\ (? ./ -^ OF ^(f^ >V-. \ ^s-/ '^^^ // .J 'N .. , CXx^~^Z- '- y-i* 'h\^ZS Qir^^"^ ^^Vl THE Life and Labors |[ost p}. |ol|n |osejjIt \m\, |.|., CONG. MISS., FIRST ARCHBISHOP TORONTO. BY H . C . M c K E O ^^ ISTu Bibiiotiieque JAMES A. SADLIER, MONTREAL AND TORONTO. 1886. Entered according to Act of Parliament of Canada, in the year one thou- sand eight hundred and eighty-six, by James A. Sadlier, in the ofBce of the Minister of Agriculture. — PREFACE. THE writing of a preface is usually a mere conformity to one of the conventionalities of literature ; but in the present instance a few words may not be out of place, to explain the apparent anomaly of writing a man's life while he is still living. Such biographies, although not common, are not without precedent, and we think the publication of the following pages will be justified by the peculiar circumstances under which they were prepared. To explain these, some personal details must be pardoned. On the approach of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Arch- bishop Lynch's elevation to the Episcopal See of Toronto which, as it will be remembered, was made the occasion of a grand demonstration in December of last year—the writer was requested by a number of His Grace's friends and admirers to prepare a short sketch of his life, to be published for that occasion. This he agreed to do, providing the Archbishop's consent could be obtained, which proved a rather difficult matter. His Grace raised numerous objections to such a publication, chief among which was that he did not consider himself individually of such importance in the Church as to war- rant the writing of his life, and that the appearance of such a volume during his lifetime, and with his consent, might lay him open to the imputation of assuming a position in the Church in Canada, to which, on his personal merits, he could lay no claim. His friends, however, were not prepared to take this view of the matter. They attrib- VI PREFACE. uted these objections merely to His Grace's natural humility. They pointed out to him that, on the occasion of the celebration of his silver jubilee, there could be nothing out of place in publishing a short biographical sketch to commemorate the event, and such other arguments were used as finally induced him to yield to their earnest solicitations to allow such a publication to be issued. The author's design extended no further, in the first instance, than the preparation of a mere monograph. His Grace had but few memoranda, and he had kept but very meagre records of his early life. Such material as he had, however, he kindly placed at the writer's disposal. From many con- versations, however, which we had with His Grace, in which, in the freedom of unrestrained conversation, he spoke of his early life, and especially of his labors and, what might with truth be called, his " adventures " as a missionary in Texas and elsewhere, the writer thought that it would be a misfor- tune if all record of these events should be lost, as inevitably they would be in case of His Grace's death, and he was in- duced, upon reflection, to believe that a plain account of the life and labors of the Archbishop, continued to the present time, and embodying selections from the most important of his pastorals, lectures, sermons, etc., would make a not uninteresting volume. He, therefore, after having written enough to make such a volume as at first intended, gave up the idea of publishing a short biography in time for the celebration, enlarged his original design, extended the scope of the work, and the result is now in the hands of the reader. Those who will do the author the honor to read the book will, we think, admit that the events here recorded are worth preserving in a perma- nent form. Had they not appeared at this opportune moment, they would undoubtedly have been lost to the Catholic public. Such as they are, they may possibly form PREFACE. vii a small contribution to the history of the Catholic Church in this country, and be of some slight service to the future historian of that Church. The life of a Catholic bishop, above that of most men, should be deeply interesting to Catholics, and the study of such a life will not be without its lessons. It will be found that, in the vast majority of cases, the careers of these men present all the elements that go to secure success in any path of life requiring real abil- ity, profound learning, together with perseverance, a large capacity for work, and unwearied industry. The bishops of the Catholic Church in Canada and in the United States are, essentially, what are known as self-made men—men who would most undoubtedly have succeeded in any profes- sion. They owe nothing, as a