If &1 s . • i "vSs fefi Si J".*^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://www.archive.org/details/dioceseofspringfOOthom TABLE OF CONTENTS I Church Organization 7 II The Bishop 17 III The Illinois Missions 63 IV The Church in the Transition Period 95 V Precursors of the Parishes 117 VI The Pioneer Parishes 1675-1844 137 VII In the Diocese of Chicago 205 VIII Early Days of the Diocese— Quincy— Alton 1852-1868 - - - 271 IX The Episcopate of Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D. - - 379 X The Episcopacy of Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., 1888-1923 453 XI Diocesan Schools, Institutions and Associations 517 XII The Diocesan Clergy 621 XIII The Diocesan Soldiery 759 XIV The Laity 831 (Complete index in back of book) Diocese of Springfield In Illinois Diamond Jubilee History Compiled and Edited by Joseph J. Thompson, LL.D. Author and Compiler of Arch- diocese of Chicago, Antecedents and Development, Knights of Columbus in Illinois, Holy Family Parish, and Editor in Chief Illinois Catholic Historical Review * Prepared and published under the Direction of Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D. Hartman Printing Co., Springfield, Illinois Raymer Engraving Co., Effingham, Illinois APPRECIATION. This history of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is a human produc- tion. It is therefore unnecessary (as it is also said to be impolitic) to apologize for imperfections. The reader is asked to be sympathetic. It is the product of an unusually large number of people, in the list of whom comes first the indefatigable head and leader, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., who not only conceived the project but like a generalissimo, en- compassed the broad field as the maestro sweeps the keyboard. Whether the response to his skillful touch is even a slightly worthy symphony remains for the reader to judge. Next after the Bishop credit is due the pastors and assistants in the various parishes who with great care and in most cases with much labor and many sac- rifices prepared the parish data. In the same category are the heads and leaders of the various schools, institutions and organizations to whom the entire diocese and indeed the general public are indebted for their interesting expos- itions of historical facts. At the risk of unintentional omissions the names of some individuals must be mentioned. In this connection no one perhaps has performed greater labors and shown more solicitude for the success of this undertaking than Monsignor Martin J. Foley, Chaplain of the Illinois Soldiers' and Sailors' Home of Quincy, and editor and publisher of the Diocesan Organ, the Western Catholic. Nor can too much be said in appreciation of the extended eft'orts of Mon- signor Edward L. Spalding, Pastor of the Church of St. Peter and Paul, Alton Illinois. Entitled to special mention also are : Right Reverend Louis W. Lam- mert, Dean Henry B. Degenhardt, Dean Dennis J. Ryan, Dean Francis F. For- maz, Dean Patrick F. Carroll, Reverend Doctor James Howard, Reverend Clem- ens Johannes, Reverend Patrick J. O'Reilly, Reverend Joseph Driscoll, Rev- erend Dominic Lydon and Honorable James M. Graham. It is perhaps true that this book may at once be read in its entirety by only a few of those who secure it, but the hope is imhilged that it will in at least some measure fulfill the desire of the Bishop and his advisors in furnish- ing not only much of direct interest to readers but that it shall be a book of use- ful reference for this and coming generations. In addition, if it be not pre- sumptuous, it is hoped that it may have some value as a public record of the Catholic Church in this region. Chicago. Joseph J. Thompson. 706158 DEDICATION THE compelling motive in the preparation of this history at this time is to mark the Diamond Jubilee of our Diocese, established seventy-five years ago at Quincy, Illinois, later transferred to Alton and finally removed to Springfield, the Capital City of the great commonwealth of Illinois. The volume is designed to present and preserve the record of the first seventy-five years of effort and accomplishment of the Diocese. In this year of our Lord, 1928, we celebrate not only with happy hearts and pleasant anticipations, but also with a profound sense of responsibility in carrying on the great work so well begun by those who have gone before. As we look into the future we see here in this central part of the State a great field for Catholic achievement provided the leaders remain true to the ideals of the pioneers and the souls of the laity stand steadfast, confident, aspiring and pure. We have inherited the resources, spiritual and material, to create a great Church in this Diocese. We have abundant spiritual inspira- tion to acquire and to desire high achievement in the things of God. We have the spiritual foundation for the fulfillment of that desire well and truly laid in the form of religious, charitable and educational institutions. We have youth. Seventy-five years in the life of the Church is merely a beginning. The records of this first three quarters of a century of the labors and achievements of our progenitors are worthy indeed in retrospect and we do right to chronicle them. Moreover, we are but following a Catholic ideal when we mark the memory of those years and honor the names of the valiant leaders and the loyal followers who have made our cause respected. We can only celebrate this Jubilee worthily, however, with humble and contrite hearts. Considering our past as revealed in this record, there are no limits to what the imagination may paint of our future. No domestic or foreign controversy exists to introduce a note of discord into the chorus of jubilation. We enter on the last lap, the last quarter of our journey toward the centennial, with our Clergy well trained, alert and beloved, and with our people prosperous, edu- cated, aggressive and above all united. Our schools have risen to a gratifying standard of efficiency and we are now reaping the fruits visualized by the founders and merited by the sacrifices of the past. In this year of Jubilation, therefore, our clergy and people may well be animated by a just pride in the past and a buoyant confidence in the future. Seventy-five years is more than the span of the average human life, but it is after all a short period in the history of the Church. The historical sketches of the various parishes reveal ups and downs, bright days and dark ones, successes and failures, unity of effort followed by occasional DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS discord. Whilst it is true that the Catholic people constitute the chief asset of the Diocese, it is at the same time interesting and instructive to note the influence in the development of the Church in this field, of new railroads, the opening of coal mines, the effect of nationality, the stimulus provided by the opposition of sects. These latter were in many cases very friendly and helpful, but in others most bitter and intolerant. Yet the Church lives on, proving the statement of Gamaliel, to the Jewish Council, ' ' If this be the work of men, it will come to naught; but if it be the work of God, you cannot overthrow it." Robert Louis Stevenson once said : "It must always be foul to tell what is false; and it can never be safe to suppress what is true." Hence, you will find in the various historical sketches of the parishes, that occasionally the work was retarded and progress stifled by opposition from within the ranks. On the other hand, where the leadership was strong, aggressive and devoted, it invari- ably succeeded in overcoming all obstacles and produced worthwhile results. That Christ has been the Master Weaver is evident from the following statistics : Our Chancery Office records reveal the fact, that we have at this time 194 diocesan priests and 40 priests of religious orders, making a total of 234; 126 churches with resident priests; 44 missions, with churches and 28 chapels, 42 ecclesiastical students in the seminaries, 3 colleges for boys, 5 academies for young ladies, 62 parochial schools with an enrollment of 13,390, 2 orphan asylums with an enrollment of 345; total young people under Catholic care 15,611 ; 11 hospitals, 3 homes for the aged and 2 homes for working girls. Dur- ing 1926 there were 976 marriages, 3,327 baptisms, 1,172 deaths, with a Catholic population of 92,153. These figures tell the story. Today the Diocese is spiritually stronger, wealthier and more united than at any time in its history. May God reward the Prelates, Clergy, members of the Sisterhoods and laity, whose piety, devotion, loyalty, vision and sacrifice, have made possible the pres- ent happy condition of religion in our Diocese. We are happy to dedicate this history to their memory and at the same time we pray, that we of the present generation, may be inspired to walk humbly in their footsteps, taking advantage of our present prosperity and devoted leadership, to render even greater service to Him, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Sincerely yours in Christ, Feast of the Assumption, 1927. CHRIST Founder and Head of the Catholic Church Painting by F. Lefler CHAPTER I. CHURCH ORGANIZATION. As a prelude to a Diocesan history, it may be of advantage to direct atten- tion to the organization of the Church through which dioceses are erected and maintained. It would bring us too far afield to enter upon an extended account of the origin or authority of the Church, and it seems sufficient to note that the Church organization was launched by Christ Himself during His mission on earth. The original officiary consisted of the Apostles and Disciples, selected by Christ. Peter Avas chosen as head of the Church organization, and one of the most conclusive proofs of the identity and continuity of the Catholic Church is the Papal Dynasty originating with Peter, who officiated as Pope from the year 29. until the year 67, A. D., down to Pope Pius XI, gloriously reigning, the 261st successor of Peter. 1 'LIST OF ROMAN PONTIFFS I. St. Peter, of Bethsaida in Galilee, Prince of the Apostles, who received from Jesus Christ the Supreme Pontifical Power to be transmitted to his Successors; resided first at Antioch, then at Rome, where he was martyred in the year 67. 9. 10. n. 12. 13. 14. 13. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. Elected Died St. Linus, M 67 78 St. Cletus, M 78 90 St. Clement I., M. 90 100 St. Anacletus, M. 100 112 St. Evaristus M.. 112 121 St. Alexander I..M. 121 132 St. Sixtus, I.. M.. 132 142 St. Telesphorus.M. 142 154 St. Hyginus, M... 154 158 St. Pius. I., M. .. 158 167 St. Anicetus. M.. . 167 175 St. Soterus. M.... 175 182 St. Eleutherius.M. 1S2 193 St. Victor, I., M. 193 203 St. Zephyrinus. M. 203 221 St. Callistus.I.. M. 221 227 St. Urban. I., M.. 227 233 St. Pontian. M... . 233 238 St. Anterus, M... 238 239 St. Fabian. M 239 253 St. Cornelius, M.. 253 255 St. Lucius. I., M. 255 257 St. Stephen, I., SI. 257 260 St. Sixtus, II., M. 260 261 St. Dionysius ... 261 272 St. Felix, I., M... 272 275 St. Eutychian. M. 275 283 St. Caius, M 283 290 St. Marcellinus, M. 29C 301 St. Marcellus.L.M. 304 309 St. Eusebius 309 311 St. Melcbiades ... 311 313 St. Sylvester I.... 314 337 Elected Died 35. St. Mark 337 340 36. St. Julius 1 341 352 37. St. Liberius 352 366 38. St. Felix II* 363 365 39. St. Damascus I... 367 384 40. St. Siricius 384 398 41. St. Anastasius I.. 399 402 42. St. Innocent I 402 417 43. St. Zozimus 417 418 44. St. Boniface I.... 418 423 45. St. Celestine I.... 423 432 46. St. Sixtus III.... 432 440 47. St. Leo I. (the Great) 440 461 48. St. Hilary 461 468 49. St. Simplicius ... 468 483 50. St. Felix III. . . . 4S3 492 51. St. Gelasius I 492 496 52. St. Anastasius II. 496 498 53. St. Symmachus .. 498 514 54. St. Hormisdas ... 514 523 55. St. John 1 523 526 56. St. Felix IV 526 530 57. Boniface II 530 532 58. John II 532 535 59. St. Agapitus 535 536 60. St. Silverius, M... 536 538 61. Vigilius 538 555 62. Pelagius 1 555 560 63. John III 560 573 64. Benedict '1 574 578 65. Pelagius II 578 590 Elected Died 66. St. Gregory I. (the Great) . 590 604 ill. Sabinian . 604 606 68. Bonifice III . 607 607 69. St. Bonifice IV.. . 608 615 70. St. Deusdedit I. . 615 619 71. Bonifice V . 619 625 72. Honorius I . 625 638 73. Severinus . 640 640 74. John IV . 640 642 7". Theodore I . 642 649 76. St. Martin I.. M. . 649 655 77. St. Eugene I. . . . . 655 657 78. St. Vatalian . . . . 657 672 7'.». Adeodatus II.... . 672 676 SO. Donus I . 676 678 81. St. Agatho . 678 682 82. St. Leo II . 682 683 83. St. Benedict II.. . 684 685 84 John V 685 . 686 686 85. Conon 687 S6. St. Sergius I , 687 701 87. John VI . 701 705 88. John VII . 705 707 89. . 708 708 90. . 708 715 91. St. Gregory II.. . 715 731 92. St. Gregory III. . 731 741 93. St. Zacharv . 741 752 94. Stephen II. f . . . . 752 752 95. St. Stephen III. . 752 757 96. St. Paul I . 757 767 !I7. Stephen IV . 768 771 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Immediately upon the assumption of the duties entrusted to them by Christ, the Apostles set themselves to the task of spreading the Gospel and each of the eleven, (after the betrayal on the part of Judas the twelfth,) and in ad- dition Matthew and Paul who joined the apostolic band, became known as super- visors or, as expressed in the English language, Bishops, and each was assigned a country or division, or district, which became known as a Diocese. It is the aim of the Church organization to extend its missions and ministrations to all countries throughout the world as the Divine mandate re- quired, and accordingly, the Apostles and their successors went to all nations and all peoples. Successors have ever since been appointed. Elected Died 08. Adrian I . 771 795 145. 09. St. Leo III . 795 816 146. 100. St. Stephen V.. .. 816 817 147. 101. St. Paschal I.. ,. 817 824 102. Eugene II . 824 827 148. 103. Valentine ,. 827 827 149. 104. Gregory IV. . . , . 827 844 150. 105. , . 844 847 151. 106. St. Leo IV .. 847 855 152. 107. Benedict III. . , . 855 858 153. 108. St. Nicholas I. 154. (the Great) . .. 858 867 155. 109. Adrian II . 867 872 156. 110. John VIII . 872 882 157. 111. Marinus I , . 882 884 158. 112. St. Adrian III. , . 884 885 159. 113. Stephen VI. ... . . 885 891 160. 114. , . 891 896 161. 115. Stephen VII. .. .. 896 897 162. 116. . . 897 898 163. 117. Theodore II. .. . . 898 898 164. 118. John IX . . 898 900 165. 119. Benedict IV. .. . . 900 903 166. P>0 Leo V . . 903 903 904 167. 121. Christopher . . . . . 903 168. 122. . . 904 911 169. 123. Anastasius III. . . 911 913 170. 124. .. 913 914 171. 125. John X . . 915 928 172. 126. Leo VI . . 928 929 17.3. 127. Stephen VIII. . . . 929 931 174. 128. John XI . . 931 936 175. 129. Leo VII . . 936 939 176. 130. Stephen IX. ... . . 939 942 177. 131. Marinus II. ... .. 942 946 178. 132. Agapitus II. . . . . 946 956 179. 133. John XII . . 956 964 180. 134. Benedict V. ... . . 904 965 181. 135. John XIII . . 965 972 182. 136. Benedict VI. .. , . 972 973 1S3. 137. Donus II . . 973 973 184. 138. Benedict VII. . . . 975 984 185. 139. John XIV . . 984 985 186. 140 John XV . . . 985 996 999 187. 141. 142. Sylvester II. . . . . 999 1003 188. 143. John XVI. or 189. XVII ..1003 1003 190. 144. John XVII or 191. XVIII ..1003 1009 192. Elected Died Sergius IV 1009 1012 193. Benedict VIII. ..1012 1024 194. John XVIII or XIX or XX... 1024 1033 195. Benedict IX 1033 1044 196. Gregory VI 1044 1046 Clement II 1046 1047 197. Damascus II. ...1048 1048 St. Leo IX 1049 1054 198. Victor II 1055 1057 199. Stephen X 1057 1058 200. Nicholas II 1059 1061 201. Alexander II. ...1061 1073 202. St. Gregory VII.1073 1085 203. B. Victor III.... 1087 1087 204. B. Urban II 1088 1099 205. Paschal II 1099 1118 206. Gelasius II 1118 1119 207. Callistus II 1119 1124 Honorius II 1124 1130 208. Innocent II 1130 1143 209. Celestine II 1143 1144 210. Lucius II 1144 1145 211. B. Eugene III... 1145 1153 212. Anastasius IV. ..1153 1154 213. Adrian IV 1154 1159 214. Alexander III. ..1159 1181 215. Lucius III 1181 1185 216. Urban III 1185 1187 217. Gregory VIII. ..1187 1187 21S. Clement III 1187 1191 219. Celestine III. ...1191 1198 220. Innocent III. ...1198 1216 221. Honorius III. ...1216 1227 222. Gregory IX 1227 1241 223. Celestine IV 1241 1241 224. Innocent IV 1243 1254 225. Alexander IV. ..1254 1261 226. Urban IV 1261 1264 227. Clement IV 1265 1268 228. B. Gregory X....1271 1276 229. B. Innocent V...1276 1276 230. Adrian V 1276 1276 231. John XIX or XX 232. or XXI 1276 1277 233. Nicholas III. ...1277 1280 234. Martin IV 1281 1285 235. Honorius IV. ...1285 1287 236. Nicholas IV 1288 1292 237. St. Celestine V. .1294 J1294 238. Elected Died Bonifice VIII. ..1294 1303 B. Benedict X or XI 1303 1304 Clement V 1305 1314 John XX or XXI or XXII 1316 1334 Benedict XI or XII 1334 1342 Clement VI 1342 1352 Innocent VI 1352 1362 B. Urban V 1362 1370 Gregory XI 1370 1378 Urban VI 1378 1389 Boniface IX 1389 1404 Innocent VII. ...1404 1400 Gregory XII 1406 J1409 Alexander V. ...1409 1410 John XXII or XXIII or XXIV.1410 J1415 Martin III. or V.1417 1431 Eugene IV 1431 1447 Nicholas V 1447 1455 Callistus III. ...1455 1458 Pius II 1458 1464 Paul II H64 1471 Sixtus IV 1471 1484 Innocent VIII. ..1484 1492 Alexander VI. ..1492 150:! Plus III 1503 1503 Julius II 1503 1513 Leo X 1513 1521 Adrian VI 1522 1523 Clement VII. ...1523 1534 Paul III 1534 1549 Julius III 1550 1555 Marcellus II. ...1555 1555 Paul IV 1555 1559 Pius IV 1559 1565 St. Pius .V 1566 1572 Gregory XIII. ..1572 1585 Sixtus V 1585 1590 Urban VII 1590 1590 Gregory XIV. ...1590 1591 Innocent IX. ...1591 1591 Clement VIII. ...1592 1605 Leo XI 1605 1605 Paul V 1605 1621 Gregory XV 1621 1623 Urban VIII 1623 1644 Innocent X 1644 1655 St. Peter First Pope of Rome. — European Galleries; Verlog Germain/, painter. von E. A. Seeman, Leipzig, -5! o o c < ■- o i> e d uring exile of Liberius. DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS who was consecrated in 1739. Unfortunately, Bishop l'Auberiviere died a few days after landing at Quebec. In 1741 Right Reverend Henri-Marie de Pont- briand was consecrated at Paris and assumed charge of the diocese soon after. Bishop Pontbriand proved to be one of the greatest of the Canadian Bishops. The next Bishop of Quebec was Right Reverend Jean-Oliver Briand, who ruled the diocese from 1766 to 1784.- Bishop Briand was, therefore, Bishop of Quebec at the close of the Revo- lutionary War, and although the English had conquered the French and gained possession of all of the territory of New France, the spiritual control of the diocese was not interfered with, and the Illinois country was governed by the Bishop of Quebec until a new arrangement was made by the Holy See making the United States a separate Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction." The Church in the United States. The decree organizing the Catholic Church in the United States as a dis- tinct diocese, and appointing Very Reverend John Carroll Prefect Apostolic was issued by Cardinal Antonelli, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation de Prop- aganda Fide, on the 9th of June, 1784. Sparks, the historian, in his "Life and Writings of Franklin," says that the Apostolic Nuncio at Paris called upon Dr. (Benjamin) Franklin — (who was then representing the United States in Paris) — and acquainted him that the Pope had, "on his recommendation, ap- pointed Reverend Carroll Superior of the Catholic Clergy in America, and stated that he would probably be made a bishop before the end of the year." The Bull of Pope Pius VI erecting the diocese of Baltimore was issued Novem- ber 6, 1789. Naturally some time elapsed before the new Prefect Apostolic was in- stalled and before he was able to make his jurisdiction effective, at least in the western country. In due time, however, he extended his solicitude to the Illi- nois country and kept in close touch with the Church. The first direct action of Bishop Carroll effecting the Illinois Country was the authorization of a German Carmelite priest, Reverend Paul de St. Pierre, to exercise the functions of the priesthood in the western country. Father St. Pierre arrived in the Illinois country in 1785, and took up his station at Ca- hokia. He ministered in the Illinois country until 1790. Very shortly thereafter Bishop Carroll sent a French priest Reverend Peter Huet de la Valiniere, to the Illinois country as his Vicar General. This good but erratic priest was here but a few years and superseded Father Gibault in local control as Vicar General. The next priests sent to the territory by Bishop Carroll were Reverend Michael Levadeau and Reverend Gabriel Richard, both Sulpicians. Father Levadeau was sent to Kaskaskia, where he officiated from 1793 to 1797, and in which place he was succeeded by Father Richard, who remained until 1798. Both of these priests ministered in Cahokia also, and both were concerned in the build- ing of the Church at that place, which still stands. ! See Catholic Encyclopedia, title Canada. 3 See official Catholic Directory. In subsequent Chapters, a detailed account will be found of the establishment and development of the Church in the French settlements which became the central part of the United States. 10 Pope Pius XI Present Head of the Catholic Church. Two hundred and sixty-first successor of St.. Peter. — Portrait by G. Felici, Rome. s S > o - rSS y. i o 2 o 5 CHURCH ORGANIZATION Reverend Charles Leander Lusson, a Franciscan, was, in 1798, sent by Bishop Carroll to Cahokia. In 1799 Fathers John and Donatien Olivier were sent by Bishop Carroll, Father John being stationed at Cahokia and Father Donatien at Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher. Father Donatien Olivier was the bishop 's vicar general and for thirty years was the leading spirit of the Illinois country, including Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. During the administration of Very Reverend Donatien Olivier a new dio- cese was created in Kentucky called the Diocese of Bardstown. Right Rever- end Benedict Joseph Flaget was appointed first Bishop of Bardstown and con- secrated November 4, 1810. With the assumption of the episcopal duties by Bishop Flaget the direct supervision of the Illinois country passed from the hands of Bishop Carroll, but the territory remained within the province of Baltimore until 18-17. Bishop Flaget seems to have sent but one priest into the Illinois country, and that a man of apparently great capacity, by the name of Savine. In the lapse of time Father Savine's baptismal name seems to have been lost. Bishop Flaget made two visits to the Illinois country, on one of which, in 1814, he was accompanied by Right Reverend William Dubourg, Bishop of New Orleans. The next change in the ecclesiastical jurisdiction occurred when Pope Leo XII, on March 20, 1827, appointed Right Reverend Joseph Rosati Bishop of St. Louis. Upon Bishop Rosati 's consecration an arrangement was made be- tween Bishop Flaget and Bishop Rosati by which Bishop Rosati administered the western and northern part of Illinois. From his consecration, Bishop Rosati was very active in the affairs of the Church in Illinois. He visited all parts of his jurisdiction, however difficult of access. The records show that he administered confirmation at Kaskaskia every year from 1830 to 1840 and again in 1842. In 1834 the diocese of Vincennes was erected, and the Right Reverend Simon William Gabriel Brute was appointed Bishop. This diocese included In- diana and Illinois, and Bishop Brute immediately took over the administration of Illinois. Bishop Brute was very active, and made four visitations through Illinois. On his first trip through Illinois he was accompanied by Bishops Flaget and Purcell on his next by these two bishops and Fathers Abel, Hitzelberger and Petit. His visits in Illinois included Chicago, and in one of his letters to the Leopoldine Association, written in the first year of his episcopate, the good bishop says: "Mr. St. Cyr had arrived there from St. Louis and enabled the Catholics to make their Easter Communion, so I gave only a few confirmations and three instructions, one on Saturday and two on Sunday, to encourage the rising Catholic congregation on that most important point. It is now com- posed of about 400 souls of all countries, French, Canadians, Americans, Irish and a good number of Germans. 11 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS By arrangement with Bishop Rosati, feather St. Cyr, who established the first church in modern Chicago, remained for a year after Bishop Brute took jurisdiction, but as fast as he was able Bishop Brute supplied new clergy. The priests sent here by Bishop Brute were Reverend Bernard Schaefer, Reverend Timothy O'Meara, Reverend Maurice De St. Palais and Reverend Francis Joseph Fisher, all of whom were stationed in Chicago. Bishop Brute died June 26, 1839, and was succeeded by Right Reverend Celestine de la Hailandiers, who sent Fathers John Francis Plunket, Hippolyte du Pontavice and John Guguen to Illinois. It will be seen that some of these pioneer priests were on duty when Bishop Quarter arrived and assumed episcopal jurisdiction as the first Bishop of Chicago. The Diocese of Chicago. The question of the creation of a new diocese for the State of Illinois was under consideration for some little time before the Council of Bishops acted. While Father St. Cyr was in Chicago his opinion seems to have been sought as to the center of the Catholic population, for on July 2, 1834, he wrote to Bishop Rosati : "As to the most centrally located place from which to visit all the Cath- olics of Illinois — and I gave the matter particular attention during my journey from St. Louis to Chicago — it is, in my opinion, Springfield, one hundred miles from St. Louis and a little over two hundred miles from Chicago. Here is the place I should pick out for headquarters as being the most suitable for the purpose. ' ' At the Fourth Provincial Council of Bishops, held May 17, 1840, and at- tended by twelve bishops, citizens of Springfield, Illinois, petitioned the bishops to recommend a see at that place, but the petition was denied, only to be ac- ceded eighty-three years later. At the Fifth Provincial Council, held May 14, 1843, sixteen of the then ex- isting twenty-three dioceses were represented by their bishops. This Council petitioned for new sees at Chicago, Milwaukee, Hartford and Little Rock, and for a vicariate-apostolic in Oregon. They also repeated their request for a see at Pittsburg. All of these requests were granted. "While as has been seen, Illinois had been under the jurisdiction of various suffragan bishops, yet the entire state remained in the Province of Baltimore until St. Louis was made an archdiocese, October 8, 1847. It was quite natural v therefore, that the first Bishop of Chicago should come from the Metropolitan See of Baltimore. From 1847, however, the State of Illinois continued in the Province of St. Louis until Illinois was, itself, made a province by the creation of the Archbishopric of Chicago. During all the years that Illinois constituted a part of the Province of St. Louis, the metropolitan of that see exhibited a tender solicitude for his suffragan • diocese. Most Reverend Peter Richard Kenrick was indeed a tender father, and ever mindful of the welfare of the new see. It is interesting to note that during all of the years in which the Chicago Diocese was a part of the Province of St. Louis, the Bishops of Chicago, with a 12 CHURCH ORGANIZATION single exception, came to us through St. Louis. Right Reverend James Oliver Van de Velde, the second; Right Reverend Anthony 'Regan, the third, and Right Reverend James Duggan, the fourth, all came from St. Louis, and it ap- pears that Archbishop Kenrick was the prime mover in the selection of Right Reverend Thomas Foley, Bishop-Administrator. And again when the diocese was raised to the dignity of an archbishopric, a distinguished son of St. Louis and disciple of Archbishop Kenrick, Most Reverend Patrick Augustine Fee- han, was the first honored incumbent. Xo one can read the record of these early days of the Church without being impressed with the heavy obligations under which Chicago and Illinois rest to the great Missouri prelates, Bishop Rosati, in the early days, and the great Archbishop Kenrick during the long period from 1847 to 1880. It is not given to many men to figure so conspicuously in such large and important affairs as did Archbishop Kenrick in the Mid-American Church, and his record is one of the most worthy of all the great sons of the Church in America. It will be seen that the present illustrious Archbishop of St. Louis has al- ways borne a most pleasant and kindly relation to the Diocese of Quincy — Alton — Springfield. It is pleasing to note that a very large percentage of the priests of the diocese were ordained by Most Reverend John J. Glennon. Most Reverend John J. Kain, Archbishop Glennon 's immediate predecessor also ordained many of the priests of this diocese. The Provincial Council of Baltimore in 1843 adopted a petition recommend- ing several new dioceses among them that of Chicago, and nominated Reverend William Quarter for Bishop of the Chicago diocese. The Holy See acted upon the nomination favorably November 28, 1843, and Bishop Quarter was conse- crated in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, by Right Reverend John Hughes, Bishop of New York, on March 10, 1844. Bishop Quarter assumed his duties on May 5, 1844, saying his first Mass in the diocese on that date. With the erection of the Chicago diocese, which included the entire state, and the appointment of Bishop Quarter, begins the record of the organized Church in Illinois. Bishop Quarter died April 10, 1848 ; his successor, Right Reverend James Oliver Vandevelde, D. D., was consecrated February 11, 1849. Bishop Vande- velde was transferred to Natchez July 29, 1853, and died November 13, 1855. Right Reverend Anthony 'Regan, D. D., was consecrated the third Bishop July 25, 1854, and was transferred to Dora, June 25, 1858, and died in Novem- ber, 1866. Right Reverend James Duggan, D. D., was consecrated Bishop of Antigone and Coadjutor to the Archbishop of St. Louis, May 1, 1857. Bishop Duggan was transferred to Chicago January 21, 1859. On account of infirm health, Bishop Duggan retired in 1870 and died March 27, 1899. Right Reverend Thomas Foley, D. D., Coadjutor Bishop and Administrator of the diocese, was consecrated Bishop of Pergamus February 27, 1870, and died Feb- ruary 19, 1879. Most Reverend Patrick Augustine Feehan, D. D., the first 13 DIOCESE OF SI'RIXGI-IELD IX ILLINOIS Archbishop of Chicago, was consecrated Bishop of Nashville, November 1, 1865, and was promoted to Chicago September 10, 1880, when the diocese was raised to an Archbishopric. Archbishop Feehan died July 12, 1902. Most Reverend James Edward Quigley, D.D., was consecrated Bishop of Buffalo, February 24, 1897, and promoted to the Archbishopric of Chicago, January 8, 1903. Archbishop Quigley died July 10, 1915. Most Reverend George Wil- liam Mundelein, D. D., was consecrated Titular Bishop of Loryma and Aux- iliary Bishop of Brooklyn, September 21, 1909, and was promoted to the See of Chicago, December 8, 1915. The diocese of Chicago now includes the counties of Cook, Lake, DuPage, Kankakee, Will and Grundy. The Diocese of Alton The next diocese to be erected in Illinois was that, of Alton, now Spring- field. This diocese was designated as the Diocese of Quincy, erected July 29, 1853, and transferred to Alton, January 9, 1857. 4 The Diocese at present com- prises that part of Illinois lying south of the northern limits of the counties of Adams, Brown, Cass, Menard, Sangamon, Macon, Moultrie, Douglas and Edgar and north of the southern limits of the counties of Madison, Bond, Fayette, Ef- fingham, Jasper and Crawford. The first bishop of the Diocese was Right Rev- erend Henry Damien Juncker, D .D., consecrated April 26, 1857, died October 2, 1868. He was succeeded by Right, Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D. D., consecrated January 23, 1870, who died February 15, 1886. The next Bishop was Right Reverend James Ryan, D. D., consecrated May 1, 1888, 5 who died July 2, 1923, and was succeeded by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D. D., the present bishop. The Diocese of Peoria. The Diocese of Peoria was erected in 1877 and comprises a cross section of Illinois including the counties of Bureau, Champaign, DeWitt, Ford, Fulton, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Knox, La Salle, Livingston, Logan, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McLean, Mercer, Peoria, Piatt, Putnam, Rock Island, Schuyler, Stark, Tazewell, Vermilion, Warren and Woodford. The first Bishop of Peoria was Right Reverend John Lancaster Spalding, D. D., consecrated May 1, 1877, resigned September 11, 1908, appointed Titular Archbishop of Scitop- olis, October 14, 1908, died August 25, 1916. Right Reverend Peter J. O'Reilly, D. D., was consecrated Titular Bishop of Lebedos, September 21, 1900, and was the Vicar-General of Archbishop Spalding. The present Bishop of Peoria is Right Reverend Edmund M. Dunne, D.D., consecrated September 1. 1909. The Diocese of Belleville The Diocese of Belleville was erected January 7, 1887, and comprises the whole of Illinois south of the northern limits of the counties of St. Clair, Clinton, Marion, Clay, Richland and Lawrence. The first Bishop of the Belle- ville Diocese was the Right Reverend John Janssen, consecrated April 25, 1888, 'Catholic Encyclopedia, title "Bishop." 5 Ib 14 Cardinal M u mm i i i s Archbishop of the Diocese of Chicago and Metropolitan of the Province of Illinois. Portrait by Lavcceha, Chicago. TU lib 1 CHURCH ORGANIZATION died July 2, 1913. The present Bishop is Bight Reverend Henry Althoff, D. D., consecrated February 24, 1914. The Diocese of Rockford The Diocese of Rockford comprises the counties of Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Carroll, Ogle, DeKalb, Kane, Whiteside, Lee and Kendall. The first Bishop of the Diocese was Right Reverend Peter Joseph Muldoon, D. D., consecrated Titular Bishop of Tamassus and Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, July 25, 1901, and appointed Bishop of Rockford, September 28, 1908. Bishop Muldoon died October 9th, 1927. Right Reverend Edward Francis Hoban, D.D., formerly Auxiliary Bishop of the diocese of Chicago, was appointed Bishop of Rockford to succeed Bishop Muldoon, and was enthroned May 15, 1928. The Bishop's Place in the CmjRcn As lias been said, the visible head of the church on earth is the pope. Re- gardless of any discussion or disagreement history knows the pope as the head of the Church, and 2,000 years of practice has confirmed that position. During the first three centuries, the entire religious life of the diocese centered around the person of the bishop. The priests and deacons were his auxiliaries, but they worked under the immediate direction of the bishop. In large cities, however, like Rome, it was soon found necessary to give over permanently to the priests and deacons certain definite functions. Moreover, as a result of the spread of Christianity outside the great centers of population, the bishop gradually left to other ecclesiastics the administration of a fixed por- tion of the diocesan territory. In the East, at first bishoprics were created in all districts where there was a considerable number of Christians. But this system presented great inconveniences. To distant or rural localities, therefore, the Church sent bishops, who were only the delegates of the bishop of the city, and who did not possess the right of exercising the most important powers of a bishop. Such bishops were known as Choropiscopi or rural bishops. Later on, they were replaced by priests. The establishment of parishes from the fourth and fifth century on gradually freed the bishops from many of their original charges ; they reserved to themselves only the most important affairs, i. e., those which concerned the whole diocese and those which belonged to the cathedral church. However, above all other affairs the bishops retained the right of supervision and supreme distinction. 4 It is the settled doctrine of the Church that a bishop is divinely com- missioned, the true successor of the apostles and really vested with all the authority included in Christ's mandate to the apostles. 5 It is easy to understand the importance of the bishop's jurisdiction from an acquaintance with the labors and ministrations of our own bishops. No representative of the Church is so intimately associated with church affairs as the bishop in his own diocese. The Pope has but a general outlook upon the Church. At the other end, the priests' knowledge and labors are confined to 15 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS a single parish, but the bishop is the life blood of the diocese charged with complete responsibility for numerous parishes and institutions and brought into frequent close contact with the souls of the diocese. The bishops and archbishops of the Catholic Church are and have been the most distinguished men of all ages, and our Bishops rank high in this most notable category. Members of the Organization Catholics form the largest single religious body in the world, Christian or non-Christian, according to figures published here by Dom Maternus Spitz, O.S.B., (London) who makes a special study of religious statistics throughout the world. Dom Maternus states that Catholics number 330,000,000. The next most numerous group are the Confucianists and Toaists (non-Christian), who num- ber 300,000,000. One surprising revelation is that the world population of the Jews is only 15,000,000, the smallest religious group. Dom Maternus quotes figures which show that the total population of the world is 1,819,000,000. Twenty-five years ago it was estimated at 230,000,000 less. With the addition to the Catholic figures of 210,000,000 Protestants and 144,000,000 Orthodox, the Christian population is 37.6 per cent of the world's total, so that pagans form rather less than two-thirds of the total. The membership in Illinois and the various dioceses is shown in subsequent chapters. 16 Right Reverend James A. Griffin. D.D. Bishop of Springfield in Illinois 192/, 1U V CHAPTER II. THE BISHOP Pen Pictures of Bishop Griffin Compiled and Extended by Monsignor Martin J. Foley. James Aloysius Griffin was born February 27, 1883, in the city of Chicago. His parents were Thomas Griffin and Catherine Woulfe, he being the eldest in a family of ten children, five boys and five girls, all of whom are living. When old enough his parents sent him to St. Gabriel School, Chicago, where under the guidance of the Sisters of Mercy, he made a record as a typical American boy. Having graduated from St. Gabriel, young Griffin was sent to St. Ignatius College, Chicago, where his record was in harmony with the best tra- ditions of that great Jesuit institution. From St. Ignatius College he went to Kenrick Seminary, where he spent one year in the study of philosophy. He did not return to Kenrick next year because the Providence of God ordained that young Griffin's superiors should send him to the center of Catholic Faith, the source of Catholic Authority, the heart of Catholic culture and Catholic education — Borne. And so in 1904 he went to Borne, entered the North American College, completed a six-year course and on July 4, 1909, was ordained priest by Archbishop Ceppetelli. Before starting this sketch the writer requested Beverend J. J. Doody, a cousin and life-long friend of Bishop Griffin, to furnish him with some data regarding the boyhood years, school and college days of young Griffin and the following is the result : Bishop Griffin is the best exemplification I know of the dictum, "the child is the father of the man" or of the other one that "the man is only the child grown up." As I remember him from the grade school on through high school, college, seminary and the priesthood, I see him possessed of the same character- istics that are so patent since his episcopal consecration. The first note I would mention is that of his ever bounding health, strength, and nervous energy. Another outstanding generalization is that he was always "in for anything that was going, " and he went in whole-heartedly, tooth and nail. In the world of sport, "nihil putavit a se alienum" — he played baseball on the street, on the lot, on the prairie, or anywhere — he was halfback at St. Gabriel 's and at St. Ignatius — he was a top-notcher at hand-ball in the fiercely contested games that were played in St. Gabriel's school yard — he went to the lake regularly in the days when there were very few beaches and fewer beach facilities and one had to keep a vigilant eye on his clothes on the shore and another on the dreaded "cop" — he skated, paying his toll of one or two straps (skate straps) to the older lads who controlled the ponds. He knew "run sheep run, " " shinny on your own side, " " duck on the rock, ' ' and all the other 17 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS pastimes that an inventive youth of twenty or so years ago knew how to create. He played hard and excelled in all of the games. He played "fair and square" and if it was necessary to fight occasionally to keep the other fellow "fair and square," he did not back away from it. He could not be stumped, and always full of curiosity he was ever ready to try anything once. For instance, one time on vacation with his friend, the present Father Rogers, he walked up to the top of Pike's Peak and down again the next day. His friend, with bleeding feet and dead tired body, went to bed too exhausted to eat. The future Bishop took the extra boarding house meal ticket and did the eating for the two — by the way, he still possesses that same healthy appetite. As a musician in the old band at St. Gabriel's, he worked so feverishly and earnestly that the director had a task to keep him in time with the other players. The first alto had a tendency to get ahead of them, found them a little slow — and Griffin was the first alto. In the field of study the same description holds good. Helped at home by a scholarly, student father who generally read until the wee hours of the morn- ing, and by a vigilant, intelligent and ambitious mother, young Griffin always had his lessons, essays and the like for school. In the college days at St. Ignatius most of his "rec" day was spent in "outside" reading and essay work. He had time for anybody or anything in- teresting or amusing but only after his work was done. He did not limit himself to class matter but went in for all the extras. For instance, at St. Gabriel's he won the oratorical contest at the end of fourth year. He also studied hard for and took Normal Training entrance examina- tion, although he had no intention of becoming a teacher but simply to enhance the reputation of the high school of his parish. At St. Ignatius also he entered the elocution and oratory contests. In Rome likewise he studied for a degree in every one of his six vears but- one, and gathered in this way the Ph. B., the Ph. D., the S.T.B., the S.T.L., and S.T.D. Here he was interested in the study of the Italian language and in the various series of lectures on art and archaeology that were given at the American College and were optional for the students. He made the vacation trips so pleasant and so instructive, every year going into every nook and cranny of Italy and to those sections outside of Italy for which permission was granted, gathering whatever was to be had in the way of art, history and religion. In the matter of piety he manifested the same spirit — an altar boy all during his grade and high school, and even college days ; a sodalist performing all the devotions such as the nine Fridays and the six Sundays in honor of St. Aloysius, the boy's patron, and in his Roman days, a visitor at practically all the prominent shrines of Italy. As a companion he was always generous, open and above board in all his dealings, absolutely without guile, trusting and forgiving, sharing what he had and always willing to do more than his share when effort or work was required. That is a miniature of the young Griffin I knew. The Griffin I know today is an enlargement, broadened and beautifully colored by twenty-five years of masterly work by Nature and Grace. A Fellow Student's Estimate of Bishop Griffin When Mr. Joseph J. Thompson, of Chicago, Compiler of the Diamond Jubilee History of our Diocese, asked us to furnish a sketch of Bishop Griffin we made up our mind to make it as exact and complete as possible within the limits of space allowed us. 18 THE BISHOP Having been a student ourself and realizing how intimately, and therefore, thoroughly, students know each other, and one another from their mutual con- tact in class room, study hall, and at play, we resolved to get in touch with a fellow-student of our subject — one well known for his intellectual attainments, priestly characteristics, and high standing among the Hierarchy and clergy generally — the Reverend B. D. Rogers, D. D., pastor of St. Dominic's parish, Chicago, Illinois. We wrote to Dr. Rogers and asked him to give us his candid estimate of his former playmate, school and college chum, James A. Griffin. Here is what he writes under date of October 4, 1927 : To write all that T know of your fond Bishop would bo equivalent to writincr his biography — an honor reserved for your able and facile pen. Our friendship from early boyhood days up to the present hour has been fraternal and our knowledge of each other is consequents very intimate. We have played together as boys — studied together, traveled together as students and priests. I could talk about him better than write about him for then I could judge better just what material you want, and have not as yet, for your sketch. Thinking it over — were von to ask me what T considered to be the Bishop's most prominent and characteristic qualities ('among many others). T would reply: First, his great love of justice and fair play. He liked open com- petition, but everything had to bo on the square. "Victory to whom victory is due." In that spirit he has always accorded to others credit and honor due them by reason of their ability or attainments. Next, his craving for work and activity. I never remember his balking at any kind of work or evading any kind of a difficulty that arose in his sphere of operations. His energy is phenomenal — always has been. He knows no fatigue and will acknowledge no obstacles. Obstacles for him are only tests for his energv and must be overcome. Finally, his optimism. The bishop always sees the bright side of things and always makes the best of a situation. He is no Jeremiah wailing over evils. If things are not right, then right them. If you find evils, correct them. The Lord's universe is glorious, things are progressing and he is sroing to do his part in bringing the progress about. You can't deal with him without realizing that he simply radiates optimism. There is no need of my continuing this litany of his virtues. His humility and condescension, his affability and readiness to be of service; his anxiety to make others happy and add to their contentedness and enjoyment: his even temper, and delightful disposition are subjects I could dwell upon at length. The Bishop always liked physical activity and therefore was always devoted to games and sports at which he displayed with high excellence. Baseball, football, handball, swimming, rowing, also walks appealed to him. While at the College in Rome he was Master of games. His going to Rome was brought about by Reverend Edward S. Keough, D.D., now pastor of Holy Rosary, Pullman, Illinois, who was at the time Secretary to Archbishop Quigley, and had charge of the students studying for the Arch- diocese of Chicago. It was his policy to send every student to Rome whom he thought had the ability to profit by the course of studies there as also of the opportunities that life in the Eternal City afforded. Dr. Keough had taught Bishop Griffin in St. Gabriel's High School, knew what he could do, and ac- cordingly arranged for his going to Rome as soon as it was possible. 