The daily sentinel., 1913-02-19
PORTO RICO TO
CELEBRATE 400TH
ANNIVERSARY


first Catholic Diocese in the New
World and the same anniversary of
the arrival OF the first Catholic
Bishop in the Americas, Cardinal
Farley, of New York, and Archbishop
Blenk, OF New Orleans. who was for
merly Bishop of Porto Rico, are
among the prelates from the United
States who will come to Porto Rico
for the church celebration which will
be from February 23 to 81.
Together with Bishop Norris. of
Little Rock, Ark, and Bishop Gum,
or Natchez, Miss, Cardinal Farley
and Archbishop Blenk will sail from
New York Saturday, February 10.
An inOitaticn has been extended to
all Catholic Bishops in the United
States to attend the anniversary
ceremonies. The last day of the an
niversary there will be public
demonstration in connection with the
Third Insular Fair.
The Diocese of Porto Rico is the
oldest Catholic Diocese in the Amer
icas and was erected by Pope Julius
ii, in 1911. Bishop Alfonso Manso,
the first bishop to reach the New
World discovered by Columbus,
reached Porto Rico in 1913. He died
in 1888 and his body was buried in
the cathedral in San Juan, where the
remains OF many of the lfty bishops
OF the diocese have been deposited.
This cathedral marks the site of the
mother church in the Americas. and
while much of the present building
is moderns parts of it date back to
early in 1900.
Cardinal Farley will officiate at
the first of the anniversary services.
solemn high mass to be celebrated
Sunday morning, February 23. The
following day, Monday, Archbishop
Blenk VIII officiate at special SER
vice, when the remains of Ponce de
Leon, the first Governor of Porto
Rico. who died in his quest for the
fountain of youth, will be placed in a
crypt in the cathedral.
Many churchmen from other coun-
tries are to participate in the anni-
Nersary ceremonies, including Cardi-
nal Almarez, of Seville, Spain, who
was elevated to the Cardinalate with
Cardinal Farley little more than a
I year ago; Bishop Estrada, of Havana,
cuba; Archbishop Bernada, of San
tiago, Cuba Bishop Ruiz, of Pinar
del Rio, and Bishop Aurelio, of Glen
I fuegos, Cuba.
Archbishop Adolfo Nouel, of Santo
Domingo, who recently was chosen
4 president of that country, has sent
I word to Bishop Jones, of Porto Rico.
that his duties as president will pre-
vent him from coming to San Juan.
Through one of his priests President
/ Nouel, who still remains head of the
4 cnurch In Santo Domingo, he has ad-
Hised Blshop Jones that if he left
Doplnlcai soil for eight days there
/ would lie anotherlrevollnion o,,t-..
| break
None OF the dioceses in the United
States can compare in age with the
Diocese of Porto Rico. While st.
augustine, Fla, was an established
community and had church in
loo, yet 1t did not become a diocese
until 1870. The first diocese in the
United States was that of Baltimore,
which was created in 1888. New
orleans became the next diocese in
W, while New York, Boston and
Phlladelphia were created as sees in
lSUS, and are the next oldest.
with the coming of this anniver-
sary celebration many interesting
bits of church history have been dug
up from old records.
AS Tar back as 1888 the high cost
o. living seems to have been n prob-
ZEN that the first bishop in the Amer
l.as reckoned with, for old records
snow that he ordered prepared a re-
pcIt on the sin of usury and of buy-
ihg ana selling at inordinate prices"
Al the same time, records show that
BISHOP Manso commanded that n de-
cree be read in the cathedral in San
Juan eXhorting usurers to 90 to con-
lesslon within a certain period of
time, that they might receive from
.ne bishop or his Vicar-Provisor
sanitary medicine for their spiritual
maiady, Should any be rebellious. he
must be reported.
ANA only little later the churcb
records show that there was a smgar
tariff that Bishop Rodrigo Rastidas
wso succeeded Bishop Manso thouebt
needed revising so badly that he
wrote to the Spanish Crown. saving.
me new impost upon sugar will
.auSe depression in business. which
IS already suffering. Let the impost
De suppressed. This was in 1544
IN the same ]etter to the SDanish
sovereign Bishop Bastidas wrote:
lit would be convenient to estab-
llsh in this bishoprc a school of
grammar"
lie reported other affairs in Porto
h.Go TO the Crown indicating finan-
S plaI depression about that period.
ork on the cathedral has been
su ssusgeiiued owing to the scarcity of
aims. " s'e an
me employees of the Treasury at
tehd, | believe, to their work we'll
put there is so little to do that four
are TOO many and two would suffice,
VIZ; Ihe treasurer and the auditor.
nave inspected the Fortaleza
Snu MORO Castle. They are good
tuIts, t;, hut there is need of some ar
me fortaleza is the present resi-
- -, vi the Governor OF Porto Rico,
whiiG= Mnrto Castle was one Of tha
Qualifications fired on bv A dmirni
sampson in 1898. 1t still stands i'm
Su excellent state of preservation.
neoofos recently found give the To-
cauoh OF many old crypts under the