The Green Forest tribune., 1907-03-01

BISHOP EDWARD FITZGERALD.
 O. Edward Fitzgerald entered the Seminary of Barrens, in Perry county, Missouri, in the year 1850, and two years later transferred himself to Mt. St. Mary's of the West, at Cincin- nati, where he remained until 1855. He then attended Mt St. Mary's Semi
 nary at Emmitsburg, Md. where upon completing his ecclesiastical studies he received holy orders, August P,
 1S57 He was assigned to a church in Columbus, O., where he remained. until 1867, when he was consecrated
 bishop on February 3 of that year He was then assigned to the
 diocese of Little Rock, which
 was made vacant b ythe death of Bish- op Andrew Byrne in 1862 and which had remained so on account
 of disruptions caused by the Civa
 war.
 On reaching Little Rock March IT, Bishop Fitzgerald found the diocese in
 great destitution with a membership
 of little more than a thousand, scat. tered over large and almost inacces-
 sible territory, then considered the border of American civilization with only five priests nd three religious in stitutions.
 Bishop Fitzgerald visited Rome twice, once in 1870 and again in 1883. On his first visit to Rome he was present at the Vatican Council. He was again in Rome in 1883, to assist as the representative of Archbishop Leroy, who was in feeble health, at the meeting of the archbishops of the United States, in the presence Of
 Pope Leo XIII, to prepare the schedule of work for the third council of Bal timore.
 Bishop Fitzgerald suffered a stroke
 of paralysis seven years ago. His en. tire left side was paralyzed After that time he was forced to remain in.
 coors the greater part of the time, conducting his work in his study and
 home with the aid of a secretary. His condition grew worse until John B.
 Morris of Nashville, Tenn, was ap pointed bishop coadjutor of the Arkan. sas diocese to take up the heavier | part of the work Since that time
 Bishop Fitzgerald has been spending his time at Hot Springs endeavoring
 to regain his lost health. At the time Bishop Fitzgerald as,
 sumed charge of the diocese of Little Rock it embraced the state of Arkan.
 sas and Indian Territory. A careful enumeration of the whole diocese in | 1867 revealed the presence of scarcely | 600 souls. These 1,600 were scat. 1 tered far apart Little Rock with | frame cathedral, had probably not 1 more than 400 communicants. There were but two schools, both conducted | by the Sisters of Mercy, one at Fort | Smith and the other at Little Rock 1 The habit of giving personal at. | tention to things pertaining to his dio.
 cese made the bishop a constant tray
 eler and during the first years of his life in Arkansas he travelled by horse l back At the time he celebrated his | silver jubilee, it was commonly ac. cepted he had travelled more miles | than any other bishop in the United | States.
 | By his wise administration and SyS
 tematic and persistent efforts, he sue.
 ceeded in building up the church td the position of wealth and importance
 that it had occupied previous to the war He established a house of the Fathers of the Holy Ghost at Marien stadt. introduced the monks and nuns 1 of tie Benedictine order and founded 1 asylu,ns and schools, which he placed | in charge of the Sisters of Charity | and the Sisters of St. Joseph. Bishop l FitZgerald attended the vatican co1n
 cil at Rome and the third plenary l council held in Baltimore in 1884.