19 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Mr. Joe McCarthy, the eminent Chicago architect, was a boyhood chum and school companion of Bishop Griffin, lie writes as follows : I first met the young man destined to be the Bishop of Springfield in Illinois in September of 1897. I had just arrived in Chicago from the East to take up a permanent residence and attend high school. As it happened, young Griffin was the first person I met in Chicago outside of my immediate family. He was probably fourteen years old at the time and I about thirteen. We entered high school together and finished together in the class of 1901. I recall him clearly during those four years as an unusual character. He had great bodily strength ; was possessed of a great deal of energy and played excellent baseball, football and similar school-boy games. He was al- ways the soul of honor. He possessed a naturally cheerful disposition and I have never been able to recall any display on his part of ill-temper. True, as a boy, I saw him fight, but he was a clean, determined fighter, never giving up until he or his opponent was thoroughly beaten, and then he was ready to shake hands and smile. If there was an honorable way out of a boyish argument he never fought, but if a fight was inevitable, he was ready for it. This is still his spirit, violence, of course, omitted. His cheerfulness was proverbial. There is no doubt but what his home life was greatly responsible for this. His father, a highly cultured gentleman and a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, greeted every visitor to the Griffin home with a warm and sincere smile ; his mother, a very kind woman, was noted too for her warmth and cordial hospitality and her ability to make everyone who entered her home feel perfectly at ease. There was always an air of optimism in this truly Christian home and the future Bishop could not fail to imbibe this spirit of domestic sunshine. I was a frequent visitor at the Griffin home during my high school days, and as I see the pleasant good humored and witty Bishop of today, I am always reminded of his happy home environment, where frowns were unknown. When the young man had completed two years of high school, he felt a slight urge for a life of commerce. He had secured a clerical position during the summer of 1899 and had progressed faster than he expected. _ As the opening of the Fall term of school approached he was debating in his mind whether he should return to school. Perhaps he had dreams of conquering the business world. The success he enjoyed lured him onward commercially. He had a knack for figures and has to this day. He confided in me one evening just before school opened that he was not quite sure whether or not he should return to school. I, conscious of the fact that there were but four young men in a co-educational class of twenty-seven, and fearing a reduction in male com- panionship, rather selfishly urged him to come back to school. He listened to my advice; he returned to his school, took up his studies with renewed energy and became an even more successful student, going so far as to win the medal for public speaking. I fully believe it was upon his return to his third year in high school that he felt the call to his vocation. I take no credit for urging him to return other than, as I said before, I had a selfish motive in mind. It matters nothing now. His career was foreordained. Towards the close of our last year in school, we drifted apart. Nothing could be more natural. He was on the high road to Orders. Graduation came in 1901 and we separated. He Avent his way, preparing for his further studies ; I for the field of architecture. I had left Chicago for a while in 1903, when he sailed away to Rome, urged onward by our old friend and tutor, the Reverend Dr. Keough, to complete his studies for the priesthood. He returned a priest, in 1910. 20 THE BISHOP 1 had the happiness to he present at his first Mass in the old Parish Church, and sat al table with him immediately after as the guest of the Pastor, Rev. M. J. Dorney. There was no change in his smiling cheerful disposition, in his admirable humility, nor in his loyalty and affection for his old friends. His mind reflected the years of study and discipline in Rome and we saw poise, self- confidence, and the ease of discourse that education develops. 1 saw him frequently afterwards, as a curate beloved by all; as a Pastor, successful in administration. While 1 always believed he had the attributes of a good leader, and would perform excellently and cheerfully any task put before him, still due to his instinctive humility I never expected that out of the obscurity he always maintained he would be called upon to wear a mitre. I am not surprised that he is a Bishop. 1 was surprised, however, that the light he carried showed through the bushel. When we were in school, James Griffin was always referred to as "square," meaning, of course, that he was scrupulously honest, impartially just, and un- swerving in loyalty. He possesses these traits today, unspoiled and untarnished by success, and it is safe prophecy that he will retain those qualities to his death, beloved by all with whom he comes in contact and admired by all who shall wit- ness his progress. His Home Coming and First Appointment The Reverend James A. Griffin, D. D., returned to his beloved America and was appointed Assistant in St, James Parish, Chicago, on September 10, 1910. He soon gave strong evidence as to his clerical fibre by the very efficient manner in which he pursued his priestly ministrations, and carried himself personally under varying, almost contradictory and unusually trying circum- stances. St. James Parish was at one time, back around 1891, the flower of the flock, so to speak. Then after the World's Fair, it began to deteriorate, various causes contributing, but especially the influx of the colored people. It was a rather indifferent Parish, and locality when Father Griffin was Assist- ant there some twenty years later. Yet, there he was, a marked man, from September, 1910, to September, 1915. When in September, 1915, he went to St. Brendan's, Chicago, it was almost virgin soil ; a newly formed community ; a struggling congregation. But there, just as clearly and just as forcibly as at the former select St. James, he impressed himself as an all-around, light-hearted, hard-working hundred per cent Ameri- can priest. After that, in May, 1917, came the command from his Archbishop, to leave the city and betake himself to Coal City, Illinois, a village of very poor people, struggling against odds. Certainly, insofar as material things went, there was little to stimulate, and nothing to enthuse over. The young Pastor of Coal City bore himself as though every feature was ideal, and ere long had turned the tide, an improved church, a splendid parochial school with consecrated nuns in charge, and what was more, his imprint of devotion was there. Father Griffin was Pastor of Coal City during the stirring days of the World War and took an active part in every patriotic movement to the great benefit of the foreign born element in that mining town. He served as a mem- ber of the Grundy County Exemption Board, was Chairman of the Red Cross, took a leading part in Liberty Loan Drives and War Savings Certificates, and 21 DIOCESE OF SPIJINOFIELD IN ILLINOIS was constantly in demand as a Four Minute Man. During it all and in spite of it all, he built np Coal City parish spiritually and materially, intellectually and morally, crowning it all with the erection of a fine new parochial school and convent. The writer received the following excellent story from a leading citizen of Coal City and feels constrained to give it here to illustrate the character of the man who later on was to rule the destinies of a great diocese. During the war it was fashionable, and sometimes profitable, to insult American citizens of German extraction and so it was in Coal City, it seems. At that time there lived in Coal City a man who held a lucrative position with the Federal Government. He found himself, or rather his job, slipping, so he looked around for a means of strengthening himself and preserving his position. He drew up a list of names — men and citizens of German extraction — whom he called pro-German. Armed with the list, he started down town. With head erect, and proud, secure tread, he wended his way toward the office of the proper authority. On the way he had the bad fortune to run into young Father James A. Griffin, who stopped him and entered into conversation with him regarding the War. During the conversation, the "patriot" informed Father Griffin that he had a list of "Pros," which he displayed. Father Griffin's quick eye scanned the names. Quivering with indignation, his eyes flashing fire, he tore up the list, flung the scraps to the street and stamped upon them. Then addressing the "patriot" he said: "Why, sir, I know every man on your list, and each is as patriotic as you or 1 ! Come man, take me around Coal City, point out to me a single 'pro' and I will punish him and reward you. ' ' That act of Father Griffin saved those honest American citizens from much embarrassment, and silenced most effectively the oily tongue of a self- seeking politician. That one act casts a flood of light upon the character of the man. His work at Coal City is best told by the Reverend George A. Parker, D. D., his immediate successor at Coal City. I succeeded Bishop Griffin as Pastor of Assumption Church, Coal City, Illinois, June, 1921, where his name is still held in benediction for his heroic work during the War and the influenza epidemic. Bishop Griffin was appointed Pastor of Coal City, May 14, 1917, by our present Ordinary. Coal City is rated as an Italian Parish, and all Pastors there «o far have spoken Italian. However, in our school we had nineteen dif- ferent nationalities, which is characteristic of mining towns. During the Flu epidemic, Bishop Griffin was the only doctor most of the miners knew, as they had little faith in the local physician. Once they took sick, they barricaded themselves in their homes, and the Bishop checked up on those who had not been seen for several days, got into their homes, loaded them into his Ford and brought them to the High School, which was turned into an emer- gency hospital. There were over two hundred deaths in Coal City, a town of about two thousand people, from the Flu. It is easy to understand how he en- deared himself to those poor miners by his physical and spiritual ministrations. During the War, Father Griffin, who always took a very active part in civic affairs, was a member of the Grundy County Draft Board, Chairman of THE BISHOP the Coal City War Savings Stamp Club, and Chairman of the Finance Commit- tee of the Red Cross for Grundy County. As most of the miners were for- eigners, who could not read or write English, the Bishop was the amanuensis, corresponding with the War Department and the Red Cross to obtain for the par- ents the proper allotment, or endeavoring to locate a son who was "missing in action" in France. I might add that while pastor he built the first parochial school in Coal City, in September, 1919, and had an enrollment of two hundred eighty-seven pupils when I succeeded him. His work at Coal City having attracted the attention and won the ad- miration of Archbishop Mundelein, he was in 1921 promoted to the important post of Pastor of St. Mary's Church, Joliet, Illinois. The people of Coal City, irrespective of creed or affiliation, had learned to know and love Father Griffin. They were heart-broken over his going away from them. They planned a big reception in his honor— so big it had to be staged in the open air, and it is stated that several thousand people partici- pated. Mr. W. McDonald acted as chairman and introduced Reverend B. D. Rogers, a boyhood friend of Father Griffin, as the first speaker. Mr. Thomas M. Moran, a Trustee, spoke in behalf of the congregation and presented Father Griffin with a purse of five hundred dollars. Other speakers were : Rev. Moses Kiley, Rev. L. O 'Sullivan, Rev. T. O'Brien, Hon. E. F. Booth, County Superintendent of Schools, and many others. Father Griffin's response touched every heart and few dry eyes gazed out upon the departing pastor. Father Griffin had not been long in St. Mary's, Joliet, e'er a dark shadow fell across his pathway and sent a chill to his manly heart. In August, 1921, his noble father, his loyal friend and counsellor from boyhood days, Thomas Griffin, died, but his death was worthy of such a Catholic father. His record finally reached Rome, and so from that Shrine which gave an Archbishop to San Francisco, a Bishop to St. Joseph, Mo., and a Pastor to Chicago, from whose original Parish, St. Anne's, nineteen other Parishes were carved, came the entirely unexpected Bishop of Springfield in Illinois, Right Reverend James Aloysius Griffin, D. D. So far what has been his dominant characteristic? Well, in one word it was and it is that superior quality of St. Thomas Aquinas — humility. For humility is the parent of all the virtues and, there- fore, of obedience. If, said the man of Aquin, pride be the most repugnant to God, then the opposite, humility, must be the most acceptable. Of such is the Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D. D., a humble follower of the lowly Nazarene. Bishop Griffin Sounds Keynote of His Future Policy in Masterly Installation Sermon On the 10th day of November, 1923, our Holy Father, Pope Pius XI, appointed Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D. D., Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. On February 25, 1924, he was solemnly consecrated Bishop in the Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago, Illinois, by His Grace, Most Reverend George W. Mundelein, D. D., assisted by the Right Reverend Samuel 23 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS A. Stritch, D. D., Bishop of Toledo, Ohio, and the Right Reverend E. P. Hoban, D. D., Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, as co-consecrators. A large number of Bishops, Monsignori, Priests, Nuns and the laity filled the Cathedral and many there were who could not gain admission on that auspicious occasion. Among those present were the Bishop's venerable mother, his four brothers and five sisters, two of the latter, Sisters of Mercy. After his consecration, the Bishop went to the pew where knelt his venerable mother, Mrs. Catherine Griffin, and after embracing her, he imparted his first episcopal blessing to her, to whom, under God, he owes all that he is and all that he was on that blessed day. Right Reverend Bernard J. Mahoney, D. D., Bishop of Sioux Palls, South Dakota, preached the Consecration sermon, a masterpiece, whose concluding words were: "Thus clothed in the vesture of a high priest, wearing the white surplice of the cleric, the tunic of the sub-deacon, the dalmatic of the deacon, the chasuble of the priest, crowned with mitre, sceptered with the crozier, the new Bishop leaves here today amid the triumphant strains of the Te Deum and carries with him our best wishes and our hope that for many years he may lead the priests and people of the Diocese of Springfield along the path that ends in life eternal." Installation Ceremonies Thursday, February 28th, 1924, marked an epoch in the life of the Diocese. Prom that day forward what had been known as the Diocese of Alton was to be known as the Diocese of Springfield, in Illinois. Bishop Griffin, accompanied by his venerable mother, Mrs. Catherine Griffin, his brothers and sisters, many other relatives and friends among the laity, about two hundred priests from Chicago, Joliet and other cities, came on a special train Wednesday afternoon from Chicago. A large delegation of priests and laymen from the Springfield Diocese met his train at Lincoln, Illi- nois, and extended to him a royal welcome. Another delegation, over five thousand, met the Bishop's party at the C. & A. depot, Springfield, and gave him an ovation that must have filled his heart with joy. Thousands of men, women and children lined the streets from the depot to the Cathedral, while other thousands crowded and crushed into every inch of space around, and for blocks away from the Cathedral. Thursday morning, the day of the installation, was ushered in with bursts of glorious sunshine symbolic of heaven's smiles upon the celebration which was to give the State Capital a Cathedral, and the Cathedral a Bishop. Sev- eral hundred priests met in and around the School Hall, donned cassock and surplice, and marched two abreast into the Cathedral. After them came the Monsignori, Bishops, His Grace, Most Reverend George W. Mundelein, D. D., who had come in the Pope's name to install the new Bishop, and finally the new Bishop, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D. Hundreds of Nuns occupied seats in the side aisles, while the Bishop's mother, his sisters, brothers and other near relatives, occupied front pews specially reserved for them. Two thrones had been prepared in the Sanctuary, 24 Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Laying of Cornerstone by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., Bishop, August 15, 1921 TL 118' IEBSFTY Kt THE BISHOP one on the Epistle side for the Metropolitan of the Province, and another on the Gospel side for the new Bishop. The Archbishop, standing on his throne, robed in full Pontificals, the representative of Christ's vicar, delivered his exhortation full of pathos and thrilling with eloquence. His Grace then led the new Bishop to his throne and installed him as the Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. The Hon. James M. Graham, of Springfield, delivered an address in the name of the laity of the Diocese welcoming the new Bishop and pledging loyalty and co- operation. Very Rev. E. L. Spaulding, Administrator of the Diocese, next spoke for the Clergy, pledging their hearty, whole-souled co-operation with their Bishop. The Clergy of the Diocese then advanced two by two, knelt on the step of the throne, kissed the Bishop's ring, pledging their obedience to him. That demonstration of faith, love and loyalty touched the heart and soul of Bishop Griffin so intensely that he could not hide his emotions. The Bishop then arose, robed in full Pontificals and clothed with all the authority, power and responsibility of his office as Bishop of the Diocese, delivered his charge to his Clergy and the laity. He said in part: "The man- date just read to you constitutes my introduction. From this day forward I am the Bishop of Springfield, and you are my dear devoted priests and people, gladly ready to follow my leadership in the further building of the Church's work and in the practice of those deeds of virtue and of heroism for which it is noble to live and sweet to die. "Relying on the patronage of your good will, I advance with obedience to the work and may that Infinite Power which rules the destinies of the uni- verse, lead our councils to what is best and give them a favorable issue for the peace and prosperity of the Diocese. "Let us not trust in human effort alone, but humbly acknowledging the power and goodness of Almighty God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who has at all times been revealed in our Church's history, let us invoke His Blessing upon our labors. "Leadership must be faithful, it must lie wise and fearless — not the leadership which will command the applause of the hour, but the approving judgment of God and of posterity. In our present situation, duty, and duty alone, should prescribe the boundary of our responsibilities and the scope of our undertakings. May God give me the wisdom and the prudence to perform my duties." After referring to the dignity, honor and responsibility of the priest- hood, he said: "You may depend on it that those who boast or think that the battle against the Church has been fought and won are reckoning without their host. The cardinal facts and truths of the Master's teachings are 'The Citadel of Civilization. ' "With its downfall would come the commencement (and the pledge) of decay in the civilization of the world." 25 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS After paying a ringing tribute to the pioneer priests and Catholic laity of the Diocese, who made possible the day's celebration, he said: "If we have a living faith in God, the Father of the human race, revealed to us through Jesus Christ, His Son, if we have faith in love as the law of life, in love as the ideal of existence; if Christianity means to live and love; if it means to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God — then woe to us shepherds of the Church, if in this hour when the world is open to us, when the gates are flung apart, and law is being established where law was never known before — woe to us if we have not a message or lack courage to de- liver that message. "A Bishop is a General in the great army of which the Pope is the Com- mander-in-Chief. He is the law-maker and enforcer of the statutes of the Diocese. He is the successor of the Apostles with wonderful opportunities for promoting God's glory and the salvation of souls, and of earning treasures of merit incalculable, — hence the glory of a Bishop's life. In the exercise of the power of order and jurisdiction which the Holy Father has committed to me as a sacred trust, I hereby consecrate myself today." After exhorting both Clergy and laity to labor for the unity of the Diocese, working for the education of our citizens, for the spirit of virtue and morality, for a more generous sympathy between all races and classes, he said : "What the world needs today is not a new system of ethics. It is simply a larger number of people who will make a steady effort to live up to the system that we have already. There is plenty of room for heroism in the plainest kind of duty. The greatest of all wars has been going on for centuries. It is the ceaseless, glorious conflict against evil that is in the world. Every warrior who will enter this age-long conflict may find a place in the army, win his spurs, achieve honor and attain favor with the great Captain of the Host if he will but do his best to make life purer and finer for every one who lives it. "Lastly, we must not forget the many heroic examples of the laity who have honored this city of Springfield with their labors and sacrifices. From the many I might select him who has become a national character in the minds and hearts of the citizens of this great republic, Abraham Lincoln. The single light that led his feet along the hard highway of life, was justice; the single thought that throbbed his brain to sleep was justice; the single prayer that put in whispered words the might and meaning of his soul, was justice; the single impulse that lingered in a heart already wrung by the nation's grief, was justice. My friends, we must live so that the spirit of this great man shall settle all about our lives and deeds. "Listen to the wisdom of this man. Is it not a fitting guide to our foot- steps in this the beginning of our work ? ' With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us finish the Avork we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care not merely for the widows and orphans, but also for the spiritual welfare of all who will accept our loving and disinterested ministrations ! ' "Lincoln once stood on the battlefield and said of the brave men who paid 26 TUE BISHOP the supreme sacrifice, words as noble as any countryman of ours ever spoke. Let us stand in this city, where his mortal remains are at rest and his monu- ment erected, and say of our predecessors in the Faith and in the office to which we are heir, what Lincoln said of the soldiers who died at Gettysburg. These are the words he uttered: 'We cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far beyond our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it cannot forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work, which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion ; that we here highly resolve, bishop, priests and people, that these dead shall not have died in vain.' "May God make us worthy of the memory of Abraham Lincoln." Banquet in St. Nicholas Hotel At noon a banquet was spread in the St. Nicholas Hotel which was enjoyed by all who attended. Present at the banquet were : His Grace, Most Reverend George W. Mundelein, D. D., Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D. D., Right Reverend P. J. Muldoon, D. D., Right Reverend Samuel A. Striteh, D. D., Right Reverend Bernard J. Mahoney, D. D., Right Reverend Henry Althoff, D. D., Right Rev- erend E. F. Hoban, D. D., Monsignori E. Kelly and J. Schlarmann, and about four hundred priests. Very Reverend E. L. Spalding was Toastmaster, a position which he filled with grace and dignity. Among the toasts responded to was one on "Our Bishop," by Very Reverend J. Murphy, R. D. Dean Murphy perorated his remarks by handing the Bishop a purse of some twelve thousand dollars, a love token from the Diocesan Clergy. The Bishop responded in his own captivating style. He told the priests how delighted he was with the reception he had received and that he realized he was among his friends, that his priests had forced that conclusion upon him, that he had their esteem, their friendship and their love. ' ' Yes, ' ' he exclaimed, "and I am convinced that should I fail to gain your co-operation, it will be simply because I am unworthy of it." Visits Lincoln's Tomb Bishop Griffin, accompanied by more than two hundred priests and prominent members of the laity visited Lincoln 's Tomb in the afternoon, placed a wreath thereon and delivered a patriotic address in which he lauded the name of Lincoln as an inspiration to free men all over the world. Crvic Reception The State Armory was packed that evening as it never was before. It was estimated that ten thousand people were crowded into that historic building, 27 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS every available nook and corner having been pressed into active service. It was a happy, enthusiastic gathering in which every color and creed was rep- resented. Catholics, Protestants, non-believers and Jews jostled and pushed one another to gain admission. Non-Catholic Ministers and Jewish Rabbis sat side by side with Catholic Bishops and priests on the stage that night. The immense audience was on tip-toe of expectancy to get a glimpse of 1he new Bishop in whose honor they had gathered. Before Bishop Griffin and the other great dignitaries appeared, a stately, venerable lady entered quite unostentatiously. Some one shouted : "There's Bishop Griffin's mother!" As if moved by one mighty impulse that immense crowd rose to their feet, cheered and clapped, clapped and cheered for very joy in honor of her through whom came the man whom all desired to honor — Eight Reverend James A. Griffin, D. D. It was a wonderful demonstration — a thrilling ovation, all the greater and all the more touching because absolutely spontaneous. Very Reverend E. L. Spalding opened the meeting in his own delightful manner, then transferred the reigns to Hon. S. A. Bullard, Mayor of Spring- field, who presided as chairman. Governor Len Small was represented by his son-in-law, Colonel L. Inglesh, who spoke for the Governor and the great State of Illinois. The Hon. Edwin Burke spoke for the City of Springfield. The Right Reverend Peter J. Muldoon, D. D., of Rockford, paid a wonderful tribute to Bishop Griffin, the guest of the evening. The Bishop's response was a burst of eloquence seldom equalled, if ever approached, in the City of Springfield. His words came from a heart filled to the very brim with gratitude for all that Springfield and the Diocese had done to honor him that day. The tears and the smiles played with each other on his manly face as he endeavored to express his gratitude to one and all, even to the Rev. Gypsy Smith, for his broad-minded spirit of brotherly feeling so beau- tifully expressed by his having interrupted his revival meetings in the Armory in order to accommodate the Bishop and his friends that night. The Bishop's magnificent address was a fit crown for the ending of a perfect day. His re- marks may be summed up in this one significant sentence: "I hope I may live long enough to return in some small measure the tremendous debt of gratitude that I deem is due to the clergy and the people of this city and diocese for the unusual tribute of which I am the recipient." Joliet's Farewell to Bishop Griffin The citizens of Joliet, non-Catholic and Catholic, realizing the loss they sustained in the removal of their Pastor from their midst, cordially invited him to return to their city soon after his installation in Springfield, that they might have an opportunity of proving to him and to the whole world how completely he had won the hearts of all, irrespective of church affiliation. He celebrated Pontifical High Mass in St. Mary's Church, Joliet, Sunday morning, March 2nd, 1924. For the second time in the history of St. Mary's Church, Joliet, was the scene of the first Pontifical Mass of its Pastor made a 28 THE BISHOP Bishop. Here Bishop Griffin followed in the footsteps of the late lamented, scholarly Bishop, Maurice F. Burke, who, thirty-six years ago, became Bishop and returned to celebrate his first Pontifical Mass in St. Mary's. The church was beautifully decorated in the Bishop's colors, purple and gold, and a patriotic touch was given the whole scene by flags draped in the side aisles and bunting in national colors along the choir gallery. The church was crowded to the doors, all anxious to gaze on the familiar figure of him whom all Joliet revered. Rev. W. A. Murphy of Chicago, classmate of the Bishop in St. Ignatius College and the North American College, Rome, preached an inspiring sermon on the Catholic Church and the position of a Bishop in her constitution. He commented on Bishop Griffin's escutcheon bearing the inscription "With Faith and Fortitude," and emphasized the necessity of these sterling virtues. "In this assembly in old St. Mary's this morning, a new note has crept in, a new emotion aroused, independent from those which have marked the celebrations of last week," said Father Murphy. "That feeling is tender and it's true. It comes as we view Bishop Griffin sitting among his friends, those associated with him in other days and other times, those whose bonds of friend- ship were forged in the long ago, and hence more sacred. "We are in old St. Mary's, the second church given him in his priesthood to live for and love. He is here among his flock he loved so tenderly when he was called away for greater duties. We are here amid the charm and poetry of the historic past. "With angelic feet the fathers of our Faith came through this valley along the winding streams of the Desplaines, more ancient than the Appian Way. The spirit of Joliet and Marquette still hovers about that river and sees the Faith rising like a mist from the water, and along its banks the spires of churches which follow the river to the sea. ' ' Civic Banquet for Bishop Griffin Bishop Griffin was the guest of honor at a great civic banquet given in Alamo Hall, Joliet on the following evening, Monday, April 3. Nigh one thousand leading citizens, representative of every creed in the city, were present at the banquet which was the largest ever held in Joliet. The Pastors of various Protestant Churches, representatives of the city, the county and the state, superintendents of schools, heads of commercial and civic organizations, visiting and local priests, all were there to honor the guest of whom the whole city was proud. Mrs. Catherine Griffin, mother of Bishop Griffin, his brothers and sisters were guests of honor. The speakers of the evening were Hon. T. F. Donovan, Senator R. J. Barr, Mayor Sehring, Peter F. McManus, H. E. Wood, Rev. W. H. Macpherson, pastor of St. John's Universalist Church, Joliet, Rev. Roger Middendorf, 0. F. M., Rev. E. 0. Leiser and Rev. J. Barrett, Attorney M. F. Lennon, General Chair- man, under whose direction the banquet was arranged, opened the meeting, greeted the guests, then turned the program over to Rev. H. Van Pelt, Pastor 20 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS of Sacred Heart Church, Joliet, whose .scintillating' wit put the audience in a delightful mood for the program. Father Leiser, intimate associate of Bishop Griffin for several years, said : "Without fear of contradiction, I make the statement that with our Pastor's removal, St. Mary's is suffering one of the greatest losses in its long and color- ful career. He has been the ideal priest, the gentleman, the saint, the scholar. St. Mary's memories of Bishop Griffin will be reckoned among her most cherished possessions. The work done by him in his short pastorate will con- tinue to give both mute and eloquent testimony to his priestly zeal and ardent love. The honors and glories, distinctions and successes that the future holds for him will be proudly shared by the flock he served so well in Joliet." Mr. H. E. Wood, custodian of records for the Illinois Commerce Commis- sion, commented on the fact that in his hour of triumph the first picture the Bishop had taken was with his dear mother. In his success he remembered the mother who had guarded him in childhood, counselled him in boyhood and inspired him in young manhood, thus demonstrating his sterling character as a man, a citizen and a great churchman. The picture of the Bishop and his mother referred to by Mr. H. W. Wood, gripped the hearts of millions of people in all lands as that picture had an international circulation. Mayor Sehring said : ' ' This gathering proves how well our city is fortified. Religion must be the foundation stone of every community. We are proud of our churches, and proud of this great demonstration in honor of Bishop Griffin and we assure him a cordial welcome whenever he returns to our city, which his presence has honored and strengthened. ' ' Senator R. J. Barr made the presentation address and handed Bishop Griffin a check for almost eight thousand dollars, Joliet 's gift to him. Bishop Griffin responds : "It is almost impossible for me to express my feelings over this representa- tive audience which has assembled here tonight," said Bishop Griffin. "It is equally difficult for me to express the depth of my gratitude. If I lived to be a century old, I could not discharge my indebtedness to Joliet. It is with a feeling of deep exaltation that I contemplate the events of the last week cul- minating in this magnificent demonstration tonight, and I return my grati- tude to God. ' ' There are few places in the world where there could be gathered so many creeds and peoples as are here tonight, and I view it as a crowning tribute to my life. Feeling my helplessness to express my appreciation of your gen- erosity, I can only say, I thank you." Bishop Griffin's Slogan: "Each of Us Will Endeavor to Outdo the Rest of Us in the Amount of Good Done by All of Us" The writer of these lines visited St. Mary's Rectory, Joliet, before Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D. D., was consecrated. During his conversation with one of the Assistant Pastors at St. Mary's, the following facts were re- vealed : "Your Bishop will not build a Cathedral or busy himself about material 30 THE BISHOP things for some time. That is not his way of going about things. His first and greatest ambition will be to tour his Diocese, get the lay of the land, become acquainted with his Clergy and their people, study the needs of the Diocese as a whole and the individual Parish as a unit, labor to build up the intellectual, moral and spiritual life of his Diocese — then and then only will he turn his thoughts and his indomitable will power towards a new Cathedral." How well that Joliet priest understood his Pastor, facts have triumphantly vindicated. Another remark by the Joliet priest, a German-American, made a deep impression on the writer. It was this: "Here we are, two assistants to Father Griffin — one an Irish-American, and the other, a German-American. We have both lived and labored with Father Griffin; we have observed his tactics care- fully and studied them at close range to see if we could detect any racial pref- erences. Never at any time or in any place has either of us detected the shadow of favoritism on his part." Here is a clever adage. When he came here as Pastor he said on one occasion: "The policy in this Parish during my pastorate will be this: 'Each of us will endeavor to outdo the rest of us in the quantity and quality of good work done by all of us.' And that policy was strictly adhered to during Father Griffin's pastorate here," remarked the second Assistant in St. Mary's, Joliet. Every priest in the Springfield Diocese agrees with the writer when he says that the Joliet policy has been the Springfield policy of Bishop Griffin from the day of his installation to the present moment, so much so that the pace set by the Bishop all along the line has tested and tried the youngest, most ambitious and stalwart of his priests. His one burning desire seems to have been and is "Let each of us endeavor to outdo the rest of us in the amount of good done by all of us for God, for souls, for church, home and country." His attitude towards his priests all the time and everywhere has been and is, what it was towards his Assistants in St. Mary's, Joliet, — treat all alike on the basis of honest endeavor and service rendered by the several priests of his Diocese. His guiding spirit in his attitude towards his priests may be found in the words of St. Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles: "God is no respecter of persons." Touring His Diocese Almost immediately after installation, Bishop Griffin started a visitation, and within a year had visited every Parish and every institution within the confines of the Diocese. Let us here pause a moment to take a view of the task he entered upon. The Diocese covers an area of 15,139 square miles and em- braces twenty-eight counties. In that territory are 170 churches and missions, 24 charitable and educational institutions, 62 parochial schools, and a Catholic population very close to 100,000 souls. The Bishop laid out a program for himself and adhei-ed to it con- scientiously. Neither the biting cold of winter nor the scorching heat of summer interrupted that program; neither muddy roads nor flooded rivers in- 31 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS terfered with his objective. Sundays and week days looked alike to him. His one ambition was to know his Diocese, meet his clergy and laity, administer to the wants of his people, and bring God's blessing to every parish. Often he visited as many as four, five, six or seven parishes on one day, dedicating churches or schools, administering the Sacrament of Confirmation to hundreds, preaching as often as five, six or seven times a day. Besides his sermons in churches, oft was he called upon to deliver addresses before civic bodies. On his first tour of the Diocese he was acclaimed by admiring crowds wherever he went ; he was given the keys of the cities, was received with evidences of great joy, and loaded with honors by Catholics. The writer knows an instance where the Bishop had given Confirmation in several Parishes, had dedicated churches and schools, and at 9 P. M. started out for his final engagement of that day, or rather night. When he reached the city a big civic celebration awaited him ; an address by the Mayor, a re- sponse by the Bishop, then Confirmation and his day's work came to a close at 10 :40 P. M. The writer recalls a trip by the Bishop from Mt. Sterling to Pittsfield on a Confirmation tour. Having completed his work in Mt. Sterling, he started for Pittsfield in a touring car accompanied by four priests. The road was well nigh impassable, but the Bishop merely smiled when the car became anchored in the mud. All the tourists alighted and joined in efforts to rescue the mud- anchored car, but in vain. A traveling salesman came along in a Ford coupe, took in the situation, then turned tail and returned to Pittsfield, but not before the Bishop had pressed him into service. The Bishop having grabbed his satchel, jumped into the Ford, waved his hand at his mud-submerged priests, and said : "Will see you later," and he did! He was through with the Confirmation services e'er the priests reached Pittsfield. Calhoun County is noted for its apples, but it is also noted for its muddy, sticky dirt roads. The Bishop dared the Calhoun roads and came off a victor, though his clerical companions still shiver at thought of their experiences. June 5, 1924, will long be remembered by the Clergy and laity of Calhoun County, which, by the way, is absolutely innocent of such a luxury as a rail- road and was then also innocent of hard roads. On that day Bishop Griffin confirmed large classes in six churches. Kampsville came first, where he was given a notable reception and then he confirmed a class of sixty-five. At Michael another fine reception and a class of sixty-eight. Hardin tried to outdo Kampsville and Michael. Bells pealed their glad welcome over hill, dale, valley and river! Here he confirmed a class of sixty-eight. Meppen next with a class of ninety. On the way to Brussels the Bishop got a convincing proof of con- ditions in Calhoun County. A veritable downpour of rain lashed by a brisk wind drenched the Bishop and his clerical escort. The mud was simply un- navigable even by a Ford. By the use of chains, the Bishop and his party got out of ditches and through muddy roads on to Brussels where the largest crowd ever seen in that city welcomed him. It was such a veritable demonstra- 32 DfflVEtalTV Of IU THE BISHOP tion of faith and loyalty that the Bishop's smile was as contagious as on a bright summer day when birds are singing and flowers are perfuming the air. He gave a wonderful sermon which captivated non-Catholics and Catholics alike, making them forget the stormy weather and muddy roads. Here the Bishop confirmed a class of one hundred twenty-nine, the largest in the County. The Bishop remained in Brussels that night, making ready for another strenuous day in Jersey County on the morrow. The writer has singled out Calhoun County because it is typical of the conditions met by the Bishop while carrying out his program to visit, see and understand every corner of his Diocese. It might as well be stated here as elsewhere that wherever the Bishop went in his Diocese he carried his Chancery Office with him in his grip and transacted all business referred to him by the various Pastors. The Catholic Instruction League in the Springfield Diocese Although there had always been some effort to instruct in their religion the children not in attendance at Parish Schools, still there was no organization along these lines until 1924. At that time the Right Reverend Bishop with the help of Father John Lyons, S. J., of Chicago, General Director of the Cath- olic Instruction League, formed sixteen centers and placed the Reverend Louis Hufker, Assistant at SS. Peter and Paul's, Springfield, Illinois, in charge as Director. Some forty teachers were gathered together and began their work of instructing more than six hundred children. Father Hufker, who had had much experience in this work and was deeply interested in it, succeeded in arousing a great deal of enthusiasm among the teachers and the movement has progressed steadily ever since. The Springfield centers were well organized and others were opened at Decatur and Alton and in various rural sections. In 1926 Bishop Griffin thought it best to place this work under control of the Diocesan Department of Education and in June appointed the Reverend Edward J. Cahill, A. M., Superintendent of Schools, Director of all C. I. L. activities. Recognizing that the work could not progress properly and satisfactorily unless the lay teachers engaged in it were well trained, Bishop Griffin decided to open a Teachers' Institute in catechetics. Under Father Cahill's direction such classes were held at the Ursuline Academy in Springfield, Illinois, from June 21 to June 30, 1927. A letter was sent out to all the Pastors informing them of the fact and asking them to choose and send in two or three of their best or most likely teachers of catechism. All the expenses of these out-of-town students were borne by the Bishop. One hundred twenty-four young women, many of them school teachers, attended this Normal, under the direction of Reverend Joseph L. Scott, S. J., of Rockhurst College, Kansas City. The program was very thorough, em- bracing classes and drill work in Church Music by the Rev. Anthony M. Jaschke, Diocesan Director of Music, Hymn Singing for groups by Sister 33 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Francis of the Ursuline Academy, Group Games and Recreational work under the direction of the Reverend George M. Nell of the "Parish Activities" of Effingham, Illinois, and Folk Dancing and Games for children by Miss Edith Feldhage and Miss Eck of Springfield. Mr. Arthur T. Noren, City Superin- tendent of Playgrounds, very kindly loaned some equipment and gave several demonstrations on methods. Those in attendance represented more than forty-five parishes and thirty-six cities and towns from all over the Diocese. This was the first institute of the kind to be carried on in the United States under Catholic auspices and is a living monument to the foresight and vision of Bishop Griffin. His energy and zeal proved infectious and these young women returned home with a better understanding of their Faith and the firm determination to be of assistance to their Pastors in the noble and holy cause of instructing the young so that they may be devout, intelligent Catho- lics and upright citizens, loyal to God and Country. In connection with this great work, it is thought proper here to record the fact that the Bishop's heart has gone out to the people, young and old, from Italy, Lithuania, Slovania and other foreign lands, and he has done all in his power to aid them intellectually, morally and spiritually. Immediately after his coming to the Diocese, he secured Rev. P. Zavatta and Rev. M. Martiniano, Missionaries, to conduct a week's mission for the Italian people at his Cathedral in January, 1925. The Bishop himself preached in Italian during the mission and thus greatly pleased them. So grateful were they that a delegation of laymen called on the Bishop and the missionaries to thank them at the end of the Mission. Some months ago Bishop Griffin gave another eloquent proof of his love for, and his interest in, the Italian people, when he secured the services of an able, energetic and zealous Italian priest, the Reverend Marc Marangos, who, for months has been touring the Diocese, visiting the Italian colonies, preaching missions, celebrating Mass, and doing all in his power to bring the blessings of Holy Church to the sons and daughters of sunny Italy whose lot is cast in this part of the world. Thus the Bishop has blazed the way for others in the great work of Americanization, especially among the descendants of those who have come to our beloved country to seek a home, liberty and a fair chance to make a living. The Bishop realizes that our hopes for the future of those young Americans lies in the bosom of the Catholic Church, the Christianizer and civilizer of the nations. Bishop Griffin's Work for Vocations to the Priestly and Religious Life The Bishop's tour of the Diocese taught him much, but one of the first and most important things that was indelibly impressed on his practical mind was the necessity of developing more vocations among our boys and girls for the priestly and religious life. Like his Master in the long ago, he saw that the harvest is ripe but the laborers are far too few. He saw the need for more priests to preach the Gospel of Mercy, more consecrated teachers for our 34 THE BISHOP schools, more Sisters for hospitals and charitable institutions if he would answer calls from various parts of his Diocese. To this end, Bishop Griffin wrote to Very Reverend D. J. Ryan, head of the Diocesan Mission Board, in- structing and urging the Diocesan Missionaries to extend the domain of their labors by conducting retreats for the Catholic children, both in parochial and public schools, stressing in a particular manner the religious life to the end that vocations to the priesthood and sisterhood and teaching brotherhoods may increase and so keep pace with the demands for more consecrated laborers in the Lord's Vineyard. Father Ryan immediately communicated the Bishop's instructions to every Pastor in the Diocese, in consequence of which such retreats have been con- ducted in various parishes with very happy results. Bishop Griffin's Work for the Catholic Press The Bishop's tour of his Diocese convinced him most conclusively that the Catholic press must be made the strong right arm of the pulpit in this portion of the Lord's vineyard if he wishes to reap the full measure of success which his position as chief shepherd of the Diocese demands. He believes and holds with our illustrious Pontiff, Pope Pius XI, and with the American Hierarchy, that a fearless, enlightened, loyal Catholic Press is a necessity, especially in our day and country. Accordingly, thinking and act- ing with the Supreme Pontiff, the Bishop took practical steps to bring about results. On September 15, 1924, he sent for the editor of the Western Catholic, told him of his great desire to see that publication entering every Catholic home in his Diocese, and so become a means to carry Diocesan and parochial information and knowledge into the Catholic homes. With the Bishop's per- mission and approbation, the editor toured the Diocese and so great strides were taken towards the fruition of the Bishop's desire to have a real, live Catholic paper in his Diocese. The writer has no hesitancy in stating here that Bishop Griffin's work for the Catholic Press writes his name in large letters at the head of the list of American Bishops who have done great things for that end and purpose. Bishop Griffin Heads Diocesan Pilgrimage to Rome The year 1925 will live forever in the annals of time and eternity. It was Holy Year or Jubilee Year. Christ's Vicar, Pope Pius XI, so proclaimed it. His voice reached the entire Christian World and from every corner came back clearly, distinctly, reverently and resonantly the response: "Holy Father, we are coming to Rome — Rome Eternal — Rome, the center of Catholic Unity, Rome, the source of Catholic Authority, Rome, the home of the White Shep- herd, the Father of Christendom, to make the Jubilee visit to the Tombs of the Apostles, and receive the blessing of Christ's Vicar." The whole Catholic World was stirred to its very core, and the whole non -Catholic World marvelled at the mighty faith of Catholics. 35 lMOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Filled with that spirit of faith, fervor and loyalty, our Bishop announced early in 1925 that he himself would lead a Diocesan Pilgrimage to Rome. He, at the same time, exhorted as many of his Clergy and Catholic laity as could possibly do so to arrange for the Pilgrimage. On Thursday, July 9, Bishop Griffin accompanied by over twenty of his priests and eighty members of the laity, boarded their train in Springfield, Illinois, and on Saturday, July 11, 1925, sailed from Montreal, Canada, on the good ship, Ascania. On Wednesday, July 29, the pilgrims reached Rome and many of them for the first time beheld the majestic, mighty, Saint Peter's. During that trip Bishop Griffin was the inspiration and the life of the pilgrims. His one thought seemed to be to see that one and all were happy, were taken care of, and that nothing was lacking to make the pilgrimage happy, holy, and therefore memorable. The pilgrims spent ten days in Rome, visiting the four Basilicas to make their visits, visiting the sacred shrines and historic scenes forever sacred to the Catholic heart. During the days of preparation for the trip to Rome, and on the ocean liner, the question often recurred regarding the advisability and pro- priety of presenting a gift to the Holy Father. Even some of the Clergy insisted on thus proving their loyalty to the Father of Christendom. To every such appeal the Bishop turned a deaf ear and gave a decided, de- termined refusal. He is a Roman student, a Roman doctor, and he under- stands Rome — the Rome of the Popes. He understands the Pope and thinks with the Pope, hence, his gift to the Father of Christendom will be typically Griff inian — one not thought of by any other. He said : ' ' What the Holy Father appeals for and appreciates is faith, is loyalty and the gift that will bring most keen and most intense joy to the Holy Father's soul will be a gift resonant of faith and breathing the very soul of loyalty. While the Holy Father needs financial aid to carry on in foreign missions, still the Jubilee gift of all gifts, that will grip his soul is a spiritual gift — a gift resonant of faith and breathing loyalty." And so under the Bishop's own inspiration the following Spiritual Bouquet was drawn up and subscribed to by the Bishop himself, by every priest, and by every Religious Superior in the Diocese : Bishop Griffin Presents Spiritual Bouquet to Pope Pius at Audience Rome, August 8. — Pope Pius XI was surprised and delighted when Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D. D., Bishop of Springfield, presented him with a spiritual bouquet from the clergy of his Diocese at the audience granted the Springfield Pilgrimage on its visit to Rome. The bouquet was a beautifully illuminated booklet containing a pledge to say one Mass each year according to the intention of the Holy Father, signed by every priest in the Springfield Diocese. The Pope was so touched with this striking token of love and loyalty that he remained silent for fully five minutes upon reading it. He appointed Thanksgiving Day as the date upon which, 36 THE BISHOP annually, the Mass should be said. His special intention on that day, he an- nounced, was, that in America, knowledge, Faith and love of our Lord, Jesus Christ, might ever increase. Making a note of this intention in his notebook the Holy Father promised that he would annually celebrate Mass on the date specified in union with the priests of the Springfield Diocese for the same intention. The text of the Springfield bouquet to the Pope follows: iilost £?olp Jfathen-^umblp prostrate in the presence of Pour holiness, toe in the name of our Biocesan Clergp, in the name of the Religious of both sexes ana in the name of our beboteb, lopal Catholic laitp, here reneto our unshaken faith in this Apostolic H>ee, here proclaim our unbping lobe for the sacreb person of JJour holiness, anb here toe reiterate our untoabering bebotion anb lopaltp to the throne of the Jf isherman. 3fn response to the Jfatherlp inbitation sent out up 19our holiness, toe babe crosseb the ocean, trabeleb thousanbs of miles, far from home anb bear ones, to come to this, the Center of Catholic 3Unitp==tbis the Source of Catholic 9uthoritp-this the ^fountain &eab of Catholic Bebotion==this the ICobestone of Catholic ICopaltp-this the ©ibine tErcasurp of Celestial &iches. 2£olp Jfather, toe habe come here, leb on, guibeb bp the g>tar of Jfaith, to feast our epes on the "^Jicar of Christ, eben as t>ii> the 3Hise JWen in the long ago, leb on fap the £>tar, come to feast their epes anb their souls on their neto horn lUng, Christ Jesus. Hie habe come here in the name of our Biocesc, in the name of the diocesan Clergp, in the name of the Religious of both sexes, anb in the name of our beboteb, lopal Catholic laitp-all coulb not come-toe are here to repre- sent them all, in our oton name anb in their name, to make the Jubilee anb bissit the tomb of the prince of the Apostles, g>t. $eter, the first occupant of this Apostolic tEhrone, noto so gloriouslp filleb hp pour holiness. ©Be come here, most J^olp ifather, not onlp to receibe, but also to gibe-hence in our oton name, in the name of those absent as toell as those here present, toe again plebge to Christ's "tTicar our unbping lobe, our unflinching lopaltp anb be- botion. 3m testimonp thereof anb as a perpetual reminber of this falesseb occasion, toe offer to pour holiness a bouquet-not a perishable one, but a spiritual bouquet of infinite balue, composeb of Jilasses, ^olp Communions anb prapers-a bouquet tobose bloom shall enbure anb tohose aroma toill permeate the eternal pears abbing luster to heaben anb refulgence to the croton atoaiting pour holiness, as toorthp successor to $eter anb Uicar of Christ on earth. ©He, the Pishop of the BioceSe of ^pringfielb in Illlinios, in union toith our Biocesan Clergp, the Religious of both sexes, anb in the name of the beboteb, lopal Catholic people unber our care, plebge ourselbes as follotos: Jfirst-iSle, the bishop anb priests, plebge ourselbes to offer inbibibuallp once a pear a $olp jflass for the toelfare of fiour holiness. g>econb-©He, the Superiors of Religious Communities of both sexes in the Bio- cese, plebge ourselbes to habe a iHass saib once a pear in our Communitp Chapel 37 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS or Cfjurdj for fiour holiness;' toelfare, at tobicb Jflass tbe religious! tobo arc not priests, toill receibe 2&oIp Communion anb offer it for tfje toelfare of pour saereb person. Cf)irb-=<^ur beboteb, lopal Catfjolic people, both cbilbren anb abults, toill be instructeb bp us to prap bailp anb offer Communion once a pear for the intentions anb toelfare of our most 3£olp Jfatber, $ope $ius X3, "^Xicar of Cfjrist anb Uni- bcrsal pastor of Cbristenbom. 3(n testimonp tobereof, toe hereunto set our signatures as an act of lobe anb lopaltp. Me toisb eberp Catbolic in tfjc toorlb coulb babe seen tfje countenance of Christ's ^ T icar after the $?isbop bab presenteb bis Biocesan spiritual bouquet. ®be pontiff accepteb tfje gift as tbougb it bab fallen into bis hanbs from beaben. 3£e tbanbeb our bishop, b«£ clergp, religious anb tftc laitp of our Biocesc. l&z tolb boto bearlp anb tenberlp be abmires anb lobes bis American cbilbren anb all Americans, ©e rcmarfeeb tfjat no gift coulb or tooulb gibe bim more pleasure tban tbis spiritual gift from tbe bishop, tbe clergp, tbe religious anb laitp of tbeH>pringfielbBiocese. ^isljop Griffin tben rcquesteb tbe IDopc to fix tbe bap eacb pear on tobicb tbe JSisijop, priests, religious anb laitp of tbe Biocese tooulb mauc or reneto tbis spirit- ual gift. HMs holiness tbougbt for a moment tben remarbeb: "I9ou babe a ^banbs- gibing Bap in America eacb pear." 0m JSisbop replieb: "ges, ^olp Jfatbcr, toe babe." IKhz $ope tben saib: "{Kbanusgibing Bap eacb pear sball be tbe bap fixeb bp us. <0n tfjat bap eacb pear tbe Pisljop anb priests of pour Biocese toill celebrate j^olp fflass for tbe pope's intention. Whz religious anb laitp toill bear idtass anb receibc ?£o!p Communion for our intention, namelp, a greater faitb in, anb a more arbent lobe for SfeSus Cbrist among tbe noble, generous people of america-tbat America tobicb is so arbentlp anb so beeplp lobeb." How our hearts did throb on that blessed day in the Vatican ! Our Bishop had sensed the situation, therefore, had interpreted the mind of our Supreme Pontiff. Yes, our Bishop understands Rome and the heart of Christ's Vicar, therefore by his spiritual bouquet he knotted the heartstrings of his Diocese with those of the great, the saintly Pontiff, Pope Pius XI. Bishop Griffin's "Work for the World War Veterans It seems nothing escapes the trained eye of Bishop Griffin ! Take for example the work of finding, reporting, and tabulating the names of the Catholic boys who answered their country's call in the hour of danger, joined the colors, crossed the ocean, went to the front, entered the trenches, fought and died — gave the supreme test of their loyalty and their patriotism. D. J. Ryan, Director of the Bureau of Historical Records at Washington, D. C, was making heroic efforts to induce authorities in the several Dioceses in America to get the Clergy and laity in each Parish to report the names of Catholic men and women who had served their country during the World War. This was a most important work, a duty which we all owe to future generations of Catholics who may be called upon by bigots yet unborn to prove by facts and figures their patriotism during the World War. 38 THE BISHOP The Western Catholic had been doing its utmost to secure a satisfactory list for this Diocese, but its success was limited until April, 1924, when Bishop Griffin, through his Chancellor, sent a strong letter to the editor in which it was plainly stated that the Bishop desired to see every Parish's War Record in the Diocese properly executed and forwarded to Washington. Let us here quote a portion of that letter: "The Bishop is pleased that you have so persistently kept after this record and earnestly hopes that every pas- tor in this Diocese will aid fully in its completion. Every effort made towards this end is an effoi't made for the good of Holy Church, and the protection of Catholic citizens in the future." That letter brought immediate results. Within a month every Parish in the Diocese had made a complete report to the Western Catholic Office and that Office had made a complete report to Washington, D. C. The Bulletin, official organ of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, Washington, D. C, in its issue of June, 1924, praised Bishop Griffin because through his efforts the editor of the Western Catholic had received complete war records for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, one of the first Dioceses in the United States to report an exact list, proving it had furnished more than its quota of soldier boys during the World War. On September 4, 1924, the following telegram was received by the editor of the Western Catholic: Washington, D. C. Diocese of Springfield in Illinois now over quota. Additional names and records are pouring in so that Bishop Griffin's Diocese will go far beyond its quota of soldiers in the World War. Congratulations. (Signed) D. J. Ryan, Director of Historical Records. Due to the Bishop's interest in this patriotic work, his Diocese held an envied place of honor on the Roll Call of Catholic Service Men in Washington, D. C, during the National Holy Name Convention in September, 1924. During that Convention there took place a patriotic pilgrimage of the Holy Name dele- gates to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the National Cemetery at Arling- ton, Virginia. Thousands of Holy Name Men from all over, the United States gathered around that historic shrine to observe a simple ritual — a roll call of the Catholic Service men in the World War. On that proud occasion it was ob- served that Bishop Griffin's Diocese had gone away above its quota. The names of all Catholic World War veterans were then placed upon the Tomb of their unknown comrade as a sacrificial offering to the traditional patriotism of our Catholic manhood in every War, on every battle field and in every naval en- gagement of our country 's history. Typical Reception Accorded to the Bishop at Quincy Sunday, May 4th, 1924, will live in the memory of Quincy 's residents, as long as that memory functions. The Bishop visited Quincy on that day and as the reception extended to him was typical, we here devote a little space to its description. When his 39 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS train reached the Wabash depot all Quincy seemed there in gala attire to wel- come him. Between eight and ten thousand people, men, women and children, were there to extend to him their hearts and hands in one grand, glorious wel- come. The depot was packed for blocks around, every foot of space was taken, even the freight cars all over the yards were filled with typical American lads all eager to catch a glimpse of their beloved Bishop Griffin. The Bishop's keen eye twinkled with merriment as he beheld those hearty, healthful youngsters and he waved at them in real Griffin fashion which set the youngsters wild with delight. Quincy College Band was there and furnished music that caused the feet of the marching thousands to beat time on Quincy 's well-paved streets. From the depot to St. Peter's Church, the line of march was packed with other thousands who gave the Bishop a glad hand and a royal welcome. Fourth degree Knights of Columbus in full regalia acted as the Bishop's bodyguard. Sunday, May 4, 1924, fell in Music Week. It was Music Week in Quincy, and all over the United States. The Bishop was escorted into St. Peter's Church and because it was Music Week he gave a lecture on the history and de- velopment of music. It was a masterpiece. A non-Catholic gentleman who heard the Bishop, said: "I found pleasure in seeing and hearing Bishop Griffin. He is tall and athletic and possessed of a smile that is contagious. He tells a story well and adds to its effectiveness by his own pleasant manner. He has a good voice and a ready command of expressive language. His subject really was the influence of Italy on the music of the world. I do not know whether Bishop Griffin is a musician or not, but I do know that he has a won- derful knowledge of the history and evolution of music. He talked for forty minutes and he did not talk about anything but music, chiefly Italian music. He stuck to his subject." "Italian music to him was as simple and as understandable as anything could be. He covered the whole history of Italian music from the long, long ago to the present. He told of the rise of the opera, both grand and light. 'Naples,' he said, 'is the home of light opera.' He could not point to the present in Italy, in America, or anywhere else in the world as a time when there is appreciation of real music. Indeed he looks upon this as the period of musical decadence. Jazzy music, according to Bishop Griffin, shows the depths to which we have descended in this age of musical decadence. He is a believer in the uplifting influence of real music. As we go higher the other admirable arts, painting, sculpture, architecture, etc., occupy their proper station, but outshadowing them all is music. ' ' When the universe will be rolled up like a scroll and we are called home to our Father's Mansion up yonder, the other arts must hesitate at heaven's gate, but music will enter there and share in all the triumphant glories of the heavenly Jerusalem. Music is one of the greatest civilizing, educating and christianizing forces in all creation. The Bishop believes that the more we cultivate music, the more fully we will appreciate spiritual things, the things of the soul and of the Creator. He believes that the 'Wearing of the Green' 40 THE BISHOP has done more for Irish nationality than all her orators and statesmen. It was a great address, and one ever to be remembered." An editorial in Quincy 's daily paper paid him this compliment : "If Bishop James Griffin were not invested with clerical authority one would say that he was a 'good mixer' and a soul who could form acquaint- ances every minute of his life. He impressed all during his visit to Quincy with his very human qualities. "The Bishop surprises one with his youth. The common notion of a high churchman is one who is well past the sunny side of life and has cultivated asceticism until he is well out of the beaten path used by his fellow men. This impression Bishop Griffin instantly and effectively removes. He is scholarly, dignified and cultured without being above a good joke. "Coming from Chicago one could suspect Bishop Griffin of being a first- class baseball fan, perhaps a golf player, and a follower of sport the year round. Were he out of the clergy and a candidate for office, he would be an able vote-getter. "The impression after his two-day visit is that being the See City and having a resident Bishop is worth considerably more than any of us thought." The Bishop's experience in Quincy was duplicated quite faithfully wherever he visited throughout the Diocese, making due allowance of course for the size of the various cities and communities. The Bishop visited every church and Catholic institution in Quincy, his invariable custom wherever he goes. What Bishop Griffin Has Done for Education in His Diocese With characteristic insight into the needs of the times, Bishop Griffin was scarcely elevated to the episcopacy when he began to co-ordinate the educa- tional system of the Diocese. The Catholic School situation, it is true, was well taken care of and the Parish Schools were full to capacity but there was no uniformity of text-books or curricula and but little of that interchange of ideas and discussion of problems that makes for success and progress. As the first move in the solution of this problem, Bishop Griffin decided to appoint a Superintendent of Schools, the first in the history of the Diocese. After looking about for a suitable priest, he appointed the Reverend Edward J. Cahill, A. M. By reason of his being a native son of the city and Diocese as well as a priest whose training had been along scholastic lines he was admirably adapted to handle the situation in a sympathetic and thorough fashion. During his term of office the Diocese has been divided into eight districts which hold District Meetings from time to time and there is an annual Institute of all the Districts at Springfield. Here the representatives of the thirteen teaching Orders of Sisters meet and discuss the next year's program. After a careful examination of various texts by all concerned and comments on their merits and demerits, a uniform set of texts for the whole Diocese was settled upon and is now in use. Considerable progress has been made along the line 41 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS of obtaining proper credits and recognition by standardizing agencies and every Summer a large number of the Sisters take advanced courses at Catholic Universities, Notre Dame, De Paul, Loyola and St. Louis. As a consequence of all this, the schools of the Diocese can be rated very high by every standard of sound and modern education and are still making rapid progress. Bishop Griffin makes it a point to be present at the Annual Meeting or Institute of the teachers of the Diocese. After one such meeting, he wrote : "I have just returned from the first session of the Sisters' Institute, held at Sacred Heart Academy here in Springfield. This will be an annual affair, and I was much inspired this morning by the addresses and the various papers read. I realize now more than ever that we have plenty of leadership in educa- tional matters, and a very responsive body of teachers represented by the various orders in our diocese." There was no fault finding with the public system, or any other system. The keynote was where lies our strength and where our weakness, then how to make our system ever more efficient for the benefit of the student body com- mitted to our care. The secularization tendency, so prominent in the American life today, was emphasized. God has been driven from the class room, secular marriage is made popular and religion seems to exert little influence upon the industrial, social and intellectual life of our country. There is a general weakening in the moral standards of the American people. The Catholic Church views this tendency with alarm and has sounded a note of warning. She stands today four square, as always in the past, in her recognition of the Master's warning: "What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul." The ideals and the sacrifices of our clergy and religious emphasize the Kingdom of God and His justice and place us on record in defense of the rights of religion and its importance in daily life. The parochial school is no longer an experiment. The greatest religious fact in America today is the parochial school. It is an undeniable success. Not only the preachers of other denominations, but the vast majority of leaders of thought in American public life today recognize the importance and the necessity of religious training in the schools of our country if we are to serve well the succeeding generations. It is strange, indeed, that in spite of this general recognition of the necessity of religious education that some of our snobbish Catholics have not as yet had the vision or the ability to appreciate its significance. Bishop Griffin's WoPvK for the Orphans Elsewhere in this History you will find an excellent article on the Catholic Children's Home, or Diocesan Orphanage, but in this sketch of the Bishop we feel obliged to call attention to the fact that when he came to the Diocese in February, 1924, he found our Diocesan Orphanage built, equipped and taking care of several hundred fatherless, motherless little ones, thanks to the zeal of his predecessor, the Right Reverend James Ryan, D. D., of holy memory. 42 THE BISHOP But the Bishop immediately saw the necessity of establishing a line of communication between the orphans and the Catholic homes of the Diocese. This line of communication he established when he founded the Diocesan Magazine known as "Our Orphan Home." Today, that little white-winged angel pays a monthly visit to nigh every Catholic home and every Catholic rectory in the Diocese. It carries a personal message from the orphans, their teachers and their Chaplain — a message that pulsates with living realities — what the orphans are doing, what is being done to make them good boys and girls, useful members of society, an asset to their country and an honor to their Church. Today, as never before, the Catholics of our diocese, clergy and laity are in touch with the orphans and labor for their welfare all because Bishop Griffin had the vision to build up a line of communication between the Orphanage and the Diocese. Bishop Griffin and the Society for the Propagation of the Faith A cause ever dear and near to the Bishop's heart is the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. In season and out of season he has shown by word and act how anxious he was and is to see a branch of that great Society estab- lished in every parish in his diocese. Elsewhere in this History, the reader will find a detailed article on this society by the Diocesan Director. However, we deem it proper here to state that Bishop Griffin's Diocese, due to his leader- ship, the work of the Diocesan Director, the co-operation of the clergy and the generosity of our Catholic people, leads every archdiocese and diocese in the United States if population is considered. Think of it ! Only ten large archdioceses and dioceses in America lead Bishop Griffin's diocese in the amounts donated to the Propagation of the Faith because of their larger Catholic population. Bishop Griffin and the Holy Name Society A special article on our Diocesan Holy Name Society appears elsewhere in this history. However, we deem it proper here to establish the fact that one of the first great works of the Bishop in this Diocese was the establishment of a Holy Name Branch in every Parish in his Diocese. Even before his consecra- tion he remarked very definitely that he considered the Holy Name Society as the Parochial Society of our Catholic men. Soon after his consecration the Bishop put his thoughts into execution by appointing a Diocesan Holy Name Director with the results set forth in another article on this History on the Holy Name. Bishop Griffin's Inspiring Letter From Rome After Bishop Griffin's audience with the Holy Father in 1925, he wrote a letter to his Clergy and laity — a letter that breathes the love of Christ and is permeated with filial devotion towards the Supreme Shepherd of Christendom. 43 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS The letter is in part as follows: "To the Clergy the Laity of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Greetings: Dearly Beloved in Christ : This letter is written in the City of the Popes, the Eternal City, the most wonderful in all the world, the center of Catholic- Unity, the source of Catholic inspiration, the fountainhead of Catholic authority — the Citadel of Christ's kingdom on earth. Our pilgrims have completed their visits to the four great Basilicas of Christendom; their faith, piety and devotion have made a lasting impression not only upon the natives, but also upon the pilgrims gathered here from the four corners of Christ's vast Empire, an Empire which embraces the earth, an Empire whose foundations are faith, love and loyalty, an Empire on whose banner, the cross, the sun never sets, and whose beneficent rule is the admiration and the inspiration of all who look to the Son of God as their Redeemer, and to His Mother as their Mother. The one great absorbing desire of our pilgrims was an audience with Christ's Vicar, hence the dawn of Saturday, August 1, the date set for that audience found them all keyed up to a high pitch of expectancy. We went to the Vatican in a body on that ever memorable morning, were met there by prominent officials who escorted us up centuries old stairways, along venerable hallways, on and on up into the Ducal Hall where our pilgrims were arranged in order along the walls so that all might have a clear view of the door leading into the Audience Chamber. All hearts beat high because the long looked for, intensely desired moment had arrived when we could feast our eyes on the Venerable form of him who represents Christ on earth and carries on his shoulders the burdens and the responsibilities of the Universal Church. Lo, there he stood ! Yes, there he stood before our very eyes, he, the Pope, the Father of Christendom, the Vicar of Christ — the Visible Head of Holy Church. That venerable figure in immaculate white shall never fade from our memories or from our Catholic hearts. That figure was worthy of the brush of a Raphael or the pen of an angel. We all knelt and kissed that hand which blessed us as Christ himself would have done. The Holy Father then ascended the throne and told us all to come up close to him so that he might the more familiarly talk to us. During his talk he referred to the poverty and suffering among his spiritual children in various parts of the world. He thanked God for gener- ous, loyal America, whose generous hands are alwa.ys open to help the needy anywhere and everywhere. During our audience with the Holy Father we learned how profoundly sad the Pope is when he is unable to answer the cry of distress which comes to him so oft and so persistently from destitute people and countries. We further learned that the Holy Father looks with confidence to us, his spiritual children in America, where God and nature have been so bounte- ous to us. The Holy Father is the Almoner of the world and to Him, his spiritual children, from every nation under heaven, look for aid and for solace. Were 44 THE BISHOP it not for the assistance thus given by the Holy Father, religion would suffer, educational and charitable institutions in those countries would be in danger, if not entirely ruined. During our private audience with the Pope, he informed us that his paternal heart is oft afflicted by the many appeals made to him, how he gen- erously tells them to go ahead with their work though he has no funds to aid them, but our faith in Divine Providence thus far has never failed us. Our own land, our beloved America, is a land blessed by God. It is a land of tremendous resources, and we who have traveled and studied in other countries cannot fail to compare conditions at home with conditions existing in foreign lands. Yes, God has been good, generous and bounteous to us here in fair Columbia. This fact demands l-ecognition on our part. The Peter's Pence collection furnishes us an admirable opportunity to show our gratitude to God and our appreciation of His many benefits to us. Our loyalty to Him who holds the supreme position of Christ's Vicar on earth naturally suggests generosity on our part in this matter of the Peter's Pence collection. Were you privileged as were our pilgrims, to kneel at the feet of our Holy Father, study his kindly face, listen to his paternal words, you would gladly, tri- umphantly make any sacrifice to help hold up his hands in his Christ-like work as Almoner of the whole Christian world. You have received generously from the hands of God, therefore, see to it that you generously contribute to His Vicar remembering that the history of our Diocese has been and is that its clergy and people have always been generous towards the cause of Christ. The honor of your Parish, your loyalty to Christ's Vicar, your recognition of God's bounty towards you and towards our beloved America — all should prompt you to make a generous response to this appeal from our Holy Father through us. Wishing you and yours God's blessing, and bespeaking the gratitude of our Chief Pastor, the Bishop of Rome, Pope Pius XI, I beg to remain, Yours in Christ, James A. Griffin, Bishop of Springfield in Illinois. Dated at Castel Gondolfo, near Rome, Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord, August 6, 1925." Bishop Griffin's Work for Stricken Mexico On July 19, 1926, Bishop Griffin asked the editor of the Western Catholic to give all possible publicity to a letter by the illustrious Secretary of State to His Holiness. Accompanying that letter was one by Bishop Griffin in which he said that letter places before the whole civilized world the paternal desire of His Holi- ness that His spiritual children the world over unite with Him in humble prayer for the liberation of stricken Mexico. The most diabolical religious persecution in modern times is being developed and enforced in the Mexican 45 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Republic. Saintly men and women are persecuted and harassed for no other reason than their service of Christ and their devotion to humanity. Selfish- ness, greed and anti-clericalism are holding the reins of government in that unhappy country. His holiness, Pope Pius XI, in his Consistorial Allocution of December 14, 1925, states that in his hour of sorrow he places his every confidence in the Divine Goodness to Whom he daily addresses fervent prayers. Most recently he charged his Cardinal Vicar that he ask the faithful in Rome to unite with him in prayer for our suffering Mexican brethren. In unison with the faithful throughout the world, I ask the clergy and laity of this Diocese to offer up fervent prayers that these unhappy people may be sustained and confirmed. We are the Church of the Catacombs and our forefathers in the faith knew how to suffer, endure and die. All the diabolical ingenuity of the pagan Roman Empire failed to crush the infant Church. The Church has met with much persecution adown the ages and she has always tri- umphed through prayer. The Bishop then instructed his Clergy to offer special prayers at all Masses on the Feast of St. Peter in Chains. He concluded his splendid pastoral with these words : ' ' May God strengthen and confirm the Catholic people of Mexico. May He give us the vision to continue faithfully in His service and in that of our beloved country — America." (Signed) James A. Griffin, Bishop of Springfield, in Illinois. Bishop Griffin and Social Work Nothing worthwhile escapes the keen eye or sympathetic heart of Bishop Griffin. Like his Divine Master who said: "The poor you have always with you," his heart goes out in sympathy to the poor, the afflicted and the un- fortunate. He had not been long in Springfield e'er he realized that a rich field lay practically untouched in the Diocese; a field wherein much good seed could be planted and rich fruit reaped if properly cared for. He saw the necessity for an organization whose members would look after the temporal and spiritual needs of the poor and also aid in financing Catholic Social Work. On March 1, 1925, Miss Elizabeth Kuhlman, a Catholic lady and a trained, educated, experienced social worker, reported in Springfield on the request of the Bishop, who appointed her Diocesan Social Worker. The Bishop appoint- ed Rev. J. Straub, Director of St. John's Hospital, Spiritual Director of Catholic Social Work in this Diocese. Miss Kuhlman was instructed to organize a group of women who would interest themselves in the cause of Catholic Social Work in Springfield. With the Bishop's approbation the new organization was called "The Ladies of Charity." The first formal meeting of The Ladies of Charity was held April 3, 1925. In May of that same year, Rev. J. Moser, C. M., Director of the Ladies 46 THE BISHOP of Charity in St. Louis, addressed the Springfield Ladies of Charity and prom- ised to get the local organization affiliated with the original and parent society in France, organized by St. Vincent de Paul himself. With Bishop Griffin's approbation, Father Moser obtained a charter for the Springfield organization affiliating it with the parent society in Paris. The Bishop is President ; Rev. J. Straub, Director ; Miss E. Kuhlman is the social worker and Miss Sarah E. Daily, R. N., is the school nurse. It would be difficult to tell the vast amount of good, temporal and spiritual, done for the afflicted, the poor and the unfortunate by this splendid organization, the child of Bishop Griffin's heart. Bishop Griffin's Work for the Eucharistic Congress When His Eminence, George Cardinal Mundelein, backed by the clergy and laity of his Archdiocese was straining every muscle to make the Interna- tional Eucharistic Congress worthy of our Eucharistic King, Bishop Griffin, with his wonted energy and apostolic zeal responded. He wrote in part as fol- lows to his clergy and laity : The people of Chicago are to be hosts to our Eucharistic King and to thousands of pilgrims. Cardinal George William Mundelein has stated that whilst Chicago is to be the scene and is directly charged with preparations necessary for this great event, the invitation is issued to all the world to come and see. As Bishop of this Diocese and conscious of our obligations to the Catholic Church we are most anxious that a large representative delegation from every Parish in this Diocese will respond to the invitation of his Eminence. In order to obtain results we direct that Pastors read the following regu- lations to their devoted congregations on two Sundays in the month of June, namely on the 6th and 13th : First. — It is our desire that as many priests as possible will assist in hear- ing confessions in the various Chicago parishes on Saturday, June 19. Second. — The Sisters of various Orders are urged to make preparations for their presence in Chicago during the week of the Congress. As Bishop of this Diocese we would indeed grant the necessary faculties in accordance with the respective constitutions. Third — We urge the laity wherever possible to ask for their vacations during the week of the Congress. We also urge the officers of the various Catholic Societies to get in touch with their membership, either by mail or telephone. Fourth. — We urge pastors to exhort their people who cannot go to the Con- gress to receive Holy Communion in their own churches on the opening day of the Congress, June 20, in order to ask God's blessing on our Church and country. Fifth. — Every parish in the Diocese should have solemn exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on one or more days during the Congress, with a sermon dealing with the Blessed Sacrament or on the Congress. 