The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-07-17
Ia St. Anthony chapeI Car.


A Catholic church on wheels, a little
chapel that brings the priest to every
town and hamlet in the country, nc
matter how far distant the nearest
church may be, was the novelty that
Denver enjoyed on Saturday and Sun
day last. The chapel car, "St. Anthony. -
rolled into the union depot at,noon on
Saturday and remained until Sunday
evening. Hundreds of people managed
10 visit 1t in the depot yards, where
Father A. w. Doran received. them and
explained the mission of the travelling
church.
The st. Anthony" really owes its eX-
istence to the Church Extension Maga-
zine. I'm the third number of that pub
hcation a little editorial note appeared
undeh the heading: why Not a Chapel
Car" 1t read:
Railroads pull chapel cars free Of
charge. They cost little to maintain
They house both pastor and congrega-
ton; the last for the period of the re-
hsious service, the first all the time,
for the car is a fairly comfortable liy
ing room. Chapel cars solve the prob
lem of poor hotels and dugout quarters
in pioueer states. Chapel cars insure
neglected places being visited regularly.
The very novelty of the visit draws non
Catholics to hear the missionary. Lit
erature could be carried in quantities
in a chapel car and mass said daily
not a slight consideration for a spirit
ually hungry priest A chapel car could
supply scattered families with all they
need of mission goods, for there is
room TO keep them in stock. The mis-
sionary priest could have place within
10 instruct children when only few
families are TO be found. and stay con-
tented for as long as necessary, without
worry CT lonesomeness. The chapel car
is his home
WHO will give us a chapel car to
place in the service of the scattered ones
of the flock? Wen do the rest"
Only a week elapsed after the publica-
ton Of this story before Ambrose Pc
try, resident OF New York, sent word
10 Extension headquarters that he
would talk the matter over with an Of
hcial of the society. In a short time
Pullman palace car had been trans
formed into the first Catholic chapel
car In the world.
For his munificent gift Mr.. Petry was
made knight of st. Gregory by Pope
Plus \. Next year he has promised to
Donate another and a third car is in
sight. 1t is estimated that Sl2, 600 was
expended on the furnishings for the st.
Anthony" The woodwork is entirely
Of mahogany, and there is an organ car
RED along TO make the services more
The vestmentS with which
the sacristy is equipped are valued at
$1,000. Eighty persons can be accom- 1
modatad at mass. Father Doran has
ils own sleeping apartment, his dining
room and kitchen back of the chapel |
part of the car
When the st Anthony was first |
and ready to go on the road |
about $4,000 people visited it at Phila- /
delphia. The first trip ever made was |
through the diocese OF Wichita. in Kan |
sas OF the first eight places visited by |
the car five have since started churches. |
South Dakota was next included on the |
of the car
Churches in spiritually destitute COM |
nunities have been the outgrowth of the |
chapel car movement At Julesburg. |
Colo, in the diocese of Denver, little |
church is now being completed as a re-
suit of the extension work. Two young |
men in Philadelphia gave 81 600 to the |
society that a little church might be
Quilt To the memory OF their deceas sed
The young men are the
lephews Of A. A. Hirst of Pennsylvania.
who, ten years ago. constructed the
same sort of a monument to the memo
y Of his little son Anthony. who had
hen been dead for seven years. Bruno.
Neb., was the beneficiary of Mr.. Hirst's
The arrival of the chapel car in the
Denver depot was duly announced in
Ill the churches of this city on Sunday.
Ind many availed themselves of the
opportunity to see its unique compost
ion.