The Irish standard., 1915-09-01

The next settlements were those
around the military posts of Fort
Smelling, mention of which was made
in the preceding pages. During the
summer of the year 1889 a visit was
made to them by Bishop Loras of
Dubuque, in whose diocese they were
at the time; the bishop was accom-
paied by Father Anthony Pelamour-
CUES and a young man who acted as
Interpreter with the Sioux. ONLY 13
days were spent at Fort Smelling and
at St. Peter, now Mendoza; but they
were replete with good works of re-
ligion Out of the 185 Catholics that
the bishop found there, So were bap-
tized, eight were confirmed, holy COM
munion was administered to 80 adults,
and the nuptial blessing impaired
upon four couples. At the same time
arrangements were made for the con-
struction of church and for the ap-
pointment of resident priest in the
place. The priest selected for these
northern missions was the Reverend
Lucien Galtier, who at the request of
Bishop LOras went aboard a steam
boat at Dubuque on April 26, 1910, and
after successful voyage up the river
reached the landing place at Fort
Smelling. He received cordial hos
pitality at the house of certain Scott
Campell, Indian interpreter at the
post, where he stayed for some time,
until he removed to St. Peter or Men,
dota; there he occupied small house
given to him by Jean Baptiste Fari-
bault, the oldest pioneer of the place.
Of this modest dwelling he used one
part as chapel and the other as liv-
ing quarters for himself AS there
were several Catholic families on the
east side of the Mississippi, Father
Galtier visited them occasionally, and
IN l841 decided to erect little church
or chapel for them. The ground was
given by two old settlers, BENJAMIN.
Gervais and Vital Guerin; the logs
were cut, and the chapel was built
thereof in the month of October, 1841.
On the Feast of All Saints, November
|, l84l, the chapel was blessed opened
for services and placed under the
patronage of St. Paul, the Apostle of
the Gentiles. The new basilica, as
Father Galtier expresses himself was
smaller indeed than that of St. Paul in
Rome, but in this as we'll as in the
other good hearts could expand with
out limits. The year after, October
Z, 1872, he had the good fortune of
blessing the first church of St. Peter
or Mendoza, dedicated to the worship
of God in honor of the Prince of the
Apostles. Father Galtier divided his
time between Mendoza and St. Paul,
and paid occasional visits to the small
settlements on St. Croix lake (Willow
river, now Hudson), on Lake Pepin
and the Chippewa river. Four wears
he labored thus, when on May 26,
1874, he bade farewell to the northern
missions and took charge of the con-
gregat1on located at Keokuk, Iowa.
He was replaced by the Reverend
Augustine Ravoux, who since the year
!S4l labored among the Sioux Indians
IN various parts of Minnesota, until
ne was compelled by direction of his
bishop, to take the post left vacant
by Father Galtier. From that date
until the coming of Bishop Cretin, in
1851, he was the only priest in Mime
sofa, if we except those that labored
or were stationed in Pembina.
The first bishop of St. Paul was the
Right Reverend Joseph Cretin (185O-
~, vicar general of the diocese of
Dubuque at the time of his selection
tor that post. His appointment was
made in Rome, July %, 1850, only
few days after the erection of the new
diocese. The documents and letters
bringing the news of his appointment
from Rome were received by the
blshop-elect towards the end of Sep
tember. >: He repaired to his ma
tive land of France, and received the
episcopal conservation from the hands
OF the Right Reverend Alexander
Raymond Devie, Bishop of Belley, the
native diocese of the new prelate. The
sacred ceremony took place in the
private chapel of the bishop at Bel