Barquilla De Ia Santa Maria BULLETIN of the Catholic Record Society Diocese of Columbus
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Barquilla de Ia Santa Maria BULLETIN of the Catholic Record Society Diocese of Columbus Vol. XXV, No.3 Mar. 27: St. Rupert, Missionary to Bavaria March, AD. 2000 A GLIMPSE OF THE OHIO VALLEY or Letters about the Struggle and Revival of the Catholic Church in the Far West of the United States of North America by Rev. John Martin Henni Translated for the Society by the late Rev. Msgr. Joseph A. Hakel Copyright 2000, Catholic Record Society -- Diocese of Columbus This valuable text, which sheds considerable The numbered endnotes of the lettes were light on the condition ofthe Church in Ohio and appended by Henni when the booklet was the Ohio Valley in the 1830s and earlier, prepared. Notes in square brackets [}are those originally consisted of twelve "begging letters" of the translator or the late Monsignor in German, sent to the Archbishop of Munich Mattingly or the current editor; the titles of the Freysing in Bavaria by the missionary priest letters have also been added. We begin with the John Martin Henni, later Bishop ofMilwaukee. booklet's foreword. Henni gathered them together, appended notes, and had them published in Munich in 1836 by To His Excellency the Most Reverend Lothar Franz Seraph Hubschmann. Anselm, Archbishop of Munchen-Freysing, Knight of the Bavarian Royal Order of Saint Jn the late 1970s the late Monsignor Herman Hubert, Grand Cross of the Royal Bavarian Civil Mattingly learned of the book and located a Service, Commander and Councelor of the copy at the Benedictine Archabbey Library ofSt. Archducal-Tuscan Order ofSaint Joseph. Vincent, Latrobe, Pa. Monsignor Joseph Hakel, then pastor ofHoly Cross Parish in Columbus, Since Church affairs, even in far distant lands, kindly undertook the great task of translating enjoy the grace and favor of Your Excellency, the text for the Society. !twas the intention ofthe and America especially has enjoyed Your Society to publish the work in booklet form, but Excellency's pastoral kindness, gratitude makes since that has proven impossible during the it a duty to show in several sketches whether a intervening twenty years, we now propose to renewed appeal to yourself for further goodwill publish the work in this and the next two annual might be made with confidence in your volumes of the Bulletin, so that the entire work customary responsiveness and goodness. will appear in the next triennial bound volume. This is estimated to require some 75 pages or That some reports of our mission activities might roughly one-quarter of the space in the Bulletin be made was also the expressed wish made to me during this three year period, but we believe by a number of very zealous and esteemed devoting such resources to this cause will be members of the Barvarian clergy. Therefore, I worthwhile. did not hesitate to satisfy in some measure this 17 desire, especially since I had drafted some letters needs of mankind and to be able to keep them at the request of one of my outstanding firmly settled. benefactors, the teacher of my youth, the Very Rev. and learned Dr. Johann P. Mirer, former This distress of the American Church was Prefect, Professor and Episcopal Vicar, and now described by the bishops assembled in 1829 at Dean and Pastor of Sargans in St. Gallen, Baltimore in their letter to Pope Pius VIII of Switzerland. In accordance with this intention of blessed memory in the following words: "The mine and to respond to the impulse of a grateful small number of priests and workers which has heart, I composed the following account in the not at all grown with the needs of our dioceses, form of letters to my above mentioned the evangelization of the little ones who hunger benefactor (a form that makes it easier to for the Bread and the Word of God, our heart preserve continuity). He it was who seemed to transfixed as it were by a sword seeing the lack of see in my modest vocation a sign of Divine those who could break that Bread to them, the Providence, and through his conviction and that shortage of means to maintain students in our of others, helped to sever those bonds which seminaries, these are evils that urgently demand seemed to bind me doubly to my family and my remedy from us." fatherland. Nevertheless, they [the bishops] are exceedingly The purpose of this presentation cannot ignore consoled by the growth of the tiny grain of seed. the charity of Christian friends of religion. Here They write, "We see these developing churches we have the cooperation of brothers working presented with such great blessings from God, together for the honor of God and the support of and this vineyard so beautifully prospering, that those far from home in the establishment of the those who planted and watered it, and those who Church