class, to the adventitious cir- cumstances of wealth, birth, or family influence. Ability and administrative talent, joined to zeal and piety, consti- tute the chief factors of success in the Catholic Church in America. The strongest and most pronounced opponent of the Church in this country is constrained to admit that, at all events, so far as the hierarchy is concerned, the Holy See shows wonderful foresight in the appointment of its members, and that in making his selections the Holy Father usually puts the right man in the right place. In this respect the Catholic Church is really the most demo- cratic institution on the face of the globe, and looking at it even from a purely worldly and human point of view, we are safe in saying that under no form of government now in ex- istence, nor in any of those professions in which a high order of talent and exceptional powers of intellect are demanded for success, is real ability more fully recognized and more readily rewarded than in the Catholic Church. The life of one of her bishops will, therefore, be found interesting for many of the same reasons that make the biography of a suc- cessful statesman, diplomatist, lawyer, or literary man such Vlll PREFACE. pleasant and instructive reading, and hence this book. The author has only to say in concluding these, perhaps rather desultory, remarks, that he has made no attempt at artistic skill or literary finish in the presentation of his facts. He has not attempted, even if he were competent, anything like " fine writing." His only aim has been to tell his story in a plain, popular style, suitable to the intelligence of the ordinary every-day reader. He has tried to write the life of a church dignitary without becoming insufferably dull. How far he has succeeded, he leaves it to the reader to judge, as well as to such of the critics as can find time to glance over a few pages of the book before reviewing it. Perhaps he ought to say that he alone is responsible for the opin- ions, political or otherwise, expressed in the course of this work. Neither the MS. nor the proofs were submitted to the Archbishop, with the exception of a few pages of copy, and therefore he is not to be held as endorsing any- thing contained in these pages, put forth as the mere per- sonal opinions of the author. I cannot close these prefatory remarks without acknowl- edging my obligations to my friend, the Very Rev. Dean Harris, of this city, for the valuable assistance rendered me during the course of this work, especially in that portion of it relating to the Ecumenical Council. The Very Rev- erend gentleman—then a student—accompanied the Arch- bishop to Rome as his private secretary, and was present at the assembling of the Council. The opening scene is given as nearly as may be in his own graphic language. He may not be pleased at this public reference, but I feel that I cannot pass over in silence the debt I owe him for the help given me in the preparation of this volume. H. C. M. St Catharines, Ontario, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 1885. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. pAcn Youth and Early Education 1 CHAPTER n. St. Lazare 7 CHAPTER in. First Missionary Labors 15 CHAPTER IV. A Missionary to Texas 23 CHAPTER V. Texas 29 CHAPTER VI. Missionary Life in Texas 35 CHAPTER VII. Missionary Life in I-Eyixs—{Continued) 45 CHAPTER VIII. Leaves Texas 62 CHAPTER IX. President of St. Mary's of the Barrens 70 CHAPTER X. Founding the College of the Angels 76 CHAPTER XI. Bishop of Toronto 93 CHAPTER XII. Episcopal Labors 107 X CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIII. PAGE The Vatican Council and Archbishopric 131 CHAPTER XIV. The Vatican Council 131 CHAPTER XV. * ^ The Vatican Covhcil—(Continued) 145 CHAPTER XVI. Educational Institutions 157 CHAPTER XVII. Educational Institutions—{Continued) 174 CHAPTER XVIII. Charitable and Benevolent Institutions 188 CHAPTER XIX. Institutions at Niagara Falls 213 CHAPTER XX. The Archbishop as an Irish Patriot 223 CHAPTER XXI. Improvident Emigration 248 CHAPTER XXII. The Archbishop and the Temperance Cause 261 CHAPTER XXIII. The Archbishop and Politics 268 CHAPTER XXIV. The Separate School Question 282 APPENDIX. The Archbishop's Jubilee 313 LIFE AND LABORS OF ARCHBISHOP LYNCH. CHAPTER I. YOUTH AND EARLY EDUCATION. ChildJiood and Youth—Early Piety—Primary Education—Is sent to the Academy of St. Mary's, Clondalkin—On the Point of Death—Recovery and Continuation of Studies—Enters the Lazarist College, Castleknock— His Industry—His Studies—Distinguished Graduates of Castleknock College—Meeting of Old Students as Bishops of the Vatican Council— The Universality of the Church and tfu Ubiquity of the Irish Race.