Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-14
FIRST INDIAN IN PRIESTHOOD
Only Red Man who Has Taken Holy
Orders in the Catholic
Church.

To be the hrst full-blooded Indian to be-
come a Roman Catholic priest is the I'M
usual distinction of the Rev. Father AL
bert Negahnquet of Kansas, now con-
Quoting religious labors among his fellow
Tacemen in Oklahoma and Indian Territory.
So far as now known. Father Negahnquet
is the only living Roman Catholic priest
who is a ful-blood Indian.
Father Negahnquet was born on the Pot
tawatomie reservation. near st. Marys.
Kan, in 1877. Soon afterward he was
taken to Topeka by his parents, and In
the Church OF Assumption here he was
baptized. He was the youngest OF a FAM
lily of ten children.
His parents and members of the family
moved to Pottawatomie county, Oklahoma,
where there are now many members of
that tribe. In the southern part OF that
bounty the Catholics In an early day es-
tablished a great community.-a Monastery,
schools and the like. The missionaries OF
that church naturally came and worked
among the Indians near by. Father
Negahnquet as a boy was sent to the
school.
lie was an interesting child, readily
tractable, and he applied himself to his
studies. Mother Katherine Drexel, daugh-
ter of the millionaire Drexel of Phlladel-
phla, had given large sums of money to
the support of these Catholic institutions
and on the occasion of one OF her periodi-
cal visits she took notice of this particular
Indian boy. She never forgot him, and
when he became old enough, at her own
expense, she sent him to the large Indian
school at Carlisle, Pa. Later he was trans
ton, d. c., with the purpose in view Of
educating him for the priesthood.
He was the honor man at Washington,
and from there he went Rome, the seat
of the great church in whose cause he
afterward was to devote his life. He
studied philosophy and theology there in
the Propaganda college, being one year
In the College of the Pope. He received
the blessing of Pope Leo XIII a short
time before the late pontif was stricken
with his last illness. His first mass as a
priest he said at the historic column of
the Church OF Santa Prassedo, Rome, and
| at the altar OF Santa Colonna.
Before the departure from Rome OF priests
OF this class 1t is customary for each In
his mother tongue to give an address. 1t
must have been strange when the young
American Indian priest came forward and
in the tongue Of HIS fathers the warlike
Pottawatomies. spoke. In the class In
which he graduated these closing addresses
were given in forty-eght different Lam
guages, as showing the great variety Of
nationalities represented.
Then Father NeEahnquet sailed away to
Oklahoma territory and for few weeks
was the guest OF his parents in their rude
home. Soon afterward he sang the FIRST
mass given by a full-blooded Indian priest
on American soil in the big Catholic church
at Oklahoma City. Okl. His conservation
was by Bishop Theophile Meerschaert OF
Guthrie okl. The bishop spoke proudly
Of the honor OF consecrating the first In
dian priest and of having him in that
| diocese.
Since coming back to America three years
ago. Father Negahnquet has labored faith
fully among his people and his efforts
have been well rewarded
In personal way he is an enterprisinR
young man, quiet, dislilSing greatly any
notoriety, and preserving In a way the
| dignity which has Characterised the great
Indian chieftains. He speaks deVotedly
OF the church and believes there is a great
! future for him In the work among people
OF his blood.-New York Herald.