we share together. harvested it and trod the overflowing wine press, must acknowledge and admire the finger of To this expression of our mutual entreaties I feel God." all the more impelled because the will and firm intention of my Most Reverend Superior is Another source of consolation is the charity of presently to allow me to depart soon from the fellow Christians. At an opportune time and in scene of my labors in Ohio where I have lived for abundance, the charitable gifts of Catholic seven years. Europe poured in. Even though distributed widely in all directions, they brought and still The sacrifices and hardships which advance the bring new life to the development of the Church, expansion of the Church of Christ in all ages, are new vigor to the bishops, and new courage to the great and extraordinary. Even greater are the missionaries who bore the heat ofthe day. difficulties of making such conquests of the Faith, of binding them together and of firmly And now with glad confidence in the patronage establishing the united congregations in towns of Your Grace, and your Most Reverend brother and forests without the help of necessary bishops, we await the further charity and assistance. The quick progress of civilization in a generosity of the pious faithful of Bavaria new land of immeasurable extent, the swift towards the diocese of Cincinnati and America in increase of the population, and the sudden influx general. Their charity is a proverb in the mouth of immigrants exceed ordinary measures of time of all Europe. And while the Most Reverend and help. It is a most difficult task to provide on Bishops set a shining example of Christian time even the barest essentials for the greatest generosity, the excellent Bavarian clergy shrank 18 from no sacrifice to come to the relief of the context. For our Missions here are basically the spiritual needs of so many souls redeemed by fruit of a century and a half of continual struggle, Christ. May these noble priests, full of zeal for made new only by new obstacles among new souls and the faithful entrusted to them by their persons and under new circumstances and reverend chief shepherd, accept the thanks of the regimes. What progress the Catholic Church has missionaries and, what is more precious, the made in general in the United States of America thanks of those saved for eternal life. Their in the last 40 years is known to you from many reward is from God, for the names of those who reports. You know that we already number assist in the spread of the Gospel are written in twelve bishoprics in the same Province where the Book ofLife. about 40 years ago hardly a Vicariate General could be found. May the young Church of North America be A. At the head stands Baltimore rightly commended to the apostolic zeal and prayers of as the oldest bishopric and up to now the only Your Grace. To express their most sincere archbishopric. The present archbishop is thanks is the holiest duty ofthe undersigned. S[amuel] Eccleston, an American, with jurisdiction over the state of Maryland and the With expressions of deepest respect and District of Columbia. He is also administrator of devotion, I am, Your Grace, the vacant diocese of Richmond, which comprises the state of Virginia. This entire Your most humble, archdiocese is cared for by 68 priests. B. The bishopric of New Orleans J. M. HENNY, Missionary. comprises the states of Louisiana and Mississippi. The bishop is A[nthony] Blanc, 1 a Frenchman. Priests, 27. LETTER 1 C. The bishopric of Bardstown stretches U.S. Dioceses and the Far West over the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, Very Reverend and Learned Dean! Best Patron! I still owe you an actual answer to your valued letter of January 20th which I received in Cincinnati, Ohio, a few months before my departure. "Write me very much, etc., about the blossoming land," so runs your admonition to me. I could weary you now with so much more detail, partly because I am the reporter and partly because I have more leisure after completing my journey, to put in order my previously made notes. Do you want interesting things about our distant mission and Church conditions? In my opinion The Cathedral at Baltimore. When its corner the most interesting news would be about the Far stone was blessed in 1806, this cathedral West if it be presented in the proper light and represented the only diocese in the U.S. 19 headed by Bishop [Benedict] Flaget, together the Most Reverend Simon Brute (Frenchman) with his Coadjutor [Guy Ignatius] Chabrat with 4 priests. [S.S.], both Frenchmen, with 33 priests. D. The bishopric of Philadelphia From this quick review the dioceses arranged comprises the states of Pennsylvania and according to their dates of establishment, it is Delaware together with the western part of New clear how much was accomplished in a short time Jersey.