The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-10-04
MINNESOTA'S PROGRESS.
Archbishop Ireland ApOstrophe to North.
western Growth and General Activity.

Archbishop Ireland Apostrophe to North
western Growth and General Activity.
Extracts from the address of Arch
bishop Ireland at the Cretin Jubilee in
July:
How rapidly the Territory of Mime
sofa did grow in population, in
wealth, in the arts and refnements of
civil and social culture, the majestic
commonwealths of Minnesota and the
two Dako tas, give in this year of
grace, 1901, ample and undisputed
evidence. How far the Catholic church
within the olden Territory of Mime
sofa, the olden diocese of ST. Paul. did
in its own life keep pace with that of
the country within which lay its
sphere of labor, and responded in
spiritual fruitage to the expectations
begotten of its opportunities, the &C.
clesiastical province of st. Paul must
today afford the answer.
Immediately following the civil Or
ganization of the Territory of Mime
sofa, immigration rapidly rushed
northward, and goodly part of it was
Catholic. Blythe time of Bishop Gre
tins arrival the population of the ter
ritory had risen to 5000 and that of
the village of st. Paul to 1000. The
number of Catholics in st. Paul and
the surrounding. district is to be esti-
mated for the.baptismal records, which
give for 1850 101 baptisms, and for
1851 81.
Preparations, too, for the future
material growth of the church had
been made with most praiseworthy
sagacity by Father Ravoux, and the
bishop on his arrival found awaiting
him not only deeds to the property
between Third and Bench streets,
which, as early as. 1S41 been claim
ed by Father Galtier, but also docu-
ments duly signed and sealed, giving
him the right to purchase at current
prices two well-situated blocks of
ground, one of which is that now held
and known as the Cathedral block.
. At the death of Bishop Cretin, in
1857, the statistics for the diocese of st.
Paul were: 80 churches; 35 stations
where religious services were held,
and preparations made to build
churches 20 priests; 5 contents of re-
ligious women; a monastery of Bene-
dictine fathers house of teaching
brothers hospital, several schools
and Catholic population of nearly
30, 900.
And now, in this jubilee year 1901,
fifty years from the day when Bishop
Cretin for the first time blessed his
little flock in his cabin-cathedral, there
are in what is barely more than the
region then covered by the diocese of
st. Paul, six episcopal sees, one of
them vested with metropolitan dig
nifty, 900 priests,a Catholic population
of 400, 600, and in fullest proportion,
churches and converts, colleges and
schools, asylums and hospitals, COM
missioned and equipped to spread
through city, town and hamlet, over
the whole land, the strength and
sweetness of Christian truth and of
Christian charity. Spirit of sainted
Cretin, be among us, we pray thee,
this morning, viewing with us thy
vast spiritual demense, once an empty
waste, now blossoming bounteously
beneath the wide-spreading, soul-pro-
tecting branches of the mighty tree,
the mustard seed of which thine own
apostolic hands did plant in Mime
sofa soil.
Nor shall I, on this solemn occasion,
omit tribute of justice to our nom
Catholic fellow-c citizens. They have
aided us in bnilding up the church in
the northwest for this, be they
praised, be.they thanked. No obstacles
whatever did they put in our way.
Even in free America, there are few
pldCcS WuOlC ICllSlOuo 1AOOooAh hoS ~
reigned as in Minnesota and it's two
western neighboring states. No mimi
cal legislation has there ever been no
religious bias has ever been allowed
to mar political relations, or disturb
social peace. Catholics and nom
Catholics had ever the good sense, L
shall say the rare intelligence, to I'M
derstand that however much one must
deem his own conscience sacred and
intangible, he must respect the con-
sciences of his neighbor, and must re-
spect them precisely because he re-
spects his own, and asks that his own
be respected that, however much we
may differ in religious relief, we are
brothers, all the children of one omni-
potent Father, all the servants of one
great humanity, and there are outside
the sphere of our religious creed,
however solemnly we ourselves be
sworn to it, hundred general inter-
ests to which all are bound. which