The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-02-28
ACATHOLIC COMMUNE
st. Nazianz the Only Colony of It's
Kind in America.
PiOus German immigrants Settled in
Wisconsin Nearly Half n Century
AgO-WOrkings of the
Community.

eral miles away and reached only by
stage line, is the only communistic
Catholic community in the United
States. Ii is in Manitowoc county, in
the northern part of this state, and
some 20 miles from the city of Mani
towoc. 1t has fourished there ever
since the first community was brought
from Germany, nearly so years ago,
says a Milwaukee CORES pondent of the
Chicago Chronicle.
Father Ambrose Oschwald organized
the colony at Baden in 1850, but it was
nearly tour years later when they came
to this country. The colony was called
St. Nazianz and gave that name to the
community, which it bears to this day.
Father Oschwaid arrived in what was
then wilderness with 113 colonists,
driving out from Manitowoc in OK
teams and making their settlement on
5000 acres of land, which they had pur-
chased. At the historic spot where
the colonists first stopped Anton Stoll
built his residence. and raised large
cross with life-size figure of Christ.
Eleven other stations were built at
the same time, but of these only one
remains besides the one mentioned
above.
Father Oschwald held the idea of the
early apostles as to the community of
goods, and likewise urged single life
upon those not already married. He
established controlling body of IL,
who, with the presiding priest, direct
ed all public affairs and watched over
the morality of the members. just as
they started so years ago they are liv-
ing to-day. The 100 people who con-
stitute the present community live in
separate cloisters and are governed
by board consisting of three men
and two women, They still wear the
German peasant dress and live as they
lived in the "father.and," and in al!
respects are simple, primitive and re-
ligious people.
All work, no drones being allowed.
If rich man joins the colony he must
work like the rest. They attend early
mass at six O'Clock each morning, the
women taking their places on one side
of the church and the men on the
other. They have no thought beyond
the church, their ambitions are linn
tied and their future provided for.
They need no money. All for one and
one for all is their motto and content
their lot. Their duties begin after
breakfast, the men working in the fields
and gardens and gathering their har-
vests in their ample barns. There are
three of these in the colony, and 25
horses inhabit them. At noon the farm
work is generally ended and the bal
once of the day is given to pursuits
in keeping with their religious life.
The men are boarded. clothed and
given one dollar a week as spending
money.
The life of the women is Just as
busy. They work in the fields and gar
dens, too, and have their household
duties in addition. They receive no
pay beyond their living. The colony
houses are open to Catholics who will
subscribe to the rules and obey them.
There never has been a crop failure
in the settlement and the farmers are
this year getting double prices for
their products. The president of the
board of trustees, who is the superior
of the house of the Divine Saviour,
buys everything used in the colony
and sells all its products. The crops
are harvested and sold together and
the profits go into the general treas
ury.
While the ST. Nazianz community is
prosperous, none more so, it is difficult
to get American-born Germans to join
it, and the membership is recruited
from the German peasantry. The
community idea was first pleasant to
the emigrants. who rejoiced in liberty,
but as the country grew older and set
tiers came in they went off to work
for wages and get farms of their own.
For this reason the colony is not to-day
quite as large aswhen it was originally
started.
The original 5000 acres was deemed
too large. and one-half was sod. the
community still retaining the other
half. In the center stands the little
group of church buildings. All have
the architecture and appearance of a
Rhine province. There are two
churches-St. Gregory's and ST. Am
brose's. Then there is the house of
the fathers of the Divine Saviour and
near by is the convent of the Society
of the Divine Saviour. besides two
schools conducted by three sisters of
the Third Order of ST. Francis. Around
these buildings, as in the farming com
munity, are grouped the farmhouses
of the lay members of the community.
AS model of self-devotion to the
common cause in an age of established
materialism, St. Nazianz may be re-
garded as a monument of high motive.
as guide to those who seek 10 bring
about social regeneration on a mod
ern basis. Father Oschwald continued
in charge of the community until his
death in 1873. He was succeeded by
Rev. Peter A. MUTT, who retired in 1899,
after pastorate of % years. The cor
vent was butt in 1858 and the house
ot the brothers of the same order
was founded in 1854. Five wears
ago the Society of the Divine
Saviour took up its residence
there. The spiritual and temporal
head of the community is now Rev.
Epiphanius Deibele and the resident
fathers are Rev. Herman Rogers, Rev.
Sturnilius Harth and Rev. Faustinus
Krautlein.