The Irish standard., 1914-02-21
ANN|vERSARY0F P|0NEEfMl5S|0NER
Fiftieth Anniversary Of Death of Father
Mazzuchelli, Noted Dominican
Labors of Pioneer Priest Extended over Iowa,
Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan
Special to Irish Standard.

Special to Irish Standard.
Next Monday, Feb. %, will be the
fiftieth anniversary of the death of
the sanity Dominican pioneer mis-
sionary of Wisconsin, Illinois, Michi-
gan and Iowa, the Reverend Samuel
Charles Mazzuchelli. From our pres
ent day environment of material con-
veniences and even luxuries, it is not
easy to project ourselves seventy or
eighty years back and conjure up what
was then the face of the earth here
about us. Dense forests were every
where. Indians were the lords of the
land. A few white men, fur traders,
had penetrated this far west and
built the crudest and simplest trading
posts, cutting down trees and tilling
little patches of land about their rude.
ly built log cabins. Transportation
and travel were both difficult and dan
gerous. One had to blaze path
through the dense woods; follow the
trail or an immigrant wagon; skirt
marshes and swamps; make canoe
from a tree and trust ones self upon
unknown waterways, or walk upon the
ice, as season and circumstances de-
manded.
Into this primeval forest country at
Mackinac Island, in 1880, stepped the
newly ordained Father Mazzuchelli,
in his twenty-fourth year, after trav-
cling from Cincinnati by circuitous
routes a distance of eight hundred
miles. Born of parents of noble line
age and reared in Milan, the city OF
palaces and churches and libraries, the
young missionary was by nature
man of refined manners and elegant
tastes. But his heritage of ardent
faith and a marvellous generosity and
zeal brought him courageously as an
other Saint Paul through perils OF all
kinds, to preach the Gospel OF. Christ
in this border land of civilizatlont
Mackinac, Green Bay, Menominee In
dian villages; Sault Sainte Marie
Saint Ignace, Prairie du Chien, Min
eral Point, Dubuque, Galena, Daven
port. Maquoketa, Iowa City, Burling
ton, Bellevue, Sinsinawa, Shullsburg
BENTON and many other places now
prosperous cities were the scenes OF
his labors among the Indians and the
early white settlers. More than TWEEN
tv churches were built under his di
rection. He was architect and su
pervisor of construction. Familiarity
in his youth with the masterpieces O
architecture, and training in scientific
principles of symmetry, made MI
ideals and his achievements In tnl'
line at least fifty years in advance o
his time.
Not only the spiritual welfare of th'
people was his solicitude he was
devoted citizen. Every civic improve
ment had his support. Iowa is still
proud of the beauty of her old Stat
House in Iowa City, now the admins
tration building of her university. l
was planned by Father Mazzuchell1
When Wisconsin was organized as
territory in 1888 and convened he
first legislature, Father Mazzuchell
as chaplain, opened the session wit
prayer.
Training for good citizenship, tn
hui,ding of the characters of the SCI
ond generation, logically follows pit
neer settlement activity. To the wor
of the Christian education of yout
Father Mazzuchelli gave the late
wears of his life. Sinsinawa Mount
by it's unique location, attracted hin
Here he built college for boys an
young men, and turned it over to th
Dominican Fathers from st. Joseph
Province, Kentucky. Before the Civ
War this college had nearly a hui
dred pupils. Old students still livin
tell of fathers bringing their sons
the college from as far west as ON
ha. and making the journey in wa
ons drawn by oxen. At Sinsinaw
too. in 1846 to 1S4S, Father Mazz
chelli established a community of D
minican Sisters by clothing with Il
religious habit some four or five your
women, daughters of his parishioner
and training them himself for son
years in the religious life. Later
moved the Sisters to Benton al
founded the St. Clara Female Aca
emy which had been first chartered
the Sinsinawa Female Academy
the legislature of Wisconsin in 49,
To this institution he gave the me
Jealous attention, training the S
ters in the art of philosophy of edut
.tion, giving lectures in history, Chr