The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1921-09-29
Pioneer Priest, Grand Old
Man. Laid to Rest Saturday
asked, and the teacher received no

| asked, and the teacher received N
pay"
In October 1857 Father Demetriu
retired from the priorship, and Fathe,
Cornelius succeeded to the office, bu
continued to do PASTORAL work at St
Cloud. Under his direction and sol,
tutorship, the newly founded semln
airy (now St. Johns University, FOL
which a charter had been granted II
February, was opened November 10
1857, with an initial attendance Of
five students. Before this his firs1
pupils in the Edelbrock home were
Mary Edelbrock, Anton Edelbrcck
0ater Abbot Alexius, o. S. 3D.
Barney Edelbrock, Joseph Edelbrock
Henry Rosenberger, Elizabeth RoseE-
berger, Mary Brown, Thompson
Brown, Joseph Relchert and Louis
Emmel.
In March 1856 Father Cornelius
transferred the priory and seminary
to St. Joseph, and arrangement that
did not hold. On the arrival OF r.
Benedict .Haindl, the first canonlcolly
appointed prior, Father Cornelius was
entrusted with the passionate at
Shakopee.
The deceased pioneer missionary
had a very active and fruitful pastor
al career. For five years he labored
In Scott, Carver and LeSueur coun-
ties, with Shakopee as center. He
founded the parish of St. Mary's IN
St. Cloud, of ST.. Joseph, st. Victoria
Jordan, St. Henry, st. Benedict, and
attended Belle PLANE and other par
ishes already established. In 1863
he was recalled to st. Johns for a
year. He was pastor Of Richmond,
Stearns county from 1S64-6S. From
1868 to III he built church at st.
Joseph which was consecrated by the
Archbishop Grace in 1871, the first
church to be consecrated in what was
the diocese Of St. Paul. In 1872 FIR.
Cornelius made an extended trip to
Europe. From 1880 he was sta
toned at New Munich; $4,000 he
had charge of the German church at
Hastings; 1S9O-95 he was chaplin to
the Little Sisters of the Poor at st.
Paul. r. t&4
When Abbot Engel called for vol
unteers to go to the recently estab-
lished priory (now St. Martins Ab-
hey and College) at Lacey, Washing
ton, Father Cornelius, though 81
years old, offered himself and was acii
cepted. The old pioneer spirit was
still alive within him. For 9 years
he labored energetically along educa.
tional lines until failing eye-sigh'
forced him to return to st. johns
his mother abbey.
St. Johns Abbey with it's flourish.
University and dependencies, as well
as the prosperous state of Catholic
ism in Central Minnesota, owe much
to the pioneer labors of Father Cor
nelius. The venerable Father de-
lighted to recall the days when acorns
and dry bread formed his chief (and1
often his sole) sustenance. he at
tributed his wonderful constitution
to the early hardships and privatlons
he had to undergo.
In 1906 he celebrated his golden
Jubilee of ordination to the priesthood
and in 1916 his diamond jubilee. He
was in his 93rd year when he died.
This morning at o'clock, the sol
emn office of the dead was chanted for
the repose of his soul in the abbey
church. Immediately following this
Abbot Peter Engel celebrated pom
tifcal requiem Mass at which Very
Rev. Dennis; master of ceremonies
priest, Father Othmar of Minneapolis
and Father Alfred of Moorhead, dea-
cons of honor: deacon of the Mass;
Very Rev. p. Alphonse; subdeacon:
Rev. Dennis; master of ceremonies
Fathers Basil and Damian; mitre-
bearer: FIR. Angelo; book-bearer. FIR
Reinhard; candle-bearer: FIR. Chris,
+opher; pall-bearers: Fathers Paul
Raphael, Hilary, David, Polycarp ano
Edgar. The entire student body. OF
st. Johns was in the funeral cortege
and friends from the entire county
and from distant cities attended t.
do honor to the dauntless and gentle
spirit that in life was Father Cornell
Jus Whitman.
Among those present were: Right
Rev. Msgr. Thiebault, Fathers Will
lenbrink and Luke of st. Cloud; thu
following Benedictine Fathers from
the parishes: Fathers Othmar, Mar
tin, Alfred, Henry Herman, Maurn
Anselm, Werner, Magnus, Bede ant
Victor.
80 Z 80 { = Z - r. y