47 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Sixth. — We direct that after all the Masses in every Parish of this Diocese on Sunday, June 20, special prayers be offered for the intention of the Holy Father in connection with the Congress. We request pastors to kindly add their own words of commendation to the above directions. May success attend you, health keep you and God always bless you. May your devoted people be the recipients of God's holy grace. Bishop Griffin Leads Cardinals and Bishops to Lincoln's Tomb Bishop Griffin, while in Chicago attending the International Eucharistic Congress, invited several Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops to come to Springfield to be present at the Central Verein Convention and while there visit the Tomb of the Immortal Lincoln. For the first time in Springfield's history princes of the Church were pres- ent at church services when Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D. D., cele- brated Pontifical High Mass at 11:00 o'clock Sunday, June 27, 1926. Present in the sanctuary were his Eminence Michael Cardinal Von Faulhaber, of Germany ; His Eminence Frederick Gustavus Cardinal Piffl, of Austria ; His Grace, Most Reverend Nicholas M. Debreccio, D. D., Jugo-Slavia ; Right Rever- end Bishop Bahlman, of Brazil ; Right Reverend W. Berning, Osnabrueck, of Germany ; Right Reverend Sebastian Speyer, Germany ; Right Reverend Wartz, of North Tyrol ; His Excellency Ignatius Seipel, Chancellor of Austria, and many other notables whose names we have been unable to obtain. Bishop Griffin escorted those world-renowned Churchmen to Lincoln's Tomb and as they stood bare-headed and reverent in presence of that monu- ment, he said: "The biggest thing we have here in Springfield is the remains of Abraham Lincoln, his memory and his accomplishments." Cardinal Von Faulhaber of Germany, replied: "Great men do not belong alone to the country in which they were born. They belong to all the world. What Abraham Lincoln fought against was slavery in any form. We honor at this grave the ideals of the American people. Enthusiasm for peace of the world and the liberty of all nations. We dedicate our flowers to the uncompromising character which was faithful to his ideals even to the grave." The eminent Monsignor Ignatius Seipel, Chancellor of Austria, thought by many to be the greatest statesman in Europe or in the world, said: "I place my wreath as a memorial and as an expression of sympathy from Europe, to the great American, Abraham Lincoln. This monument is a wonderful tribute to the memory of your great martyred president. Catholics of the United States are to be congratulated upon being here to join hands and hearts in honoring that great citizen and expressing their gratitude for what he has done for America and for the world. ' ' Bishop Griffin, great American and patriot that he is, was a happy man that day at the conclusion of the ceremonies at Lincoln's Tomb. 48 the bishop Bishop Griffin and the Seminary We have oft wondered which diocesan work is closest to the Bishop's heart. We have heard him preach ; we have observed his actions and we have read his Pastoral Letters. Really, we find it difficult to decide which diocesan work is nearest his heart and uppermost in his thought. Now comes to our mind one of his wonderful letters written early in April, 1927, published in the Western Catholic and read in every pulpit in the Diocese on the Sunday before Easter, 1927. Let us here quote a few passages from that letter just to give the reader an idea of how the Bishop thinks and writes about the Seminary, the mother of young priests, the priests who will snatch the torch of Faith as it falls from the hands of old veteran priests who have lived, dared, done and died for the glory of God, the salvation of souls and the triumph of our Church. Well does the Bishop realize that he must have good, learned, loyal, zealous young priests to carry on to fruition the splendid work inaugurated by our pioneer priests. Well does he understand that under God the future of Catholicity in this Diocese is intimately bound up with the caliber and char- acter of the young levites whom God will call from happy Catholic homes to the Seminary to prepare for the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. Read these words from the Bishop 's letter : "What pen can adequately picture the beauty, the grandeur, and the power of the Catholic priest? Who can truly evaluate the surpassing services of the priest, his intimate relations with God, his ministry in behalf of souls? At the altar where he consecrates, in the holy tribunal where he absolves from sin, he is no longer a mere frail man, but an ambassador of Christ, exercising plenary powers. "Without the priesthood, the faithful would be deprived of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and nearly all of the sacraments ; they would not have leaders to teach them the doctrines of faith ; they would be like lambs in the midst of wolves. Hence it is, that the priesthood, as an institution, in spite of its bitter enemies, will last till the end of time, because Christ promised, that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church, consequently, they who despise or injure the leaders, — the representatives of the Master — wage war against Christ Himself, who said, 'Who despises you, despises me.' "Christian society from the very beginning presents to us a personage, a type that is the object of great love and consideration on the one hand, and of mortal hatred and enmity on the other. From the very foundation of Chris- tianity, this pioneer of faith and civilization, has fought the battles of truth for the welfare of men and the glory of God. Men in every age have culti- vated his confidence in the most delicate affairs of life ; they have sought his friendship for the direction of their very consciences. "The mission of the priest defined by St. Paul in these words, 'For every high priest taken from among men, is ordained for men, in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins.' The 49 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS priest concerns himself with the spiritual welfare of the people, he is an inter- mediary between Heaven and earth. ' ' He does not assume this position in society on his own initiative ; it is Christ, the Master, who has so ordained. 'You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you; and have appointed you that you go, and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain; that whatsoever you ask of the Father in my name, He may give it to you. ' Thus the fecundity and efficiency of the priest's labors become identified with the mission of the Master. History informs us, that from His day to our own, the priesthood has promoted a new empire — a new civilization. "I deem it my duty here to remind our Catholic parents that He who drank the very dregs of His passion in the Garden of Sorrow on the first Holy Thursday night, sounded the depths of every woe, felt the pang of every sorrow and experienced the torture of every pain, not that all this was necessary to redeem the world, but in order to purchase for some Catholic mother's boy the infinitely precious jewel of His own Eternal Priesthood, and for some Catholic mother's girl the nigh infinitely blessed call to His Convent Home so that in time and in eternity she might bear the divinely beautiful title, Bride of Christ. ' ' Happy parents whom the Master thus honors, Blessed Catholic home which Jesus thus visits, thrice blessed boy or girl thus called by Christ to lean his or her head, like the virgin St. John of yore on His love throbbing bosom and thus in time and eternity enjoy the privilege of loving the glorified Risen Christ." On another occasion the bishop paid this tribute to the Nuns : "Their devotion and sacrifice have made possible the great works of charity and education supported by the church in America. The parochial school is no longer an experiment. It is an undeniable success, and today we are reaping the good results from the decision of our forebears in keeping God in the class room. Whilst life outside of the Church is being secularized, thanks to our schools, Christ is still master in the class room, and marriage is still maintained as a sacrament. "Moreover many of the leading welfare workers are generous in their praise of the fine work being accomplished in our charitable institutions. The state and combined sectarian organizations may build larger and install more expensive instrumentalities, but they can never create that lovely sympathetic spirit and peace of mind which is characteristic of our institutions. Without the nuns the charity work of the church would be negligible and would be scarcely more than a gesture. As long as this spirit of sacrifice and devotion is found in the church we need have no fear of the future. ' ' An Appreciation of the Laity ' ' On the occasion of my recent interview with the Holy Father I stated most emphatically that our American Catholic laity had no superiors, and but few equals. For the most part they love the Church and the priesthood, and on our 50 THE BISHOP part there is no sacrifice too great in acknowledgement of their lovely sentiments. Other countries have long Catholic traditions, and one would have to hare an abundance of courage and certainly would have little excuse for falling away from the Faith. In America our traditions do not reach over a great period, and Catholic life has been largely a battle. I am happy to state that in most cases our people have been faithful and devoted. In most parishes the laity have been called upon for heavy sacrifices for the building of churches, schools, hospitals and other institutions. They have given of their poverty, but their blessing and their good will was always in the donation. Is there any wonder, therefore, that we have developed a devoted, loyal and virile type of American Catholic man- hood?" Bishop Griffin's Work as a Builder During the Bishop's first tour of his Diocese he closely observed con- ditions—material, moral, intellectual and spiritual — wherever he went. Like an able general he saw at a glance where the weak points lay along his battle front and he was not slow in applying a remedy. Not a city, town or hamlet in the Diocese escaped his attention or failed to receive benefit from his visits. Here, there and everywhere his Diocese showed unmistakable signs of new life and increased energy. Here he ordered a new church built, there he advised the building of a combination church and hall, here a new school, there a hall as a social center for the young people, here a Home for the aged poor, there a High School and yonder a mission church for the accommodation of country folk. Here a rec- tory for the comfort of a Pastor, there a Home for the parish School Sisters. The following is a partial list of buildings erected during the administra- tion of Bishop Griffin : Partial List of Buildings Erected in Diocese Since Bishop Griffin Took Charge Location Name of Church Kind of Building Cost Springfield Blessed Sacrament School, Temporary Church $ 160,000.00 Springfield St. Barbara New Hall 12,000.00 Springfield St. Joseph Home Home for the Aged 300,000.00 Springfield St. John Hospital New Isolation Ward 200,000.00 Alton Ursuline Convent New Convent 250,000.00 Alton High School School 175,000.00 Carrollton St. John High School 10,000.00 Decatur St. James School and Auditorium 180,000.00 Decatur St. Thomas Combination Church and School 100,000.00 Effingham Sacred Heart Hall 30,000.00 Glen Carbon St Cecelia Mission Church 12,000.00 Granite City Sacred Heart Combination Church and School 105,000.00 Kincaid St. Rita School 12,500.00 Litchfield St. Francis Hospital Chapel 35,000.00 Livingston Sacred Heart School 25,000.00 Madison St. Mary Combination Church and School 60,000.00 Mattoon Immacculate Conception Rectory 30,000.00 Meppen St. Joseph School 16,000.00 Niantic s *- A m» Church 40,000.00 Pana s t- Patrick Church 150,000.00 Quincy St. John Sisters' Residence 30,000.00 Ste. Marie Assumption Hall 15,000.00 51 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Location Name of Church Kind of Building Cost Staunton St. Michael Church 120,000.00 Tuscola Forty Martyrs Church 110,000.00 Wilsonvllle Holy Cross Mission Church (purchased) 6,000.00 Wood River St. Bernard School 75,000.00 Quincy St. Mary School 100,000.00 $2,358,500.00 Add to this the cost of the New Cathedral Group 1,200.000.00 and you have a grand total of $:{,558,500.00 Bishop Griffin came in February, 1924, and these lines are written in Sep- tember, 1927, about three and one-half years after the Bishop took up the reins of government in this Diocese. This material or financial wonder spelled out in three million five hundred and fifty-eight thousand five hundred dollars is dwarfed into insignificance when compared to the intellectual, moral and spiritual wonders accomplished by him. Bishop Griffin's Crowning Work Let us recall the words quoted by us at the beginning of this sketch. It was to this effect : One of the Bishop's Assistants in St. Mary's Church, Joliet, Illinois, Rev. E. O. Leiser, while conversing with us at the breakfast table in St. Mary 's Rectory, said : "Mark what I tell you! Your Bishop will not jump into the work of build- ing a new Cathedral for two or three years at least. I know him and I under- stand his methods. He will first look after the material, moral, intellectual and spiritual welfare of his Diocese both as a whole and in particular parts." Having watched the Bishop tour the Diocese from end to end, we saw him advising, counselling and correcting; we beheld him laboring for the welfare of the fatherless, homeless waifs ; we saw him providing care, comfort and consola- tion for the aged poor; we saw him making provisions for the better care of the sick; we saw him building up grade and high schools so that the youth of his Diocese might have the best in the land ; we heard him champion a strong Catholic press and ring out his eloquent words in denunciation of an evil press ; we saw him build churches, schools and halls like so many fortresses all over his Diocese in defense of God, home and country; we saw him industriously pro- viding for the comfort, joy and pleasure of the boy scouts ; we saw him make provisions for those unfortunate children who are deprived of the blessings of a Catholic education ; we saw him organize Social Workers, who would go out into the highways and byways of his Diocese and furnish aid, comfort and con- solation to the poor, the unfortunate, the down-and-out ! Finally we saw him lead a pilgrimage of his clergy and laity to Rome, to the Vatican, to the feet of Christ's Vicar, and there tie — yes knot — the heart-strings of his Diocese with the heart-strings of Christ's Vicar. What will be his next work? In the first Book of Machabees we read that after Judas Machabeus, leader of God's people, and his valiant men had defeated the enemies of God and of his country, he said to his followers: "Behold our enemies are discomforted: let us go up now to cleanse the holy places and to repair them." "And all the 52 7. w 2 z f* go - 1L UP'«Y M iti. HHWERSr THE BISHOP army assembled together and they went up into the Mount of Sion, and they built up the holy places and the things that were within the temple and they sanctified the temple. And they made new holy vessels and brought in candle- sticks and the altar of incense and the table into the temple, and they put incense upon the altar and lighted up the lamps that Avere upon the candlesticks and they gave light in the temple and they offered sacrifice according to the law upon the new altar of the holocausts which they had made. And all the people fell upon their faces and adored and blessed, up to heaven, Him that had prospered them. And there was exceeding great joy among the people." Here we have a splendid illustration of what Bishop Griffin did. He first toured his Diocese, counselled and strengthened his people, laid bare the tactics of the enemy; took care of the material, moral, intellectual and spiritual needs of his people; drew them closer and nearer to the Sacred Heart, built up schools, churches and institutions, dotted his Diocese with so many spiritual fortresses in defense of God, home and country. Then and then only did he say to his Clergy and laity: "Let us go up now to our Episcopal City and there build the head fortress of our Diocese, the Mother Church of all our churches and people, a Memorial to our Immaculate Mother, a testimonial to the pioneer priests and laity of our Diocese, a Home worthy of our Eucharistic King. ' ' He gathered around him his own priests, drew up plans for his Diamond Jubilee Cathedral Campaign. He did not call in outsiders or professional campaigners. He, himself, was the soul, the inspiration of that Campaign and aided by leaders among the Clergy and laity that Campaign was the joy of the whole Diocese and the admiration of the entire country. Bishop Griffin himself spoke at campaign meetings in all Deanery centers in the Diocese and wherever he appeared, or spoke, the magnetism of his per- sonality and the fire of his words aroused unbounded enthusiasm. Pastors and people; men and women; old and young caught the spirit. The Cam- paign fire swept the Diocese from center to circumference with the result that whereas the Bishop asked for only $750,000, the amount donated or pledged went near the million mark. The priests led in the enthusiastic cam- paign, marched to the tune of a hundred thousand dollars for their Bishop, and they did it spontaneously. The laity followed and kept step with ad- mirable precision. It was simply glorious to behold. The Campaign opened on February 14, 1927, with the Bishop's slogan in every heart and on every tongue: "It is God's work. God wills it," and closed amid a blaze of glory on February 26 with everybody singing, "We have gone over the top." That Campaign elicited the admiration of men and women, princes of the Church and officers of state everywhere. The writer never saw such enthusiasm or such wonderful co-operation or such whole-hearted team-work among the rank and file, clergy and laity. A non-Catholic newspaper man in the See City of Springfield, Campaign Headquarters, remarked to the writer: "Bishop Griffin is to be congratulated on his Campaign, not only because of its 53 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS transcendent success, but even more so on the high-class manner in which it has been handled. No cheap or small tactics in your Bishop's program. It is magnificent." The words of this non-Catholic gentleman expressed the thoughts of every fair-minded non-Catholic in Springfield and throughout the entire Diocese as the following incident will prove. When the Campaign was only three days old a group of non-Catholic business men held a meeting and then sent a polite note to the Bishop asking him to appoint a Committee to solicit financial aid from the business and professional men of Springfield irrespective of religious affiliations and pledging him their hearty co-operation. Bishop Griffin replied as follows : Jubilee Cathedral Headquarters, Springfield, Illinois, Feb. 18, 1927. Fellow Citizens : At a meeting of several non-Catholic business men of our city, held a few days ago, it was agreed to suggest to one of our leading Catholic merchants that a committee appointed by the Bishop to solicit busi- ness men irrespective of religion, would receive a cordial welcome and co-opera- tion from a large percentage of those interested in Springfield's progress. While I am deeply grateful for this evidence of appreciation, neverthe- less I do not wish to embarrass by direct request any who might entertain a dif- ferent view. Therefore, I prefer to extend to all who feel that the Cathedral and allied offices are a civic asset to the city a cordial invitation to join us in the undertaking now approaching success, and we wish to assure them that their words of commendation and encouragement, as well as any donations they may feel disposed to give, will be welcomed and appreciated, as their en- dorsement of our contribution to Springfield's business and financial, as well as religious growth. Those disposed to accept this invitation may call on me personally, or send their checks, and I shall personally acknowledge them. Only upon their own request will a committee call upon them to receive their donations. With kindest regards, I beg to remain, Cordially yours, James A. Griffin, Bishop of Springfield in Illinois. The response to this letter from leading non-Catholics in Springfield and elsewhere in the Diocese was instantaneous and most generous. Non-Catholic business and professional men ; non-Catholic firms vied with each other in proving how completely Bishop Griffin had won their hearts to himself and his new Cathedral group. One leading non-Catholic wrote this to Bishop Griffin : ' ' Dear Bishop Griffin : For fifteen years I have gone in on every worthy cause in Springfield, but it seems I must use a jimmy to get in on your Cam- paign. Please accept enclosed check as my contribution to your Cathedral Fund." 54 THE BISHOP During the Campaign the Illinois State Journal said editorially in its Sunday issue : "The enthusiasm with which Catholics of this Diocese have rallied to the support of their faith and given their pledges to their Bishop's plan for de- velopment has afforded a spectacle of religious fervor and devotion not often witnessed in these times. Money literally has poured into the Cathedral Fund, evidencing the faith of the givers as no other outward demonstration could. "Bishop Griffin may well feel grateful. Not only has his appeals been answered in gifts of material things, but his flock has shown their loyalty to him and their confidence in his leadership. There is no question that a per- sonality that has endeared him to his people and also to non-Catholics has made the giving easier and pleasanter." At the close of Bishop Griffin's wonderful campaign, the Illinois State Register published editorially the following : ' ' That this Campaign has proven such a wonderful success in such a short time is indeed a tribute to the strength of the Catholic denomination. Only through such excellent leadership and generalship as that displayed by Bishop James A. Griffin could this marvelous success have been thus achieved." The Chancellor's Words A prominent church official, Right Reverend M. A. Tarrent, Chancellor of the Diocese, wrote the Bishop thus: "The impression of your Lordship's Diamond Jubilee Cathedral Campaign does and ever will hang around my memory like the aroma of roses. Your Campaign was splendidly planned; was conducted with such dignity and efficiency that it gripped the souls of non- Catholics as well as Catholics and sent a wave of enthusiasm across, up and down, the whole Diocese." The Bishop, of course, was highly pleased, and sent the following message to the Associated Press: "I have the joy and happiness to inform you that our Diamond Jubilee Cathedral Campaign is over-subscribed. At this time I have only the pleasantest memories of the generosity and encourage- ment manifested by the public at large. "I believe I am the happiest man in America. May our new Cathedral be not only a house of prayer but also a symbol of lovely friendships and an incentive to greater civic service. "May God grant our organization the strength to measure up to our religious and civic opportunities always. Will you kindly convey these senti- ments to our patrons ? The press has helped in no small measure. ' ' (Signed) James A. Griffin, Bishop of Springfield in Illinois. Campaign Gripped Attention op the Nation So great was the enthusiasm aroused by Bishop Griffin's Cathedral Cam- paign and so general was the interest manifested in its success, that as the Campaign neared its triumphal termination messages of congratulation came 55 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS flashing over the wires from prominent men in all parts of the country. We here mention some of the many. The great and well-beloved Cardinal Hayes of New York, wired even before complete returns had come in : "My Dear Bishop Griffin: Outside of your own Diocese no one rejoices more than I over the extraordinary success of your Cathedral Campaign. It is a worthy tribute to a shepherd beloved by his clergy and people. My sincerest congratulations to yourself, your zealous priests and your devoted flock." (Signed) Cardinal Hayes. The beloved Archbishop of St. Louis, wired: "Dear Bishop Griffin: A grand appeal. A generous response. Congratulations. The Cathedral build- ers are not all dead yet." (Signed) John Glennon, Archbishop of St. Louis. The great Archbishop of Baltimore wired: "Just heard of wonderful suc- cess of your Cathedral Fund Campaign. Permit me to offer to yourself, priests and people my warmest felicitations and to wish you every success in your undertaking." (Signed) Archbishop Curley. The genial and scholarly Archbishop of St. Paul wired: "I heartily con- gratulate you, especially on the loyal and devoted co-operation of your clergy. That is an asset even more valuable than the great sum of money which has been pledged for your diocesan interests. I hope you will find time soon to pay a visit to St. Paul and do me the honor of being my guest. ' ' (Signed) Austin Dowling, Archbishop of St. Paul. His Eminence, George Cardinal Mundelein, was absent from home during the Campaign, but when he returned he wrote Bishop Griffin a warm letter of congratulation. The Bishop also received messages of felicitations and congratulations from the leading Bishops of the country, among them : Right Rev. P. J. Mul- doon, D. D., Bishop of Rockford, Illinois ; Rt. Rev. Joseph Schrembs, D. D., Cleveland, Ohio; Rt. Rev. P. R. McDevitt, D. D., Harrisburg, Pa.; Rt. Rev. R, 0. Gerow, D. D., Natchez, Mississippi; Rt. Rev. John Noll, D. D., Fort Wayne, Indiana; Rt. Rev. C. E. Byrne, D. D., Galveston, Texas; Rt. Rev. F. C. Kelley, D. D., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ; Rt. Rev. S. A. Stritch, D. D., Toledo, Ohio ; Rt. Rev. John J. Swint, D. D., Wheeling, W. Virginia ; Rt. Rev. F. J. Tief , D. D., Concordia, Kansas, and Rt. Rev. F. Kelly, D. D., Winona, Minnesota. Also the following monsignori : Rt. Rev. E. L. Spalding, V. G., Alton, Illinois; Rt. Rev. John A. Duffy, D. D., Newark, N. J., and Rt. Rev. Joseph Meehan, Jersey City, New Jersey. The messages received from leading members of the Clergy and laity all over the country are too numerous to record here, hence we deem it best to mention none since we cannot name all. We must not, however, omit to state that the congratulatory message which pleased the Bishop most was the one sent him by his venerable mother, Mrs. Catherine Griffin of Chicago, who by the way, was one of the first to send in her donation of a thousand dollars. 56 THE BISHOP Much more could be written, and many other admirable soul-stirring facts could be recorded, but lack of space forbids. Bishop Griffin is a good and a big subject, — so good and so big that we have had much difficulty in keeping our sketch or pen-picture within its present bounds. There are dozens of phases in his life which we have not even touched and there are other dozens of works which we have not had time or space to mention. For example : his wonderful, heart -toning addresses on patriotic subjects; his masterly sermons on the occasion of dedication of schools, churches, halls, etc. His soul in- spiring words spoken on the occasion of Confirmation in hundreds of churches ; the Reception or Profession of Nuns; the Consecration of that magnificent Chapel in St. John's Sanitarium, or the Jubilee celebration of priests, nuns, hospitals, institutions and kindred occasions. But what we have written is amply sufficient to establish the fact that Bishop Griffin is a Providential man— a man ordained of God — a priest selected and consecrated by the Holy Ghost to rule this portion of the Lord's Vineyard in an Apostolic manner — in a manner that has gripped the hearts of his clergy and laity — in a manner which has challenged the admiration of the American Hierarchy and of the American nation. His Apostolic labors and his well- balanced bearing are a joy to our Church and to our Republic. His religious and patriotic leadership is an inspiration to the nation at large ! There he stands, a man, a citizen, a priest, and a Bishop of whom we all feel proud ! Look at him ! Now you and we understand why the Pope of Rome sceptered him with a crozier; why the President of our Republic has commissioned him a Major in the United States Army, and why the Governor of our great com- monwealth, the State of Illinois, has appointed him a member of the State Welfare Commission. Bishop Griffin, as a man, as a citizen, as a Churchman, and as a patriot, we are proud of you, and we gladly, gratefully, triumphantly place this wreath upon your brow ! M. J. Foley. ARCHITECT'S DESCRIPTION OF NEW CATHEDRAL Shortly after the Bishop of Springfield took possession of his see, he ap- proached definitely the subject of erecting a cathedral. After his consecration in 1924, the Bishop had several informal confer- ences with his architect in Chicago, the outcome of which was his decision to visit Rome during the Holy Year and look over the principal cathedrals of Europe and decide on a style of architecture most suitable for his own cathedral and its appurtenant buildings. After viewing many and beautiful cathedrals of the Old World his Lord- ship returned to his diocese still influenced by American architecture. Because of the close association of Springfield with Abraham Lincoln and desiring to give greater heed to the Civil War President's place in the heart of the people of Illinois, he selected that style known as the Greek Revival. This is a true American style, if there is such a thing. It was first introduced by Thomas Jefferson in the University of Virginia buildings, and grew in favor for pub- 57 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS lie and semi-public structures until it reached its height of popularity in the time of Lincoln. The Greek Revival in America is simply the adaptation of Greek Classic motives to local problems of design. The County Courthouse of Sangamon County, Illinois, wherein Mr. Lincoln pleaded many a case, is in the Greek Revival style, so is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Cincinnati, built in the early part of the nineteenth century. Having reached a definite conclusion for the architectural lines of his cathedral group, the Bishop next turned his attention to the site. Preliminary sketches were made for him by the architect illustrating a cathedral group erected on the site of the pro-cathedral which occupied the nortli side of Mon- roe Street between Seventh and Eighth Streets. The sketches revealed that this property was not of sufficient size to properly solve the problem. The architect convinced the Bishop that it would be necessary to secure a property of greater dimension than that of the pro-cathedral buildings. In accord- ance with this suggestion, in the early part of 1926, his Lordship took title to the property on the west side of Sixth Street running from Lawrence to Cass Streets. This site proved to be well chosen, both in point of dimension, accessi- bility, environment and orientation. Shortly afterwards, in fact in the Spring of that year, the Bishop in- structed his architect to proceed with further studies and final drawings for the new cathedral group. The group consists of the cathedral, the rectory, parochial school and convent, all of which are adjoined and connected and face the East on Sixth Street. In March of 1926 his Lordship, the Bishop accompanied by his old friend, the Reverend Bernard D. Rogers, D. D., of Chicago, and the architect, journeyed eastward in search of a suitable stone with which to enclose and sup- port the cathedral structures. Granite, limestone and marble were examined and studied in all their applications to monumental structures. The im- pressive Greek structure that is to house the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts and which is executed in Mankato and Kasota stone, impressed the party so forcibly that a unanimous decision was reached to use Mankato stone for the Springfield cathedral group. By nature a marble and of a very hard texture this stone, quarried in Northern Minnesota, has already proven its worth by its dignified appearance and attractive color in its application to the Greek Revival. It should stand for many years unaffected by the processes of erosion. Plans and specifications were prepared and completed, and in April of 1927 ten of the larger Middle Western contracting firms were invited to sub- mit estimates. On Saturday night, May 21, 1927, in a small front room on the second floor of 715 E. Monroe Street (the episcopal residence at that time) Dr. Griffin, in the presence of the architect, awarded the contract for the work to the lowest bidder, the Math. Rauen Company of Chicago. Work pro- ceeded the following Monday morning, the 23rd of May, and in a few days the work was well under way. 58 THE BISHOP The following brief description will convey a fairly clear idea of the Springfield Cathedral group : The Cathedral proper will occupy the center of the property and will, by reason of its importance, dominate the group, both in size and position. It is a basilican church, 87 feet wide and 180 feet deep, seating a congregation of about 1100. The entrance is through a portico into a broad marble-lined narthex. A tower rises over the main facade to a height of 133 feet measured from the grade to the tip of the golden cross. The interior of the Cathedral is a rectangular Greek hall with a ceiling fifty feet above the floor. The ceiling is divided into a number of symmetrical panels or coffers richly decorated in symbolic relief. Under this ceiling there is an ornate Ionic cornice supported on the clerestory which provides the upper light. The clerestory is carried on each side on a row of eight Greek marble columns, Ionic in style. Beyond each of these colonnades there is a wide aisle wainscoted in Tavernelle marble, the upper wall of which contains the principal or lower windows. Off each aisle there is a shrine with two flanking recessed confessionals. The sanctuary of the Cathedral is very large so as to permit the full ceremonials of Episcopal functions; it is dominated by the high altar built up of Black and Gold marble with an inlaid mosaic altar setting of the Immaculate Conception after Murillo. The two side altars conform in style and material to the high altar. On the gospel side of the sanctuary is the cathedral, or Bishop's throne and on the epistle side balancing it, the pulpit, both of which are set behind a sanctuary rail of finely wrought bronze. The floor of the sanctuary is of Greek marble, set in patterns. The body of the church is arranged to comfortably seat a congregation of 1100 in specially designed pews. The aisles are of cork tiles. The narthex or vestibule is finished with marble floor, walls and highly decorated ceiling. Particular attention has been paid to acoustical treatment of this cathedral and every precaution in construction was taken to produce a satisfactory auditorium. The stained glass windows for the cathedral have been designed and executed by Thomas A. O 'Shaughnessy, artist of Chicago. They are made of various colored glass, graded to produce the essential lights and shades with- out painting. On one side of the cathedral the windows illustrate the progress of the Church in Europe ; on the other side, the progress in America. The parochial school is a modern twelve room school house, built on the south end of the lot. It contains the parochial auditorium and in the rear the central heating plant that serves all structures of the group. The Convent is a small two-story residence built between the school and the cathedral at the rear of the property to accommodate a teaching staff of fifteen Nuns. The cathedral house flanks the cathedral on the north and is set far back on the property in the same manner as the school and convent so that the cathedral edifice stands out prominently against the subordinate buildings which form this classic ensemble. This house is a three-story and basement building. The basement is used for the diocesan business or Chancery office ; the first floor for the formal reception and waiting rooms of the Bishop, the parochial offices, 59 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS the refectory and the domestic help ; the second floor houses the priests attached to the cathedral; and the third floor is exclusively the episcopal residence. It is ordinarily the custom for the bishop of a diocese to erect and maintain an episcopal residence in the suburbs or quieter part of the city, the cathedral being centrally located in the city. This custom has prevailed to such an ex- tent in this country that it has become almost an established precedent. In this case, however, the Bishop of Springfield, in the interest of economy, frugality and accessibility, has elected to live in the rectory adjoining his cathedral. The buildings are all of fireproof construction; they are built entirely of Mankato stone; they exemplify the very best in modern methods of construc- tion; and it is hoped that they will be an ornament to the City of Springfield as well as a shrine of great devotion for the people of the diocese. Joseph W. McCarthy. Laying of the Corner Stone Sunday, August 14, 1927, will long be remembered in the Annals of Diocesan history, for, at 4 :30 o'clock that afternoon the corner stone of the new Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois was laid with fitting splendor in the presence of one of the largest and most enthusiastic gatherings ever seen in this home city of Lincoln. The ceremony was carried out in accordance with the ancient prescribed rite, and with all the Catholic solemnity characteristic of such an important event. The Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., Bishop of Springfield in Illinois, officiated, and was assisted by Monsignor Tarrent, chancellor of the diocese, as archpriest ; Reverend J. J. How- ard, D.D., and Reverend P. J. O'Reilly as deacons of honor; Monsignors A. Guisti, J.C.D., as master of ceremonies; E. L. Spalding, M. J. Foley and W. T. Sloan, and about one hundred other priests from all parts of the diocese. During the two or three weeks previous, elaborate preparations had been in the making, and on Sunday nothing more remained to be done (that willing hearts and hands could do) to ensure success. A number of organizations, as separate units, participated. The Holy Name Society and the Boy Scouts were there, and the fourth degree K. of C. wearing dress suits and insignia of their order acted as body guard to the Right Reverend Bishop. Messrs. Rossiter and Rose— two dynamic officials of the K. of C. — marshaled the parade. A large choir, com- posed of the leading singers of the different city parishes and graciously assisted by the Capitol City Band, furnished the music for the occasion. Written invitations had been extended to every Catholic family in the Diocese, and the public at large, irrespective of religious affiliation, had been cor- dially invited to attend. The Catholics of Springfield were naturally enough eager for the great day, while the other principal cities of the Diocese, Quincy, Tri-Cities, and Decatur, chartered special trains to take care of the crowds who wished to be present. And the smaller cities and the country places (for they were not less enthusiastic) sent their proportionate share. A hearty welcome and an inspiring sight awaited them all. There is an ancient saying, "All roads 60 THE BISHOP lead to Rome." On Sunday at least, it may be justly said that all the roads of this Diocese lead to Springfield. The function began with the laying of the corner stone. Anent this cere- mony it is interesting to note that in the corner stone was placed and sealed a box containing medals of various kinds, coins, old and new and of different de- nominations, newspapers, and letters from the Diocesan Consultors. These things, now trivial enough, may prove of great historical value to future gen- erations. The laying of the corner stone was followed by the addresses of eloquent speakers : Hon. Emil Smith, the highly respected Mayor of the city ; Hon. James M. Graham, a citizen of great ability and far and favorably known for his civic worth and devotion to religion ; Reverend John Franz, a boy born here in Springfield, and last, the moving spirit of the whole proceedings — Right Rev- erend James A. Griffin, D.D. The addresses were brief and very much to the point ; each speaker emphasizing in a different way the great asset the Cathedral will be to the Catholics of the Diocese and to the people of Springfield in general. Since the ceremony was essentially religious it was fittingly climaxed by Benediction of the Most Holy Sacrament. A medal commemorative of the happy event had been struck. This medal bears a picture of the Cathedral group on one side and that of the Right Rev- erend Bishop on the other, thus making it a very desirable souvenir. It is inspiring to recall even briefly the short history of the new Cathedral. A year previous to the laying of the corner stone it was little more than a beau- tiful dream that seemed well nigh impossible of such quick realization. But sometimes beautiful dreams speedily come true. Fortunately it was so in this instance. During six months the Right Reverend Bishop, with high hopes and a zeal worthy of such a noble cause, appealed to the Diocese for funds to build a Cathedral that would be in keeping with the dignity of the Catholic Church in this garden-spot of America, and at the same time in harmony with the pre- vailing architecture of this, the Capital City of Illinois. The response — now a matter of history — was electrically prompt, magnificently generous. In actual fact it was far beyond even the most sanguine hopes of the Bishop. And so, with sufficient funds on hand and plenty more in view, a valuable site was se- cured, and work was immediately begun. When completed the group will undoubtedly be very imposing, and unique in this (if the writer is correctly informed) that it will be the only group of its kind in this country in which all the buildings were erected simultaneously. Thus it is that the hopes and dreams of yesterday are being realized today beyond ex- pectation. 61 Pastor. Ui. Rev. L. VV. Lammeui St. Anthony's Church, Effingham \'i i:v Rev. Msg'b W. T. Sloan Director, Propayution of Faith Vi.kv Rev. Msg'k A. E. Gn sti, Pi< e Chancellor D.C. Vi i;v Rev. Msg'h M. J. Foi i > Editor, Western Cathol" Reverexd James Mabquette, S.J. Discoverer and explorer, jointly with Louis Joliet, <>f the Mississippi 1 fiver and the Illinois Country in 1673. Founder of the Catholic Church in Illinois, April II, Kll'i. CHAPTER HI THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS 1. The Jesuit Succession The Right Reverend William Ingraham Kip, Episcopal Bishop of Califor- nia, a student and writer of much merit, says: There is no page in our country's history more touching and romantic than that which records the labors and sufferings of the Jesuit Missionaries . . . Amid the snows of Hudson Bay — among the woody islands and beautiful inlets of the St. Lawrence — by the council fires of the Hurons and the Algonquins — at the source of the Mississippi, where first the white men, their eyes looked upon the Falls of St. Anthony, and then traced down the course of the bounding river as it rushed onward to earn its title of ' ' Father of Waters ' ' — on the vast prairies of Illinois and Missouri, — among the blue hills which hem in the salubrious dwellings of the Cherokees — and in the thick canebrakes of Louisiana — every- where were found the members of the Society of Jesus. . . . Their lives were made up of fearless devotedness and heroic self-sacrifice. It has ever been through life the object of the writer to reverence goodness wherever seen and by whatever name it may be called, and therefore he is will- ing to pay his tribute to the fearless devotedness of these men . . . even though he differs widely from them in theology. 1 Perhaps there is no one who has been more earnest and out-spoken in his praise of the missionaries than Francis Parkman, who certainly could not be accused of any partiality to the Church. Speaking of the character of the men employed in the American missions, Parkman says : These were no stern exiles, seeking on barbarous shores an asylum for a persecuted faith. Rank, wealth, power and royalty itself smiled on their enter- prise and bade them Godspeed. Yet withal, a fervor more intense, a self- devotion more constant and enduring, will scarcely find its record on the page of human history.- It pleased Parkman occasionally to sneer at the missionary's faith, but, he says : When we see them . . . toiling on foot from one infected town to another, wading through the sodden snow, under the bare and dripping forests, drenched with incessant rains, till they descried at length through the storm the clustered dwellings of some barbarous hamlet — when we see them entering, one after an- other these wretched abodes of misery and darkness, and all for one sole end, the baptism of the sick and dying, we may smile at the futility of the object, but we must needs admire the self-sacrificing zeal with which it was pursued." And of their lives he says : A life sequestered from social intercourse, and remote from every prize which ambition holds worth the pursuit, or a lonely death, under forms perhaps the most appalling, — these were the missionaries' alternatives. Their maligners •Kip, "William Ingraham, D. D., Early Jesuit Missions in North America, preface. 2 Parkman, The Jesuits in North America, p. 98. "Parkman, The Jesuits in No7th America, p. 44. 63 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS may taunt them, if they will, with credulity, superstition or a blind enthusiasm ; but slander itself cannot accuse them of hypocrisy or ambition. 4 A more modern historian and one who will not be charged with any favor- able bias, Judge Sidney Breese of the early Illinois Supreme Court and United States Senator from Illinois, says : When in the plentitude of their power no men on earth possessed higher qualifications for heathen conversion than they, for there was added to their learning, zeal, fortitude and enthusiasm, acute observation and great ad- dress, a remarkable faculty for ingratiating themselves with the simple natives of every clime and winning their confidence. They were meek and humble when necessary, and their religious fervor inspired them with a contempt of danger, and nerved them to meet and to overcome the most appalling obstacles. Alike to them were the chilling wintry blasts, the summer's heat, the pestilence or the scalping knife, the angry billows of the ocean and the raging storm ; they dreaded neither. No sooner did the enterprising sailor return to port from a newly-discov- ered populous barbarian region, than some of the order were at once dispatched to it, to commence the work of Christianization. The shores of India, the lone islands of the ocean, Africa, South America, all were visited by them. Not a zone of the earth's surface was left unexplored. If one region was more barbarous than another, if access to it was more difficult and dangerous, these but enhanced the desire to penetrate into it, there to plant the symbol of their faith, and die, if necessary, in its support. No spot, however secluded, could escape them, for with falcon glance and eagle daring, they darted their scrutiny into every nook and corner of both hemispheres, where, planting the cross and erecting rude altars for the occasion, they gathered the wondering savages around them, remained with them, and finally won them. 5 With no weapons but the crucifix and the breviary, with no aids but the faithful compass and their savage guides, with no hopes to cheer them in which the world bore part, prompted alone by religious enthusiasm, did they wander upon those then unknown seas, and gladly meet all the dangers which beset them. Like others of their order, whom neither polar snows nor tropical suns could terrify, whose torches had illuminated the plains of India and the icy Labrador, these devoted men sought to display their little tapers in those dark and dreary regions, and when we consider the period at which they attempted it, we are at a loss which to admire most, the courage and perseverance they manifested, or the religious ardor which animated them in the enterprise. 