Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-03-14
Began Ills Work in the Diocese
of Cincinnati With Bishop
Fenwick.
Induced Many German Priests
TO Enter the American
Mission.
He Did MUCH FOR EDUCATION


one chapter could be laid nowhere
better than in the great Catholic
Northwest, with Michigan as a cen
ter. He who attempts It will find
ready to his hand tales, legends,
chronicles, histories and relations,
verified by priceless documents whose
records go back nearly two hundred
years before the establishment Of
the see OF Detroit, March s, 1898, as
noted in our Catholic Chronology,
These records TEEN with stories OF
zeal and perseverance, magnificent
daring, heroic suffering and the
martyrs crown to thrill and to in
spire the lukewarm of today.
1t was at Sault ste, Marie in 1912
that the martyred Jogues, then in
the prime and vigor of his young
priesthood, with his fellow Jesuit,
Father Charles Raymbault, planted
the cross for the Chippewas, being
the first white men to stand on the
shore of Lake Superior; IT was there
in 1861 that Rene Menard won a
martyrs death at the hands of the
savages; Il was the country evan
gelized by Fathers Claude Allouez
Claude Dablon, Louis Andre ana
Gabriel Druilettes; and It was at
Michilimackinac that Jacques Mar.
quette began his mission Of st.
Ignatius, where he built the frst
chapel for white men in that vast
region.
Detroit herself will have part in
the romance, for from Fort st.
-.
trading post of the Canadian Cath
Ollie, La Mothe Cadillac, the later city
sprang; and her old Ste. Anne's,
once the parish church of all Michi-
gan and most OF Wisconsin, served
by Recollects and dedicated July 20,
1901, the pro-Cathedral of her first
Bishop, is the present Ste. Anne's six
times rebuilt; record unique among
the parishes of the United States. II
was here Father Levadoux labored
for five years from 1896 to 1901 to
be succeeded by that redoubtable
Sulpician, Father Gabriel Richard, a
commanding figure in the develop
ment of the country, one of the
founders Of the University of the
State, her representative in the ma
tional Congress, and who, in his de-
votion to the cholera sufferers Of
1892, fell a victim to his zeal, dying
of the disease September 10, that
year. Had he lived he would doubt
less have been Detroit's first Bishop
which honor, on the erection of the
diocese by Gregory XVI, March 3,
1888, fell to the Very Rev Frederic
REESE, of Cincinnati, who, having been
a Jealous missionary throughout the
territory, was thoroughly familiar
with its needs.
Bishop REESE was born in Viennen-
berg, Hanover, February 6, 1891. AS
young man his studies were inter
rupted by the Napoleonic wars and
being drafted for military service at
the age of twenty-four he fought
against the French as one OF Bluch-
er's dragons at Waterloo. When
the war was over he entered the
propaganda at Rome, and while there
he had the honor of serving the first
mass of John Mary Mastai Ferrietti,
a young priest who was ordained
April 10, 1919, and who afterwards
governed the, Universal Church as
Plus TX.
His own ordination took place in
1922 and three years after he offered
his services to Bishop Fenwick and
came to America to begin his labors
in the diocese Of Cincinnati. He in
duced many other German priests 10
enter the American mission and
through his Office the Leopoldinen-
Stiftung, an association that gave
much financial support TO the church
in the Far West, was organized in
Austria After eight years OF mis-
sionary work he was consecrated the
flrst Bishop of Detroit by Bishop
Rosati OF st. Louis in st. Peters
Cathedral, Cincinnati, October G,
1893, being the first German-born
Bishop of the American hierarchy
After attending the second provin-
cial council of Baltimore on October
.2O, he returned TO Detroit and on
January 7, 1894, was installed IN
made his Cathedral, and which he
completed and beautified. He at
once took up the duties OF his epis-
copate that was to last less than
three years, but into which he
crowded much missionary zeal. Under
his auspices academies were opened
IN Detroit and Green Bay; the nu-
cleus OF a seminary was established:
a church edifice was purchased from
the Protestants, which was dedicated
az Holy Trinity Church, June IA,
1885, for the German Catholics;
parishes were organized; a hospital
was founded in Detroit during the
cholera epidemic of 1884, where also
st. Philips College, an orphan asy-
lum, Trinity Academy and a convent
OF the Sisters OF Providence were
some OF the fruits OF HIS labors.
All this was not accomplished
without affecting his health, and
early in 1897 he resigned, and leav-
ing the diocese In charge OF the Very
Rev. r. s. Badin and the Very Rev.
John Du Bruyn as Vicars-General, no
sailed for Rome, where he remained
until the disorders OF 1S4S. Then
he retired TO his native diocese OF
HiIdesheim. Germany. and died at