The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-08-23
THE BISHOPS VISIT.
M II Chofee.


course was detected by some UNI
looked-for happening he would arrive
in the village the next Wednesday
evening and would administer the
Sacrament of Confirmation on the fol-
lowing day, which would be feast
day.
When the sanity old prelate who
had charge of the diocese intimated
that he was coming, Father DAILY was
wont to rejoice, for his visits carried
sunshine with them; but time, which
regardeth not priest or layman, had
laid his hand so heavily on the old
man that an assistant had been given
him, an Auxiliary in the shape of a
titular Bishop whom Father DAILY had
never met.
The parish was normally poor one.
1t was now an abnormally poor one.
as the country was laboring under
one of those periodical spells of bust
ness depression and work was scarce
and wages low. AS the congregation
of st. Charles made it's living by the
sweat of it's brow, for the most part.
it had often difficulty in finding oppor-
tunities to eXpend the sweat profit
ably, and hence contributions to the
church had fallen to low ebb.
st. Charles was an old church and
it sorely needed repairs. That very
morning, which had been wet, as
Father DAILY walked down the center
aisle a drop of water had fallen with
a spat on his head. He looked up
repr0achfully at the roof and breathed
A prayer that the weather might be
dry on the following Thursday. A
coat of paint would have been an adj
vantage to the church and some of the
vestments showed signs of wear.
AS Father DAILY was diffident about
asking for anything, and as funds were
very low, these adjuncts to usefulness
and appearance were out of the ques-
ton at present and the very attenu-
ated income of the good priest was
so drawn upon by calls for assistance
that its balance was microscopic.
Father DAILY loved all mankind, Jew
or Gentle, with one exception, and
that was himself. He was wont to
fout and disregard his personal
needs to such an extent that Mrs.
Mccarthy, his housekeeper. felt called
upon at times to demonstrate with the
priest about the state of his clothes
he ought to get new coat, a new cas-
sock, a new hat! On such occasions
Tot no or
times glancing at his pet dog before
the fire as if he rather envied a crea-
ture that came into the world with
a suit of clothes and wore the same
suit, unrebuked and uncriticized, until
he left it.
He had cause to feel proud of his
flock, even if it was a poor one. They
attended closely to their duties and
gave what they could afford; but it
did seem odd that every one in the
village to whom the hyphenated adjec-
tive of well-to-do could be applied was
either a non-Catholic or, as was Mr..
Danskin, unfriendly to all churches.
However, he made the best of it.
There was no use in asking Timothy
Mccarthy, who occupied the triple
office of sexton, gardener and hostler
to do anything to the church roof. He
had tried, and each time it leaked the
more. Timothy's talents did not run
to roofs. He was now raking UP
leaves and making the church grounds
as neat as possible for the visiting
Bishop.
Consulting with Mrs. Mccarthy
| about the entertainment of the Bishop,
he found that estimable woman SUI
premely confident Il can cook a
dinner for an Archbishop" she said,
to say nothing of Bishop
Father DAILY imagined she would
have been equally confident if called
upon to serve up repast for the Holy
Father himself.
AS the sun in his revolutions
around the earth is entirely unmind-
full of the goings and comings of
Bishops, Monday and Tuesday passed
away and the eventful Wednesday
arrived. And it began busily for
Father DAILY. After Mass he set to
work to straighten out the details for
the High Mass to be celebrated the
next day. This finished, he looked
over the list of calls he was expected
to make-a list augmented by one or
two that came in during the morning.
AS these calls lay in and around the
village, they consumed some time,
and it was one o'clock when Father
Daily returned to the house.
1t was not permitted him to spend
the evening in arrangements for thu
reXt day Just after dinner mes
senger arrived With the news that