The Monticellonian., 1907-02-28

BISHOP EDNARD 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 Nit. St Mary's Semi nary at Emmitsburg. Md. where upon completing his ecclesiastical studies he received holy orders, August 22, 1S57 He was assigned to a church in Columbus, O., where he remained until 1867, when he was consecrated bishop on February 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 Civil war.
 On reaching Little Rock March IT. Bishop Fitzgerald found the diocese in great Restitution, with membership of a little more than thousand, seat tered over large and almost inacces- sibie territory, then considered ti,s 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- | doors the greater part of the time, conducting his work in his study and home with the aid of secretary. His condition grew worse until John B. Morris of Nashville Tenn. was ap- pointed bishop eoadjutor 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
 
 sas and Indian Territory careful enumeration of the whole diocese in
 1867 revealed the presence of scarcely 600 souls These 1.600 were scat tered far apart. Little Rock, with a frame cathedral, had probably not 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. The habit of giving personal at tention to things pertaining to his dio- cese made the bishop a constant trav- eler and during the first years of his life in Arkansas he travelled by horse back At the time he celebrated his 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 to 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
 ef the Benedictine order and founded
 asylums and schools. which he placed | in charge of the Sisters of Charity
 and the Sisters of St. Joseph Bishop
 Fitzgerald attended the vatican coun- | cil at Rome and the third pienary ] council held in Baltimore in 1884.