The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-10-13

that ought to be in Jail; racin' like
boy after the bali and leppin' the fence
forward an back as good as any dare
devil among them all. An with never
a thought OF him bein' priested.'
Nor was baseball Father Johns
only offense. He could swim and row
and box as well as he could sing and
preach, and altogether the Cathedral
parish was puzzled and just trifle
surprised that the Grand Seminary
hadn't taken the tricks out of him.
Fortunately it had not, for the tricks
informed with the grace OF God were
the saving of Father Frank.
There was one mission in the do
cese the very name of which made a
young priest turn pale, for it meant
not only privation and toll, but the in
describable isolation of the man of Gull
ture. Only the priest with the soul
OF a martyr could accept cheerfully
an environment that threatened the
lingering starvation of mind, while
the body struggled on against unto
ward circumstances. Less than
year after Father Franks ordination
this mission became vacant and the
old Bishop turned his wise, searching
gaze on the group of young men at
his table. Perhaps he saw what lay
behind Father Franks laughing face
and his tricks for before the week
was out the parish gasped at the news
that Father Frank was going to
Nj to work among the Indians. ;"
1t was then that the parishioners
knew their mind about the young
priest; if they had ever misjudged him
there was but one opinion of him on
the dreary November day that he went
from them. Even Dan Coyle declared
it was "a wicked waste to send the
What would the choir do?" What
would the cadets do?" What would
the whole parish do without him ~
But questions were vain. The Bishop
had spoken, and what he said was
! final.
And Father Frank himself? 1t was
years after that he opened his heart
to friend who had known him all
| his days, and revealed the thoughts
| that rent him when the Bishops de-
| cree went forth. ut was the turning
point of my life," he said. Thank
| God for mercy in helping me take
| the right road. The struggle was
awful-to leave behind everything that
a mans heart craved for. You know
how l loved the ways of city life, the
throngs of friends, the excitement and
change of it all; and how l threw my
| self into my work for the boys, think.
| ing that was my special calling and
that | was pleasing God in it. But
| must have been pleasing myself as
| well, and He made the test of my
ministry. The reality was worse than
anything | had imagined If live tC
be hundred shall never forget that
first night at NJ. All night long
walked the road up and down, III
and down, with only the trees for my
company, every fiber in my body in
revolt and every thought pulsing will
the horror of having to live years
perhaps all my life, among uncoutf
Indians. No church, no home, nj
comradeship! Appeal to the Bishop
To be repulsed. He was hard, he was
cruel, unjust, SO ran my thoughts, ant
a quick, hot anger against him rose
within me. Into the dawn I Tough
my battle with self Should sub
nit? Or go out from the diocese tt
| seek another where man of my at
tainments would be rated higher? Coo
was good to me in that night O
Eagony; He cleared the mists of pas
sion and pride and self-love, and il
the clearer vision l saw that it wa.
His will that I should work here fol
His poor, neglected children. The
Bishop had asked nothing of me tina
he had not done cheerfully in his owl
young manhood; his high conception o
his calling made no distinction of race
or place-white or Indian or negro
what mattered it to the priest of God
Why. should | seek the Injuries an(
refinements of life when my Master
had not even such a wretched shelter
as mine wherein to rest!"
Father Frank ceased speaking ant
for few moments there was silence
Then he added: After that nothing
was hard-privation squalor,, dirt, ig
nOrance-only SO many obstacles to bt
overcome. The isolation | dreaded
most of all was nothin~ but the bar
rier of egotism the white man is TOT
apt to raise between himself and his
brothers of darker tint. | broke
it down with my tricks, and hi
laughed the old. boyish laugh. Il
would make Dan Coyle turn in hi:
grave to see me wrestling and boxing
with my young Indians, and hunting
. and fishing with then. / got them
every one; they are GOOD Catholics
and generous, loyal fri 1nds. You mus
stay for the feast of Corpus Christ
and sing the o Salutaris' we sang il
the Cathedral long ago. There will
: be a grand gathering of the tribe"
The guest stayed and sang the <