6 In describing the trials of the missionaries, Samuel Adams Drake in The Making of the Ohio Valley, states: The missionary either was sent out among the savages by his superior or went voluntarily, at the call of conscience. Never, since the days of the Apostles, were such tasks assumed by mortal men. Unwelcome intruders in the squalid wigwams of those fierce pagans, they were in turn starved, spit upon and tor- tured, not only in the spirit but in the flesh also. Joyful indeed was that day on which the missionary could claim even one convert. All had gone forth to a voluntary exile ; some to martyrdom itself. . . . When we look at the map and glance over the frightful distances to be traveled, we cannot help asking ourselves, what manner of men were these, who *Parkman, The Jesuits in North America, p. 130. 'Breese Sidney, Early History of Illinois, p. 70. "Ibid, Vol I, p. 77. 64 THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS thought no more of traversing the great lakes in a frail bark canoe than we do today in a luxurious palace steamer. 7 Confining our attention to the Illinois missions, it is proper to state that all of those missions were established by the Jesuits. In some cases priests of other orders and secular priests afterwards labored in these missions; but up to the time of their banishment in 1763, the principal workers in the Illinois mission fields were Jesuits, and at this day the Jesuit missionaries must be con- ceded to have attained the greatest results. The voyage of discovery of Louis Joliet and Father Marquette during the summer of 1673 and their visit to the Kaskaskias' village, and Marquette's promise to return are well remembered. 8 In faithful compliance with that promise Marquette, as soon as his health would permit, set forth on a return voyage to the Kaskaskias; and without stop- ping to dwell upon the incident of the voyage prior to the time he reached Illi- nois, it may be stated that he reached the mouth of the Chicago river on Decem- ber 4, 1674; that he lived in a hunter's cabin at a point within the present limits of the City of Chicago until the 29th or 30th of March, 1675 ; that during his stay in Chicago he erected an altar, offered up the Divine Sacrifice whenever he was able, made a novena to the Blessed Virgin for the relief of his illness and pushed on towards the Kaskaskias' village, which he reached on April 8, 1675.° To use the words of Father Dablon, he was received by the Kaskaskias like an angel from heaven. Three days he spent in visiting the cabins and an- nouncing the word of God. On the fourth day, Maundy Thursday, April 11th, 1675, he established the Church in Illinois. A beautiful prairie near the town (and near the present city of Utica) was chosen for the great event. It was adorned in the fashion of the country, being spread with mats and bearskins ; and Father Marquette, having hung on cords some pieces of Chinese taffeta, attached to these four large pictures of the Blessed Virgin, which were thus visible on all sides. The auditory was composed of 500 chiefs and old men seated in a circle around the Father, while the youth stood without to. the number of 1,500, nol counting the women and children, who were very numerous, the town being composed of five or six hundred fires. 10 'lb. p. 9 et seq. "Father Marquette compiled a detailed report of this voyage, which when the Jesuits were suppressed and their missions closed, was brought to St. Mary's Convent in Montreal, where it lay hidden for a century and a half until discovered by John Gil- mary Shea and published with an English translation in 1852. Others have since published this report, and the reader may find it in English in Shea's Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi in Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 59 and in a late pub- lication by Louise Phelps Kellog, Ph.D., Early Narratives, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. This work also contains the journal of Marquette's second journey to Illi- nois, completed by Father Dablon, and several others of the narratives of early travels through Illinois. For an exhaustive and critical study of this expedition we refer the reader to The Joliet-Marquette Expedition, 1673, written by Reverend Francis Borgia Steck, O.F.M., Ph.D., and published (1928) at Quincy College, Quincy, Illinois. This work is enriched with numerous maps and documents in facsimile. 'Journal of Marquette's Second Visit to Illinois. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, V. 59, p. 181, Kellog, Early Narratives of the Northwest, pp. 262 to 269. '"Dablon, Thwaites, Jesuit Relations. V. 59, p. 189; Kellog, p. 271. 65 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Father Marquette spoke to all this gathering, and : With the breathless attention of the Indian, all listened to the pale and wasted missionary, who spoke his heart to them on the mystery of the cross ; and still their wonder grew as they beheld him offer on his sylvan altar the holy sacrifice of the mass on the very day when, more than sixteen centuries before, the God he preached had instituted it in the upper-room at Jerusalem. 11 What an auspicious day for the establishment of the Church in our domain, and with what righteous pride we may contemplate this earliest event in the ex- istence of the Church on our soil ; and too, what satisfaction there is in con templating that the Church then and there established, as well as the particular organization, the Mission of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin then and there instituted, which has existed without interruption, developed and flourished from that day until this. Begging for a respite of life, he again officiated on Easter Sunday, April 14th, 1675, and calling down divine blessings upon the newly founded mission with his last measure of strength, he then bade his new-found flock a last fare- well. The object he had cherished for years was attained. He had founded the Church in Illinois. His work was done ; he was ready to die, and that he might die amongst his brethren, he began his homeward journey; but when only part of the distance was covered, he disembarked from his canoe, and upon the slope near the promontory of the Sleeping Bear, on the banks of what is since known as Pierre Marquette river, he yielded up his spirit in the depths of the wilder- ness, "thanking the Almighty for his mercy in permitting him to die in the Society of Jesus, alone amidst the forest." 12 This gentle soul spent but a few months all told within the territory of Illi- nois. He won no battles, he conquered no territory, he achieved no temporal greatness, but none since has left a more profound impression. The church planted, it is interesting to trace its development and the suc- cession of missionaries that kept the holy light burning in the darkness and gloom of the savage wilderness. To this end, we will follow the record of the Mission of the Immaculate Conception. Father Marquette was succeeded in the Illinois Mission by Father Claude Jean Allouez, another Jesuit. Marquette had promised his newly found congre- gation that another "Black Robe" would be sent them, and they eagerly awaited him, so that when in March or April, 1677, Father Allouez reached Chicago, he found a large band of Indians there who had come to meet him, and who escorted him to the mission established by Father Marquette. Arriving there on the 27th of April, 1677, he immediately took up the work of the mission. His own words are : To take possession of these tribes in the name of Jesus Christ on the third day of May, the Feast of the Holy Cross, I erected in the midst of the town, a cross 35 feet high, chanting the Vexilla Regis in the presence of a great number of Illinois of all tribes, of whom I can say in truth that they did not take Jesus crucified for a folly, nor for a scandal, on the contrary they witnessed the cere- u Shea, Catholic Missions, p. 407. "Journal. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations. Vol. 59, p. 199; Kellog p. 275. For a very satisfactory sketch of Father Marciuette, read Pioneer Priests. Rev. T. J. Campbell, S. J., Vol. 3, p. 165. 66 THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS mony with great respect and heard all on the mystery with admiration. The children even wanted to kiss the cross through devotion, and the old earnestly commended me to place it well, so that it could not fall. 13 Though absent at intervals from the mission, Father Allouez was attached to and spent the remainder of his life amongst the Illinois, a period of eleven years, in which he attained marked success. He died amongst the Miami near the site of what is now Niles, Michigan, on the night of the 27-28 of August, 1689, at the age of sixty-seven. He is credited with having instructed during his apostolic career 100,000 natives, 10,000 of whom he baptized. He had earned his name of the second Xavier. 14 On the death of Father Allouez, Father Sebastian Rale was selected as his successor, and arrived in the Illinois Mission in the spring of 1692. Father Rale was but two years in the Illinois Mission when he was called to the east where he gained much renown. It was of Father Rale that Whittier wrote so feelingly in his "Mogg Magone": On the brow of a hill, which slopes to meet The flowing river and bathe its feet — The bare-washed rock, and the drooping grass, And the creeping vine as the waters pass — A rude and unshapely chapel stands, Built up in that wild by unskilled hands. Yet the traveler knows it is a place of prayer, For the holy sign of the Cross is there ; And should he chance at that place to be, Of a Sabbath morn, or some hallowed day, When prayers are made and masses are said, Some for the living and some for the dead, — Well might the traveler start to see The tall dark forms, that take their way From the birch canoe, on the river shore, And the forest paths, to that chapel door; And marvel to mark the naked knees And the dusky foreheads bending there, — - And, stretching his long thin arms over these In blessing and in prayer, Like a shrouded spectre, pale and tall, In his coarse white vesture, Father Rale ! 15 Father Rale was a remarkable linguist and translated several Indian dia- lects. During the time that he was in Illinois, the mission services were con- ducted with great regularity and the Indians attended very faithfully. The tragic death of Father Rale in the Abnaki Mission where he had served so faithfully and successfully for thirty years after he left the Illinois, is one of the saddest chapters in American history. The gifted missionary became a pawn of war and a victim of the English in their fight for supremacy over the French. Under the pretext tbat Father Rale prevented the Abnaki Indians "Shea, Discovery and Explorations of the Mississippi, p. 77. "Campbell, S. J., Rev. T. J., Pioneer Priests, Vol. 3, p. 164., which see for satisfac- tory biography of Father Allouez. "Father Rale's name has been variously written Rale, Rale, Ralles, Rasle, Rasles. 67 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS from joining the British in their wars, he was condemned to death by the authorities, and several attempts were made to take his life. A price of 1,000 pounds sterling was put upon his head. At length in August, 1724, 11,000 British and Indian troops attacked the Abnaki village where Father Rale was staying, with the purpose of his capture. Father Rale knowing that he alone was the object of their search, would not permit the fifty defenders of the village to be shot down in his defense, though they were most willing to die for him. He therefore discovered himself to the invaders. He was not mis- taken. A loud shout greeted his appearance. The man they had so often failed to find was before them. Their muskets covered him and he fell, riddled with bullets, at the foot of the cross which he had planted in the center of the village. They crushed in his skull with hatchets again and again, filled his mouth and eyes with filth, tore off his scalp, which they sold afterwards at Boston and stripped his body of its soutane, but as it was too ragged to keep, they flung it back on the corpse. The murder of Father Rale was in part the fruit of Puritan bigotry, and was indeed glorified as the "singular work of God." However, there has been a great change of sentiment, and the grave of Father Rale at Norridgewoek Falls in the Portland Diocese of the State of Maine, near the spot where he was so cruelly killed, is marked by a granite shaft, and is now a place of pious pilgrimage. 10 On the death of Father Rale and the destruction of his mission, Whit- tier says : No wigwam smoke is curling there ; The very earth is scorched and bare ; And they pause and listen to catch a sound Of breathing life, but there comes not one, Save the fox 's bark and the rabbit 's bound ; And here and there, on the blackening ground, White bones are glistening in the sun. And where the house of prayer arose, And the holy hymn at daylight's close, And the aged priest stood up to bless The children of the wilderness, There is naught, save ashes sodden and dank, And the birchen boats of the Norridgwock, Tethered to tree, and stump, and rock, Rotting along the river bank. 17 The seed planted by the saintly Marquette and tended by the martyred Rale and the eloquent Allouez, flourished, and in 1690 the Illinois Church was of such importance that the Bishop of Quebec, Rt. Reverend John Baptiste de Vallier in selecting a successor, appointed Father James Gravier and made "Campbell, S. J., Rev. T. J., Pioneer Priests, Vol. 3, p. 265, which see for satisfac- tory biography of Father Rale. "Mogg Megone. 68 THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS him his Vicar-General for the Illinois country. In the letter of appointment, the good Bishop said : Having recognized since we took possession of this See that the Fathers of the Society of Jesus who are engaged in the conversion of the Indians of this country devote themselves thereto with all care . . . and in particular as we note that for the last twenty years they have labored in the mission of the Illinois, whom they first discovered, to whom Father Marquette of the same society published the Faith in the year 1673, and died in this glorious task, and after the death of Father Marquette we committed it to Father Allouez, who after laboring there for several years, ended his life, exhausted by the great hard- ships he underwent in the instruction and conversion of the Illinois, Miamis and other nations, and finally we have again the care of this Mission of the Illinois and other surrounding nations, we give the superior of said mission all the authority of our Vicar-General. 18 Father Gravier began his missionary labors in the Illinois Mission on March 20th, 1693. La Salle had in 1680 and at later dates passed through Illinois ; had caused a fort to be erected at Peoria called Fort Crevecour and another at the big rock now known as Starved Rock and had left Henry de Tonti in charge as Governor of all the Illinois country, a trust which Tonti discharged with great fidelity for a period of twenty-one years. LaSalle had also attempted through the Recollects, a branch of the Franciscans, to estab- lish a mission at Peoria, and later the same missionaries moved up the river to the village of the Kaskaskias, where Marquette, Allouez and Rale had labored and where Tonti built the second fort ; but the fort at Peoria was destroyed by the mutinous men who were left to garrison it, and the Recollects for various reasons did not succeed in their attempted missionary endeavors. Upon Father Gravier 's arrival at the village of the Kaskaskias, he found Tonti in the fort, which had been named Fort St. Louis, and at once established a chapel in the fort. For the convenience of the Indians he erected another chapel outside the fort and near the Indian village, which was opened with ceremony, and before which was planted a "towering cross amid the shouts and musketry of the French," in April, 1693. This was no doubt the first dedication of a church structure within the present State of Illinois. Father Gravier was absent from the mission at the Rock for a short time, and when he returned in 1694, the Indians had moved down the river to Peoria Lake; he accordingly joined them there and built a new chapel which was blessed about the end of April. 10 "See as to appointment letter of Gravier to Bishop de Lavel, Thwait.es, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 65, p. 53. Letter quoted by Shea in The Catholic Church in Colonial Days, p. 535. "•There is some confusion and uncertainty as to the location of the French for about this period. A fort had been established at Peoria Lake by La Salle in 1680 but had been destroyed by his mutinous soldiers. The fort at the Rock was established in 1682, and tbat was undoubtedly Tonti's residence. But Gravier writing from the Illinois Mission on February 15, 1694, plainly says: "After having been among the Oumiamis during the winter, on the ice, I found the Illinois— who had some months before left the places we call Kaskaskia and Kouir Akouintauka . . . about the end of the same month of April I blessed the new chapel which is built outside the fort, at a spot very convenient to the savages." Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, 64, p. 159. In a note to this paragraph Thwaites says: "The fort here mentioned was apparently at the same place as La Salle's Fort Crevecouer near the present Peoria. Here was located the village of the Peorias and Kaskaskias to whom Gravier ministered. It had evidently been removed from its earlier location which Marquette visited." Relations, 64, p. 279. 69 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Father Gravier was one of the ablest and most successful of all the Illi- nois missionaries. He thoroughly mastered the Indian language and reduced it to grammatical form. He compiled the great manuscript, "Dictionary of the Peoria Language," now at Harvard University, a literary monument to the ex- tinct Illinois. He labored unremittingly, traveling from the Kaskaskias to Peoria and to the Miami at St. Joseph 's near what is now South Bend, Indiana, and we even find him visiting the Tonica mission on the Yazoo in Mississippi in 1700 to minister to Father Anthony Davion, a priest of the Seminary of For- eign Missions, in his sickness. He also experienced much difficulty with the Peoria Indians, the chief of whom at the time was a medicine man and very vicious in his opposition to the "Prayer." A daughter of the chief neverthe- less became a convert and proved a veritable saint, through whom Father Gravier was able to triumph spiritually over his enemies. 20 The success of Father Gravier 's work may be judged from the fact that although Peoria was, so to speak, an out mission, visited only occasionally, "even in the absence of their pastor," the men assembled in the chapel for morning and evening prayer, and after they had left, an old chief went through the village to call the women and children to perform the same duty. In the first year of his ministrations, during the eight months of the year 1693, succeeding his arrival, he administered baptisms to the number of 200. 21 The Iroquois Indians continuing to make war upon the Illinois tribes, pressed them so hard, that they removed their principal village down the Illi- nois river in 1700 and settled in what is now Randolph county near the mouth of the Kaskaskia river. During the latter years of his pastorate, Father Gravier was assisted by the Jesuit Fathers, Gabriel Marest, Pierre Francois Pinet and Julien Bineteau. After the removal of the mission from the old village of the Kaskaskias to the new on the Mississippi river, Father Bineteau first took charge of the Kas- kaskia mission. Father Pinet established a new mission at the Tamaroa village, later known as the Mission of the Holy Family and located at what became Cahokia. Father Gabriel Marest soon after came to Kaskaskia and Father Gravier remained much of the time in the village of the Peorias at Lake Peoria. In a letter written by Gravier to Michelangelo Tamburini from Paris where Father Gravier went in 1707 and published in Volume 66, Jesuit Relations, at p. 121, Father Gravier gives us some idea of the missionary life. He says : In my village which is 500 leagues distant from Quebec, and which consists of about 3,000 souls, — unless, during the pastor's absence the flock be dis- persed for a time, — I have for the last nineteen years lived nearly always alone without a colleague, without a companion, often even without a servant. I am already 56 years old. Father Gabriel Marest likewise lives alone in his mission with the same nation. During an entire day he has hardly time to recite his breviary, or to eat or to take a short rest in the middle of the night. His fellow missionary, Father Jean Mermet, can hardly work, owing to his ruined state of health after having spent all his strength by excess of zeal. They have hardly time to breathe on account of the increasing number of "Letter of Father Gravier. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations. Vol. 69, p. 181, et. seq. "Letter of Father Gravier. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 69, p. 159. 70 Louis Joliet Co- discoverer and explorer, with Father Marquette, of tin Mississippi and Illinois rivers in 1613. BWVEKOTY Of It!- THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS Neophites and their very great fervor; for out of 2,200 souls who compose their village, hardly forty may be found who do not profess the Catholic Faith with the greatest piety and constancy. We are separated from each other by a dis- tance of 120 leagues and hardly once every year have I time to visit him. Despite his great labors and many sacrifices on behalf of the ungrateful Peoria Indians, they in 1706 attacked Father Gravier and cruelly wounded him. A savage band of Indians discharged their arrows at him, two of which struck him in the breast, a third tore his ear, a fourth struck his collar-bone while the fifth became embedded in his arm and could never be removed. 22 Re- turning to New Orleans, the great missionary there died of his wounds in 1708. 23 The First Church in Chicago The first missionary endeavors of Father Pinet in Illinois were within the present limits of the city of Chicago. Here he established a mission known as the Angel Guardian among the Indian tribes dwelling about the region in 1696, which, with some interruption continued to the year 1699. Historically, this was the first organized effort to plant Christianity in the territory now em- braced within the limits of Chicago. Father Julien Bineteau was with Father Pinet during a portion of his stay in the Angel Guardian Mission. The Angel Guardian Mission was abandoned 24 in 1699, and Father Pinet removed down the Illinois river and established the first mission of the Tamaroas, near what became known as Cahokia, opposite the present site of St. Louis in St. Clair County, in 1700. Of this mission under the leadership of Father Pinet, Father Marest says : It is a mission which at first had been committed to Father Pinet, whose zeal and labors God blessed to such a degree, that I have been myself witness that his church was not able to contain the multitude of Indians who resorted thither in crowds. 25 The priests of the Mission-house of Quebec known as the priests of the Foreign Missions, claimed the Tamaroa Mission, and Marest writing to Father Lamberville in July, 1702, says that : Father Pinet, a very holy and zealous missionary, has left the Mission of the Tamaroa in accordance with your directions to me . . . and now has charge of the Kaskaskias. 26 Father Pinet died at Chicago, July 16, 1704, and was succeeded in the Tamaroa Mission by Father Francis Buisson de St. Cosme, and Father John Bergier, priests of the Seminary of Foreign Missions, and the Tamaroa Mission was thereafter until 1763 conducted under the care of that order of priests. "In a letter written at Paris, March 6, 1707, Father Gravier says: "I traveled by ship more than 2,000 leagues, not with the intention of (finding) some one who might extract from the middle of my arm the stone arrow-head which is riveted there for the rest of my life (the four other arrows which the same barbarian shot at me in hatred of the faith, apart from piercing my ear, hardly wounded me) but I performed the journey urged by anxiety to procure from the Reverend Father General workers whom our missions greatly need." Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol 66, p. 121. "Arthur Edward Jones, S. J., in Jesuit Relations, Vol. 71, p. 156. "Father Gravier states that Frontenac drove the Jesuits from "the missions of the l'Ange Gardien of the Miamis at Chicagua." Letter of Gravier to Bishop de Laval. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 65, p. 53. 28 Marest to Germon. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 66, p. 257. "Marest to Lamberville. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 66, p. 37. 71 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Father Bineteau upon coming to Illinois, came direct to the Mission es- tablished by Father Marquette. His name is found on the l-ecords of the Mis- sion of the Immaculate Conception in 1697, 1698 and 1699. As above noted, after the Mission was removed, he was left in charge of the new location of the Immaculate Conception, while Father Gravier went back to Peoria. Father Bineteau 's pastorate there was but a short one, as he died soon after. Father Marest cites the circumstances of his death to illustrate the hardships to which the Missionaries were subject, amongst them the necessity of following the tribes on their hunts. There are particularly two great hunts, says Father Marest, that of the summer, which scarcely lasts three weeks, and that which takes place during the winter which lasts four or five months. Although the summer hunt is the shortest, it is nevertheless the most painful, and it was this which cost the late Father Bineteau his life. He followed the Indians during the most oppressive heats of the month of July. Sometimes he was in danger of being stifled in the midst of the tall grasses, and then suffered cruelly from thirst, not finding anywhere on the parched up prairies a single drop of water to relieve it. Dur- ing the day he was drenched in perspiration, and at night was obliged to take his rest on the bare ground, exposed to the dews, to the injurious effects of the atmosphere and to many other miseries of which I cannot give you the detail. These fatigues produced in him a violent illness, of which he expired in my arms. 27 Of Fathers Pinet and Marest we have a contemporary estimate from the pen of Father Gravier : Father Pinet and Father Marest are wearing out their strength; and they are two saints, who take pleasure in being deprived of everything in order, they say, that they may soon be nearer paradise. Of Father Bineteau, Gravier says : Father Bineteau died there from exhaustion ; but if he had had a few drops of Spanish wine, for which he asked us during his last illness, and some little dainties, such as sugar or other things — or had we been able to procure some fresh food for him, he would perhaps be still alive.- 8 In 1694 Father Gabriel Marest accompanied the expedition of the re- nowned D 'Iberville from Montreal to Hudson Bay, directed against the English, and after D 'Iberville's success began a mission there. In 1695 the forts were retaken by the English, and Father Marest was taken a prisoner to Plymouth, England. He was in Illinois, however, in 1699, at Peoria first and afterwards until 1712 at Kaskaskia. Father Marest was a man of action, and has left us a splendid account of the work of the missionaries and the fruits of the missions. In a letter written from Kaskaskia, dated November 9, 1712, he gives a most interesting account of the country, its appearance and products and of the Indians and the missions. Amongst other interesting passages are the following : They, (the Illinois) are very different from those Indians, (other savage tribes he has described) and also from what they formerly were themselves. Christianity, as I have already said, has softened their savage customs, and their manners are now marked by a sweetness and purity which have induced "Marest to Germon. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 66, p. 253. "Gravier to Lamberville. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 66, p. 25. 72 THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS some of the French to take their daughters in marriage. We find in them, moreover, a docility and ardor for the practice of the Christian virtues. The following is the order we observe each day in our mission : Early in the morning we assemble the catechumens at the church, where they have prayers, receive instructions and chant some canticles. When they have re- tired Mass is said, at which all the Christians assist, the men placed on one side and the women on the other; then they have prayers which are followed by giving the homily, after which each one goes to his labor. We then spend our time in visiting the sick, to give them necessary remedies, to instruct them, to console those who are laboring under any affliction. After noon the catechising is held, at which all are present, Christians and catechumens, men and children, young and old, and where each, without dis- tinction of rank or age answers the questions put by the missionaries. Our visits to their wigwams occupy the rest of the day. In the evening all assemble again at the church to listen to the instructions which are given, to have prayer and to sing some hymns. On Sunday and festivals they add to the ordinary exercises, instructions, which are given after Vespers. The zeal with which these good neophytes repair to the church at all hours is admirable ; they break off from their labors and run from a great distance to be there at the appointed time. They generally end the day by private meet- ings which they hold at their homes, the men separate from the women, and there they recite the chaplet with alternate choirs, and chant the hymns until the night is far advanced. They often approach the sacraments and the custom among them is to confess and communicate once a fortnight. 29 Indeed it would be difficult to find in all the world now, a community, un- less it be one of Religious, where religion is so strictly observed as above de- scribed amongst these children of the forests, who, but a few years before knew not God. Religion had done even more for the Illinois Indians. It had civil- ized them and given them a taste of domestic life so that they cultivated crops, entered upon manufactures of various kinds and settled down to home life. Osman says: It was no doubt due to him (Father Marest) directly, that the Illinois country later so rapidly developed its agricultural resources that the new set- tlement became the source of the grain and flour consumed by the French settlements along the lower Mississippi. 30 At his death, September 15, 1714, Father Marest 's body was laid to rest in the chapel of the Immaculate Conception, and on the 18th of December, 1722, his remains were removed to the Church. (See note 33.) The first labors of Father Mermet in the Illinois country were at the mis sion on the Ohio known as Fort Ascension and afterwards as Fort Massac. Here he was stationed as early as 1702. In that year, a band of the Mascouten Indians had drifted down to that vicinity, and Father Mermet attempted to minister to them, but found them entirely under the influence of their Medi- cine-man and opposed to Christianity. A plague visited the locality, killing many of the Indians daily. Father Mermet did what he could to relieve the sick, baptising some of the dying at their own request, but he was rewarded "•Marest to Germon. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 66, p. 241. "Starved Rock, p. 145-6. 73 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS only by abuse and attempts upon his life. To appease the "spirit of disease" the Indians organized dances at which they sacrificed some forty dogs, carry- ing them at the ends of poles while dancing. They were finally driven to ask the aid of the priest, which was of course freely granted. 31 Father Mermet came to the mission field of Illinois in 1707, and labored here until 1719. Father Marest has left us an appreciation of him. He says : The Father Mermet, with whom I have the happiness to be associated for many years, remains at the village (when the Indians go upon the hunt) for their instruction, the delicacy of his constitution placing it entirely out of his power to sustain the fatigues inseparable from these long journeys. Never- theless, in spite of his feeble health, I can say that he is the soul of this Mission. It is his virtue, his mildness, his touching instructions, and the singular talent he has of winning the respect and friendship of the Indians, which have placed our mission in its present flourishing state. 32 At his death, Father Mermet was buried in the Chapel, and his body was transferred from the Chapel to the Church on December 18th, 1727. 33 Father Louis Mary de Ville came to the Illinois country in 1707, and was here associated with Father Marest and Father Mermet. Ever since the Peorias had attacked and wounded Father Gravier they had been left without a mis- sionary, but when better counsels prevailed they eagerly besought Father Marest to re-establish the mission amongst them. Upon what seemed to be a sincere repentance, Father de Ville was sent to that mission. In commenting upon the assignment of Father de Ville to the Peoria mission, Father Marest says: When the question came to be settled with regard to keeping the promise I had given the Peorias to go and live with them, the French and Indians there (at Kaskaskia) opposed it, probably because they were accustomed to my ways and were not pleased with the idea of a change. Father de Ville was therefore sent hither in my place. This Father, who had been but a short time with us, now makes it evident, by his zeal, by the talent he has for winning the Indians, and by the progress he makes among them, that God had destined him to that mission, of which He did not think me worthy. 34 In 1719 Father de Ville went to Mobile on business of the mission and es- pecially to obtain from Governor Bienville some restrictions upon the lawless traders. He remained six months, during which time he ministered to the French and even accompanied their troops in the attack on Pensacola. On his return he was made Superior of the Illinois mission but was soon after at- tacked by a severe illness, which compelled him to spend the winter in Natchez. He died there June 6, 1720. 35 Father Jean Antoine (almost always called Joseph Ignatius) le Boullenger, S. J., came to the Illinois missions in 1719. His name first appears in the parish records at Kaskaskia in that year. In 1720 the mission was designated a "Marest to Germon. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 66, p. 237. '"Marest to Germon. Jesuit Relations, Vol. 66, p. 255. "Church Records of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Kaskaskia, now in St. Louis University, St. Louis, translated in part by E. G. Mason, and published in Vol. 4, Chicago Historical Collection; also published in Michigan Pioneer Collection, Vol. 5 (1882), p. 103. "Marest to Germon. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 66, p. 291. "Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 66, p. 341. 74 THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS church and the parish was divided. The Illinois country was until 1717 a part of the Canadian French domain, but in that year it was made a part of Louisiana and in December, 1718, Pierre Douge de Boisbriant arrived at Kas- kaskia, commissioned to govern the province and erect a fort, which he com- pleted in 1720. The fort was situated on the river about sixteen miles northwest of the town of Kaskaskia, and was named Port Chartres. A village immediately grew up near the fort and a church was built and named St. Anne du Fort Chartres. Father le Boullenger became the first pastor and he was assisted by Father Joseph de Kereben, S. J. Father Nicholas Ignatius de Beaubois came to Kaskaskia as Vicar General of Bishop Henri Marie du Breuil de Pontbriand of New Orleans, and became pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Concep- tion at Kaskaskia. In 1719 Father John Charles Guymonneau, S. J., was also at Kaskaskia and attending an Indian mission six miles inland from there. Father le Boullenger was a man of great missionary tact and wonderful skill in languages. His Illinois catechism and instructions in the same dialect for hearing Mass and approaching the Sacraments were considered by other missionaries as masterpieces. To enable the latter to avail themselves of his labors he added a literal French translation. Father le Boullenger was pastor of St. Anne's until 1726. Speaking of Father le Boullenger 's work at the mission, Father Mathurin le Petit, in a letter to d'Avaugor dated New Orleans the 12th of July, 1730, said : You would be astonished, as I myself have been on arriving at this mission, to find that a great part of our French are not by any means so well instructed in religion as are these neophytes. They are scarcely unacquainted with the histories of the Old and the New Testament. The manner in which they hear the Holy Mass and receive the sacraments is most excellent. Their catechism which has fallen into my hands, with the literal translation made by Father Boullenger, is a perfect model for those who have need of such works in their new missions. They do not leave these good savages to be ignorant of any of our mysteries, or of any of our duties, but attach them to the foundation and essentials of religion, which they have displayed before them in a manner equally instructive and sound . . . But their assiduity and patience is abundantly recompensed by the blessings which it has pleased God to pour out upon their labors. Father le Boullenger has written me word that he is obliged, for the second time, considerably to enlarge his church, on account of great numbers of savages who have each year received baptism. :!tJ Father Nicholas Ignatius de Beaubois, S. J., was the first of the Jesuit Superiors in the Illinois mission from the Province of New Orleans. He be- came pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in 1710, and after Father le Boullenger left St. Anne's in 1726, Father de Beaubois took charge there and so remained until 1735. After a stay of some five or six years in the Illinois missions, Father de Beaubois became the central figure in a very important journey to the old world. He was commissioned by his Bishop to go to France and procure ad- ditional Priests for the Missions and a community of Nuns. In the discharge of this important mission Father de Beaubois took with him the Chief of the Mitchegamea Indians, Chicagou, and three other Indian Chiefs, who were "Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 68, p. 211-213. 75 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS thoroughly civilized and devout Catholics. When Father de Beaubois appeared in Paris with these Indian Chieftains it is putting it mildly to say that he created a sensation. They were presented at Court and each received favors for keepsakes from the King. Countesses, marchionesses and duchesses bestowed gifts upon them, and they were harangued and feted at many notable functions. 37 Father de Beaubois discharged his mission well, in that he secured a com- pany of Ursuline Sisters, who returned with him and established the Ursuline Community in New Orleans in 1727. He also brought back with him seven young Jesuit Priests to enter into the missionary field. Several of those Jesuits labored in the Illinois missions, and to the great satisfaction of Father de Beau- bois the first American Nun was the daughter of one of his parishioners at Kas- kaskia, Mary Turpin, who joined the Ursulines at New Orleans. 38 As has been stated, Father Jean Charles Guymonneau was in charge of an Indian mission near Kaskaskia, of the same name. 39 He was from the Province of France; was born March 14,1664, entered the Jesuit Order October 3, 1704, arrived in Louisiana in 1715, and died at the Illinois missions February 6, 1736. In a letter written by Father Mathurin le Petit to Father Francis Retz, General of the Society of Jesus, dated New Orleans, June 29, 1736, Father le Petit says: The Louisiana mission has this year been deprived of two missionaries. On the 6th day of February Father Charles Guymonneau of the Province of France, after twenty years spent in the Illinois missions, was carried off by an attack of pleurisy that lasted six days— to the regret of all, even of the Indians, whose nature he had already softened by the remarkable purity of his morals and the example of all his apostolic virtues. 40 Father Joseph Francis de Kereben, who, we have seen, came to the Illinois missions as an assistant to Father le Boullenger at St. Anne 's du Fort Chartres. and who later became Superior of the Jesuit missions in Illinois, was from the Province of France, born December 20, 1683, entered the Order August 27, 1703, arrived in Louisiana in 1716, and died in the Illinois mission February 2, 1728. 41 Father John Dumas, S. J., came to the Illinois missions. from New Orleans in 1727, and was one of the Priests that came over with Father de Beaubois. He was assigned to the Illinois missions immediately upon his arrival. Som- mervogel conjectures that his stay in the Illinois missions extended to 1740, when he returned to France, where he taught Hebrew at Lyons for many years and wrote several mathematical and astronomical works. He died in 1770. 42 "Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 67, p. 341. ""Shea, Church in Colonial Days, pp. 568, 573, 580, 582. 3B This mission has been a source of difficulty to some investigators. Father Watrln writing in 1764, says: "At one and one-fourth leagues from the Illinois Savages, there was a French village also named Kaskaskia. For 44 years there has been in this village a parish which has always been governed by the Jesuits." Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 70, p. 233. w Le Petit to Retz. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 68, p. 309. See also Ibid, p. 335. "Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol 71, p. 126 and 164. "Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 67, p. 342 and Vol. 71, p. 168. 76 THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS Father Rene Tartarin, S. J., arrived at the Illinois missions in 1729. He also was one of the missionaries brought over by Father de Beaubois, and was shortly after his arrival assigned to the Illinois mission. Father Tartarin re- mained at Kaskaskia at least two or three years. He was from the Province of France, born January 22, 1695, entered the Order August 20, 1712, arrived in Louisiana July 23, 1727 and died in the Louisiana mission September 24, 1745. 43 Father Etienne Doutreleau was another of the Jesuits who came to New Orleans with Father de Beaubois in 1727. He ministered in several of the lower Mississippi Valley missions, and was in the Illinois missions from 1735 to 1741. Altogether he was in the Mississippi Valley twenty years, a part of which time he was at Post Vincennes and another part as chaplain of the hospital at New Orleans. He returned to France in 1747. An account given by Father Mathurin le Petit in a letter dated from New Orleans, July 12, 1830, of the escape from assassination of Father Doutreleau is of great interest as showing the dangers to which the missionaries were ex- posed. At the time spoken of, there were several missions on the lower Mississippi, in one or more of which Father Doutreleau was engaged. While on a trip from one mission to another, Father le Petit tells us of the tragic happening to Father Doutreleau: This Missionary had availed himself of the time when the Savages were engaged in their winter occupations, to come to see us, for the purpose of regu- lating some matters relating to his Mission. He set out on the first day of this year, 1730, and not expecting to arrive at the residence of Father Souel, of whose fate he was ignorant, in time to say Mass, he determined to say it at the mouth of the little river of the Yazous where his party cabined. As he was preparing for this sacred office, he saw a boat full of Savages landing. They demanded from them of what Nation they were. "Yazous, comrades of the French," they replied, making a thousand friendly demon- strations to the voyageurs who accompanied the Missionary, and presenting them with provisions. While the Father was preparing his altar, a flock of bustards passed, and the voyageurs fired at them the only two guns they had, without thinking of reloading, as Mass had already commenced. The Savages noted this and placed themselves behind the voyageurs, as if it was their in- tention to hear Mass, although they were not Christians. At the time when the Father was saying the Kyrie eleison, the Savages made their discharge. The Missionary perceiving himself wounded in the right arm, and seeing one of the voyageurs killed at his feet, and the four others fled, threw himself on his knees to receive the last fatal blow, which he regarded as inevitable. In this posture he received two or three discharges. But although the Savages fired while almost touching him, yet they did not inflict on him any new wounds. Finding himself then, as it were, miraculously escaped from so many mortal blows, he took to flight, having on still his priestly garments, and without any further defense than an entire confidence in God, Whose particular protection was given him, as the event proved. He threw himself into the water, and after advancing some steps, gained the pirogue in which two of the voyageurs were making their escape. They had supposed him to be killed by some of the many balls which they had heard fired on him. In climbing up into the pirogue, and turning his head to see whether any one of the pursuers "Ibid, Vol. 67, p. 342. 