The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-09-28

out, however, many of these people.
were from districts in Ireland that
were given over to other pursuits than
farming. Hence it happened that
while many of the immigrants settled
in the new colonies, many others re-
manned in st. Paul and other cities.
On the whole, however, the project
may be said to have been a success,
in as much as a number OF settle
ments were made in Minnesota which
are now ftourishing towns A number
of colOnists were brought from Bel
GUM and settled in the western and
southwestern parts of the state. These
immigrants, accustomed to the inten-
sive cultivation of the soil in their
native country, made great progress
in their new environment. 1t may be
noted that wherever the colonists
settled Catholic churches and schools
immediately sprung up. In this way
Bishop Ireland not only helped these
poor people to better themselves in
the new country, but he also added
greatly to the agricultural interests
of the state, and assisted also in a
large measure to upbuild the cause of
religion
cahensly Movement.
An indirect result of his ceaseless
efforts to colonize the State of Mime
sofa, and especially to improve the
educational conditions of the North
west, was to involve him in several
controversies. The most important of
these was that which has been called
the Cahensly movement. The famous
Peter Paul Cahensly, an Austro-
Hungarian envoy to the Vatican, and
member of the Prussian Parliament,
was the founder of the movement
which bore his name. The substance
of the plan was that the Holy See
should create in the United States
German parishes with German
schools, pro rata number of German
bishops, and should authorize the
teaching of German in these schools.
The movement gained great impetus.
1t received strong backing from the
majority of the German Catholic eler.
gy of st. Louis. Rev. P. M. Abbelen,
afterwards Monsignor Abbelen, went
to Rome to present petition to the
Holy Father. This petition, if grant.
ed, would have required all Catholic
! immigrants of German extraction to
attend only German churches, and
| their children to attend only Ger.
man parochial schools. The plan
seemed most promising in every de.
| tail.
With quick insight Bishop Ireland
Immediately saw the danger of such
a plan. He realized, both as church
man and as statesman, that il this
| idea became effective it would hurt
the cause of the Church in America
by apparently giving formal recogni
ton to foreign elements. In this opin
ion he was SUPPORTED by Cardinal Glib
bons, and by the late Bishop
Spalding and by the late Arch
bishop Keane, of Dubuque. Attempts
were made to keep Father Abbelen's
mission to Rome a secret. Bishop
Ireland, however, soon learned of this
and quietly disappeared. When next
| heard of he was in Rome explaining
to the Holy Father the fun import Of
this petition. Bishop John j. Keane
of the Catholic University at Wash
ington, afterwards Archbishop of Du
/ buque, was at that time in Rome
| The influence of the two great Bish
ops, as well as the cogent reasons
which they adduced in support OF
their cause, are supposed to have
been the main reasons which induced
Pope Leo XIII to positively refuse
Father Abbelen's petition.
| Father Abbelen afterwards declared
that as far as he knew there was
nothing un-American in the movement
which he championed. He declared
4 that had he thought such was the
case he never would have allied him
self with it. Bishop Ireland's stant
on the subject was summed up il
this statement: ''Our country is no
a territory to be partitioned at tn,
good pleasure of foreigners. W.
have, under Peters successor, ou
autonomy, and for the sake Of thu
American Church and the American
Republic, we will retain our auton
omy" Had this movement succeeded
the position of Catholics in Americ;
during the present war would have
been intolerable. Elsewhere we prin
| a special article on this movement.
| Promotes Education.
i Bishop Ireland then set out to pro
mote the cause of education through
out the country. but especially in tn,
Northwest The so-called Faribaul
plan afterwards proved to be i'm
! practicable, although the Archbishop
always maintained that it was neye
| given fair trial.
| He soon turned his attention to tn
educational needs of st. Paul. H
established ST. Thomas Seminary il
the city of ST. Paul which was in