The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-05-15
VT. CATHOLIC HISTORY
Interesting story Of Church Progress
In This State.

Interesting story Of Church Progress
In This State.
The first complete and authentic
history of the Diocese OF Burlington
is contained in the new Catholic en-
cyclopedia The early history of the
Catholic settlements is graphically
described and the rise of the See
from its beginning to its present i'm
portant position has been treated at
length. Interesting statistics illus !
trating the general scope and in
fiuence of the ecclesiastical, educa- |
tiona and charitable work of the di.
ocese has been compiled by Thomas
F. Meehan, the greatest authority on
this subject This diocese comprises
the whole State of Vermont and con
siderable new information will be
found in the following excerpts TAX
en- from the pages of the Encyclo-
pedia
'The Diocese of Burlington estab
lished July IA, 1853, comprises the
whole State of Vermont. U. S. A., an
area Of 9lS5 square miles. The ter
ritory now making up the state OF
Vermont was not only discovered but
first settled by Catholics. Cham
plain bestowed on the state in 1909
the name it bears and the first mass
said within its boundaries was offer
ed up in 1866 by a Sulpician priest
| from Montreal, in the chapel of the
/ little fort of St Anne on Isle Lam
othe-now the site OF shrine OF pill
| grimage a few soldiers up
held the authority of the King Of
France. In 1868 Bishop Lavay of
Quebec went there and thus gave to
| Vermont the honor of the first Epis-
copal visitation and ministration in
New England and probably in the
United States. During the years that
followed. Jesuit and other missionar-
les traversed the state and left the
evidence of their zeal in the convert
ed Indians and the Catholic settlers
in many villages In 1884 there were
fourteen Catholic families grouped
about a chapel at Alburgh After
Canada had been ceded to the Eng.
fish in 1860 many New England emf
grants went to Vermont but the
bishops of Quebec still continued to
look after the Catholics there When
the diocese OF Boston was created in
1910 the state of Vermont was in
cluded within its jurisdiction, and
the venerable Father Matigon of Bos
ton visited Burlington in 1915 and
found about one hundred Catholic
Canadians there without a priest or
church. Father Migneault of Cham
bly,, Canada, was a frequent visitor
for a number of years, ministering
TO the scattered families along the
border. Father James Fitton of Bos
ton was another pioneer priest. The
first resident priest in Vermont was
the Rev. jeremiah O'Callaghan, q
native of Cork, Ireland, whose eccen
trio notions on the question of usury
got him into difficulties with the bis
hop of his native diocese he was
sent to Burlington in 1880 by BishoI
Fenwick and remained there unit
1854, his influence and pastoral sea
radiating far and wide. He built s.
Peters church. Burlington, in 1882
He died at Holyoke Mass, Feb 90
1861. In 1897 the Rev. John ID. Dial,
another eccentric but learned man
commenced to care for the mission.
in the southern part of the state anC
labored until 1854, when he retired
TO New York where he died in 1870
Notable also among the priests min
istering In the state during this early
, period were Fathers William Iyers
= George Hamilton. p Drolet. and NJ
Chevalier In lS43 the Catholics o
the state numbered 1910, but tn
building OF railroads and the estab
llshment OF numerous public work
: soon brought steady increase.
y I'm 1853 on the petition of tn
bishops OF the Province of Ney
> York. the pope erected Vermont In
= to diocese with Burlington as tn
a titular city. The Very Rev. Loui
a De Goesbriand, then Vicar-General O
y !. the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio. wa
" named the first bishop and consecrs
|, ted in New York by Archbishop BE-
: DIM, October 80, 1853. He was Dor
h August 4, 1916 at Saint-Urbain, Fiji
70 istere. France. He studied at Sain
! Sulpice, Paris. and was ordaine
>, priest at st. Louis, U. S. A., July g
= 1910. lie found on his arrival /
Vermont five priests, ten churche
and about 10000 Catholics. In Jan
uary 1855. he went to Europe {
secure priests in Ireland and Franc
= and with the aid of those who an
wered his appeal for volunteers. ne
n parishes were organized. churche
built, schools opened and the work
eyangelizing went on vigorously. TIL
first diocesan synod was held In Blu
lington, October and 5, 1856. 1
which nine priests attended. o
July II, 1890. Bishop De Goesbrian
hi celebrated the golden jubilee of n
y, ordination and in 1892 he asked +,
By a coadiutor The choice fell on N
ne Rev. John Stephen Michaud. the
., pastor at Bennington, the son OF q
Irish mother and a Canadian fathe
and born at Burlington. Novemb,
"a, lSi3. He made his studies
ST. Joseph's seminary Troy, Ne
York. and was ordained priest Jul
n, 4 1873. He was consecrated tituli
Bishop of Modra and coadjutor
%. Burlington. June %. 1892. Bish,
De Goesbriand retired TO live in Il
'o' Orphan Asylum at Burlington al
, died November 3, 1899, the dean
" the American hierarchy. Bish,
Michaud Immediately succeeded
the see. Bishop De Goesbriand VI
one OF the prelates who attended d
vatican council in 1869.
THE religious communities no
represented In the diocese are Il
- Fathers OF Saint Edmond &C. S. \