The Irish standard., 1914-12-05

er TOLD the story OF MS instrumental.
ity in bringing priest to the dying
sister so long unreconciled to her holy
religion.
"She was only my half-sister, but
loved her as did the remaining ten
members of our family. Rose was
married to Lorenzo Dusel, who was
also Catholic, in st. Boniface's
but three years afterwards
foreswore her faith and became Bap-
list, as did her husband. That act cut
her off from the family. Six months
ago, hearing that she was i'll with a
dread disease, cancer, and about to un.
dergo an operation which might prove
fatal, visited her at the Deaconess
Hospital. There reminded her of her
neglected obligation and the fearful
risk she was about to run, and advised
her to make her peace with God. She
refused, but left with her small
crucifix, and told her that if ever she
wanted me to call me, and day or
night, I would answer that call. She
knew what meant.
November 3 I received the call,
and answered it. A Catholic neighbor
of my sisters, Mrs. Rogenbeck, sent
me word, and Immediately 1 hurried to
my sisters house, the first visit in fif-
teen years. The word had gone out
that Rose had asked for me, and was
calling for a Catholic priest, and when
I arrived I found waiting me a score
of Baptists, including the Rev. Mr..
Schmidt. My brother-in-law tried to
prevent my hearing my sisters re.
quest, even going so far as to order
me from her room. But I had come
to hear and to act if she wished me,
and when she told me that she want
ed priest, that she could not die
until she had received dissolution for
the wrong for which she was heartily
sorry, I answered yes.
Fearing that it would be impossible
to have priest brought to the house
because Of the hostility of the family
and the members of the Baptist
church, my sister implored me to wrap
her UP in blankets and carry her to my
house. That I knew was not prudent,
that the husband and family could in
terfere, so after receiving insults from
the Baptist minister, which later I
made him retract, determined to
spend the night at my sisters bedside,
and in the morning seek the protec-
ton of the law. To the taunts of the
family and antagonistic outsiders gath
cred in the house that my sister would
not die Catholic, that no priest
would be permitted to prepare her for
death, answered my sister is now a
Catholic because of her expressed wish
and her repentance of the past, and
even should she die before a priest
can be brought to her, her soul is
SAFE"
Then Mr.. Rebescher told of the in.
PREVENTION of the court, the first of
the kind in Buffalo, and the visit of
Father Kolb to the Dusel home The
priest was at first refused admission,
but the appearance of two officers soon
made the way clear though they had
still further to enforce legal rights by
clearing the room of the dying woman
in order that the priest might hear her
confession and administer the last SOL
emn rights. Following Father Kolb's
advice, the faithful brother did not
again visit the home, though his sister
did not die until a week later. But
her wish and her piteous appeal for a
deathbed reconciliation with the
Church had been fulfilled.
Mrs. Rogenbeck, the Catholic neigh
Dor of eleven years of next-door friend
Illness, told the Union and Times of
her part in the reconciliation of Mrs.
Dusel. In all these years there had
been no sign from Mrs. Dusel that
she regretted her severance from the
Catholic church, but quite the con-
trary.
II was thrilled as if some miracle
had happened" said Mrs. Rogenbeck,
when my neighbor's housekeeper
brought word that Mrs. Dusel was
calling for me, that I might send word
to her brother Bernard. l knew what
that meant. When Mrs. Dusel saw me
she begged me to send for her brother,
that she wanted a Catholic priest, and
that he would see that she had one.
Immediately the family raised the cry
that she was delirious, that she did not
know what she was saying. You are
crazy they said; mo Catholic priest
shall enter this house; we will call the
Baptist minister Mrs. Dusel protest.
ed vigorously and continued hen
pleading for her brother and a priest.
Il sent word to her brother at once