The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-07-14
Father Henry's Unpretentious Mission Where
Temporary Home and Haven of
Safety is Furnished
1t is the Home Of the Newly-Landed Irish Girl
Who Has No Friends to Meet Her
and No Work to Go to.

The following description of Il Mis-
sion Church in New York City by Will
liam Albert in the New York News
gives Il good idea of the steps which
the church takes to protect fricndless
immigrant girls:
There is Il wide difference, YOU must
admit, between the officiating clergy
man whose superbly groomed congrc-
cations assemble: where mettlesomc
horses pr;,ncc before the door tug
ging at the traces OF lordly equipagcs.
and the one who has for his congrega-
tion the strangers within our gates, his
tabernacle, Il tiny, bare simple chapel,
his collections a few lonesome pennies,
his reward the sweet solace of n con-
trntcnd conscience. such as only the
Great Shepherd can create and comfort
1t is not for personal censorship to
be exercised relative to religious work;
$" have no specific comparisons to
| make no particular deductions to offer
But have Il peculiarly earnest and
somewhat pathetic little story to tell
of Il morning call upon Father Mich
ael J. Henry. ut the Mission OF Our
Lady "f the Rosary for the protection
Of Irish Immigrant girls. on State
street. right at the Battery
1t was Decoration day morning
bright and early, that I paid my call
upon the immigrant girls shepherd
carly because Father Henry is a busy
priest and he has more than he can do
daily to say nothing OF cxpcnding time
talking merely.
The Mission or Our Lady of the Ro-
sary is an unpretentious building. To-
Gated fronting the harbOr ut the round
end of the battery. And it is the Irish
| Immigrant girls haven of safety, her
temporary home her church. her coun-
| sclor, her fricnd--all under one roof.
Situate far away from the public
| eye: out of range OF popular vision;
| down among the longshoreinen, toilcrs,
| laborcrs. handworkcrs, outdoor people
of New York City, 1t is the church for
| those who reside south of Wall street
| ana east of Broadway; but IT'S pre-
| eminent function is to be the first port
of entry for the ncwly-lunded Irish
girl, who has no friends to meet her,
or whose friends fail to be on hand, or
who seeks work and is unprovided be-
f"rrhand with a place.
You must admit that there Is preci-
Gus little accruing to this sacrificing
priest and his loyal assistants, apart
from the sure and certain "Well done"
| of the Master. You or ] would find IT
II terrible hardship If we had to make
| our home down there at the wharveS'
end the year round. with nothing to
see but passing ana rcpassing surface
ears and elevated trains, and nothing
to hear but the shrek Of boat whistles
| and the tOot of engines and the rattle
Of teams. Summer and winter the
daily program of activities at this point
is identical; only Il fire or a storm
break the monotony; the sunlight and
| moonlight are the same as on Fifth
| avenue; but the scenes practical and
busincss-likc and cternally monOton-
Gus. the dust dense, the wind gusty, the
rains pclting, the streets dirty, the
| dcniZcns by no means attractive, the
| heat fcrociOus at times, the SHOWS and
ice cruel and cutting at others; and the
| one solitary object of Father Henry's
/ life is TO watch for and welcome and
care for and assist and counsel and
| father-and mother Irish girls who have
| come to America to make a living.
| A small, fairly rOtund man is Father
Henry. who has light brown hair. thick
behind and very thin on top, big blue
! eyes, spectncles. a deliciously sincere
smile, an honest tone in his voice, q
warm hand clasp, an amable nature,
quickness of wit, love of humOr, per-
feet pacidity of temperament COM
/ pIcte cOntcntmcnt win MS work, abb
sOlutely unaffected in manner the
greatest faith in the underlying good.
ness of human nature. and the mos
profound solicitude for the dependent
beings who see him first on landing ir
America-the being of all beings they'd
most wish to see If it happens that nc