The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-10-21

Lower California in 1859 by decree of Charles
Ill of Spain, alike despotic and mysterious Its
pioneers were then preparing to begin the CONVEX
sion and civilization of the natives of our modern
American state, but the sudden prescription swept
them away from the task and was followed by
apparently complete humiliation of their order
itself. Missions were begun By others on the sys-
them they had founded and for fory-fve years were
crowned with success under the rulers who had re-
warded the first missionaries with exile
Other political revolutions, Napoeons invasion
of Spain aud Hidalgos revolt in Mexico, In turn
extinguished the Spanish dominion itself in 1922.
and the Franciscan missions were gradually de-
stroyed IN the next twenty years by the lack of
priests like their founders. and the reckless nnOva
tons of the Mexican republican governors. An
other political change made Upper California part
OF the American Union and one of the sovereign
states just the last Spanish Franciscan lay down
to die. At the formation ot,the first constitution
in the end of 1919 California without bishop
and almost without clergy The Catholic Church
itself seemed humanity speaking, the eve of pass
ing away from the soil.
The order of St. Ignatius had been in the mean
time marvelousy restored to existence after the
downfall of Napoleon. It's members were recalled
to the Spanish dominions by grandson of Charles
III the very wear OF the battle of Waterloo. but they
had no means to take up their former Californian
missions. temporary military administration IN
Spain again prescribed them in Mexico in 1920,
there. The work of the restored Society of Jesus
was thenceforth directed to other quarters of the
world. Its old Californian missions remained only
as glorious tradition, like those of Paraguay and
Japan. Such were the conditions when California
became part of the United States.
Jesuit missionaries, however, had meantime pen
etrated from ST. Louis among the Flatheads and
Blackfeet of the Rocky mountains while the revo-
lutionary governor of California selling the last
franciscan mission there The Italian and Belgian
missionary priests of the order, Fathers Accoltl
Mengarini Nobili and Veyret, began the conversion
of the Oregon tribes in 1916. Two years later their
work was stopped by military interference and the
hostility of American squatters. Almost at the
same time Father Gonzales Rubio, the administrator
of California and superior of the remnant of its
Franciscan missionaries, sent to Oregon to beg tor
priests to aid him in caring for the population
then pouring III from every quarter of the world III
search of gold Fathers Aceolti and Nobili accept
ed his call and visited California in 1940 just as the
first constitution was being framed in San Jose.
Father Rubio urged them to remain and they
consented subject to the approval of their general
at Rome, which could not be learned for probably
year. 1t granted at first tentatively, and
Father Veyret and one or two others came and took
charge as missionaries of the Santa Clara valley.
The foundation of the college at the old mission
was one of their first measures in 1851 The success
which attended their efforts induced the general OF
the society on Father Accoti's representation. to
give the California mission permanent place III
its work 1t was turned over to the provincial OF
Turin as the province at the time had numerous
priests available for foreign missions in eonse-
ouence of the closing of the Jesuit colleges in Sar
DINA by the government of Victor Emmanuel and
Cavour Father Congisto came in 1854 as first SUI
perior under the new arrangement, and the incor-
poration of Santa Clara college and the beginning
of a school in San Francisco were among the works
of his first year That school commenced In a
frame hut among the sandhills of Happy valley.
was the nucleus of ST. Ignatius college, the jubilee
of which will be celebrated the coming week.