South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-05-29
IRISH MISSIONARY
TO PREACH SUNDAY
IN TWO CHURCHES
Rev. Francis 0'ROurke to
Talk of Work on West
Coast of Africa.
BY HELM NAY IRWIN.


Sunday morning at the three
masses at St. Patrick's church and
at two masses at S.. JOseph's. Rev.
francis O'Rourke OF Cork City. Ire
land. will give an interesting ac-
count Of the Catholic mission field Ia
western Africa He IS thoroughly
iSonvcrsant with his subject. having
spent nearly six years among the
pagan tribes Of Nigeria on the
Grinea coast. He visits South Bend
III the representative OF the African
Mission society from a distant field,
where over SEQ priests and nuns are
1abOrihg with apostolic zeal in an
obscure part OF the Lords vineyard
The field assigned 20 them extends
over 1000 miles along the coast
End inland 20 the heart OF the dark
est region OF darkest Africa"
The mission field IN which Father
O'Rourke has labored. has a climate
go deadly that the whole Guinea
coast has been given the sinister
name OF the White Mans Grave"
The mission field may be described
as a land OF heat and steam, dense
forests Of cotton trees and oil Lalms
muddy rivers and wastes OF quaking
swamp. The shadow Of the pestilence
hangs heavily upon II and when for
a
elammy fever-mist the missionaries
either die or suffer from a variety
Of African maladies.
ON the Guinea Coast.
Sixty years ago there was not
Nest!ge Of Christianity, not a church
or school 10 be found I'm this sec
ton. The natives were savage or
seni-savage, fiendish in their torture
Of one another. more rapacious than
the beasts in the forests, the slave
markets fiourished and men and
women were hunted down like ami
mails. The sick and aged were thrown
BY their own people into the jungles
TO starve and die. In hideous parody
OF the Sacrifice of Calvary, his
satanic majesty had offered TO him
from tnnumerable affairs sacrifices
OF men. women and children. Mans
inhumanity TO man was exhibited
in a thousand ways.
But there has come a great
change All along the coast there
are churches and on their affairs is
offered a clean OblatiOn, the Holy
Sacrifice OF the mass. over 100000
OF the natives have been Christian
lied. Speaking of the progress FIR.
O'Rourke stated I'VE have four
vicariates apostolic governed by four
ElanODos IOuE procedures EONtI itu
by four priests who have quasi
episcopal jurisdiction, over 500
priests and nuns and several hun
dred catechists Or lay missionaries.
Mainly through the labors Of the
members OF the African Mission So
ciety human sacrifices along the
west coast OF Africa have been prac-
tically abolished Many OF the mis-
sionaries have been eulogized and
decorated by the European govern
ments for their services in this re
gard. Appalling conditions were
faced by the first missionaries when
they landed in Dahomey nearly three
score years ago. Thousands OF hui
man beings were annually inundated
10 idols, cruelty and inhumanity in
all its most fiendish forms, slavery
and degradation of the worst and
lowest type. fetish worship OF the
most revolving kind, were faced by
the valiant priests who came to
spread the gospel. The founder Of
the society and his four companions
lived only six weeks after their ar
rival. all falling victims 10 the dead
~ climatic conditions. From that
memorable day I'm June. 1859, hun
dreds OF missionaries have fallen
victims 70 the climate, martyrs 70
their own CHARITY ana zeal AFTER an
average mission life OF less than
four years. But God has accepted
their sufferings and their sacrifices
and poured down His blessings upon
the work for which they gave their
lives AS a result today. West Africa
Is dotted over with martyrs graves
end with churches and missions that
have literally grown above them.
Assistance is Needed.
Those missions in Africa founded
At such a great cost OF suffering and
privations are today reduced 10 con-