The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-08-03
Early American Catholics
TRYING TIMES FOR CATHOLICS IN
COLONIAL TIMES.

! SOLOlSiEL IhE0'
The new number of the Records of
the American Catholic Historical So
! ciety contains an able review of the
/ second volume Of Father Hughes
monumental work on the History of
! the Society of Jesus in North America.
/ I'VE have in this volume of Father
! Hughes" says the reviewer IAN eX-
| haustiVe history of Catholicity in
| North America from the days of Crom
wellianism in England to the time of
the severance of the American colo
MES from Great Britain"
If those were trying times for the
Catholic colonists, they were days Of
spiritual heroism and apostolic zeal for
! the missionary. The record of the en-
deavors and achievements of these he
role priests in bringing the truths Of
faith to the Indian and in keeping
faith alive among the settlers is in
deed an edifying page in history. Up
to 1875 we read Of eighty-fOur mis-
sionary martyrs within the present ter
ritory of the United States and seven.
teen of them were Jesuits.
Of religious intolerance in the colo
MES the reviewer says:
I'VE have not to read far to realize
that being a 'Papist' in British Colo
NAL America was about as comfort
able as protesting Christianity under
Diocletian. In Virginia, for instance,
'Popish recusants were disabled from
holding any public Office Popish
priests were subject to deportation
within five days Of their apprehension,
reCuSantS were fined twenty pounds
sterling for each month of absence
from the Anglican parish chapel, and
as half Of the fine went to the inform,
er there was some Zest in hunting
down Catholics Massachusetts guar.
anteed liberty of conscience for all
Christians except Papists.' The same
freedom of worship prevailed in Geor
gia. New York gave no liberation tC
+ adherents Of the Roman Catholic re
. ligion. Pennsylvania, the most liberal
: Of the colonies, allowed Catholics tC
? practice their religion, but only pri
. vately; they were not compelled tc
I attend heretical religious services, but
, no one could hold office without tax
+ ing All oath abjuring all belief ir
: Transubstantiation the Sacrifice of the
: Mass and the invocation of Saints. Il
is surprising to learn that Maryland
o despite it's Act of federation in 1649
D was no paradise of freedom for Cath
r Olics. There was, of course, through
t out the colonies special hatred of the
! dangerous sect of Jesuits. All the
! political changes in the mother coun
s try were naturally reflected in Amer
= lea and the days of Cromwell's Pro
, tectorate and of the Orange revolu
! ton were especially trying days foi
f Catholic colonists.'
' The London Magazine for July Z
S 1877, speaking of the first Catholic
!. church in Philadelphia, says:
1 In the town of Philadelphia is ;
/ public Popish chapel where that re
J, ligion has free and open exercise ant
i all the superstitious rites of tina
Church are as avoWedly performed al
r are those of the Church of England a
d st. James; and this chapel is not onl.
; open upon fasts and festivals, but il
|, so all day and every day of the year
g and exceedingly frequented at thos'
t times when the meeting house of tn,
Il men of ST. Omars (sarcasm for Quak
It ers) is thinnest and vice versa"
} In the year 1774, when Father Rot
/ ert Harding was pastor of this sam
y church (now st. Mary's) John Adam
/ strolled into it. He thus records hi
L impression:
: This afternoon, led by curiosity an
4 good company, l strolled away t
: Mother Church, or rather, to GRAND
i mother Church; I mean the Romis
: chapel. How shall | describe the pic
Z ture of our Saviour in a frame G
u marble over the altar, at full lengt
l upon the cross, in the agonies, and tn
u blood dripping and streaming fror
e His wounds? The music, consisting c
- an organ and a choir of singers, wen
y on all afternoon, except sermon time
,, and the assembly chanted most swee
u ly and exquisitely. Here is everythin
which can charm and bewitch the sin
pie and ignorant / wonder how LutI
&c er ever broke the spelli"
The great crime of history is tina
1t the spell was broken for so many, nc
n, only Simple and ignorant" but ais
II wise and learned. Luthers work
r depriving so many of the truth woul
s. astound the Protestant world if the
n could only be brought to see "th
lie things that are for their peace