The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-03-05
Captain L. C. Vale, Colored Catholic
Of Prominence, In City and
Says Priests Are
Helping.
TALKS OF CELEBRATION
Progress That Race Has Made Since
It Has Been Given Freedom
VIII be Shown at
Congress.

Capt l.. G. Vale, OF Chicago,
colored Catholic Of national character,
Is in this city, creating an interest IN
the Roman Catholic department OF
the national half century of negro free
dom celebration, to be held in Chicago
In August, 1915, under the Illinois
commission. appointed by the governor
Of Illinois. Captain Vale Is chief Of
the Roman Catholic bureau, Cardinal
Gibbons, and several archbtshops,
bishops and priests especially those
in charge Of colored Catholic churches
and schools are honorary vice presi-
dents. The object of this celebration
is to show the progress made by the
negro since his emancipation. The
Roman Catholic exhibit Of negro prog
ress will be one Of the great features
of the celebration. 1t will present In
pictures painted and sculptured from
the marvellous progress the Roman
Catholic church is making among the
upwards of 100000 American negro
Catholics.
Captain Vale says that there are
about 100 priests laboring exclusively
among the negroes. OF these, the faith
ers of the society Of st. Joseph, about
fifty in number. labor in twelve south
ern dioceses and have their mother
house at Baltimore, Maryland. There
are twenty-eight diocesan priests in
various dioceses, and priests Of the
society Of African missions, in the
diocese of Savannah; the society Of
the Divine Word in the diocese Of
Natchez, and Little Rock; the society
of Jesus in st. Louis, Mo. The Cap
%o% ~, MtIxxo,,kon "iG Tho
Franceseon fathers In Kansas City,
Mo-, and in Louisville, Ky. And the
congregation Of the Holy Ghost in
Pennsylvania and Virginia. There are
four colored Catholic priests in the
country There are several white
sisterhoods who are assisting the good
work for the race. teaching over IL,
900 children In the parish and mission
schools. Besides these, there are two
Communities Of colored sisters in this
country. The Oblate Sisters Of Provi
dence, with mother-house at Baltimore
Md: the Sisters OF the Holy Family
another order OF colored women, now
has ZIG sisters, who have charge OF
seventeen schools and asylums stu
ated in the archdiocese Of New Orleans
and in the dioceses Of Galveston and
Little Rock. They also conduct a
government school in British Hondu.
ras.
A commission established by the
third plenary council Of Baltimore,
for the Catholic missions among the
colored people, and Indians, consisting
of three archbishops, distributes the
funds collected for this purpose an.
nually through the United States;
and special board for mission work
among the colored people incorporated
by the hierarchy in 1907, fosters a
missionary spirit among Catholics in
favor of the colored people, and labors
also to provide funds for this object.
The good priests Of the city OF Keo-
kuk are all very jealous for the adj
vancement of the colored race in this
country as we'll as in this community.
The governor of Iowa. In his bien-
NAL message to the thirty-sixth general
assembly. has asked for an appropria-
ton for this celebration Of negro free
dom.