The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-09-04
CHURCH I'M UTAH.

The advertising which Salt Lake received
through the Dedication Of the New Cathedral is a
national affair." All our Catholic papers either make
note of the ceremonies or publish the sermons Of
the distinguished prelates III full. Salt Lake, sup
posed to De in the Wilderness has bossomed out be-
fore the American people as an ideal and favored
city The strides made by the Church during the
HE OF one man are commented on as nothing less
! than marvellous
In Utah IN 1878 there only one church and
that encountered with heavy debt At that early
date there only or two Catholic families and
! less than two dozen Catholic worshppers in Salt
Lake Paradoxical as it may appear, the pastor at
that time IN order to secure a bare living applied
Tor an assistant who, in turn with the pastor Wis
tied the mining camps which supplied the means of
living Looking back through these dreary years.
each year sees some new building going up for the
spiritual benefit of the people, or the uplifting of
humanity. In less than two years the debt which
encountered the old church, was paid The next step
was to provide Christian education for the few scat
tered Catholic children in the territory of Utah.
Urged by strong appeal from Father Seaman
Archbishop Aemany secured the services of the Sis
tiers of the Holy Cross from ST. Mary's Academy.
Notre Dame Ind. But how build school with an
empty treasuryl Only one man could solve this
problem, and that was Father Seaman whose iron
will and indomitable courage were ever ready to
meet any and all emergencies. "Unless the Lord
build the house, in vain do they labor who build it"
was the motto, and though ST. Mary's Academy was
commenced when he had not 500 to his name it was
completed and ready to open for its first school
term IN September, 1876. Miners from Bingham
broke ground in June. When completed the debt
was insignificant Citizens of Salt Lake regard
less OF creed, contributed literally. The miners in
the different camps of Utah gave generously. A
few months later the Hospital of the Holy Cross
was opened to the public in a rented building on
Fifth East street It's good work was appreciated
Hence it fourished.
Ogden next received attention. In 1876 ground
for church site was purchased. Within wear
church built. Ogden at this early date like
Salt Lake, had not many Catholic families. vet to
provide for the few a school was opened in the
church. The next year, 1873 saw the completion of
he Sacred Heart Academy. Today Ogden has its
lew beautiful rock church. which would do credit 70
lineage or any of our great eastern cities 1t has
is Sacred Heart Academy which is the best and
most fourishing institution in the west.
After providing for the wants of Ogden Park
jlty received attention. A church and school were
rected there These destroyed by fire. but
7ere soon replaced by two fine rock buildings. En-
eka came next, with the same result Silver Reef
II the border line of Arizona, and $50 miles from
alt Lake, was visited, not in Pullman car, but
n horseback, by the PASTOR whose parish embraced
area of $3.50 square miles. Here the old miners
Phoebe rallied around their former pastor, say
lg, Father Seaman, you must build hospital G
'hool and church for us here" He did. and before
= left Silver Reef there was no Indebtedness. On
S return trip he visited Frisco Utah. and built
lurch there. On his return to Salt Lake. with his i
anysde trips, he had travelled thousand miles on
'rseback =
With this marvellous growth of the Church in G
tab it is no wonder that the eyes of the country
ire focused on Salt Lake on the 18th of August. h
hist approaching the many nice compliments paid
the Church and its Bishop it can be truly said
at there was no exaggeration. Bishop Seaman did
things well.