The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-11
BISHOP cHATRoN, OF OSAKA,
TELLS OF MISSIONARY
WORK IN JAPAN
LACK OF FUNDS is THE
PRINCIPAL OBSTACLE
A Few Workers in a Territory With
a Population of 13,500,000 Are Com
PEELED to Subsist on Allowance of
$40 Per Month Work Gaining
Ground.

Rt. Rev. julius Chatron, bishop Of
Osaka, Japan, who has been the guest
of Archbishop Ireland for several
weeks, spoke at the five masses at the
Cathedral yesterday. Bishop Chatron
has been in the United States but four
months and his object in visiting this
country is to secure aid for the mis-
sion of which he has charge.
AT each of the early masses yester-
day the prelate from Japan spoke
briefly of the work in which he was in
terested and the collection. taken were
for the benefit of Bishop Chatron and
his mission. After the 8 o'clock mass
Bishop Chatron addressed the Italian
Catholics Of the city in the basement
hall of the church in their native
tongue.
Seen by a Clio b e reporter at the
archbishop's residence last evening,
Bishop Chatron talked entertainingly
of his mission in the far East, his visit
to the United States and the growth
of the Catholic faith in Japan.
Founded in 1888.
"The mission of which have
charge" said Bishop Chatron, was
founded by a brief of Leo XIII. in
March, 1888, and comprises the prov
inceS of Dwarf, Mino and Echizen in
the western part of Nippon, Shikoku
and the neighboring islands of minor
Importance. The total population of
the mission is about 13,500,000, and the
Catholic population is in the neighbour
hood of 1000.
"The mission has one bishop, TWEEN
ty-five foreign missionaries, two ma
tive priests, four Brothers of Mary,
four seminarists, forty native cate
chists, sixteen sisters of the st. En-
FAINT Jesus of Chauffailles, three ma
tive novices and three postulants.
There are nineteen districts in the mis-
sion, thirty-four congregations or
Christian centers, eight churches and
chapels, tWenty-four oratories in pri-
vate> houses, five schools, one for boys
and four for girls with 500 pupils; one
commercial school directed by the
Brothers of Mary with 100 pupils; one
school of foreign languages directed
by the Brothers of Mary with nearly
100 pupils.
There are also five orphan asylums,
with over 200 inmates; one hospital
and one dispensary. The Sisters of ST..
Enfant Jesus carry on at Kobe, Osaka,
Kyoto and Okayama four schools, four
orphan asylums and four work rooms.
Prospects Are Good.
''The prospects for the further prop
agation Of the Catholic faith are very
before. When the mission was first
started the natives were very suspic-
ious of the missionaries and priests.
The work done by the Christian broth
ers in teaching gained the confidence
of the people and the esteem for the
Catholic religion is growing better and
better each year.
During the year ending August last
there were 553 baptisms in the district
embraced in, the mission, something
like 200 combinations, 1,547 annual
confessions and forty marriages.
The difficulty to be met with in the
mission is the small means for carry
ing on the work, and this is the rea-
son for my visit to the United States.
The propaganda allows but SO per
month for each missionary and out Of
this must be paid all expenses such as
clothing, food and other incidentals
To those in this country who have
talked with me about the duties of the
missionaries this sum seems very
small, and in fact it is. Some are as
toniShed that a person can live and
engage in the work with such a small
sum.
Handicapped by Storms.
S'The country is frequently visited
by tYphoons and these destroy much
property and make our work the more
difficult. I have been in the United
States but four months and part of
that time have been sick and in the
hospital I am meeting with much en-
couragement and financial assistance
and the collections taken today will,