77 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS were following him too closely, he received in his mouth a discharge of small shot, the greater part of which were flattened against his teeth, although some of them entered his gums and remained there for a long time. I have myself seen two of them there. Father Doutreleau, all wounded as he was, undertook the duty of steering the pirogue, while his two companions placed themselves at the paddles. Unfortunately, one of them, at setting out, had his thigh broken by a musket-ball, from the effects of which he has since remained a cripple. You may well imagine, my Reverend Father, that the Missionary and his companions had no thoughts of ascending the river. They descended the Mississippi with all the speed possible, and at last lost sight of the pirogue of their enemies, who had pursued them for more than an hour, keeping up a con- tinual fire upon them, and who boasted at the Village that they had killed them. The two paddlers were often tempted to give themselves up, but encouraged by the Missionary, they in turn made the Savages fear. An old gun which was not loaded, nor in a condition to be, which they pointed at them from time to time, made them often dodge in their boat, and at last obliged them to retire. As soon as they found themselves freed from their enemies, they dressed their wounds as well as they could, and for the purpose of aiding their flight from that fatal shore, they threw into the river everything they had in their boat, preserving only some pieces of raw bacon for their nourishment. It had been their intention to stop in passing at the Natchez, but having seen that the houses of the French were either demolished or burned, they did not think it advisable to listen to the compliments of the Savages, who from the bank of the river invited them to land. They placed a wide distance be- tween them as soon as possible ; and thus shunned the balls which were ineffec- tively fired at them. It was then that they began to distrust all these savage Nations, and therefore resolved not to go near the land until they reached New Orleans, and supposing that the barbarians might have rendered themselves masters of it, to descend even to the Blaize, where they hoped to find some French vessel provided to receive the wreck of the Colony. In passing the Tonkias, they separated themselves as far as possible from the shore, but they were discovered and a pirogue which had been dispatched to reconnoiter them, was not a long time in approaching. Their fear and dis- trust were renewed, and they did not decide to stop until they perceived that the persons in that boat spoke very good French, when they overcame their fears, and in the weak state they were, gladly availed themselves of the oppor- tunity to land. There they found the little French army which had been formed, the Officers compassionate and every way kind, a Surgeon and re- freshments. After recovering a little from the great dangers and miseries they had endured, they on the next day availed themselves of a pirogue which had been fitted out for New Orleans. I cannot express to you, my Reverend Father, the great satisfaction I felt at seeing Father Doutreleau, his arm in a scarf, arrive after a voyage of more than four hundred leagues, all the clothes he had on having been borrowed, except his cassock. My surprise was increased at the recital of his adventures. I placed him immediately in the hands of brother Parisel, who examined his wounds, and who dressed them with great care and speedy success. The Missionary was not yet entirely cured of his wounds, when he depart- ed to act as Chaplain to the French army, as he had promised Messieurs the Officers, in accordance with their request. He endured with them the fatigues of the campaign against the Natchez, and there gave new proofs of his zeal, his wisdom and his courage. On his return from the Natchez, he came to recruit himself here for six 78 Fatheij Marquette Establishing the Chukch at the Foot ok the "Rock" (Now Starved Rock) April 11, 1675 it was a beautiful prairie, close to « village, which was selected for the great Council; this was adorned, after the fashion of the country, by covering it with mats and bear skms. Then the Father, having directed than to stretch out upon lines several pieces of Chinese taffeta, attached to these four large pictures of the Blessed Virgin, which were risible on all sides. * * * He explained to tin m the principal mysteries of our religion, and the purpose that had brought him to their country. Above all he preached to them, Jesus Christ. * * * when he said Holy Mass, * * * and gave to the Mission the mime of the liu mai uhiti Conception of the Blessed Virgin. (Dablon, Jesuit Relations. Vol. 59.) Ui UBBlttY BHWEESIT* OF HUMS THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS weeks, which he found very long, hut which appeared to be very short. He was impatient to return to his dear Mission, but it was necessary for me to fit him out generally with everything proper for a Missionary, and he was obliged to wait for the escort which was going to the Illinois. The risks which they ran on the river during this insurrection of the Savages, induced Monsieur the Commandant to forbid voyageurs going in separate companies. He set out, therefore, on the 16th of April, with many others, in a body sufficiently large to relieve them from all fear of their enemies. I learned, in fact, they had pro- ceeded above the Akensas, without any accident. The pleasure of seeing Father Doutreleau for the first time, and seeing him, too, after his escape from such imminent perils, was much impaired by the vivid grief I felt for the loss of two Missionaries, (Fathers Souel and Du Poisson lately killed by the Indians) with whose merit you were as well acquainted as myself. You know that to a most amiable disposition, they united the appropriate qualifications for apostolic men, that they Avere very much attached to their Mission, that they had already become well acquainted with the language of the Savages, that their earliest labors had produced great fruits, and they gave the promise of still greater results, since neither of them was more than thirty-five or thirty-six years of age. This deprivation, which entirely occupied my thoughts, gave me no time for thinking of the loss we had sustained of their Negroes and their effects, although it has very much deranged a Mission which had just commenced, and whose necessities you know better than any one else. 44 Father Philibert Watrin, S. J., was for thirty years in the Illinois missions, coming in 1733 and remaining until the time that the Jesuits were banished in 1763. It is to Father Watrin that the Jesuits — and the whole world, indeed — owe the splendid vindication of the Priests of that Order and the refutation of the groundless charges under which they were stripped of their missions and driven from the country. 45 Father Watrin was the Superior of the Illinois missions when the Louisiana Council adopted its lawless edict confiscating the property of the Jesuits and banishing them from the country. Father Alexandre Francois Xavier Guyenne, S. J., was in the Illinois mis- sions from 1736 to 1762, connected with the Church of the Immaculate Con- ception and the Indian village not far from there. He spent thirty-six years in the missions of the French territory. He had labored in the missions of the Alabamu, the Quapaw and the Miami. He was at Fort Chartres, and was every- where respected as a man of rare virtue, of singular discretion, and of an in violable attachment to the duties of a missionary. Though offered more honor- able and easier station, he remained with his savages and by his constancy did much to preserve religion during the very unsettled times of his administration. He even did much to revive the fervor of the Christians by his untiring appli- cation to all exercises. Four years before his death he was afflicted by a partial paralysis, which rendered him unable to move about, and a lung trouble which had been of long duration developed to such an extent that he could scarcely speak aloud. Nevertheless, he ceased not receiving at all times "Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 68, pp. 175 to 185. "See Father Watrin's letter in full in Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 70. p. 213, and in Alvord and Carter, The Critical Period, 111. Hist. Col., Vol. X, p. 62, et seq. 70 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS his devoted neophytes, who came from far and near to be instructed. He catechised and exhorted them, heard their confessions, and prepared them for Communion, and in the capacity of Superior of the house he used his power to relieve their poverty. 46 Father Guyenne died in the Illinois missions in 1762. 47 Father Louis Vivier, S. J., was in the Illinois missions for several years. He was born October 17, 1714, and became a Jesuit novice at the age of seven- teen. Coming to New Orleans about 1749, he was promptly sent to the Illinois mission. He was there stationed at Kaskaskia for about four years and trans- ferred to Vincennes late in 1753 or early in 1754. He died there October 2, 1756. Father Vivier wrote several letters which have been preserved, in one of which he says, referring to the Illinois missions : I usually reside in this mission (Prairie du Rocher) of savages with Father Guyenne, who acts as my master in the study of the Illinois language. The French cure under Father Watrin's charge is composed of more than four hundred French people of all ages and more than two hundred and fifty negroes. There is a third mission 70 leagues from here. It is much smaller. Father Meurin has charge of it. 48 Father Francois John Baptiste Aubert was from the Province of Lyonf, born March 1, 1722 entered the Jesuit Order September 7, 1739; arrived in Louisiana in 1754 ; came to the mission of the Immaculate Conception at Kas- kaskia in 1758, and remained until January, 1764. In speaking of Father Aubert, Father Watrin says : Three Jesuits, successively Cures of this parish, Father Tartarin, Father Watrin and Father Aubert, have employed for this purpose (the building of the new church at Kaskaskia in 1753) the greater part of what they obtained from their surplice and their Mass fees. When the cures have the considera- tion and the ornamentation of their church so much at heart, it is also probable that they do not fail in their other duties. 49 Father Julien Joseph Fourre, S. J., came to New Orleans in 1747 and was assigned to the Illinois missions. His name appears on the records of the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Kaskaskia in 1749 and 1750. He died on his return voyage to France, February 19, 1759. The Last of the Jesuits Father Sebastian Louis Meurin is called the last of the Jesuits, meaning that he was the last to remain after the order of banishment consequent upon the suppression of the Order, and it is fortunate that he was such a worthy rep- resentative of the Order. He came to the mission in 1746, stuck to his post until 1775, and died in the village of Prairie du Rocher in 1777, where his remains were buried. 50 Years afterwards, when the Jesuit Order had been re- established with the full approval of the Pope and another worthy Jesuit had come back into the State of Illinois and become the second Bishop of Chicago, "Watrin. Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 70, p. 230. "Ibid. Vol. 67, p. 342. "Nov. 17, 1750, Thwaites, Jesuit Relations. Vol. 69, p. 101. See note Ibid 290. "Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 70, p. 233. See note Ibid 71, p. 179. "Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 70, p. 311 and Vol. 71, pp. 23 and 389. 80 THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS Bishop Van de Velde, the good Bishop hunted out the grave of Father Meurin, took up his remains and reverently laid them to rest in the cemetery of the Jesuit Seminary at Florissant, Missouri. 51 There his grave is marked by a modest slab which tells the story of his faithful services, and the admirer of his pure life and persevering endeavors can look upon the stone which marks his grave and contemplate with much satisfaction his holy career. Such was the saintly founder and such the noble succession of Jesuits that planted the Church in Illinois and nourished it for the first hundred years and until they were rudely and violently torn from it. During that time there were other worthy Jesuits who visited the Illinois country and ministered to religion while here, or encouraged their confreres or wrote of the country, whose memories deserve well of us; but here we can only call their names. Amongst them were : Father Joseph de Limoges, Father Pierre Francois Xavier de Charlevoix, Father Francois Buisson, Father Michael Guignas, Father Paul Du Boisson, Father Mathurin le Petit, Father Jean Souel, Father Michel Baudoin, Father Jean Aulneau, Father Pierre du Jaunay, Father Antoine Senat, Father Jean Baptiste de la Morinie, Father Claud Joseph Virot, Father Julien Devernai and Father Nicholas le Febvre. It should not be inferred that the Church died with the banishment of the Jesuits. Its work was taken up and vigorously prosecuted by noble priests of other orders and seculars, and the very Mission of the Immaculate Conception instituted by Father Marquette is a vigorous church at the present time. What can be said of the result of the Missions in Illinois? According to Father Gravier in 1707 : Out of 2,200 souls who compose their village (that of the Kaskaskias then under Father Gabriel Marest) hardly forty may be found who do not profess the Catholic Faith with the greatest piety and constancy. 52 As indicating that the Indians persevered in the Faith to a late date, it may be pointed out that on August 13, 1803, the United States government made a treaty with the Kaskaskia Indians which contained the following clause : And whereas the greater part of said tribe have been baptized and re- ceived into the Catholic Church, to which they are much attached, the United States will give, annually for seven years, one hundred dollars toward the sup- port of a priest of that religion, who will engage to perform for said tribe the duties of his office and also to instruct as many of their children as possible in the rudiments of literature. And the United States will further give the sum of $300.00 to assist the said tribe in the erection of a church. Judge Charles I. Walker in an address before the Michigan Historical Society, addressing himself to this subject, and tacitly admitting that the Mis- sionaries were not empire builders, said : But if they were not founders of empires, if they did but little or nothing "Under the window at the Gospel side of the altar near the old Church at Prairie du Rocher, built of logs, set upon a stone foundation, lay buried the remains of Father Sebastian Louis Meurin, the last surviving Jesuit Missionary of the West. When i'rovincial of the Jesuit Order, Father James Oliver Van de Velde had obtained per- mission to remove the body. Now as Bishop, he disinterred the remains. Finding the skeleton entire, he placed it in a fitting casket, and after conveying it to St. Louis, re-interred the remains at St. Stanislaus, the cemetery of the restored society at Floris- sant. Shea, Catholic Church in the United States, 1808-1843. p. 238. "Gravier to Tamburini, Thwaites, Jesuit Relations, Vol. 66, p. 121. 81 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS toward the elevation of the Indian race and character, these men still have a proud place upon the historical page, which all readily concede. As discov- erers and explorers they have few superiors. Persevering, self-denying, toil enduring, courageous, no obstacles discouraged, no privations disgusted, no hardships appalled, no dangers terrified. Contemptuous of threatened evil, they boldly placed themselves in the power of the untutored and unfriendly Indians, living with them in their dirty camps, partaking of their inconceivably filthy food, sleeping with them and their dogs, annoyed with their vermin, poisoned with their stench, submitting meekly to the contumely of the haughty, and the insults and brutality of the mean. Calmly, persistently they braved the forced toil of paddling the canoe, or over sharp stones dragging its weight up foaming rapids, often wading waist deep in the water or plunging through ice and snow. Piercing winds, bitter cold, dire want, and terrific danger were among their common trials, yet they persevered with a ceaseless assiduity and untiring energy that no suffering could subdue. Industriously they traveled, anxiously they inquired, carefully they observed, and minutely, under every disadvantage, by the light of the glimmering camp fires, they committed the result of their travels, inquiries and observations to writing. They opened to France and the world a knowledge of the great Northwest, of these mighty lakes, noble rivers, beautiful prairies and extensive forests. They were not only discoverers but they were pioneers in the pathway of civilization. Following in their footsteps came the trader, the voyager, the soldier, and ultimately the mechanic, the farmer, the merchant and the gentle- man. Delightful French hamlets sprang up by the side of the mission station, and there was reproduced in the forest recesses of the Northwest a new and delightful edition of rural life amid the sunny vales and vine clad hills of France. But the chiefest claim to admiration lies in their personal character, their apostolic zeal, their sublime and heroic virtues. Actuated by no love of glory, inspired by no hope of self aggrandizement, but panting with an earnest desire to save souls for whom Christ died, and open the pathway to heaven to be- nighted heathen, they faced the untold horrors of a missionary life among wild, wandering, irreverent, brutal savages, and here developed, in the midst of trials the most severe, those Christian graces of character to which our atten- tion has been called, and that entitles them to rank among the Christian heroes of the world. Success could have added nothing to the rich fragrance of their virtues. It becomes us now who occupy the soil, enriched and made sacred by their tears, their toil, their suffering and their death not only to revere their mem- ories, but to perpetuate them. 53 The order of the Superior Council of New Orleans under which the Jesuits were torn from their congregations in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, pre- ceded by ten years the actual suppression of the Society by Pope Clement XIV, which was brought about by fraud and force August 16th, 1773. But when prejudice and passion against the Jesuits (now conceded to have been aroused by unworthy people with more unworthy motives) subsided, the order was completely restored by a decree of Pope Pius VII of the date of August 7th, 1814. The Jesuit Province of St. Louis was established by Father Charles Van Quickenborne, S. J., in 1823. Father Quickenborne himself was a missionary and made frequent missionary visits to Illinois. Father Victor Pallaison, who "Judge Charles I. Walker, President of the State Historical Society of Michigan in Michigan Pioneer Collections, Vol. 8 (1885) p. 391. 82 THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS in 1830 was pastor of Immaculate Conception at Kaskaskia — the very organi- zation founded by Marquette — a few years later became a Jesuit. Rev. G. Walters, S. J., and Rev. Felix Verreydt, S. J., ministered to the faithful at Alton in 1837 and 1838, and Father Verreydt to those at Grafton in 1838. On February 11th, 1849, James Oliver Vandevelde, S.J., former Provincial of the Province of St. Louis, was consecrated Bishop of Chicago. The first Jesuit Church in Illinois after the restoration was the Holy Family, West Twelfth Street, Chicago, established in 1857, and the first pastor was the venerated Arnold Damen, S. J. Since that time the Jesuits have filled an important place in the Church ministry of the state. THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS 2. Missionaries Contemporary With the Jesuits While the Jesuits must be credited with having established all the early Illinois missions (all missions established before the year 1763) there were a number of able and more or less successful missionaries in the Illinois mission field contemporaneously with the Jesuits. The First Franciscans The earliest priests other than Jesuits to come to Illinois were three Franciscans who accompanied La Salle on his first voyage through Illinois. They were Fathers Gabriel de la Ribourde, Zenobius Membre and Louis Hen- nepin. These three Franciscans, then known by the name of Recollects, 1 accom- panied La Salle with the avowed purpose of establishing missions in the Illinois country. They, with La Salle and Tonti arrived at Kas- kaskia (as first located in what is now La Salle County near Utica) on the first day of January, 1680. Here they found the village abandoned, as the Indians of the Illinois tribes who made their homes there had gone to winter elsewhere. Father Claud Jean Allouez, S. J., 2 who was then in charge of the Mission of the Immaculate Conception, was at the time absent with the Miamis. Finding no one in the village and being much in need of supplies, La Salle and his party took corn from the Indian caches and proceeded upon their journey. Four days later, on January 4, 1680, they arrived at Peoria Lake, where they found the Indians encamped in large numbers. 3 Here La Salle established a fort, Fort Crevecoeur, and the first white set- tlement on the soil of Illinois. From here he dispatched Father Louis Hennepin 4 with two aides, one of 'The Recollects or Recollets, a branch of the Franciscans or Friars Minor. See Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. VI, p. 289. 2 See Jesuit Succession in Illinois Catholic Historical Review for July, 1918, p. 42. 3 See Tonti's Memoir in Eellog's Early Narratives of the 'Northwest, p. 289. 'See as to Father Hennepin, Parkman, La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West, consult index. 83 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS whom was Michael Accou 5 on an exploring expedition which they pursued down the Illinois to the Mississippi and up the Mississippi as far as the Falls of St. Anthony. Leaving Tonti in charge of the fort and settlement, and the other two Franciscans, Fathers de la Ribourde 6 and Membre 7 to establish a mission, La Salle returned to learn the cause of the non-arrival of "The Griffin," a ship which he had built and loaded on the upper lakes. This venture proved unfortunate. The garrison mutinied and destroyed the fort and the Franciscan fathers found themselves unable to make any im- pression upon the Indians, due largely, no doubt, to their prejudice against De La Salle. Tonti with three members of the garrison who remained faithful, and the two Franciscan priests pushed up the river to the Kaskaskia village and estab- lished themselves there, but they were hardly more than located when the Iroquois tribes made fresh war upon the Illinois. The experience of Tonti and the Franciscan fathers in connection with the attacks of the Iroquois upon the Illinois fills an interesting chapter in our history, and has been made the sub- ject of story and song. In his Memoir, Tonti tells the story simply but force- fully. He says : Iroquois Treachery The Islinois were greatly alarmed at seeing a party of 600 Iroquois. It was then near the month of September. The desertion of our men and the journey of M. de La Salle to Fort Frontenac made the savages suspect that we were be- traying them. They severely reproached me respecting the arrival of the enemies. As I was recently come from France and was not then acquainted with their manners, this embarrassed me and determined me to go to the enemy with necklaces to tell them I was surprised they had come to make war upon a nation dependent on the Governor of New France, and that M. de La Salle, whom he esteemed, governed these people. An Islinois accompanied me, and we separated ourselves from the body of the Islinois, who were 400 in number, and were already fighting the enemy. When I was within gun-shot the Iroquois fired a great volley at us, which compelled me to tell the Islinois to retire. He did so. When I had come up to them, these wretches seized me, took the neck- laces from my hand, and one of them, reaching through the crowd, plunged a knife into my breast, wounding a rib near the heart. However, having recog- nized me, they carried me into the midst of their camp and asked me what I came for. I gave them to understand that the Islinois were under the protec- tion of the King of France and of the Governor of the country, and that I was surprised that they wished to break with the French, and to postpone peace. All this time skirmishing was going on on both sides, and a warrior came to give notice to the chief that their left wing was giving way, and that they had recognized some Frenchmen among the Islinois, who were shooting at them. "Michael Akau, a native of Poitiers, was the nominal leader of the Hennepin voyage. After the rescue of the Hennepin party by Duluth, Akau returned to Peoria and married the pious Indian girl converted by Father Gravier as related in Thwaites, Jesuit Re- lations, Vol. 64, p. 179 et seq, and became the father of Pierre Akau or Aco, whose name leads the list of baptized persons in the parish records of the first Immaculate Conception Mission. See translation of Parish Records by Rev. C. J. Eschmann of Prairie du Rocher, and published in Pub. 9, 111. Hist. Library, p. 394 et seq. 'Parkman, La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West, consult index. 'Ibid. 84 THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS On this they were greatly irritated against me and held a council concerning what they should do with me. There was a man behind me with a knife in his hand, who every now and then lifted up my hair. They were divided in opinion. Tegancouti, chief of the Tsonnontouan, wished positively to have me burnt. Agonstot, chief of the Onontagues, as a friend of M. de La Salle, wished to have me set at liberty. He carried his point. They agreed that, in order the better to deceive the Islinois, they should give me a necklace of porce- lain beads to show to them that they also were children of the Governor, and that they all ought to unite and make a good peace. They sent me to deliver their message to the Tslinois. T had much diffi- culty in reaching them on account of the great quantity of blood T had lost, both from my wound and from my mouth. On my way T met the Fathers Gabriel de la Ribourde and Zenoble Membre, who were coming to look after me. They expressed their joy that these barbarians had not put me to death. We went together to the Islinois, to whom I reported the sentiments of the Iroquois, adding, however, that they must not altogether trust them. They retired within their village, but seeing the Iroquois present themselves always in battle array they felt obliged to rejoin their wives and children, three leagues off. They left us there : namely, the two Recollect Fathers, the three French- men, and myself. The Iroquois made a fort in the village and left us in a cabin at some distance from the fort. Two days later, the Islinois appearing on the hills near the Iroquois, the Iroquois thought that we had had some conference together, which led them to bring us inside their fort. They pressed me to go and find the Islinois and induce them to come and make a treaty of peace. They gave me one of their own nation as a hostage. I went with Father Zenoble. The Iroquois remained with the Islinois, and one of the latter came with me. When we got to the fort, instead of mending matters, he spoilt thein entirely by say- ing to the enemy that they had in all only 400 men and that the rest of their young men were gone to war, and that if the Iroquois really wished to make peace with them they were ready to give them a quantity of beaver skins and some slaves which they had. The Iroquois called me to them and loaded me with reproaches ; they told me that I was a liar to have said that the Islinois had 1,200 warriors and several tribes of allies who had given them assistance. Where were the sixty Frenchmen who, I had told them, were at the village, I had much difficulty in getting out of the scrape. The same evening they sent back the Islinois to tell his nation to come the next day to within half a league of the fort and that they would there con- clude the peace, which in fact was done at noon. The Tslinois having come to the meeting-place, the Iroquois gave them presents of necklaces and merchan- dise. The first necklace signified that the Governor of New France was not angry at their having come to molest their brothers ; the second was addressed to M. de La Salle with the same meaning, and by the third, accompanied with merchandise, they bound themselves by oath to a strict alliance, that hereafter they should live as brothers. They then separated and the Islinois believed, after these presents, in the sincerity of the peace, which induced them to come several times into the fort of the enemies, where, some Islinois chiefs having asked me what I thought, I told them they had everything to fear, and that there was among these barbarians no good faith, and that I knew that they were making canoes of elm bark and that consequently they were intending to pursue them, and that they should take advantage of the time to retire to some distant nation, for they were most assuredly betrayed. The eighth day after their arrival, on the 10th of September, they called me and Father Zenoble to council, and having made us sit down, they placed 85 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS six packets of beaver skins before us and addressing me they said that the two first packets were to inform M. de Frontenac that they would not eat his children and that they should not be angry at what they had done ; the third was to serve as a plaster for my wound ; the fourth was oil to rub on my own and the Recollect father's limbs, on account of the journeys we had taken; the fifth, that the sun was bright; the sixth, that we should depart the next day for the French settlements. Murmurs arose among them. Some of them answered me that they would eat some of the Islinois before they went away ; upon which I kicked away their presents, saying that there was no use in making presents to me, I would have none of them, since they designed to eat the children of the governor. An Ambenakis who was with them, and who spoke French, told me that the men were irritated, and the chiefs rising drove me from the council. The Proto-Martyr of Illinois We went to our cabin, where was passed the night on our guard, resolved to kill some of them before they should kill us, for we thought that we should not live out the night. However, at daybreak they directed us to depart, which we did. After making five leagues in the canoe, we landed to dry some peltries, which were wet. While we were repairing our canoe, Father Gabriel told me he was going aside to pray. 1 advised him not to go away, because we were surrounded by enemies. He went about 1,000 paces off and was taken by forty savages of the nation called Kikapous, who carried him away and broke his head. Finding that he did not return, I went to look for him with one of my men. Having discovered his trail, I found it cut by several others, which joined and ended at last in one. I brought back the sad news to Father Zenoble, who was greatly grieved at this. Towards evening we made a great fire, hoping that he might return; and we went over to the other side of the river, where we kept a good lookout. Towards midnight we saw a man appear, and then many others. 8 But though they searched diligently and waited long, Father de La Ribourde was not found. Thus was the first life offered up for the Faith on Illinois soil on the 19th day of September, 1680, and not far from the present city of Morris. This sacred spot should be marked with a cross or a grotto whei'e passersby might offer their supplications with those of the aged and sainted Father Gabriel who gave up a life of ease and affluence and abandoned high station that he might spread the gospel, and in his extreme old age undertook this difficult and perilous voy- age into the wilderness. As to his companion, Father Membre, it may be said that he was spared many years for a useful career in the course of which he made other visits to Illinois and accompanied La Salle on still further voyages. He was also the ambassador of La Salle at the French court and became the historian of La Salle's journey to the Gulf." Perhaps the career of none of the missionaries is better known than that of the third of this earliest band of Franciscans, Father Louis Hennepin, who in spite of his boastful utterances was really a great explorer and historian. Though the evidence seems conclusive that in some of his later writings there 'Kellogg's Early Narratives of the Northwest, pp. 291-294. •Translated in Shea's Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi Valley. 86 THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS were some mis-statements, yet his writings carefully examined and considered are of great historical value. 10 In so far as missionary work was concerned, nothing came of this attempt on the part of the Franciscans to establish missions in Illinois. Abbe Jean Cavelier and His Companions In order to have a correct sequence it should be noted that the next priests other than Jesuits to visit the Illinois country were Abbe Jean Cavelier, a Sulpician and the brother of Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle the great ex- plorer, and Father Aanastasius Douay, a Franciscan and nephew of Father Cavelier and of La Salle, who accompanied La Salle on his voyage to the Gulf of Mexico in 1684, and who, on their return after La Salle's death stopped at Ft. St. Louis on the Rock (now Starved Rock). Tonti in his Memoir tells of this visit, and of his disappointment and chagrin at the failure of Abbe Cavelier to tell him of de La Salle's death. Upon Tonti 's return to Ft. St. Louis, he says . There I found M. Cavelier, a priest, his nephew, and the Reverend Father Anastasius (Douay) a Recollect, and two men. They concealed from me the assassination of M. de La Salle, and upon their assuring me that he had re- mained at the Gulf of Mexico in good health, I received them as if they had been M. de La Salle himself, and lent them more than 700 francs. M. Cavelier, brother of M. de La Salle, departed in the spring, 1687, to give an account of his voyage at court. 11 The record of Abbe Cavelier, as we read it in the contemporary accounts and even in the semi-fiction books is not attractive. He is made disagreeable and avaricious, and possibly without entirely just cause. The circumstances of this voyage afford some evidence that he acted somewhat in self-protection. Apparently all the means of the family was embarked in de La Salle's under- taking, and by the large numbers of the family participating in this last ex- pedition, the de La Salle ventures take on the appearance of a family concern. There was de La Salle himself, his brother Jean Cavelier the Sulpician Priest, Father Anastasius Douay the Franciscan, a nephew, and a nephew another Cavelier and his relative M. Crevel de Morange. And while the inference of Tonti and the direct charges of other writers is that he was grasping in his at- tempts to secure de La Salle 's property and effects, these facts serve to indicate that he may have been discharging a duty to his family and relatives in so seek- ing some slight return of the means they had advanced for de La Salle's enterprises. Abbe Cavelier made his way to Canada and from thence to France where he applied to the court to fit out a new expedition to America. Failing in this he retired to Rouen, the home of his sister, Mary Magdalene Cavelier, wife of the Sieur Fortin or le Forestier, Secretary to the King, and died there after 1717. Father Anastasius Douay had a more lasting connection with the Illinois country in that he became the historian of the voyage of La Salle through Illinois in 1686. After his return to France with Father Cavelier, he wrote an ,0 See Parkman. "Kellogg's Early Narratives, p. 311. 87 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS account of the expedition which was published in Christien Le Clercq's Premier Establissemcnt de la Foy dans la Nouvelle France (Paris, 1691.) He afterwards returned to Louisiana as Chaplain for de Iberville. The Priests of the Seminary of Foreign Missions The next missionaries other than Jesuits to visit Illinois were Fathers Fran§ois Jolliet Montigny, Francois Buisson de Saint Cosine and Anthony Davion, all priests of the Seminary of Quebec, which was a companion institu- tion of the Seminary of Foreign Missions in Paris. This Seminary was so intimately connected with the affairs of the Church in Illinois for so many years that it deserves some particular mention. Its es- tablishment was entirely due to Bishop Francois de Montmorency de Laval, the first bishop of Quebec. Bishop Laval studied under the Jesuits at La Fleche and in the college of Clermont, Paris. At the latter place he joined a group of young men directed by Father Jean Bagot, S. J. This group was the germ of the Seminary of Foreign Missions. The Seminary at Quebec was founded by Bishop Laval in 1663. In 1668 Bishop Laval also founded a preparatory sem- inary like the home institution in Paris. The purpose of the seminary at Quebec was, as the name implies, to furnish priests for foreign missions. The evangelization of the Indians was one of the dearest objects of Bishop Laval's solicitude, and Abbe Gosselin in his great work, Life of Monsignor de Laval, says that the foundation of the Mission Tamarois was due to Bishop Laval. It was from this seminary that all the priests of the Tamaroa mission of the Holy Family of Cahokia came, from its first occupancy by Father St. Cosme in 1699 or 1700 to 1763. And it was at this seminary that Father Pierre Gibault, who later became the Vicar-General of the Bishop of Quebec in Illinois, was educated and his education was paid for out of the rents of the property of the Holy Family mission at Cahokia. Father Montigny and his companions were sent out by Bishop John Baptist de la Croix de St. Valier, the immediate successor of Bishop Laval, and Father Montigny was made superior of the mission and Vicar-General. Out of the journey of these three missionaries came one of the best of the early narratives of travel, that of St. Cosme, relating to the Illinois country and the state of the missions at that time. Father St. Cosme tells in more or less de- tail of their embarkation and the company in which they sailed. After a de- scription of the earlier part of the voyage he tells of reaching Chicago and landing on the shores of Lake Michigan. Visit to Chicago It is from this letter and at this point in the narrative that we gain most of our information about the first mission established within what is now Chicago. In describing their visit to Father Pinet's Mission of the Angel Guardian, which has been noted before, Father St. Cosme says : We went by land, Mr. de Montigny, Davion and myself, to the house of the Reverend Jesuit Fathers, our people staying with the baggage. We found there 88 THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS Reverend Father Pinet and Reverend Father Binateau, who had recently come in from the Illinois and were slightly sick. I cannot explain to you, Monseigneur, with what cordiality and marks of esteem these reverend Jesuit Fathers received and caressed us during the time that we had the consolation of staying with them. Their house is built on the banks of a small lake, having the river on one side and a fine large prairie on the other. The Indian village is of over 150 cabins, and one league on the river there is another village almost as large. They are both of the Miamis. Rev- erend Pinet makes it his ordinary residence except in winter, when the Indians all go hunting, and which he goes and spends at the Illinois. We saw no Indians there, they had already started for their hunt. If we may judge of the future by the little while that Father Pinet has been on this mission, we may say that God blesses the labors and zeal of this holy missionary. There will be a great number of good and fervent Christians there. It is true that little fruit is produced there in those who are grown up and hardened in debauchery, but the children are baptised and even the medicine men, most opposed to Christianity, allow their children to be baptised. They are even very glad to have them instructed. Many girls already grown up and many young boys are being instructed, so that it may be hoped that when the old stock dies off there will be a new Chris- tian people. 12 Father St. Cosme then describes in more detail than any of the early narra- tives the passage of the portage and the conditions and surroundings of Mon Jolly (Mount Jolliet). They finally arrived on the 15th of November at the old fort (now Starved Rock), but found it abandoned, the Indians having gone to stay about twenty-five leagues lower down. The next stop was at Peoria Lake, where they again saw Father Pinet, who, though starting later from Chicago than they, had arrived several days earlier at Peoria, due to the fact that Father St. Cosme 's party had the misfortune to lose a boy that accompanied the party in the tall grasses and remained searching for him. 13 Here, besides Father Pinet, who was on a temporary visit only, they found Father Gabriel Marest, S.J., and Father Julien Bineteau, S.J., and Father St. Cosme says that : The Reverend Fathers gave us all possible welcome. Their only regret was to see us start out so soon on account of the frosts. 14 Here we have a proof of the success of the Illinois Missions which has been so frequently brought into question. Father St. Cosme says : This Illinois Mission seems to me the finest that the Jesuit Fathers have up here, for without counting all the children who were baptized, there are many grown persons who have abandoned all their superstitions and live as perfectly good Christians, frequenting the sacraments and are married in the Church. 1 "' The First High Mass in Illinois It was at this time, November 21, 1699, that another great event in the early history of the Church occurred. We sang High Mass there (at Peoria Lake) with deacon and subdeacon on the day of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin. 10 "Ibid, p. 347. "Ibid, p. 347. "Ibid, p. 350. "Ibid, p. 351. "Ibid, p. 351. 89 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS So far as writings show, that was the first High Mass ever celebrated on the soil of Illinois. Father St. Cosme and his companions arrived at the village of the Tamarois. the seat of the future activities of the Fathers of the Seminary, on the 7th of December, 1699, and celebrated their Masses on the 8th, the Feast of the Immacu- late Conception, and departed from there for the lower Mississippi on the same day, whither it is not now necessary to follow them. 17 At the conclusion of their southern voyage, Father St. Cosme returned and established himself at the village of the Tamarois which De la Source said was the largest village they had seen, with about three hundred cabins. "There are as many people at the Tamarois as at Quebec." 18 Holy Family Mission Established Father Jean Francois Buisson de St. Cosme was, therefore, the first of the Fathers of the Foreign Missions to have charge of the Mission of the Tamarois, known since as the Holy Family and located in what afterwards became and still remains Cahokia. Later he became a victim of the Indians, being killed while descending the Mississippi by a party of Sitimaches. St. Cosme did not remain long at the Tamarois Mission, but removed soon to the Natchez on the lower Mississippi. Reverend John Bergier, another priest of the Seminary of Foreign Mis- sions, succeeded St. Cosme at the Tamarois, and upon the departure of Father St. Cosme, Father Bergier became the Superior of the Secular Missionaries in the Mississippi Valley. 19 Through the great charity of Father Gabriel Marest, S. J., we have been able to learn more of Father Bergier than of any of the other priests of the Seminary. In one of his letters Father Marest gives a very interesting account of Father Bergier 's labors and of his death, and incidentally discloses some of the trials of the missionary. Father Marest says : About twenty-five leagues from here is the village of the Tamarouas. This is a mission which was at first intrusted to Father Pinet, whose zeal and whose labors were so greatly blessed by God that I myself am witness that his church could not contain the multitude of savages who came to it in crowds. This Father had as his successor Monsieur Bergier, a Priest from the Seminary of the Missions Etrangeres. Having learned that he was dangerously sick, I im- mediately went to assist him. I remained eight entire days with this worthy Ecclesiastic the care that I took of him and the remedies which I gave him, seemed gradually to restore him, so that, believing him better, and knowing, be- sides, how necessary my presence was to my own Mission, on account of the de- parture of the Savages, he urged me to return to it. Before leaving him, I admin- istered to him, by way of precaution, the holy Viaticum ; he instructed me as to the condition of his Mission, recommending it to me in case that God should take him away. I charged the Frechman who took care of the patient "Ibid, p. 355. It should be noted that the passages quoted from St. Cosme's letter are really from Shea's translation published in his Early Voyages Up and Down the Mississippi, but as that volume is so rare I have cited Kellogg. There are some slight differences in the language. "See letter, Shea's Early Voyages Up and- Down the Mississippi, p. 84. "Shea, The Catholic Church in Colonial Days, p. 541. 