The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-03-15
ARCHBISHOP OF SANTA FE Farewell To Bishop Bowling
To Our Beloved Austin Bowling,
Archbishop-elect of ST. Paul.
Farewell Address of the Clergy of Des
Moines.

Farewell Address of the Clergy of Des
Moines.
Your Grace:
1t is nigh eight years since word
went forth that the Vicar OF Christ,
Plus X, had raised our Capital City
to the dignity of an episcopal see. To
the city itself and to the Catholic peo-
pie of the diocese, this was "tidings
Of great joy
In due time Rome spoke again
Austin Bowling was to be the Bishop
of Des Moines. Seven years have
elapsed since then, your Grace; and
the sustained and uniform happiness
Of your priests during all this time.
may be fittingly expressed in the
words of Peter: "Bonum est nos hic
eSse"
Coming from the affuence and
splendor of the East, we feared that
you would feel depressed midst our
humble surroundings; but in the
smallness of our numbers and the
modesty of our resources your chast-
ened vision perceived abundance:
that abundance of labor and oppor-
tunity which priestly zeal doth ever
seek and always find.
Your guiding principle, "Quaerite
Primum Regnum Del" caDtivated
heart and mind. Not scornful of the
adage 'festina lente" you waited, you
studied, you sought counsel; but in
Gods good time your hand was set to
the plough and never withdrawn.
In due season properties were pur-
chased; new parishes established;
schools sprang up; a body of religious
priests to supplement the work of the
secular clergy was incorporated; mis-
sionary endeavor was fostered both at
home and abroad; avenues of charity
i and mercy were secured for the do
| cese; readjustment of the facilities for
a more advanced education of Catholic
young women was effected; higher
| taste fer the things of the mind was
developed in the laity; the rights of
! the Catholic body were more clearly
defined, and confidence and prudent
self-assertion inspired in all.
But the great work of your Episco-
pate, the child of your brain, and your
zeal, your pride and your Joy, is the
| diocesan college; that nursery, under
Gods providence of our future clergy,
and the well-spring of deeper faith
and higher mental equipment in our
laymen of the days to come. You be-
gan it without means; you leave it
! without debt; and with respectable
fund for its secure perpetuation. To-
day clergy and laity alike re-echo the
voice from distant Tiber: "Well done.
good and faithful servant" because
faithful and successful in small sur
roundings, your sphere of activities
shall be enlarged.
This bright hour in your career
brings sorrow both to you and to US.
To us who lose friend counsellor
nay, a brother the noblest and the
best; to you, for despite great achieve
ment, your work remains unfinished
The eleventh hour did not find you
idle, but mans day is all too brief for
the tasks of enlightened zeal. ...
We duly esteem, but will not tarry
upon your new honors; for with that
quickened sense of values which is
yours, talk of honors is in distaste:
the honor you cherish is more vast
and fruitful ministry; the glory you
seek is the glory of the Lord.
| In our memory you will abide. and
in our love. The summons to wider
field of labor fills us with pride. Yet
your going hence is to each one of us
personal loss. Under Gods Provi-
\ dence we shall always have good
Bishops; but one as kind, as gentle,
as humble, as noble as Austin Dowl-
ing, we may not always have. We bid
you farewell with deep regret. We
are confident that your new fold will
appreciate more fully each day the
high character of the Shepherd who
! goes from us to tend it-That in the
person of your Grace, God may rule
and bless the Archdiocese of st. Paul
for many years to come, is the earnest
wish and heartfelt prayer of the
Priests of the Diocese of Des Moines.