up with games and books and can
dy and nuts were provided for the
boys who were coaXed in off the street
to enjoy them and listen to the minis
ter's discOurses. 1t made no small
impression on him to find that these
small boys We're stronger in theirCath-
olic faith than he, the minister, was
in his. He got many shocks to his
Episcopalianism while rector of Grace
church. He tells himself of his visit
to a parishioner where he encountered
an old Irish woman who f1oored him.
He resigned the rectorship of Grace
church and accepted the chaplaincy of
the House of Reformation, where a
sort of moral supervision rather than
doctrinal teaching was required of
him. So appreciated was his kindly
work among the neglected poor that
when he wanted to resign here the
overseers of the House Of Reforma-
ton begged him to stay, saying: 1--WE
don't care what your religious con-
victions may be, we don't care If you
are Mohammedan even. We want
you to remain at the post for which
you are so well qualified" But Chap
lain Haskins resigned on account of
religious scruples.
For a few years after this Mr.. Has
kins acted in various public capacities
for his native city. He was overseer
of the poor, master of the Boyleston
Asylum, teacher in the school of Nor
al NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. which called
for the exercise Of charity and benev-
olence. But he was all the time max
ing his way to the truth and the light
and yielding to the grace of God, till in
1910, in his thirty-fourth year, he re-
membered and sought out Father
Wiley once more. After a few days
of retreat in this good priests house,
days Of prayer and instruction, they
went together to Bishop Fenwick, and
Mr.. Haskins made his formal abjura-
ton of Professionalism before the high
altar in the Cathedral, and was bap.
tiled. a few days later he received