The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-10-20
CHRISTIANITY IN AMERICA

min north lat.), as is, learned from a
runic stone venerable for it's age,
which was found in 1924 and taken to
the National Museum of Copenhagen.
1170.-There has been for many
centuries, but especially since the
publication of Humphrey Llwyd's
Historic of Cambria" in the sixteenth
century, a persistent tradition among
many of the Cynri, a tradition which
in recent years has become in their
own minds certified fact, that
America was discovered in ITO by
Madoc ap OWain Gwynedd, the latter
Prince of North Wales from 1877 to
1869. Madoc, sailing from Milford
Haven, is said by some to have landed
with number of followers in Nova
Hispania; in Florida, according to
Llwyd; in Mexico, according to Powell;
and there to have founded for a time
a colony. "Madoc,' the work of a
modern writer, Thomas Stephens, who
takes a negative view Of the exploit,
may be consulted not without profit
by the disinterested scholar The evil
"
all due respect to the Welsh people,
seems altogether inadequate, and it's
unequivOcal acceptance foolhardy.
And this / say because, like G.. W., I
cannot tell lie, though longing to be-
lieve the Madoc story, if only for the
reason of ancestral lustre, the prince
ling adventurer being some few gener-
-,
1194-Northmen of Greenland
reached Syalbaror, which is thought to
be the island of Jan Mayen or Spitz-
bergen.
f25o-A manuscript called the
Kings Mirror" of this year, told Of
Greenland's bishopric, that of Gardar;
and the "Gripla,' an old northern
chorography, of about the. same date.
| fragments of which have come down
| to us, recorded twelve churches in the
| eastern settlement and four in the
| western.
1261.-Greenland, like Iceland, came
| under Norwegian rule.
| 1266.-A polar expedition, including
Haldur, a Greenlander priest, pene-
trated to a region supposed to be
about rs degrees north latitude on the
other side of Baffin Bay.
/ 1285.-Two Morse priests, Aida
brand and Thoryald, sons of Helge,
set out from Denmark and discovered
a new country, the Dunen Islands,
near Iceland.
1904 list (still extant) of the
Greenland churches gave twelve in the
eastern settlement (as in 1250), but
only three in the western, which had
been overrun by the Eskimo.
i 13141343.-During these years, the
reign of Bishop Arnes of Gardar,
Greenland contributed to Peterpence
and the Crusade expenses in natural
\ products, i.se., walrus teeth.
i About 136o.-The western colony of
Greenland fell completely into the
hands of the Eskimo, as related by
| Iyor Bardssohn, Bishop of Gardar, an
/ Eyewitness
4 About 1370.-Manuscript of Ivor
Bardssohn told of his Cathedral
church at Steinesness, the second dio-
cese in Greenland. Whether earlier
or later we have not precise datum,
but about this time there were in
! Greenland two Religious houses. one
: of the Canons Regular of the Order of
!. St. Augustine, dedicated to IS. Olaf
! and Augustine, and the other con-
vent of Benedictine nuns.
!, 1380.-Francisco Marc6lini in 1858
: first introduced the story, founded on
an alleged map, fragments of letters,
! and family traditions, that his ances-
tors, the brothers Nicolo and Antonio
Zeno, of Venetian nobility, accidentally
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