The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-02-12

NnrAGN6n HI = S0OnNEY
ONE MADE YEARS AGO BY VIC
AR-GENERAL or CINCINNATI
AMERICAN CATHOLICS REPAY
ING FORMER GERMAN eENER
osITY.
Rev. Joseph A.. Schubert Of st. Paul
now pursuing post graduate work in
the University Of Fribourg, Switzer,
land, writes the following to the Cath
Ollie Bulletin; ".
The Catholic Bulletin of January 1
1921, printed the following notice OF
the N. G.. w. C. News Service: 81,
1.-THE Rt. Rev. Monsignor Francis
A. Rempe, Vicar&G General Of the Arch
diocese of Chicago, will leave short
ly after the holidays for Germany
Austria, Hungary, and other suffering
countries Of Middle Europe, as dele
gate of the Bishops of America, te
make six months survey of condi
tons and to distribute funds and
clothing.
"Monsignor Rempe win have at his
disposal the funds collected in one
hundred and two dioceses of America
and many carloads of food and cloth
ing"
Apropos of this announcement oil
Monsignor Rempe's departure on his
mission Of Charity, one cannot avoid
the reflection that once before in the
history Of the Catholic Church in
America a Vicar-General went to Ger
many for the cause of Charity. Yet
how different the circumstances, how
opposed the objects of the two jour
neys! The first was to solicit aie
for the struggling Church in America;
the second is to distribute food and
clothing to starving Catholics in Cen
trail Europe. HI.
49, Father Rese's Visit.
In 1928, the Rev. Frederick REESE
Vicar.G General of Cincinnati. went t.
Munich to ask help for mission worl
in America. With the approval Of
King Louis of Bavaria, voluntary of
ferings for the assistance of the Amer
lean missions were collected. Up t.
the year 1888, these contributions
(which were sent to V, G. Reset
amounted to 25,800 marks.
Ten years later (1S3S), Vicar Gen
eral REESE afterwards Bishop of De
troit) again arrived in Munich. This
time he had a plan for unifying anl
intensifying the various mission socie
ties existing in Bavaria. To put his
plan into execution, he addressed "a
petition to King Louis I on April %
1888, asking that the mission society
already existing in part of the eoun
try be reorganized. into general so
ciety extending over the whole king
dom, that it be constituted as an in
dependent Bavarian society under roy
al protection and be dedicated to the
support Of missions in North America
and Asia
Mission Society. &
After two months. royal sanction
was granted and the society was
founded. Statutes were drawn up anG
approved December, IL, 1888. The so
ciety. named Ludwig MissionsvereiT
lLouis-Mission-s society, was organized
much the same as the Propagation OIL
the Faith, in fact it was really the
Bavarian branch of the Propagation
of the Faith. Still, it's purpose was
more limited than that of the Propa
cation of the Faith. The Ludwig
MissionsVerein was founded to aid
missions in North America Omitted
Statesl and Asia, as we'll as to give
1890 marks each year to the Fran
ciscan Fathers in charge of the Holy
Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and to senG
a certain sum annually to the Propa
ganda in Rome. Later on the society
began to assist home missions witt
money to the extent of one-third Of
it's income.
Now, just how much good the Lud
wig Missionsverein has accomplished
for the Church in the. United States
has not yet been worked out by his
torians, but some summary figures
and general statements can be given
The American Seminary in Louvair
(Belgium) received 1000 marks an
nually. Then, without counting trav
cling expenses which were given tc
mission work in America, the Church
in the United States was assisted wifi
the sum Of 3,339,343 marks during the
first twenty-five years of the society's
existence. This would be an average
of 1858 marks per year up to 1868
They Helped Us.
THAT many great and glorious
things" writes DR.. Kragerer, were
accomplished with this sum, is shown
by the gratitude expressed by the
American Episcopate assembled il
two Plenary Councils, by individual
bishops, by missionaries, by converts
and by parishes. Without the assist
ance of the Ludwig Missionsverein the
Catholic Church in North America
would much more slowly have come
into the fiourishing condition in which
it now (18S8-when DR.. Kragerel
wrote), is. especially where older dio
ceses are concerned.
In the year 1916, simple Benedic
tine monk, afterwards the famous
Abbot Bonifaee WINNER, left Meter
tBavaria) to cross the ocean ana es
tahIish the RanedfctiYe order in North
America. It was King Louis + who
gave the impulse as well as part ol
the necessary means for the FOUNDING