90 Memorial to Marquette, Joliet and Algonquin Indians, erected from tin Ferguson Fund at Harrison Technical Hign School, Chicago. Treaty at Cahokia George Rogers Clark, and Reverend Peter Gibault (Black Robed) treating with Indians in August and September, 1T7'8. — From a painting over the grand stair case on west interior wall of the State House at Springfield, Illinois. THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS to inform us at once if he were in danger; and I retraced the way to my Mission. 20 After leaving Father Bergier, Father Marest spent several days in visit- ing the sick and afflicted on his homeward route, preparing several sick persons for death, and administering to them the sacraments. Arriving at home again he says : As soon as I reached our village, I wished to See Monsieur Bergier ; but the people opposed this, alleging as a cause that, no one having brought news of him, — as had been promised in case he were worse, — they could not doubt that his health was re-established. I yielded to this reasoning; but a few days afterward, I felt genuine regret for not having followed my first plan. A young slave came, about two o'clock in the afternoon, to appraise us of his death, and beg us to go to the funeral rites. I set out forthwith. I had already gone six leagues when night overtook me; a heavy rain which had fallen did not per- mit my taking a few hours' rest. Therefore I walked until daybreak, when, the weather having cleared a little, I lighted a fire to dry myself, and then continued my way. I arrived at the village toward evening, God having given me strength to make these fifteen leagues in a day and a night. The next day at dawn I said Mass for the deceased, and buried him. The death of Monsieur Bergier was somewhat sudden, according to what was told me by the Frenchman who was with him ; he felt it coming on all at once, and said that it would be useless to send for me, since he would be dead before my arrival. He merely took in his hands the crucifix, which he kissed lovingly, and expired. He was a missionary of true merit and of a very austere life. At the beginning of his Mission he had to bear rude attacks from the Charlatans, who, availing themselves of his slight knowledge of the Savage language, every day took away from him some Christians ; but eventu- ally, he learned how to make himself, in his turn, feared by those imposters. His death was for them a cause of triumph. They gathered around the cross which he had erected, and there they invoked their Manitou, each one dancing, and attributing to himself the glory of having killed the Missionary, after which they broke the cross into a thousand pieces. I learned this with grief some time after. 21 Father Bergier 's death occurred on November 9, 1707. He was succeeded in the Cahokia Mission by Dominic Mary Varlet, another of the Seminarian fathers, who was beyond doubt a brilliant man, but who in his lifetime became a Jansenist. Great were the hopes that were built up on the Reverend Dominic Mary Varlet, who is said to have been a man of ability and energy and of high repute and a priest of virtue and piety. On the 6th of October, 1717, Bishop St. Vallier, recognizing his learning, energy, probity and other virtues, appointed him Vicar-General for Fort la Mobile or Fort Louis and the places and missions near and along the river Mississippi, with jurisdiction over all priests, secular or regular, except priests of the Society of Jesus, who were subject to their own superior, and renewed letters granted to former Vicars- General in 1698. Father Varlet is said to have spent six years on the missions, and returning to Europe was in 1718 appointed Bishop of Ascalon and Coadju- tor of Babylon. Soon after his appointment, news reached Rome that Mgr. Varlet was an active adherent to the doctrines of Jansenius, whereupon the "Marest to Germon Thwaites Jesuit Relations, V. 66, 257. "Ibid, pp. 261 to 265. 91 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Sovereign Pontiff recalled him; but he went to Utrecht in Holland, where he took part in establishing the schismatical Jansenist Church, consecrated four successive pretending archbishops, and died near that city in 1742 at the age of sixty-four, after having been excommunicated by several popes. 22 The Mission Plantation In 1718 Reverend Dominic Anthony Thaumur de la Source and Reverend John le Mercier were sent to take charge of the Mission of the Tamarois at Cahokia and Father de la Source remained in the mission until 1728. The first act of these two missionaries was to secure from Pierre Dougue de Bois briant the Commandant, and Mark Anthony de la Loere des Ursins Commis- saire a tract of land four leagues square, a quarter of a league above the little river Cahokia, to be conceded in legal form to the Seminary of Quebec 23 This property has been variously known as the property of the Mission of St. Sul- pice and of the Missions, and as will appear hereafter, became the subject of much controversy. The land was granted out to settlers, and a prosperous community grew up, mills and other works of general use being established by the Seminary Priests. Father G. Galvanin, also of the Seminary of Foreign Missions, was here during a portion at least of this period. In 1728 Father de la Source returned to Canada and Reverend Joseph Courrier and Reverend Joseph Gaston were sent on to the Tamarois Mission. Father Gaston was killed by Indians soon after reaching the Tamarois, another Illinois martyr to the Faith, but Father Courrier labored at the post for several years and was regarded as a man of extraordinary sanctity. Broken in health, he went to New Orleans for medical treatment and died among the Capuchin Fathers in the fall of 1753. 24 Father Mercier, who came in 1718 and remained through all the changes, was now alone in the mission with the exception of Abbe Joseph Gagnon, of whose coming we have no specific information, but who at this date was aged and infirm. 25 In 1739 Abbe Nicholas Laurenz, a priest of Chartres in France, was sent to the mission and had charge there until the date of his death in 1758. 26 The last of the Priests of the Seminary of Quebec was Reverend Francis Forget Duverger, who came in 1754 and industriously tended the mission un- til 1763. It was in 1763 that the Superior Council at New Orleans passed the outrageous edict for the banishment of the Jesuits, of which Judge Edward Osgood Brown, after having examined all the evidence that has come to light with respect to this proceeding, said : By virtue of an infamous decree of the Superior Council of Louisiana, an insignificant body of provincial officers who undertook in 1763 to condemn the Society of Jesus, and to suppress the order within Louisiana, he (Father de "Shea, The Catholic Church in Colonial Days, pp. 555, 557. "Shea, The Catholic Church in Colonial Days, pp. 567-7. "Ibid, p. 577. "Ibid, p. 577. "Ibid, p. 578. 92 THE ILLINOIS MISSIONS la Morine, one of the Jesuit Missionaries) was seized, although upon British soil, and with other priests from Kaskaskia and Vineennes taken to New Orleans and sent from there to France with orders to present himself to the Due de Choiseul.- 7 Not only were the Jesuits thus banished, hut their property was de- stroyed.- 8 Father Duverger, noting this treatment, and without full knowledge of the cause or pretext, assuming that his turn would come next, made ready to quit the country before he was driven out, and Laving sold the mission property to Jean Lagrange and Antoine Girard, wealthy Frenchmen, proceeded to New Orleans and sailed for France on the same ship with the banished Jesuits and never returned. 29 Thus ended the succession of the Fathers of the Seminary of Quebec in the Mission of the Holy Family at Tamarois or Cahokia as it has since been called. The mission or parish, as it became, did not end here, however, but, as will be seen, was afterwards and to the present day tended by able priests. The lands and property of the mission were made the subject of controversy which involved the good faith not alone of Father Duverger but gave the new Prefect-Apostolic, afterwards Bishop Carroll, a bad, if false, impression of Father Pierre Gibault, which exercised some influence to prevent Father Gibault from being taken into Bishop Carroll's confidence.'' "Brown, The Parish Registers at Miehilimackinac, p. 47. a8 Thwaites Jesuit Relations, V. 71, pp. 37, 38. 2, See account of sale in letter of Father Meurin to Bishop Briand, Thwaites Jesuit Relations, V. 71, p. 37. Also Court Records published in Illinois Historical Collections, Alvord, Vol. 2, pp. 55 and 223 and letters published in Illinois Historical Collections, Vol. Y' Alvord, Kaskaskia Records, p. 560 et seq. 3 "See letters of Bishop Carroll to Father Gibault and others published in Kas- kaskia Records, Vol. V, Illinois Historical Collections, p. 590 et seq. 93 CHAPTER IV The Church in the Transition Period The Change from French to English and from English to American Jurisdiction. When in 1763 the Superior Council of Louisiana had executed its decree of banishment against the Jesuits, and Father Forget Duverger, the last of the Priests of the Foreign Missions, had, as he thought, anticipated the illegal decree by disposing of the mission property at Cahokia and had left the coun- try, there seems to have been no priests left within the boundaries of what is now Illinois, except Fathers Luke and Hyppolite Collet, 1 two Franciscan priests, who were brothers, and who labored alone in the field until good old Father Sebastien Louis Meurin of the Jesuits, who had been dragged down to New Or- leans under the decree of banishment, was, upon the earnest solicitation of both the Indians and French in Illinois, permitted to return. But this privilege was granted only upon Father Meurin 's first pledging himself to the unholy coterie at New Orleans, to recognize only the jurisdiction they assumed to set up. 2 Father Meurin returned to the Illinois country in 1764, did the best he could to serve all of the Illinois Missions and those on the Spanish side of the river as well, and struggled along until, in response to his earnest pleas, the Bishop of Quebec sent Father Pierre Gibault as his Vicar-General to the Illi- nois country. Father Gibault arrived in the Illinois country in September, 1768, and for twenty-one years was the leading spirit of the entire Middle West on both sides of the Mississippi. He was a brilliant man, highly educated, eloquent and well informed. He kept abreast of the times and was from the very earliest 'Leonard Philibert Collet, who took in religion the name of Luke, was chaplain at the French posts in Pennsylvania, Presquile and Riviere Aux Boeufs. He was born November 3, 1715, ordained 1753. He died September 10, 1765, and was buried at St. Ann's of Fort Chartres and his remains and those of Abbe Joseph Gagon, F.M., also buried there, were removed to St. Joseph's at Prairie du Rocher by Fr. Meurin, S. J., in 1768. The Fathers Collet were both at St. Ann's du Fort Chartres. Father Hippo- lyte had been there in May, 1759, and Father Luke since May 1761. They attended St. Ann's at Fort Chartres, the Visitation at St. Philippes, and St. Joseph's at Prairie du Rocher. Father Hippolyte left in 1764. — Shea, Life of Archbishop Carroll, pp. 112, 113. 2 Father Sebastian Louis Meurin, born in Champagne in 1707, became a Jesuit in 1729, came to New Orleans in 1741, to Illinois in 1742, died at Prairie du Rocher in 1777, remains removed by Bishop of Chicago, Rt. Rev. James Oliver Vandeveld, S. J., to the Jesuit cemetery in Florisant, Missouri, and there reinterred September 3, 1849. Upon the execution of the decree of banishment, petitions were sent to the authorities to permit at least Father Aubert to remain (letter of Philibert Watrin, S. J., translated and published in Alvord and Carter Illinois Historical Collections, Vol X, p. 107). See as to Father Meurin, lb., p. 118 and pp. 73 and 74. See also letter of Father Meurin to Bishop Briand, Thwaits Jesuit Relations, 71, 73 et seq. See also Shea, Life of Arcf» bishop Carroll, p. 114, J15. 95 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS champion of the American cause, of which he was well informed before George Rogers Clark conceived the conquest of the Northwest ; and when Clark, under authority of the Assembly of Virginia and Governor Patrick Henry under- took the conquest of the Northwest, he became the central figure in the events which led to the espousal by the inhabitants of the Northwest of the American cause. He was not only one of the ablest and most successful priests that had yet been in the Illinois country, but the greatest patriot of the Northwest in Revolutionary times. In the confusion of political and ecclesiastical jurisdiction which resulted from the short-lived English occupation, Father Gibault was caught in the vortex, condemned by the Canadian Bishop under whose jurisdiction he was originally bound for his espousal of the American cause, and looked upon with suspicion by the Prefect-Apostolic Carroll of the United States by reason of false reports which British enemies had spread concerning him, and was, in his old age, driven from the ministry in the field of his labor, to the Spanish Dominion where he died in obscurity.' 5 Veky Reverend John Carroll, Prefect-Apostolic and Bishop When the newly created Prefect-Apostolic, the Very Reverend John Car- roll, afterwards Bishop and Archbishop, found himself (in 1790) clothed with jurisdiction over the vast territory composing the then United States of America, he exerted every effort to supply priests to the numerous settlements, which in number were greatly out of proportion to the supply of prists. Under such circumstances, it is not to be wondered at if the Prefect- Apostolic was will- ing to take almost any ecclesiastic who presented himself and expressed a will- ingness to penetrate into the western wilds, as the Illinois country was considered by those on the Atlantic seaboard. The first priest to volunteer for such service was a Discalced Carmalite, Paul de Saint Pierre, who had been a chaplain in Rochambeau's army, fight- ing with the Americans in the Revolutionary War. 4 De Saint Pierre applied to Father Carroll in 1784, was given faculties, although the Prefect-Apostolic was not fully convinced of his rights to the same, and proceeded to Kentucky where he visited twenty-five families who had immigrated from Maryland to Pottinger's Creek in 1785. From there he went to Louisville, making a brief stay, but arrived in the Illinois country in 1785 and ministered at Cahokia and Vincennes from 1785 to 1790. Though Bishop Carroll expressed some misgivings relative to St. Pierre, and though Father La Valiniere who came later, sought a quarrel with him, de St. Pierre made a good record in this part, and comes down to us as a 3 For extended account of the life and works of Father Gihault see articles in Illi- nois Catholic Historical Review beginning with the July, 1918, number entitled "Illinois' First Citizen, Pierre Gibault," by Joseph J. Thompson. 4 See letter of De St. Pierre to Tardiveau, translated and published in Illinois His- torical Collections, Vol. V. Alvord, p. 568, and note 76 Illinois Historical Collections, Vol. II, p. 630. Father De St. Pierre was a native of Germany or Holland, lb. 96 Early Non-Resident Bishoi's of Illinois Most Reverend John Carroll, D.D., Archbishop of Baltimore, first Bishop in the United States; Right Reverend Benedict Joseph Flaget, D.l>.. first Bishop of Bardstown; Right Reverend Joseph Rosati, Bishop of St. Louis; Right Reverend Simon William Gabriel Brutd, Bishop of Vincennes. Tfc£ LIBBAHY MHSVERSITY OF ILL THE CHURCH IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD faithful and devoted priest, who ministered well to the Catholics of the Illinois country on both sides of the Mississippi and in turn was loved and admired by them. In this period appears one of the strangest ecclesiastics that ever visited Illinois: a French Canadian, Reverend Peter Huet de la Valiniere. In a note in Shea's Life of Archbishop Carroll, the author says: This good but strange and restless priest came to Canada in 1755 with the famous Abbe Picquet. He rescued from the state a Mrs. 'Flaherty and her daughter, paid for the education of the child and for her profession when she became a sister in Mme. d'Youville's Community. He was driven from Can- ada at the commencement of the Revolution for his sympathy with the Ameri- cans, labored in New York, Philadelphia and Illinois, went to New Orleans, Havana, Florida, Charleston, Stonington, New York, Montreal, Split Rock, N. Y., and was killed at Repentigny, Canada, June 29, 1806, by falling from a wagon. 5 Receiving what he considered commendation of Father Valiniere from the Bishop of Quebec, Dr. Carroll made him his Vicar-General for the Illinois country, and sent him west, where he began his labors in 1785, taking up his residence at Kaskaskia, from whence Father Gibault had recently removed to Vincennes. Valiniere proved as stormy in Illinois as elsewhere, and after a few years, in which, though he led an exemplary life and showed the firmest at- tachment to the Church, he quarreled with almost everybody else interested in the Church, laymen as well as clerics. He gave out bad reports of both Fathers de St. Pierre and Gibault, and in general created turmoil. About this time Dr. Carroll's earnest appeal to the old world for help was responded to by the Sulpicians, who established a house in Maryland. Amongst the Sulpician fathers who came at Dr. Carroll's invitation were Rev- erend Michael Levadoux and Reverend Gabriel Richard. Bishop Carroll sent Father Levadoux to Kaskaskia where he officiated from February, 1793 to May, 1797, when he was succeeded by Father Richard who remained until 1798. 7 Father Charles Leander Lusson, a Franciscan, was sent by Bishop Carroll to Cahokia in 1798 but abandoned the parish soon afterwards and removed to the Spanish side of the Mississippi. 8 Fathers Levadoux and Richard were very distinguished priests, Richard becoming one of the most prominent men of the west of that early day. After leaving the Illinois Missions in 1798 he was stationed at Detroit as assistant and afterwards as pastor and took a prominent part in the making of Detroit and Michigan. He brought the first printing press into the State of Michigan, published the first paper in that state, organized several industries, and was 'Life of Archbishop Carroll op. cit. 432. "For the troubles of La Valinier see Alvord's introduction to the Kaskaskia Records, Illinois Historical Collections, Vol. V. Rev. J. B. Culemans of Moline, 111., contributed to the Illinois Catholic Historical Review an exhaustive article on the life of La Valeniere. 'Shea, Life of Archbishop Carroll, p. 483. •Ibid. 97 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS not only a spiritual but a civic leader. He was elected to the Federal Con- gress, being the only Catholic priest ever elected to Congress. 9 In February, 1799, Fathers John and Donatien Olivier arrived in Illinois. Father John was stationed at Cahokia and Father Donatien at Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher. 10 Father Donatien Olivier for more than thirty years was the leading spirit and the principal proponent of the Christian religion in the states of Illinois, Indiana and Missouri. He became the Vicar-General of Bishop Carroll in the Illinois country and inducted Bishop Flaget into his See. He was the Tribune of the people and the Herald of the Bishop upon all functions and visitations a man of singular piety and great eloquence, and most active in all of this difficult period in the experience of the Illinois Church. The Reverend Donatien Olivier was one among the most pious, zealous and efficient priests who ever labored in the missions of the Mississippi valley. He was universally esteemed and beloved; by the French Catholics he was rever- enced as a saint. His name is still held in benediction among them. He was for many years Vicar-General of the Bishop of Baltimore, for all the missions extending over the present States of Indiana and Illinois. He usually resided, it appears, at Prairie du Rocher, but he visited Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Vincennes, and the other Catholic settlements. He was admired for his child- like simplicity and unaffected piety, which traits he continued to exhibit, in the midst of his apostolic labors, till old age compelled him to abandon the field and seek solace and prepare for death in retirement. He died on the 29th of January, 1841, at the Seminary of the Barrens, in Missouri, at the ad- vanced age of ninety-five years. 1 1 Governor Reynolds, who had personal knowledge of Father Olivier, said of him : One of the ancient pioneer clergymen was the celebrated Mr. Olivier of Prairie du Rocher, Randolph County. This reverend divine was a native of Italy, and was a high dignitary of the Roman Catholic Church for more than •At the outset of the war of 1812 Detroit fell into the hands of the British and Father Richard was carried off and confined as a prisoner in Sandwich, Canada. Shea, Life of Archbishop Carroll, p. 657. For an excellent sketch of Father Richard see Life and Times of Rev. Gabriel Richard, by J. A. Girardin, Michigan Pioneer Collec- tions, Vol. 1, p. 481. See Father Gabriel's record in Congress in A Catholic Priest in Congress, by Hon. Thomas A. E. Weadock, M.C., Michigan Pioneer and Historical Col- lections, Vol. 21, p. 432. Father Richard was also a member of the elected territorial legislature of Michigan from 1823 to 1825. Michigan Pioneer Collections, Vol. 6, p. 380. He was also one of the organizers of the University of Michigan. Father Levadoux was recalled to Baltimore in 1801 and then to France. Shea, Life of Archbishop Carroll, p. 489. 10 Shea, Life of Archbishop Carroll, p. 483. Rev. Donatien Olivier came to America from France in 1794 in company with Rev. William Louis du Bourg, afterwards Bishop of New Orleans; Rev. John Rivet, after- wards the great patron of education at Vincennes, and Rev. John Moranville. Shea, Life of Archbishop Carroll, p. 408. Father John Olivier left Cahokia in 1803 and went to New Orleans as chaplain of the Ursuline Convent. Bishop Carroll made him Vicar-General of Louisiana. Shea, Life of Archbishop Carroll, pp. 594-595. "See accounts of Father Donatien's activities in Indiana while Vicar-General of Bishop Carroll for the Illinois country. The Diocese of Vincennes, Rev. H. Alerding, pp. 76 et seq. An obituary of Father Olivier appeared in the Catholic Advocate, Vol. VL p. 23. 98 THE CHURCH IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD half a century. He acquired a great reputation for his sanctity and holiness, and some believed him possessed of the power to perform small miracles, to which he made no pretentions. 12 A Period of Severe Trial During the years succeeding the banishment of the Jesuits, the Church in Illinois was most severely tried. For a government to have done everything conceivable in the deepest malice to discredit the Church through the humilia- tion of its most successful ministers, was a blow that was hard to survive ; and when added to that came the changes of the political and ecclesiastical jurisdiction, bringing in their train the persecution of the leading churchman of the territory, Father Gibault, and the quarrels fomented by Father de La Valiniere, it would seem strange that the Church was not completely destroyed. It is apparent, however, that though there were losses, yet the prestige of the Faith was maintained. It was during this very period that William Morri- son, 13 the leading merchant of Illinois, and John Hay, 14 one of the most widely informed men of Illinois, and Mrs. Robert Morrison, 15 the most highly edu- cated woman to appear in Illinois up to her time, were converted to the Church. It was of this period, too, that Judge Sydney Breese wrote the twentieth chapter of his Early History of Illinois entitled "The Roman Catholic Church: The Author's Estimate of It," in the course of which he pointed out the equalizing influence of the Church which made for democracy and human progress. At the same altar knelt the rich man and the poor man, the same ordinances and sacraments were administered to each, and, dying the same rites performed, and the same "Miserere" and "De profundis" chanted. Even in the merriments of Shrovetide, or "Mardigras" as it was termed, in the mad- cap frolics of the Guillone, or in the noisy charivari, no other sentiment pre- vailed than that home-bred American sentiment "I am as good as you are," that is to say, the rights and privileges of everyone of the mass of the com- munity were just as great and no greater than those of another. The church edifice of the early day "with its tall spire and gable sur- mounted by the emblem of the religion to which it was dedicated, with its coarse architecture, its ample portals, its little font, its rudely carved and latticed confessional, its unsculptured altar and rude paintings awakened * * * a feel- ing akin to reverence" in the learned non-Catholic jurist in his boyhood days. 10 "My Own Times, p. 116-117. "See appreciation of William Morrison Reynolds, Pioneer History of Illinois, pp. 160 to 165. Reynolds says: "After due reflection he joined the Roman Catholic Church. He devoted much of his attention to the Church before his death and performed all the duties enjoined upon him with sincere devotion. He died in the arms of the Church praying to God." p. 164-5. "At mature age, he read, reflected and became a Catholic. Reynolds' Pioneer History of Illinois, p. 230. "She entered thoroughly into the investigation of the various religious systems. She became a Presbyterian, but on further research and much reflection she entered the Roman Catholic Church and became a very warm and zealous member. * * * By her example and influence almost all who came within her circle became Roman Catholics and joined the Church. Reynolds, Pioneer History of Illinois, p. 166. Reynolds was not a Catholic. "Page 210. 99 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS In speaking of the civilizing influence of the Church the learned judge in another chapter says : How could the simple forest children resist the influence which is shed over almost everyone who witnesses the nuptial, the baptismal or the funeral rites of that Church? Judge Breese spoke from experience, for though he was not a Catholic he had been present at weddings, baptisms and funerals, as his signature on the parish records attests, as witness or otherwise. "Or," he proceeds, "the imposing ceremonies of the Mass, the Illuminated altar with the officiating priest in full canonical vestments — -the silver chalice, which, with so many genuflections and solemn obeisances, he places to his lips — the solemn song going to the heart and ravishing one sense, while the incense, widely diffused by its bearer, regales another, all in combination with the carved crucifix exhibiting our Saviour in his suffering." The Mission op Our Lady op Good Help-Monk's Mound Besides the missions heretofore noted there was another of much later origin but of peculiar interest. It was the mission of Our Lady of Good Help, established on the great mound near Cahokia since called Monk's Mound. This mission was established in 1810 upon grounds donated by a distinguished Catholic Frenchman, Nicholas Jarrot, who offered the domain to the Trappist monks. Accepting the kind offer the community bought also two of the great mounds adjoining and upon the smallest of them erected twenty houses made of logs. The highest and largest of the buildings erected in the center was the Church, another the Chapter Room, another the Refectory, all constituting the monastery and dwellings of the community. 18 This early religious community was severely scourged by sickness as was also all of the inhabitants of Illinois at that time, so much so that the terri- torial legislature passed a law postponing the holding of court in Cahokia and by reason of the scarcity of priests in the Illinois country Father Urbain fur- nished two members of his community as assistants to Father Donatien Olivier, then resident pastor of the Kaskaskia country and Vicar-General of Bishop Carroll, to assist in the onerous Church work of the day. These priests were Father Joseph and Father Bernard. Father Bernard had for his task St. Louis and the two borders of the Mississippi. He was an old man, and, becom- ing exhausted, died in February, 1811. From thence the suffering of the com- munity was extreme. All sacred vessels except a single one were sold one after another for sustenance. The religious and the lay-brothers fell victims of the epidemic until there was left scarcely a sufficient number to bury the dead. The few survivors by the help of their surrounding neighbors removed to Pitts- "McAdams, The Archeology of Illinois. Publication No. 12, Illinois State His- torical Library, p. 35. 100 THE CHURCH IN TILE TRANSITION PERIOD burgh in 1813. Monk's Mound, their monument, remains, however, and has made Cahokia world renowned. 19 The Diocese of Bardstown It was while Father Olivier had the spiritual guidance of the Illinois country that the diocese of Bardstown was erected, the date of that important event being April 8, 1808, and what are now the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin were made subject to the jurisdiction of that diocese. Reverend Benedict Joseph Plaget, who had formerly been pastor at Vincennes, was made the first bishop and was consecrated November 4, 1810. Bishop Flaget's first journey from Baltimore to the West as a missionary priest is of much interest to us, especially in view of the fact that through a letter of introduction written by General (Mad Anthony) Wayne to General George Rogers Clark, so prominent in the records of Illinois, the good priest was met by General Clark at Louisville, who escorted him in an armed batteau to Vincennes. 20 The jurisdiction thus having been transferred from Bishop Carroll, the succeeding activities of the Church in Illinois were for a time under the guid- ance of Bishop Flaget, who, almost as soon as he was located, began a visitation of his very extended diocese. The first visitation extended over the years of 1813 and 1814, and his account of it gives us a quite clear idea of the condition of the Church in Illi- nois, Missouri and Indiana as well, at that time. Vincennes was without a resident priest, depending upon occasional visits from Reverend Stephen Theodore Badin, who was the Apostle of Ken- tucky, and the first priest ordained in the United States, and Reverend Dona- tien Olivier, stationed at Kaskaskia. Cahokia had been without a priest for a time, but Bishop Flaget at once sent Father Savine there. The first point visited in this journey was Vincennes, and we are told that: As he approached the old French town, a large cavalcade, headed by Reverend Donatien Oliviere, came down to meet him, and conducted him to the Church with much pomp. 21 While in Vincennes upon this occasion, Bishop Flaget blessed and exhorted a company of Rangers setting out for the seat of war to check the English on the Frontier. On this visit, too, good Bishop Flaget confirmed eighty-six persons whom Father Olivier had prepared for the reception of the Sacrament. 22 "This remarkable pile of earth is the greatest artificial structure in the world. It stands 102 feet high. Its longest axis is 998 feet; the shortest, 721 feet. It covers more than sixteen acres. The great pyramid of Cheops in Egypt is 716 feet square. The temple mound of the Aztecs in Mexico is 680 feet square. In volume the Cahokia pyra- mid is the greatest structure of its kind in the world. McAdams, The Archeology of Illinois, Publication No. 12, Illinois State Historical Library, p. 46. "Bishop Plaget had a letter of introduction from Bishop Carroll to General Wayne, then at Pittsburg, and General Wayne gave him a letter to General George Rogers Clark. He met General Clark, Father Levadoux and Father Richard at Louisville, and was escorted by Clark to Vincennes. Shea, Life of Archbishop Carroll, pp. 484, 485. "Shea, The Church in the United States, 1808-15 to 1843, p. 277. "Ibid, 278. 101 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS From Vincennes he proceeded to Cahokia, where he found Father Savine reaping excellent results. Everything Avas in fine order. The congregation was free from debt and had a surplus in the treasury. What was still more consoling was the spirit which animated the people and the knowledge of their religion and duties which they displayed. 23 On the 26th of June, 1814, he confirmed 118 persons. After visiting St. Louis at the request of Bishop Dubourg of New Orleans, Bishop Flaget re- turned to Illinois and visited Father Donatien Oliviere's parish at Prairie du Rocher, where he confirmed sixty-five. 24 By September 14th he was in Kas- kaskia. That old post had a fine Church, 80 feet by 40 feet, with a handsome steeple and a bell dating back to the days of French rule. He confii-med 110 there at that time and in a subsequent visit thirty-six more. 25 During this visitation, Bishop Flaget wrote Archbishop Carroll from the American settlement in Missouri as follows : My visit through the French settlements has been very laborious, but a hundred times more successful than T would have expected ; T have confirmed about twelve hundred people, though I confirm none but those who have made their first communion. At least eight or ten priests are wanting in these im- mense countries, and if some could be put among the Indians who would be willing to receive them, ten more would scarcely do. Pray that God may send me proper ministers to convert or support so many souls that run to perdition for want of assistance. 26 From the consecration of Bishop Flaget the Church in Illinois may be said to have been placed under local jurisdiction and subject therefore to greater supervision. An examination of such church records as still exist would show periods of occasional absence of priests from some of the missions or churches, but there was no time from the year 1673 forward that the Church was not alive and active, or when it was not ministered to by one or more devoted priests. It appears also that just as fast as a little knot of Catholic settlers ap- peared anywhere in the territory, a priest from Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri or somewhere found them out and established a station amongst them, where, though it was necessary they should ride on horseback or tramp through the woods for miles to reach them, he said Mass, heard confessions and administered the sacraments. 27 The Diocese of St. Louis Bishop Flaget continued in charge of the whole of Illinois until the erec- tion of the See of St. Louis, to which Pope Leo XII appointed Reverend Joseph Rosati on March 20, 1827, who, by arrangement with the Bishop of Bardstown, "Ibid. u Ibid. "Ibid. "Ibid, 279. "See accounts in Illinois Catholic Historical Review. 102 THE CHURCH IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD administered the western half of Illinois, and also the northern part, especially Chicago. During the summer of 1830 Bishop Rosati visited all of the churches in the western part of Illinois. It was in 1833 that the first colony of sisters came to Illinois. Seven nuns of the Visitation from Georgetown, headed by Mother Agnes Brent, left their monastery on the Potomac, May 3, 1833, to establish an academy in the ancient town of Kaskaskia. 28 Mother Brent was succeeded in 1839 by Mother Seraphine Wickham, who raised the academy to a high degree of efficiency, but the floods of the Mississippi in 1844 drove the nuns from their convent, and they were removed by Bishop William Quarter, the first bishop of Chicago, with the young ladies attending the convent, 29 to St. Louis by a boat chartered by the bishop. 30 It was during Bishop Rosati 's tenure that Reverend Charles Felix Van Quickenborne, S. J., re-evangelized the Indians of Illinois and made numerous visitations amongst the white settlers at Springfield and in all the settlements in the northwestern portions of the state. Bishop Rosati was a most zealous prelate and spared no toil for his church and diocese. He visited all parts of his jurisdiction, however difficult of ac- cess, and was found frequently on the Illinois side. One interesting function in Illinois in which the good bishop was the central figure was the baptism of Louis Joseph Kane, son of United States Senator Elias Kent Kane, in 1830. He administered confirmation at Kaskaskia annually from 1830 to 1840, and again in 1842. An important extension of the Church occurred in Bishop Rosati 's time through the organization by Rev. John Mary Iranaeus Saint Cyr of St. Mary's Church at Chicago in 1833. The Diocese op Vincennes Simon William Gabriel Brute was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Vincennes erected in 1834 by the Holy See, and accordingly became the Bishop of Indiana with jurisdiction over the eastern portion of Illinois. This great ecclesiastic made four journeys through Illinois. Setting out from Louisville, Kentucky, in the middle of October, 1834, accompanied by Bishop Flaget and Bishop Purcell, the party crossed the Ohio and proceeded directly towards St. Louis over the prairies of Illinois. On this memorable visit, a stop was made in Salem, half way between Vincennes and St. Louis, where the three prelates warmed themselves by the inn fire and the good Bishop Flaget en- deavored to restore the legibility of his breviary, which had been watersoaked during the bishop's exposure, by drying it before the hearth.' 51 On the 26th of "Shea, The Church in the United States, p. 430 and 683. "Ibid, p. 683. '"Bishop Quarter's diary contained the following entry: "I found the nuns at Colonel Menard's being obliged to quit their convent, the water being as high as the second story. The inhabitants of the village were crowded along the bluff to witness much destruction of property and of animals by the water. Chartered the boat Indiana and took the nuns and young ladies (boarders) to St. Louis." "Op. cit, p. 74, Life of Bishop Brute-Bayley. 103 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS October they were in St. Louis and assisted Bishop Rosati at the dedication of his new cathedral : A large body of militia and even the United States troops from the bar- racks near St. Louis assisted at the ceremony. On the 28th of October Bishop Brute was consecrated by the Right Rev- erend Bishop Flaget, assisted by the Right Reverend Bishops Rosati and Pur- cell. This was an occasion of great activity, and there were sermons each morn- ing and evening preached by the bishops or some of the Jesuit fathers who had a large and flourishing college at St. Louis at the time. 32 Retracing his steps with Bishop Flaget, Bishop Purcell, Reverend Abel, Reverend Hitzelberger and Father Petit, the good bishop again crossed Illi- nois and was met some miles from Vincennes by a cavalcade on horseback and duly installed as Bishop of Vincennes on the 5th of November, 1834. Taking a little time to look about, Bishop Brute began his episcopal visita- tions, and besides other places visited, he says in his letter to the Leopoldine Association : I visited another Congregation in Edgar county (in the present Diocese of Springfield, in Illinois) on the Illinois side of the Diocese, about seventy miles from Vincennes. It is an American Settlement, from Kentucky, with some Irish families among them. There are perhaps fifty or sixty families within a circuit of fifteen miles, and I found them as at St. Mary's truly zealous for their religion, and talking of the Church which they would soon build, and the Priest that would soon be sent to them. 33 After the beginning of the New Year, he set out upon another visitation, and tells the members of the Leopoldine Association that: After Easter, in company with an honest and pious man of Vincennes, I went through Illinois, visiting again Edgar County for the Paschal duty, and then proceeded north as far as Chicago on Lake Michigan. Mr. St. Cyr had arrived there from St. Louis and enabled the Catholics to make their Easter communions, so I gave only a few confirmations, and three instructions, one on Saturday and two on Sunday, to encourage the rising Catholic Congrega- tion of that most important point. It is now composed of about 400 souls of all countries — French, Canadians, Americans, Irish, and a good number of Ger- mans. The garrison of the Fort, the Commandant, and part of the staff and band of musicians attended. In general, it may be said that the military are always friendly to the Catholics and their services, which they are free to attend if they choose. 34 The Diocese of Chicago was erected November 28, 1843, and Right Rev- erend William Quarter appointed Bishop, whereupon the administration of the Church in Illinois by Bishops Rosati and Brute came to a close. Keeping Pace With Settlement The manner in which the Church kept pace with the settlement of Illinois during the years succeeding the English occupation and the Revolutionary "Ibid, pp. 74 and 74. "Ibid, p. 80. "Ibid, p. 83. 104 Makquis DeLafayette Great French Champion of the American cause who visited Illinois in 1825. Iki LIBfUUY OF Tht BUHVERSITY OF It 1 THE CHURCH IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD War is perhaps best illustrated by following the activities of the priests who labored in the territory. 35 Such a review covering the period between the suppression of the Jesuits and the organization of the State into a diocese is found very interesting, due to the fact that though through much of that period there was a certain amount of control through organized ecclesiastical jurisdiction, nevertheless, the priests exercised an extended discretion and regardless of boundaries and limitations sought out the people wherever they were and carried to them the benefits and consolations of religion. During this period, besides maintaining the old missions at Kaskaskia, Cahokia and Prairie du Rocher, visits were made and stations established wherever a settlement existed. In this period also, it is interesting to note the labors of the big missionary leaders. Though there were in the neighborhood of one hundred priests who ministered in Illinois from 1765 to 1844, the period which we are here con- sidering, and though all were zealous and effective workers, the names of some stand out in the records. Besides Bishops Flaget, Rosati and Brute, who mads frequent and numerous missionary visits in Illinois, there may be mentioned as notable examples, among the clergy, Very Reverend Pierre Gibault, whose territory was practically boundless ; Reverend Gabriel Richard, who became one of the most progressive citizens of the Northwest and served with distinc- tion in the Federal Congress ; Very Reverend John F. Rivet, perhaps the great- est educator of the West in his time ; Very Reverend Donatien Olivier, the fore- most man in the territory from 1799 to 1833 ; Reverend John Timon, C. M., who later became the distinguished Bishop of Buffalo ; Reverend Stephen Theodore Badin, the Apostle of Kentucky and for thirty years a leading ecclesiastic of the Northwest; Reverend Charles Felix Van Quickenborne, S. J., who established the Jesuit Vice-Province of St. Louis, re-evangelized the Indians and covered all western Illinois in his missionary journeys; Reverend John Francis Regis Loisel from St. Louis, who evangelized the whole neighbor- ing territory east of the river ; Reverend Vitalis Van Cloostere, who served long and faithfully in all the settlements of western Illinois, Reverend John Mary Iraneus St. Cyr, whose first appointment after ordination was Chicago where he organized the Church, and who afterwards evangelized all central Illinois; "The population of Illinois in 1800 was 2,358. Father John and Donatien Olivier were here then. Father John remained until 1803 and Father Donatien until 1833. By 1810 the population had increased to 12,282. Several visiting clergymen were here, in- cluding Bishop Flaget, notably on November 10, 1814, when the bishop baptized and was Godfather to Pierre Menard's daughter Emilie. Father Joseph and Bernard of the Trappists and Father Rivet of Vincennes also ministered in Illinois during that time. Father Desmoulins came to reside at Kaskaskia in November, 1818, and was in Illinois, traveling to missions and stations until 1833. By 1820 the population had increased to 55,162 and there were here then permanently Fathers Oliviere and Desmoulins and several priests from the surrounding states visited the settlements in Illinois. In 1822 Father Hercule Brassac came to reside in Illinois; in 1824 came Father Francis Celleni; in 1825 Father F. X. Dahmen; in 1826 Father John Timon; in 1827 Father Pierre Vergani; in 1828 Father Peter Doutreluingue. Besides these Father Vincent Baden and Father Charles Van Quickenborne worked in Galena in 1828. There were in 1826 twenty mis- sions in Illinois. From 1830 the priests multiplied rapidly as will be seen from the text. 105 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend James Corbe from Kentucky, who made a wide circuit in southern Illinois; Reverend Samuel Charles Mazzuechelli, 0. P., the Missionary of the Dominicans and the Apostle of Minnesota and Iowa, who extended his ministra- tions so effectively to Galena and the surrounding country ; Reverend Timothy Joseph Conway of St. Louis, the Missionary of the State Capital at Springfield and the faithful attendant of many other places in central Illinois; Reverend John Blasius Raho, CM., the leader of the Lazarists and perhaps the most active of all the later day missionaries; Reverend Peter Paul Lefevre, afterwards Bishop of Detroit and joint founder with Bishop Martin, J. Spalding of the American College of Louvain ; Reverend John Lutz, Reverend John Kenny, Reverend Louis Muller, Reverend Remigius Petiot, Reverend Hyppolyte Dupontavice, Reverend Patrick McCabe, Reverend II. Tucker and Reverend Joseph Kuenster. With the certainty of being very much understated, the following will illustrate the development of the Church in Illinois during this period: Missionaries and Their Fields of Labor 36 1763-1844 Reverend Sebastian Louis Meurin, S. J., Kaskaskia, 1746 to 1768 ; Cahokia and Prairie du Rocher, 1768 to 1777. Reverend Hypolite Collet, Franciscan, 1757 to 1764. St. Anne du Fort de Chartres. Reverend Luke Collet, Franciscan, 1762-65, St. Anne du Fort de Chartres. Reverend Pierre Gibault, V.