The San Francisco call., 1909-02-21


In Reggie the italian Sisters ot
Charity had a school, an orphanage
and a home for infants. In the school
there were twenty sisters. Seven We're
buried under the ruins. with IL girls
and eight servants The surviving sis
ters rescued the rest OF the children
dressed their wounds, clothed and shell
tered them and had them sent TO a
place of safety.
In the orphanage two out Of three
sisters Were killed. The third Sister
RanaelIa, though herself wounded. for
four GAYS ard nights saved and Eursed
the 50 orphans who escaped ana begged
FOR food, which kept them from
starvation.
In the home for infants were four
sisters with 30 little innocents. All es-
capped. except two babies, who per-
ished. A vessel standing outside the
port refused their request To De taken
aboard with their helpless little
charges. Endaunted by this cruel re-
buff. they returned through the ruins
10 their home, where they took four
large drawers from q linen chest. and
in each one they placed FIVE babies.
The drawers We're lifted to the
heads OF the four sturdy nurses. each
Of the nuns took two OF The eight re-
manning babies IN her arms, the little
procession set OF in a terrible down
pour of rain and they never stopped
until they reached Cerace, a distance
of IL miles from their starting point.
PRIESTS SUCCOR STUDENTS
At Messina 40 students of the Col
lege Of San Luigi We're rescued by two
Salesian priests. aided by other wound
ed priests, who, almost naked them.
selves. in q torrent of rain, scrambled
over the quivering cebris. let them
selves down into the gaping crevices
and saved all the boys.
The Stampa, a Turin paper, remarks
that Meanwhile two other aid squad
rons Were leaving Palermo, led by two
other coura geous Salesian priests. d.
Attilio Garlaschi and D. Angelo Bel
loni; buf when, after great difficulties.
they arrived at Messina- they We're not
allowed TO enter the city. and were
Obliged TO return TO Palermo with the
help they had brought.
And we are assured that a volume
could be filled with heroic deeds of
clergy during the terrible period fol-
lowing upon the earthquake.
February > was the date for the an
nual remittance of sf3,050 in Mexi-
can currency by the Mexican govern
ment 10 Archbishop Riordan of San
Francisco for distribution TO the differ
ent dioceses in California. in compli-
ance with The Hague decree in this
celebrated case OF arbitration between
the United States and Mexico. usually
known as the Plus fund"
In reply to the question. Was Abra-
ham Lincoln a Catholic2" Archbishop
ireland furnished, a few years ago. the
following interesting bit OF original
testimony. The archbishop says in
part
Father st. Cyr was a priest of the
nf 7 l. ~
early days the scattered Catholics Of
southern Illinois received ministerial
attention. / knew him when. in later
years, he was chaplain to the Sisters
of st. Joseph. of Carondolet In 1883
he spent a month visiting me in st.
Paul Here is his statement as 1 then
took it down in writing regarding the
Lincoln family.
81 visited several times the Lin
coins in their home in southern Illinois
The father and the stepmother OF
Abraham Lincoln both were Catholics
How they had become Catholics 1 do
not know. They were not we'll in
structed in their religion. but they
were strong and sincere in their pro-
fession of ii. I said mass repeatedly
| in their house.
Abraham was not a Catholic: he
never had been one. and he never led
me to believe that he would become
one. At the time Abraham was 90 years
old or whereabouts, a. thin. tall young
fellow, kind and good natured; he
used TO assist me in preparing the altar
| for mass. Once he made me a present
of half a dozen chairs. He had made
those chairs with his own hands ex-
pressly for me; they were simple in
form and fashion, as chairs used in
country places then would be-
! Those are Father st. Cyr's words