Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-14
CHAPEL ON A CHASSIS CAMP MEETING SERVICES
UNIQUE PLAN SUGGESTED BY
LOCAL CATHOLIC PRIEST.
To Reach Isolated Townships in Vir-
ginia and Maryland-Like Chapel
Car in the West.

The success with which the first Catholic
chapel car has met In the west has de-
termined the practicability of such mis-
sonary effort But the east Is preparing
still another innovation. Rev. DR.. Alex
ander P. Doyle. rector of the Apostolic Mis-
sion House at the Catholic University of
America, Is inou!ring into the feasibility
Of a chapel on automobile trucks. The
work of the chapel car in Kansas has
been revelation to the Catholic clergy
and laity and Father Doyle is anxious that
the same experiment may be tried in the
states contiguous to Washington. DR..
Doyle says that while the new Catholic
chapel car is success in the west it would
not be in the east.
I'm the west" he says, NEARLY all the
towns are built on the railroads. There are
few interior settlements. Out there it has
been case of the towns following the
railroads, and owing to the magnificent
distances in the west, the railroad chapel
forms fortuitous link between the lapsinS
Christian or the unbelever and the mes
sage that the priest has to bring.
Plan Believed Feasible.
81 have watched the progress of this car
with much interest, and am more than ever
convinced that a chapel set upon chassis
and transported through towns in Virginia
and Maryland that the railroads do not
touch would prove OF inestimable advan-
tage. It's principal benefit would be to
have the holy sacrifice OF the mass more
frequently in these out-of-the-way places,
and the fact of it's being a novelty would
doubtless attract many to it. BY 1t also
the missionary would be enabled to cover
more territory in a given time and thus
exercise his office for the benefit of many
hundreds of people
Thus the chapel automobile could In
vaGe the most infrequented parts OF
county, halt at the cross roads settlements
have mass and sermon and then go on
to the next objective point rms would
enable our priests to go around the CIR
cult much more frequently
after | more fully determine the prac-
ticability of such an autoin 42, l siia!
take steps to secure one for the use of ,le
clergy of the Mission House at an early
data in order to open up an active mis-
sionary campaign In the 1alt
The First Catholic Chapel Car.
The first Catholic chapel car, which is
now being used by Bishop Hennessey in
Kansas. is the gift of Ambrose Petry of
New York. The car is named in honor OF
ST. Anthony OF Padua.
ST. Anthony's chapel car has been equip
ped with every necessity for long journeys
over prairie and desert and through noun
famous regions. The length of the is
seventy-two feet and the most of this
space has been given up to the chapel,
which has a seating capacity of hfty per
sons, and will even accommodate sixty-fve.
The altar, specially made for the car, Is
so constructed that in Its many drawers
and receptacles may be stored the sacred
vessels and vestments. In the center of
the altar is a beautiful painting of ST.
Anthony.
There is a movable communion rail on
the car, which, when needed, can be CON
yerted into confessional There are two
rows of pews which Tide along grooyed
rails and each pew seats two or three per
sons.
In the matter of sleeping apartments the
car is in all respects like an ordinary Pull
man. There is a room for the bishop of the
diocese in which the car travels com
posed simply of two seats, which at night
are converted into a bedchamber Other
sleeping apartments are similarly construct
ed. There is also a small kitchen, com
pletely equipped. All things seem to have
been considered in planning the car with
the result that no essentials for comfort
have been overlooked.