The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-12-26
LETTER TO THE EDITOR.
MISSIONARY LIFE IN MINNESOTA
Cass Lake, Minnesota,
December 10 1914.

December 10, 1914.
Editor, Catholic Bulletin:
Last week Father s. Frydrychowicz
called at my office with a lumber man
to have a contract for lumber bill
executed for new Catholic Church
at Ballclub. I suggested that the
churches were being built or prospect
ed rather rapidly in this country and
he informed me that he is buying lum-
Der for three new churches in Cass
County during the coming spring.
One for Ballclub, one for Pine River
and one for Walker. One was built
last year in Federal Dam, also in this
county. The foundation and basement
of the one for Walker were finished
last fall. suggested that he was
pretty busy and with all looked quite
tired today. He replied that he has
had little harder siege this week
than usual and was really "all in" He
told me that the doctors have advised
him that he must undergo an opera
ton for his health, but said he I'm
really too busy and as long as don't
have to and have so much work to do,
do not want to take the time"
suggested that he ought to give the
local newspaper the story about the
building of the numerous churches
and he replied. mo, no, don't want
to do that. Let them wait till they
are finished and | will tell them"
Just by way of giving your readers
an idea of the work of a priest in
this section l will give the story of
the past week as can remember it
from what he told me in conversation
for / did not want to make notes for
fear he would discover my purpose to
give the story and forbid it.
Last Sunday Father Frydrychowicz
held services at one of his missions
and instead of the Sunday services
here gave us at his regular station at
Cass Lake two masses on Immaculate
Conception day, Tuesday, for which he
had returned from the mission Mon
day evening at seven o'clock. On
Tuesday afternoon he left for Pine
River riding on the train from z to
1880 and from 10:45 to A. M. when
he arrived at Pine River where he
said mass in the forenoon. While
at Pine River on Wednesday forenoon
he was called for a sick-call forty
miles out to point ten miles beyond
Longville. He rode this forty miles
in lumber wagon and arrived at his
destination at ten o'clock at night
On the way out to the sick-call when
he arrived at Pontoria, en- route there
he was called by phone and advised
of the drowning OF Mr.. Norton at
Cyphers, station on the Minnesota
and International Railway, below
Walker and that funeral services were
to be held for the drowned man at
Walker on Friday morning. At the
house where he arrived for the sick
call he read mass at eight o'clock in
the morning in order to consecrate
the sacred host to give communion to
the dying woman. AS the only avail
able team had driven ninety miles in
order to bring him to the dying WON
an it was out of question for him
to figure on driving back to Pine
River to catch the train for Walker
where the Norton funeral was to be
held the next day.
He then asked for pair of skates
although he had not skated for eight
years, and with guide set out to
reach Boy River by $3.50 o'clock in
the afternoon to catch a 500 train
for Cass Lake. He started out and
skated across Woman Lake, and Cir
Lake and another Lake the name OF
which l do not remember. Then be
ing in a section where he knew the
country he let his guide go back and
skated across Boy Lake and up Boy
River and finally reached Boy River
station, at $3.50 o'clock in the after
noon too late for his train, after hav
ing walked and skated over 80 miles
Once he had fallen on the ice anG
injured his knees seriously SO thai
he had to stay for some little time
before he dared to venture on, on &C
count of the injury.
Boy River station is so situated tina
there are no wagonroads out towart
Federal Dam where he wanted to e
and it was impossible to get ava!
with a team, so he resolutely set on
on foot and arrived there late in thu
evening after having taken nearl.
four hours to walk the nine miles OF
account of his fatigue and injured
knee.
:. At Federal Dam he admits that h
was hungry enough to really eat ;
meal after having travelled nearly,
not quite, fifty miles on foot ant
skates after his nine o'clock break
fast and without dinner. After sur
per he drove with a team from Fed
eral Dam to Bena a distance of tel
miles and arrived in time to catch al
after midnight train for Cass Lake
. there he arrived at 2:30 in the morn
ing.
Il At seven o'clock in the morning
: Friday, he took another train 70
Walker where he said requiem mas
: over the body of the drowned MI
! Norton of Cyphers.
He returned home last evening an
p after mass this morning he figure
!. his lumber bill for the Ballclub Churc
. with a lumberman and came to m
office to draw the contract. Will
here in the Office, a messenger cam
! for him to go to another place an
: this afternoon and evening he Is