The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-07-19
Church
Universal.
"This is
the victory
which over.
COmeth the
wOrId---Our
faith"

tirely deserted. I am certain that the
people were far more moral than were
the inhabitants of the neighboring is
land of St Vincent"
The Fathers of the Holy Ghost. the
same order which conducts great
college in Pittsburg and has charge of
81. Joseph's House for Homeless Bows.
TINS city, had a college at st. Pierre
called ST. Louis of Gonzaga. with nine
teen professors and about 500 scholars
rather McDermott of Pittsburg saws:
The people of Martinique were not
lrrellgiols, neither were they immoral.
They were vivacious, as persons born
and reared in that climate are likely
TO be. The majority of them attended
Ialthfuily to their religious duties. as
the size OF our congregations and their
liberal contributions to charity proved
mat they We're immoral and habitually
ignored the marriage sacrament is dis
proved by our records. They were not
an ascetic people. They were lively.
and perhaps no better, but certainly no
worse, than the average human be-
ings."
Inc following extracts from an ac-
count of the city, written by a recent
visitor, are of marked interest Says
the writer:
st. Pierre contains several churches
one venerable cathedral They are
all Catholic. Yesterday we made nil
grlmage TO Morne Rouge, a mountain
village about six miles distant, noted
Tor its devotional character $
AT the top of the mountain, short
Instance from Morne Rouge, is a large
cruclhx, with life-size figure of Our
Lord. Wayside shrines and crosses are
plenty in Martinique The church at
Morne Rouge is plain and unpreten-
nous without, but inside exceedingly
beautiful, with one high alter and two
side affairs, dedicated. respectively, to
the Blessed Virgin and st. Joseph
pelleVe devout pilgrimages are made
mere. and there is certainly an air of
sanctlty and devotion in the mind pre-
pared for religious impressions. The
frescoing of the ceiling is remarkably
me, and on the walls hang valuable
paintings of such excellence as to ex-
cite surprise that they are to be found
In this out of the way little hamlet.
The church possesses in appear
ance all the attributes of a veritable
sanctuary. Harmonious with the devo-
tional quiet and repose was the pres
ence of two white-veiled nuns, who
knelt before the high altar wrapped in
meditation. A few persons were scat
tered along the aisles saying their
prayers, among them several negro
hoys, one of whom was just about to
enter the confessional. The spirituality
Of this devout temple could not fail to
impress even those who are not be-
levers in its creed. AS we emerged
from the peaceful precincts we met.
cheerful gray-haired priest in cassock
and white band, who greeted us with
an urbane smile and courteous inclina-
tons of the head. He was a refined.
looking man, who filled the
idea of typical abbe-one who COM
bines religious knowledge with the Gull
ture and accomplishments of the
great world"
In his book, Down the Islands"
William Andrew Patton thus describes
a priest bringing the viaticum to the
sick in st. Pierre: For a time traffic |
was at standstill. The people in
front Of the shops ceased bargaining, |
the loungers ON the corners became at |
tentive, forebore chattering, and for |
got for the moment to pass jokes All |
the men removed their hats, the wo- |
men bowed, some knelt; all crossed |
themselves
The following telegraph from a Her. |
aid dispatch is evidence that the he
role devotion TO duty characteristic of |
the true priest in every land was not |
lacking in st. Pierre:
AS far as can be ascertained of /
those present in the town itself at the !
time Of the eruption, there is but one
survivors, prisoner in an underground
cell, discovered by a priest three days /
ater among the ruins. The prisoner
describes how, like rat in a trap, he
ran about his cell. lodging the fiery
hail which found its way through the
barred window of his prison
THE good father has been daily
visitor from Morne Rouge, in the hope
Of finding some living thing among the
-uins."