Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-01-08

When in 1905, Sieur De Monts
and nChamplain explored the coast
westward as far as the Kennebec,
calling at and naming Mt. Desert on
the. way, a Jesuit Father, named
Nicholas d'Aubri. with the expedi-
ton, who offered the sacrifice of the
mass at Ducet Island (16O4). was the
pioneer of the Catholic clergy OF
New England.
In 1907, Rev. Richard Seymour,
chaplain of the Popham expedition,
held the first religious service con-
Quoted by an English clergyman in
New England. In the Popham
settlement at the mouth OF the Ken
nebec, a church was built ana regu-
lar services maintained by Chaplain
Seymour until the abandonment Oh
the colony in zoos.
In 1913 the Catholic mission OF St
Saveur at Mt. Desert was DESTROYED
by Captain Argall, of South Virginia
and a lay brother, Du Thet, was
killed. Argalrs purpose was to keep
the,eFrench from becoming .estab-
uS0oQ NOFtu 6AAAe~S ~ "AAS~~
Maine was then part.
n 1916 Father Gabrielle Druil-
ettes established the Mission of the
Assumption at Cushnoc, now Angus
ia. The same year he became mis-
sionary to the Indians at Norridge-
wock. attaining great success until
he gave over the work to the Ca
puchins. In 1850 he was back in
Norridgewock. This mission was
continued for more than 70 years.
In 1858 Father Bigot erected q
church which was afterward adorned
and improved by Father Rasle, his
successor. Rasle, of noble birth ana
highest culture, came to Norridge-
wock in 1894 and soon he was the
spiritual leader of the tribe and the
Indians became very faithful in the
discharge of their religious duties.
Ras4e lived a life of self denial
AMONG the Indians for more than ~
weary and it was hard for him to
believe that the land occupied by his
Indians and himself belonged to
their national foe, England. On the
other hand, the English settlers
were convinced that Rasle was the
mosf dangerous foe that English
civilization in New England had to
meet.
The 18th century was a bad one
for the Indians of Maine. With Its
opening came the white men and
the English sought ever more OF the
land and gave the Indian little In
return. One effort of the Puritans
to evangelize the Indians is recorded.
In 1717, in connection with the coun-
Gil at Arrowsic, they sent Rev. JOS
eph Baxter as missionary, who la
bored with Indifferent success until
172L
The strifes of France and Eng
land over the seas carried terror to
the cabin of the settler and the wig
wan of the Indian in the forests of
Maine. Efforts on the part of the
English in Massachusetts, to win the
Indians from Catholicism and
France failed. A great price was
set on the head of Father Rasle. and
in LIZA an expedition fell upon Nor
ridgewock and the priest was killed
and, scalped. The Indians. broken
and~scattered, went to Canada and
forts years no Catholic missions
were founded in Maine. When this
happened, however, the same place
was chosen by Father Cheverus in
1897. and he again took up the work
among the Catholic Indians at Old
Town and Passamaquoddy.
LII 1870 the Catholic church in
Maine was very weak. People of
that faith, however, began to come
into the lumber section in Northern
Maine, where now are large towns
almost exclusively Catholic and
where schools, converts and hospi-
tails of high order have been estab-
lished. The manufacturing centers
of Maine, Lewiston, Biddeford, Wa
terville, Augusta, and others now
have a large Catholic population
whose. devotion is shown in the
splendid churches, parochial schools
and institutions of charity and OF
higher education.
In, 1858 the See Of Maine and New
Hampshire was constituted. There
were only six churches and eight
priests in Maine and New Hamp-
shire. "Know-nothingism arrayed
the mob against the Catholics and
the church at Bath occupied by them
was first desecrated by mob and
then burned. Rev. John Bapst was
by vote of townmeeting required to
keep. away from Ellsworth, and, on
his return to minister to his parish
toner's, was carried out of town on
rail and tarred and feathered. This
was on October Is, 1854. The at
tempt to lay cornerstone Of
church in Bath failed on November
Is. 1855. Bangor would not suffer
Catholic church on State street,
but the foundation of st. Johns was
laid Oct. II, 1856. Despite all oppo-
sition the Catholics made rapid
progress. Bishop Bacon never lost
courage and when he died in 1874 his
churches had been multiplied by ten,
% schools had been established and
there was Catholic population of
$4,000. Great strides were made in
church building, education and
charity. st. Mary's College at Van
Buren, was established. In 1884
New Hampshire was Withdrawn
from, the See of Maine, and at the
present time the Catholic population
in Maine amounts to 132,OOOg
When George Weymouth landed
in 16U5 on an island which he called
st. Georges Island-probably Mon
hegann-he set up a cross as a token
that he had taken possession of the
new land In the name of the Church
and the King of England. At the
foot~-of this cross was heard the
first recorded service in English.
1t was held by Rev. Richard Sey-
mout In 1907, who came over with
the George Popham expedition
which landed on st. Georges Island
at the mouth of the Kennebec, and
near where the cross stood he
preached" and held what might be
called the first Thanksgiving Serv-
ice. Ga This beginning Of the English
church In Maine occurred some 10
years before the landing of the PHI
ertma at Plymouth.
StM later, when a royal grant was
made to Sir Ferdinando Gorges to
establish a settlement at Winter
Harhor on the Saco River, it was
EXPRESSLY provided fhat bn che.,A