The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-05-07
A WESTERN BISHOP
Incidents in His Life Related by Ri
Rev. ], J. keane.

uHSi0eueS III tbs IHo notaIeC Oy NJ
Rev. J. J. keane.
The following is taken from the
Tidings of Los Angeles, CAL:
Ri. Rev. James J. Keane, Bishop
of Cheyenne, Wyoming, who is deliv-
ering a course of lectures to nom
Catholics, at the Mason Opera house,
this week, in an interview with a It'd
ings representative, spoke of his var
led experiences in the Rocky mountain
region embraced by his diocese, and
during the eight years of his labors
in that field he has become so tho.-
oughly western in his ideas that even
his native state of Minnesota seems
too far east to tempt him to return
to her borders. One incident he stat
ed, more than any other, convinced
him of the need of workers in the west
and reconciled him to the many hard
ships that he has been obliged to en-
dure while travelling over his extern
sive diocese Soon after coming to
Cheyenne. he said he made a journey
of 500 miles in a heavy wagon with
a driver a young man who had been
stage driving for several years over
the route travelled. Bishop Keane had
written ahead that he would arrive in
a certain town on Saturday night and
celebrate mass the following Sunday
morning There had been heavy
storms, the roads were rough and the
Journey an exceptionally hard one.
Late Saturday night the driver in
the town that night as the river was
swollen by the storms and impossible
to ford except by daylight. The Bishop
urged and in1p6rtuned the driver to
make the attempt. but all to no pur-
pose, as the driver knew the treacher-
Gus ford too well, and finally showed
the Bishop to- a cave in the hillside
and told him he could sleep on some
boards forming a shelf in the cave,
OAt Wdl llCu " UC sui q dIlu hCCp
on the boards : to avoid the rattle
snakes. This warning did not add any
comfort to the situation, and it was
with feeling oftgreat encouragement
in his work and its hardships that
the Bishop was preparing to retire,
when the drivertito whom he had said
nothing about religion, asked if there
would be mass in the morning. The
Bishop assured him that there would
offering the holy sacrifice, and the
young man then said: Il have not
been to mass for seven years; it would
break my old mothers heart if she
knew how negligent + have become"
The Bishop then told him to go out
in the darkness and question his con-
science awhile and he would hear his
confession and give him holy COM
munion in the morning. The next
bed for an altar and celebrated mass
in the cave with the stage driver as
the sole attendant and communicate.
They arrived at their destination
safely on Sunday afternoon, and on
Monday the stage driver started alone
on his return trip. In crossing the
river which had delayed them on Sat-
urday night the swift current of the
turbulent stream upset the wagon and
the young man was drowned. The
Bishop stated that ever since that in
cident he had been satisfied with his
life in the West for he knows its needs
and one of it's greatest needs seems
to be just such men as Bishop Keane
himself.
Another interesting incident related
by the Bishop was in connection with
a mission that he once gave in an out
Of the-way place of his diocese. One
Sunday morning, before mass. he was
standing outside the primitive little
chapel. when he saw woman with
four or five children driving up in d
stout farm wagon. and going out 10
help her with the hitching OF her team
and to assist her and the children out
Of the wagon. he asked her if she had
come from much of distance.
"sixty-four miles, Bishop" was her
reply. "Why. when did you start?"
he asked. AT . o'clock yesterday
morning" she said, and then contin-
ued: MY children have all been bap-
tized and I"have done my best to in
struct them in the faith; I believe that
they know the catechism we'll enough
to make their first communion and
I was Nm hopes, Bishop. that we
might all receive holy communion this
morning as we still are fasting!" The
Bishop assured her that her wish
would be granted, and then remarked
that she must be very tired from her