-G., Bishop of Quebec, 1768 to 1792, Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Vincennes, Detroit, St. Genevieve, New Madrid, Prairie du Rocher, 1770-92. Reverend Paul de St. Pierre, Cahokia, Vincennes, St. Genevieve, Prairie du Rocher, 1785 to 1788. Reverend Peter Huet de la Valiniere, V.-G., (Prefect Apostolic) Carroll, Kaskaskia, Prairie du Rocher, 1785 to 1788. Reverend Jacobin le Dru, Dominican, Prairie du Rocher, 1789-92. Reverend Michael Levadoux, Sulpician, Kaskaskia, 1792-3, Prairie du Rocher, 1792. Reverend Gabriel Richard, Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher, 1793-1798. Reverend Bernard de Limpach, Capuchin, Kaskaskia, 1793-94. Reverend Louis Payet, Kaskaskia, 1793-94. Reverend Peter Janin, Kaskaskia, 1795-97. 3< This list is made up from data heretofore appearing in this article and from the church directories and parish records of the early churches. "Official" church direc- tories have been published since an early day (first in 1817) tabulating churches and missions of the Catholic Church in the United States. Lucas and Meyers were early publishers of such directories, and there are a few volumes of the earlier ones extant. The data here given is taken in large part from these directories. These publications are mostly out of print and rare. Miss Catherine Schaefer of Belleville, 111., has, how- ever, worked over the materials of them for Illinois and in revised form they were published in the Illinois Catholic Historical Review beginning with the July, 1918, number. 106 THE CHURCH IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD Reverend Dom Peter Joseph Didier, Benedictine, Prairie du Rocher, 1798. Reverend John T. Rivet, V.-G., Residence Vincennes, Prairie du Rocher, 1798-99. Dedicated new church at Cahokia, September 4, 1799. Reverend Charles Leander Lusson, Cahokia, Prairie du Rocher, 1798. Reverend John Olivier, Cahokia, 1799 to 1803. Reverend Donatien Olivier, 1799-1833. Kaskaskia, Prairie du Rocher. Pastor 1798 to 1827. Cahokia, Vincennes, 'Haras, 1820. Reverend Father Des Moulins, Kaskaskia, 1818-33 'Haras, 1818-20. Reverend Hercule Brassac, Kaskaskia, Drury, 1822. " "Reverend Francis Cellini, C. M., Kaskaskia, Prairie du Rocher, 1827-30. Reverend Francis Xavier Dahmen, Kaskaskia, 1825-6; Prairie du Rocher, 1829-30 ; Pastor of St. Genevieve, Mo., 1822-40. Reverend Pierre Vergani, C. M., Prairie du Rocher, 1827-28. Reverend John Timon, CM., Prairie du Rocher, 1826-27; Kaskaskia, 1827-29. Reverend Vincent Baden, Galena, 1828. Reverend Charles Felix Van Quickenborne, S.J., Galena, 1828; Sangamon County, 1835. Reverend Peter J. Doutreluingue, CM., Kaskaskia, Prairie du Rocher, 1829-30; Cahokia, 1830-36; French Village near Cahokia, 1833; Centerville Station, 1857-72. Reverend G. Lutz, Galena, 1830. Reverend P. Borgna, Prairie du Rocher, 1830. Reverend Stephen Theodore Baden, Sulpitian, Chicago, 1830. Reverend Victor Pallaisson, S. J., Kaskaskia, 1830-31 ; Prairie du Rocher, 1830-31 ; Visitation Convent, Kaskaskia, 1833. Reverend A. Mascaroni, Prairie du Rocher, 1830-31. Reverend John Francis Regis Loisel, Prairie du Rocher, 1830; Cahokia, 1838 ; resident pastor, 1839 ; French Village near Cahokia, 1838 ; La Cantine, near Cahokia, 1838 ; Village Francais St. Clair Co., St. Philipe, Church built by 1839 ; Belleville, St. Barnabas Apostle, 1839. Reverend Vitalis Van Cloostere, Prairie du Rocher, 1830-1854; English Settlement, Prairie du Long, Monroe County, 1833 ; Harrisonville, 1833-34 ; O'Harasburg, 1834; St. Augustine, 1838; James' Mill, Monroe County, 1838; Kaskaskia, 1844-46. Reverend J. N. Odin, C M., Prairie du Rocher, 1832. Reverend E. Dupuy, C. M., Prairie du Rocher, 1832. Reverend Mathew Condamine, Kaskaskia, 1832-35; Sangamon County, 1836; Cahokia, 1837. Rt. Reverend Joseph Rosati, Portage aux Sioux, 1835; Kaskaskia, 1835; Quincy, 1835 ; Columbia, 1835 ; Crooked Creek, 1835 ; Cahokia, 1836. Reverend John McMahon, Galena, 1833. Reverend John Mary Iraneus St. Cyr, 1839-44; Chicago, 1833-37; Peoria, 1835-39; Quincy once a month, 1838; Crooked Creek, Hancock County, Resi- dent Pastor, 1839 ; Marseilles, St. Lazarus Congregation, 1839 ; St. Augustine, 107 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Fulton County, 1839; Commerce at the Rapids, Hancock County, Savior's Con- gregation, 1839; Kaskaskia, 1840-43. Reverend P. Lefevre, Prairie du Rocher, 1833 ; Hancock County, 1838 ; McDonough County, 1836; Adams County, 1836; Pike County, 1836. Reverend L. Picot, 1834, English Settlement; Grand Prairie visited four times a year ; dwelt at Vincennes, 1834 ; Raccoon River, French Settle- ment, 1834. Reverend Charles F. Fitsmaurice, Galena, 1835. Reverend B. Roux, Kaskaskia, 1835-38. Reverend Joseph N. Wiseman, Kaskaskia, 1836. Reverend Francis B. Jamison, Kaskaskia, 1836. Reverend Elisha Durbin, Resident in Kentucky, Shauneetown, 1836-41 ; Carmi, 1836-41 ; Albion, 1836. Reverend G. Walters, S. J., Alton, 1837. Reverend Bernard Shaffer, Chicago, 1837. Reverend J. B. Healy, Kaskaskia, 1837. Reverend James Corbe, located at Vincennes, Coffeetown, 1837-38-39 ; Lawrenceville, 1837; Albion, 1838-39; Carmel, 1840; New Harmony, 1840; St. Francisville, 1839. Reverend George Hamilton, Upper Alton, 1837; Springfield, 1840. Reverend Samuel Charles Mazzuechelli, 0. P., Galena, 1837-38-39-41 ; DuBuque Mines, 1837 ; Irish Grove, Stephenson County, 1842. Reverend Stanislaus Buteaux, Paris Prairie, Edgar County, 1837-38-39; Thrawl's Station, 1837; Riviere Au Chat, 1837; Darwin, 1839; York, 1839; Edgar County, 1841. Reverend Felix Verreydt, S. J., Alton, 1838 ; Grafton, 1838. Reverend Ambrose G. Heim, Kaskaskia, 1844; Cahokia, 1838; English Settlement, Prairie du Long, 1843 ; Melville, 1843 ; New Design near Tap- town, 1843. Reverend Timothy Joseph Conway, Kaskaskia, 1838; Springfield, 1839; Crooked Creek in Hancock County, 1840 ; located in St. Louis, Commerce at the Rapids, Hancock County, 1840. Reverend Louis Aloysius Parodi, CM., La Salle, 1838; Peoria, 1843; As- sistant to Father Raho residing at La Salle and visiting most of the places visited by Father Raho. Reverend Hilary Tucker, Quincy, 1838-44. Reverend Augustus Brickweddie, Quincy, 1838-43. Reverend John Blasuis Raho, CM., La Salle, 1838 to 1843 ; in Springfield Diocese (Virginia) 1838; Centerville, 1838; Ottawa, 1838-40; Peru, 1839-40; Beardstown, 1839; Peoria, St. Philomena, 1839; La Salle Prairie, 1839; Pekin 1839-44; Kickapoo, St. Patrick's, 1839-44; Peoria, 1840-41-42-44; in Diocese of Springfield, Jacksonville, 1840; Shelbyville, 1840-41; Marseilles, 1840-41; Black Partridge, ten miles above Pekin, 1840 to 1844; Lincoln, 1840; Lacon, 1843. Reverend Charles Meyer, German Settlement, 1838-39; St. Thomas near 108 THE CHURCH IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD Columbia, 1838-40; other scattered German settlements in St. Clair County, 1839. Reverend M. 'Reilly, Mt. Carmel, 1839. Reverend M. Ward, of Kentucky, Shauneetown, 1839 ; Carmi, 1839. Reverend G. H. Tochmann, Kaskaskia, 1839. Reverend Richard Bole, Kaskaskia, 1839. Reverend Father Gandafo, Kaskaskia, 1839. Reverend F. Czakert, Picquet, German settlement, 1839-40. Reverend James O'Mera, Chicago, 1837; Mt. Juliet (Joliet), occasional visits, 1837; Grand Calumet, occasional visits, 1839; Small Fork, 1837; Illinois Canal, 1837. Reverend John Kenny, Prairie du Long, Resident Pastor, 1839; St. Thomas near Columbia, 1839; Silver Creek, 1839; O'Harasburg, 1840; James' Mills, 1840; Galena, 1843. Reverend John Plunket, Mt. Juliet f Joliet), 1840; Illinois Canal, 1840. Reverend Caspar H. Ostlangenberg. Shoal Creek, St. Clair County, 1839; Libory, St. Clair County, 1840; Galena, 1843-44. Reverend John B. Escourrier, C. M., Peru, 1840. Reverend TJbaldus Estang, C. M., Peru, 1840. Reverend N. Stehle, C. M., Kaskaskia. 1840 ; Peoria, 1843. Reverend Constantine Lee, Galena, 1840. Reverend Henry Fortmann, Shoal Creek now Germantown, 1840; New Switzerland (Highland), 1844. (In Diocese of Springfield.) Reverend Louis Muller, Mt. Carmel. 1840; Picquet Colony, Jasper county, (in Diocese of Springfield), 1840; Lawrenceville, 1841; Vincennes, 1842. Reverend Louis Dueourday, Coffeetown, 1841 ; Francisville, 1841. Reverend Francis Joseph Fischer, Chicago, 1841. Reverend Maurice de St. Palais, Chicago, 1841. Reverend de Marchi, C. M., La Salle, 1841. Reverend Remigius Petiot, Galena, 1841-44; Dixon's Ferry, 1841; Free- port, 1841; Carys Mill, 1841; Irish Grove, Stevenson County, 1842. Reverend Hippolyte Dupontavice, Mt. Juliet, 1841 ; Dresden, 1842 ; Cork- town, 1842. Reverend Joseph Masquelet, Teutopolis, 1841; Picquet, German Settle- ment, Jasper County, 1843. Reverend Joseph Paquin, C. M., Kaskaskia, 1842. Reverend John Guguen, Small Fork, 1842; Little Fork, Little Port, Lake County, and four other towns, 1844. Reverend Patrick McCabe, C.P., Kaskaskia, 1842; Alton, 1843; English Set- tlement, Prairie du Long, 1844; Harrisonville, 1844; James' Mills, 1844. Reverend M. Cereos, C. M., Springfield, 1843. Reverend B. Rolando, C. M., Springfield, 1843-44. Reverend Michael Carroll, Upper Alton, 1844. Reverend H. Tucker, Versailles, 1844; Mt. Sterling, 1844; Pittsfield, 1844. 109 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend Joseph Kunster, German Settlements, Teutonio, 1844; St. Thomas near Columbia, 1844; Belleville, 1844. Reverend Father Montuori, C. M., Peoria, 1844. Reverend N. Mullen, Picquet, German Settlement, Jasper County, 1844. Such is the roster of priests and the field of their activities in Illinois from 1763 to 1844 as disclosed by the records. If it may be said that part or all the records are from biased sources we may turn to a Protestant source for information as to the condition of the Catholic Church near the end of this period. The Home Missionary Society in June 1842, published the following warning to its readers and co-workers : Foreign Papists are planting our fairest territories thick with their schools, colony after colony of men of a strange tongue and stranger associations are possessing themselves of our soil and gathering around our ballot boxes. In Missouri, Illinois and Arkansas there are seventy-four priests with literary in- stitutions of every grade in which at least a thousand youths are now training. 37 The great bulk of these were in Illinois and as above shown there were even more "Papists" than the Missionary thought. Introduction of Protestantism At the time that the Protestant sects were introduced, about 1800, 38 and thereafter for many years their ministers attacked the Catholic Church and circulated as publicly as possible from their pulpits and their press all of the stock slanders which had been invented up to that time and added new ones which it was thought might serve the purpose of injuring the Catholic Church and perhaps assist their own particular organization or belief. The books, tracts and leaflets prepared by the representatives of the Protestant denomina- tions in this period, and indeed up to the last quarter of the nineteenth century, "Annual Report of the Home Mission Society (Protestant), June, 1842, quoted by Carrie Prudence Kofoid in Publication No. 10 of the Illinois Historical Library, p. 323. 38 The first non-Catholic meeting house ever erected in Illinois was a log house for camp-meeting purposes at Shiloh, six miles northeast of what is now Belleville. It was built at the direction of Bishop William McKendree, Methodist, in the summer of 1807. John Mason Peck in Reynolds' Pioneer History of Illinois, p. 267. In 1814 Samuel J. Mills, a Presbyterian minister, sent out from Connecticut by the Missionary Society of Connecticut, reported: "In this whole territory (Illinois) is not a solitary Presbyterian minister, though there are several families of this denomina- tion in the different settlements. * * * * The Baptists have four or five small churches consisting of not more than 120 members. The Methodists have five itinerants besides some local preachers and perhaps 600 members in their society." Carrie Prudence Kofoid in Publication No. 10 of the Illinois Historical Library, p. 273. "Before 1825 but few congregations (Protestant) owned houses of worship, their public services being held in barns or private residences." Patterson, Robert W., D.D., Early Society in Southern Illinois, p. 31, published by the Chicago Historical Society, 1881. "It was not, however, until 1816 that the first Presbyterian church in what is now Illinois completed its organization under the leadership of Reverend James McGready, a missionary from Kentucky, and this little rural church at Sharon, in what is now White County, had to wait eight years until (in 1824) it had a minister of its own in the person of Reverend Benjamin Franklin Spilman, justly called 'The Father of Presbyterianism in Illinois.' " H. D. Jenkins, D. D., The History of Presbyterianism in Illinois, Publication No. 19, Illinois State Historical Library, p. 61. 110 THE CHURCH IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD contain many of the irresponsible calumnies that the "ex-priest," the "escaped nun," the anti-Catholic agitators and the publications have always made use of. 39 Early activities of the Protestant sects in Illinois were too, of a more or less ludicrous character. The ministers were quite generally men of no educa- tion and less culture. 40 Their followers "got religion" in the shape of "jerks" and spasms. A camp meeting was more barbarous than an Indian dance, and it was more than fifty years from the time that Protestantism was introduced into Illinois until the sects took on reasonable and decent dignity and decorum. A Protestant of ordinary culture of today would disown his Methodist, Baptist 3, A few quotations from non-Catholic sources will illustrate this paragraph. "The Apocalyptic Beast is watching with intense anxiety and straining his eyehalls for a favorable moment to spring upon us with one immense bound and make us his prey. Rome has more men, more money, more cunning and more perseverance than we have. Rome never stops short of universal victory or universal defeat." From address delivered in Plainsville, Ohio, and published in the Home Missionary, June, 1844. Cited in Publi- cation No. 10, Illinois Historical Library, p. 325. "Romanism was classed with intemperance and slavery as an evil threatening the country." Ibid. "Rome and despotism are pouring in the materials of which mobs are made." Home Missionary, November, 1845. "The West is the arena where the contest is to be carried on between Infidelity, Romanism, Mormonism and Satanism on one side and Christianity on the other." Cited in Publication No. 10, Illinois Historical Library, p. 326. The first preacher to arrive at Chicago, Jeremiah Porter, wrote immediately upon landing, "A papal priest reached this place from St. Louis a fortnight since and I hope Providence has sent a counteracting influence here just in season." See publication No. 10, Illinois Historical Library, p. 287. Professor Park of Andover, was afraid the Pope would come over here at that early day and wrote: "Send our armies to the great valley (of the Mississippi) where the Pope will reign unless Puritanism he triumphant." Home Missionary, September, 1845, quoted in publication No. 10, Illinois Historical Library, p. 325. This bigotry was common to the early non-Catholic promoters as will be apparent from published utterances of such early "Missionaries" as John Mason Peck where he ridicules the Pope as "an old man who sits in Rome" and speaks of priests as encour- aging ignorance and violence. See Babcock's Memoirs of Peck. 4n In the view of the native preacher, "the man filled with learning was so much less filled with spiritual power." Publication No. 10, Illinois Historical Library, p. 304. Peter Cartwright, the great apostle of Methodism in Illinois, was opposed to educa- tion and took occasion to ridicule the educated. Saying in a "powerful" sermon at Jacksonville, "I have never spent four years of my life rubbing my back against the walls of a college." Julian M. Sturtevant, An Autobiography, quoted in Publication No. 10, Illinois Historical Library, p. 305. "The ministers were often unable to read the Bible without making gross blunders. Many of the anti-mission Baptist ministers could not speak three sentences together without violating the most familiar rules of grammar." Patterson, Robert W., D. D., Early Society in Southern Illinois, p. 24. "In regard to calls to the ministry, the most singular fancies used to be put for- ward. In one case, as was repeated to me at the time by credible witnesses, a minister stated to his congregation that he knew he was called to the ministry, from the fact that on a certain occasion he dreamed that he swallowed a wagon, and the, tongue pro- jected out of his mouth, which he took as an indication that he was to use his tongue in preaching the Gospel. The story, in substance was published a few years ago in Harper's Magazine." Patterson, Robert W., D.D., Early Society in Southern Illi- nois, p. 29. The years 1800 and 1801 were distinguished by an uncommon religious excitement among the Presbyterians of Kentucky. This excitement began in Logan County, and soon extended all over the state, and into neighboring states and territories. Besides increased attention to the usual and ordinary seasons and modes of worship, there were during the summer of these years, large camp-meetings held, and four or five days and nights at a time were spent in almost incessant religious exercises. At these meetings hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of people might have been seen and heard at one and the same time, engaged in singing and prayer and exhortation, and preaching 111 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS or Presbyterian forebears could he see them in the "throes" of a "Protracted Meeting" of any time from 1805 to 1880 or even somewhat later. 41 As might be expected, there was not complete harmony amongst the Protestant sects, nor even in any single sect in the early days, but there was one thing upon which they all agreed and that was a violent opposition to the Catholic Church. and leaping, and shouting, and disputing, and conversing. It was in meetings and in exercises of this kind that the Cumberland Presbyterian had its origin. Prom "An Outline of the History of the Church in the State of Kentucky during a period of forty years, containing the memoirs of Reverend David Rice and sketches of the origin and present state of particular churches, and of the lives and labor of a number of men who were eminent and useful in their day. Corrected and arranged by Robert H. Bishop, Professor of History in Transylvania-Lexington (1824). Conditions were sim- ilar in Illinois. 4, J. F. Schermerhorn of the Dutch Reformed Church, one of the agents sent West by the Connecticut Missionary Society in 1812. speaks of the "religious revival" talked about as setting in at the beginning of the 19th century. "The Methodists say there has been a very great revival of religion among them as also do the Baptists. From the best information that we could obtain from eye witnesses of this work, there is great reason to believe that it was principally terror and fear which induced members to join those societies: for their work began and ended with the earthquakes in those countries and the whole strain of preaching by the Baptists and Methodists was, that the end of all things was at hand, and if the people were not baptized or died, not joining a society, there was no hope for them." This was said in 1812. In 1852 the conditions are said to be the same. "The effect of the senseless haranguers and conse- quent spurious revivals with which we are cursed and of which the people are every fond, is similar to the raging of fire that sweeps through the forest, deadening and blacken- ing everything which it leaves unconsumed." See Publication No. 10, Illinois Historical Library, pp. 304-305. Referring to a camp-meeting held in the same year as that spoken of in Note 10 above, Governor Reynolds says: "The first camp-meeting that was ever held in Illinois was commenced on the premises of Mr. Good, about three miles south of the present Edwardsville. This meeting convened in the spring of 1807, and I attended it. At the meeting, many persons were curiously exercised by the jerks as it was called. It seemed an involuntary exercise, and made the victims sometimes dance and leap until they were entirely exhausted, and would fall down helpless on the ground. When they were in these furious motions, the parties would generally shout and cry aloud on the Lord. It was supposed to be contagious by sympathy. These jerks remained with the people for many years, but at last they turned a deaf ear to it and it ceased among the people." Reynolds, My Own Times, pp. 64, 65. The preachers who produced or induced "jerks" at this camp-meeting and another at Shilo, St. Clair County, held the same year, both of which were attended' by Reynolds, were the Reverend William McKendree, afterwards Bishop, and leading Methodist churchman in early Illinois, and Reverend Jesse Walker, afterwards presiding elder of the Methodist Church, and several other preachers. Reynolds, My Own Times, p. 120. In a later work, Col. Wm. Stone, of New York, thus speaks of this "great revival": "About thirty or thirty-five years ago, there was an extensive revival of religion (so called) in Kentucky, characterized by the greatest fanaticism, accompanied by a great variety of bodily affections, and running into many painful excesses. The fancies were reducible to various classes, some of which were affected by 'falling exercises' and others, by what was called 'the jerking exercise'; others were moved by the Spirit to propose 'the running exercise'; and others again 'the climbing exercise' — all of which exercises are sufficiently indicated by their names. It was a frequent occurrence for a number of people to gather round a tree, soma praying and others imitating the barking of dogs, which operation was called, in familiar parlance among them, 'treeing the devil.' (!) It was stated also concerning the same people that in their religious assemblies, or other places of worship, religious professors of zeal and standing would get out into the broad aisle, and go down upon their knees together, playing marbles and other childish games, under the notion of obeying the saying of the Saviour — I 'Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye cannot enter into the king- dom of heaven;' others would ride up and down the aisle of the church, on sticks, etc." Parkman and other historians have indulged in some levity anent the childlike simplicity of the early Catholic missionaries, who on various occasions prayed for sick people or applied relics or holy articles in the hope of relief. The antics of ministers and others as here noted would seem to be much less rational. 112 THE CHURCH IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD These remarks are not intended as a reflection upon our non-Catholic fel- low-citizens. They are interjected only for the purpose of noting the difficul- ties under which the Catholic Church and Catholics labored. The common opposition to the Catholic placed him at a considerable disadvantage, and un- doubtedly succeeded in discrediting the Church in the eyes of many, to such an extent that many weak men and women gave up their deligion. There could be no possible doubt as time passed but that the non-Catholic had signal advantages in temporal concerns over his Catholic neighbor and fellow citizen. The seed of prejudice being sown, flourished to such an extent that in many places Catholics were ostracized, were denied business advantages and could not secure public preferment either in the shape of offices or legitimate ad- vantages which accrue from public recognition. The Know Nothing and American Protective Association organizations, whose activities were directed against the Catholic Church and Catholics, were very active and quite power- ful in Illinois. These facts help to account for the greater material prosperity of the average non-Catholic than his fellow citizen of the Catholic Church and to explain the disparity of numbers between Catholics and non-Catholics in places of distinction. Catholic Tolerance and Forbearance It can truthfully be said for the Catholic Church as an organization and for individual Catholics, however, that they have never retaliated in kind. Twenty or more years ago, if one were to go into ten or more Protestant churches of different denominations and listen to the sermon in each church, it would be strange if he did not in each sermon hear the Pope, the priests and some dogma of the Catholic Church assailed. The writer has been a member of the Catholic Church, and a reasonably diligent attendant, since childhood, and does not recall ever having heard a Protestant sect or doctrine abused or misrepresented. Neither has he ever known an individual Catholic to make a distinction on account of religion either in his business dealings or in his voting for public offices. Catholics are in a sense philosophers; they know the manner in which their non-Catholic neighbors and associates have been raised; that Catholics have been represented to them as monsters of iniquity and the Church as the mother of iniquities. They know that such teachings and beliefs are untrue, and have an abiding confidence that men of intelligence will discover the un- truth. Therefore, they pursue their quiet way, and as a rule speak only when duty demands, trusting the growing intelligence and the spirit of fair play under God's guidance, Whose affair religion really is, to do justice. They recog- nize as the best argument for their belief, virtuous conduct. Example as superior to precept. It has been along such lines and under such circumstances that the Church has developed in Illinois, and no better evidence of its progress and success can be cited than its present situation. A very large percentage of the population of the State is Catholic. A great deal of the educational work of the State is 113 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS conducted through Catholic schools and Catholic educational institutions. An immense amount of the charitable work is in charge of Catholic institutions, and the Catholic Church stands at the head of all other organizations in the assimilation of foreign-born populations. The figures with reference to Catholic Church membership, religious, charitable and educational institutions are interesting : There are, according to the Official Catholic Directory of 1927, 1069 Catholic churches, chapels and stations in Illinois; there are 1,598,552 communicants or members of the Catho- lic Church in Illinois; of Catholic schools and colleges there are 708 in the State with students and pupils aggregating 274,762. There are under the con- trol of the Catholic Church in Illinois, 120 charitable institutions, amongst which there are fifty-nine hospitals. There are homes for the aged, refuges for fallen women, schools for the deaf and blind, and lodgings for the down and out ; infant and orphan asylums and training schools for the poor and abandoned. No form of charity which has shown itself a necessity has been neglected or overlooked by the Catholic Church. 42 In addition, the Catholic Church even in the State of Illinois has shown itself the strongest bulwark of order and the greatest proponent of respect for constituted authority. The Catholic Church of today stands at the head of all religious institu- tions in the State of Illinois in the number of members and number of Churches and schools and in the extent of its charities. It seeks no public favor, it desires no alliance with government, it excludes no human being from its pale, it coerces no man's judgment and violates no man's rights. As early as 1842 a characterization of and challenge to the Catholic Church was put out in the Home Missions, the organ of the Home Missionary Society. It read : The most formidable foe of the universal spread of the gospel is doubtless to be found in the Roman Apostacy — where else coidd the contest be bloodless, where so successful as here (in the Illinois country), where no racks or tortures forestall the force of argument — here where the benighted children of error will be surrounded and pervaded by the silent but restless influence of our schools and presses ; here, where every one of them may stand erect and feel that he is a man and may assert his right to doubt as well as to believe ; to dis- cuss and judge as well as to listen and obey. Instead, therefore, of deprecating the coming of so many foreigners as a curse, we should regard it as the fulfill- ment of our national destiny. 43 "Statistics — Catholics and Catholic Institutions Chapels Schools Students Charity and and and Inst, and Churches Communicants Colleges Pupils Hospitals Chicago Diocese 370 1,250,000 391 219,821 62 Peoria Diocese 233 116,897 101 17,320 18 Springfield Diocese 198 92,153 71 15,611 18 Belleville Diocese 152 76,573 98 13,340 11 Rockford Diocese 116 62,929 47 8,670 11 1069 1,598,552 708 274,762 120 Official Catholic Directory, 1927. See figures under each diocese. "Quoted in Puritan Influences in the Formative Years of Illinois History, by Carrie Prudence Kofoid, Publication No. 10, Illinois Historical Library, p. 323. 114 THE CHURCH IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD In other words, we were supposed in Illinois to have started off in a fair field and no favors. Catholics may be fairly well satisfied with the results. Opinions have modified since those early days. Only defectives talk in the strain of that time. Fifty years after the above was written, a careful student of the religious history of Illinois unreservedly states : Public opinion of today does not view certain matters, as for example Catholicism, in the same light as did the New Englanders in Illinois forty or fifty years ago ; but in many directions we must acknowledge the exceeding excellence of their ideas and ideals. They stood for order, thrift, economy and enterprise. They looked with intelligence beyond their own communities to the welfare of state and nation. They valued personal integrity above all things. To foster this, churches with all their allied organizations were multi- plied east and west, north and south. 44 "The latest official examination of churches and church membership by states is con- tained in reports of the Census Bureau of the United States for 1916. 115 CHAPTER V. Precursors op the Parishes A history of the organization and development of the parishes, especially in the pioneer period, would not give a complete understanding of church work in the early days before the diocese, but needs to be introduced by refer- ence to the labors of many zealous priests who were in a sense the forerunners of the parishes. These good priests were, in a comprehensive sense, missionaries. Some of them indeed had something of a fixed abode from which they radiated, but in general they were holy tramps, constantly on the move from place to place, seeking out Catholic settlers and bringing the consolations of religion wherever the spirit directed. In a sense they were vested with a roving commission, and to their great credit they worked wonders for the Church and the salvation of souls in the early days. It was not unusual for the Bishop to assign a priest to a given line of railway, whether operating or only in course of construction. One such, the Rev. Thomas Cusack, who, as will be seen, did missionary work in Illinois, is described in the list of missionaries kept in the Archives of the Archdiocese of St. Louis as missionary "in via ferratta vaporea" — the railroad apostle. In like manner did these early missionaries traverse the route of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, tramping from camp to camp equipped with requisites for saying Mass and administering the Sacraments; setting up their altars in the shadow of a convenient tree, or instituting a confessional behind some friendly bush, thus carrying the Church to the people. No better way of indicating the character and extent of the church work independent of or prior to the parishes presents itself than to sketch briefly the missionary career of some of these pioneer priests. Very Reverend Stephen Theodore Badin, Sulpician One of the most noted of the missionaries of the early nineteenth century was Father Stephen Theodore Badin. Father Badin had the distinction of being the first priest ordained in the United States and has been referred to as the Apostle of Kentucky. This good Sulpician traveled almost continuously over Kentucky, Indiana and parts of Illinois. His first visit to Illinois occurred in October, 1830. He had been minister- ing to the Potawatomi Indians at the mission near what is now Niles, Michigan. He has left us a letter concerning this visit which is most interesting. It reads as follows : I am on my way to Chicago or Fort Dearborn on the west shore of Lake Michigan in the state of Illinois, fifty miles from here ; no priest has been seen there since eight (nine) years ago, when Mr. Richard paid the place 117 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS a visit. (On n'y a pas vu de pretre depuis huit ans Lorsque M. Richard y fit une visite.) Along the entire route I shall not come across a single house or hut. I am waiting here for a party of good Catholic Indians, Chief Pokegan at the head of them, who are charged with the carrying of my chapel equipment. I had started out without them in order to avail myself of the company of two Canadians, whose services I engaged as interpreters, and who must by this time have arrived in Chicago, where I intended to celebrate the Divine Mysteries on Holy Rosary Sunday ; but fearing that my Indians would not come up in time I stopped at the river Calamie (Grand Calumet) in the hope of receiving my chapel this evening or tomorrow morning. Besides, if I had continued on the way with the two Canadians, I should have found it necessary to sleep in the open, a thing I thought nothing of at one time — but when a man is beyond sixty, he must avoid that sort of a thing, unless he be accustomed to live like the Indians and traders, to whom it is all one whether they sleep indoors or outdoors. Man proposes, God disposes. My party of Indians arrived three days too late, and I was put to the necessity of spending the night in the woods ten miles from Chicago. I found there another band from the Kickapoo tribe who lived in an immense prairie in Illinois, along the Vermillion River at a distance of about one hundred miles from Chicago. Some time before, these good people had sent their compliments to Chief Pokegan, telling him at the same time that they envied him the happiness of having a pastor. We have very little information of just what Father Badin did when he finally came to Chicago, but according to a communication written by Gordon S. Hubbard and published in the Chicago Evening Journal of April 29, 1882, he baptized Alexander Beaubien and his two sisters, Monique and Julia, and also the Indian Potawatomi chief of mixed blood, Alexander Robinson. Father Badin was again in Chicago in 1846 and on that occasion presented Mrs. John Murphy, wife of a very worthy settler who came to Chicago in 1836, with a religious book containing his autograph. Upon the presentation of the same Father Badin is said to have remarked : ' ' This is the fiftieth anniversary of my arrival in Chicago." According to that Father Badin would have been here in 1796, which is possible, of course, as he was doing missionary work at the time, spending most of his time between 1790 and 1820 in Kentucky. It has also been stated that Father Badin was in Chicago in 1822, but this statement is not well sustained. It is very certain that Father Badin was in Illinois in 1846. In the diary of Bishop Quarter appears an entry under date of June 13, 1846, as follows: "Very Reverend Father Badin, ordained priest in Baltimore by Bishop Carroll the 25th of May, 1793, who in October, 1831, went on a visit to Chicago and found about two hundred families then in the city and only twenty Catholic men, women and children, and is now in the seventy-eighth year of his age and fifty-third of his priesthood, left for Bourbonnais Grove to attend the French Congregation." It is said that he had been in the heart of Illinois on the Vermilion River doing missionary work in 1844 and came to Chicago after having been the guest of the Fathers of the Holy Cross at Notre Dame at their annual college commencement in 1845. At Kankakee he had an assistant, but he, himself, superintended the work and during the time that he was at Bourbonnais he signed himself Vicar- 118 PRECURSORS OF THE PARISHES general of the Bishop of Chicago. It appears that in the course of his mis- sionary career, Father Badin was viear-general of the Diocese of Bardstown, of the Diocese of Cincinnati, of the Diocese of Vincennes, and had been first of all vicar-general of the Diocese of Baltimore under Bishop Carroll. He had, therefore, the unusual distinction of having been vicar-general in five dioceses. As is well known he was responsible for the establishment of the Univer- sity of Notre Dame, having procured the ground upon which that great institution is located. Throughout this great missionary's career he had led a most exacting life himself and was apparently very exacting to others. One of the last letters he ever wrote, now preserved in the American Catholic Archives in Notre Dame, contains the acknowledgment that he had been too severe in his earlier practice and too exacting of the poor, sorrowing penitents who asked God's pardon through him. On April 19, 1853, the proto-priest of the United States passed from his earthly cares in this world. In 1904 the Fathers of the Holy Cross asked that his remains be transferred to their institution at Notre Dame and the request was granted. On the spot where he had built his log chapel at that place when he was a missionary among the Indians, the Fathers caused another log cabin to be raised, the exact replica of the first, and in May, 1906, the last burial of Father Badin took place, and his bones were placed in a tomb in front of the altar near the middle of this chapel, and there lie the remains of the Nestor of the nineteenth century missionaries. Reverend Elisha Durbin A very picturesque figure amongst these early missionaries was Father Elisha Durbin. His home or stopping place was in Union County, Kentucky. His circuit was south-eastern and south-western Kentucky, a great part of Tennessee, Indiana and all of southern Illinois. At the time he labored in it it was first called Egypt, on account of the swamps and dense forests. He was an American of Maryland stock and is said to have suffered through his family from the persecutions which the non-Catholics when they obtained control of Maryland visited upon the Catholics, but was for that reason all the firmer in his faith. He was instructed by the Venerable Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget and Bishop John B. David. Father Durbin rode horseback as a mission priest for over sixty years, covering a period from sometime in the forties to near the end of the nineteenth century. At his death, which occurred in Louisville in the last years of the nineteenth century the good missionary was ninety years of age. The church directories show that Father Durbin visited all the settlements in southern Illinois especially Shawneetown, 1836-1841, Carmi the same period, and Albion in 1836. Reverend Michael Carroll Few of the nineteenth century missionaries were better known than Rev- erend Michael Carroll. Although Father Carroll made the circuit like the 119 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS others, he is always thought of in connection with the city of Alton. He was stationed in Alton for many years and built the Cathedral which was in course of erection but not finished in 1857 when the new See of Alton was created. Father Carroll was one of the gigantic men like Father John George Alle- man and Father John Ryan, who awed men by their height and physique. A writer speaking of Father Carroll draws a contrast between the old mission- aries and later clergymen, and speaking of the former says : ' ' The old priests knew how to throw off their coats, give a helping hand to cut a log, mix mortar or other manual labor, to erect churches. They could ford and swim rivers with their saddlebags taken from the horses' backs and put around their shoul- ders so their vestments would not be wet ; yet these same priests even if they had to borrow a broadcloth coat and silk hat from a more fortunate clerical brother (which was freely loaned) appeared on the streets as gentlemen." Like the other missionaries, Father Carroll spent the week days traveling the prairies and forests. He visited virtually all the towns in Jersey, Madison, Macoupin and Montgomery counties. Father Carroll was attached to the bishops of Chicago, and chose to remain in the Chicago diocese after that of Alton was formed. In 1857 in company with Father Patrick O'Brien of St. Louis, Father Carroll made a trip to Ireland and upon his return was appointed first to Lake Forest, near Waukegan and shortly afterwards to St. Mary's at Elgin. This good priest crowned a fruitful life with a martyr's death. In his old age while visiting a neighboring priest who was sick, a night call came from a distance. The sick priest could not attend of course, so Father Carroll made the trip in the storm, caught cold and a malignant fever ensued from which he soon after died. His remains were buried in old St. Mary's at Elgin. Reverend Patrick J. McElhearne Everybody who has read much of the early days of the Church in Chi- cago will remember Father Patrick J. McElhearne 's name. He was one of Bishop Quarter's own priests, that saintly prelate having ordained him on June 8, 1846. He was the prop and support of the good Bishop through all his days in Chicago, and it was Father McElhearne that heard the death alarm when it was sounded at Bishop Quarter's bedside and who hastened to his aid and administered the Last Sacraments of the Church to the dying prelate. Father McElhearne who became the Bishop's Vicar-General, was prom- inent in every church function in Chicago for many years and in many places throughout the state he became a familiar figure. After Bishop Quarter's time Father McElhearne was sent to Galena where he rebuilt the church after it was destroyed by fire. After completing the Galena church he was sent to Springfield and from there to Jacksonville. From Jacksonville he was sent to Quincy to iron out some difficulties that had arisen there. He served for a time in the new diocese of Alton but later returned to the Chicago diocese and was sent to Rock Island. 120 PRECURSORS OF THE PARISHES Thus, though he was usually located in an established parish, Father McElhearne covered an immense amount of territory during his priesthood. Father Larmar says that "Father McElhearne was a scholar of the old school. The ancient classics, French, and the standard writings both of prose and poetry were ready on his tongue. He served the principal churches in his time in Illinois. It was his custom to write every sermon (but he did not read them) so that it was a literary treat to hear him, although his eloquence was not of the finest sort." Father McElhearne died about 1870 at Apple River, Illinois. Reverend John Mary Irenaeus, Saint Cyr The name of the French priest, John Mary Irenaeus St. Cyr is a familiar one in Illinois. He was the founder of St. Mary's, the first church in modern Chicago. Father St. Cyr was both a pastor and an itinerant missionary and the greater part of his life was given to missionary work in Illinois and Missouri. It will be remembered that immediately upon his ordination he came to Chicago and established St. Mary's. While he was still in Chicago in 1834 he wrote Bishop Rosati that he had visited Sugar Creek, Bear Creek, Springfield and other missions. Father St. Cyr left Chicago in 1837 and from that time on spent a great deal of his time on horseback visiting settlements and ministering to the early settlers. From June 12, 1837, to May, 1839, he visited Quincy periodically, and the outlying missions in Missouri and Iowa, having St. Augustine in Fulton County, Illinois, as headquarters. He attended the French socialists at Warsaw who had abandoned the socialist, colony of the Icarions, founded by Itanen Cabet at Nauvoo in 1848, after the Mormon exodus from that place and succeeded in bringing most of them back to the Catholic Church. In the course of his wanderings he frequently visited the home of Abra- ham Lincoln's father and step-mother and said Mass there. In that connection Archbishop Ireland in his lifetime stated that Father St. Cyr declared to him that Abraham Lincoln's father and step-mother were both Catholics. In the same conversation he told Archbishop Ireland, as subsequently repeated by the Archbishop, that Abraham Lincoln himself was not a Catholic, but that he as- sisted him (Father St. Cyr) in preparing for the celebration of Mass, and upon one occasion he, with his own hands, made a number of chairs for the use of those who attended Mass. There are still a few priests living who were acquainted with Father St. Cyr in his lifetime, and these as well as all others who have written of him, give him a splendid character and reputation. Father St. Cyr in his last years was chaplain at the Convent at Caron- dellett, Missouri, where he died when over eighty years of age in 1882. Reverend Thomas McCabe Reverend Thomas McCabe who spent many years of missionary life in Illi- nois is represented to us as one of the most self-sacrificing of the itinerary priests. 121 DIOCESE OF SPRTNOFIELD IN ILLINOIS The manner in which he eked out an existence that he might best serve the Church has been described by an early priest who knew him well : ' ' Father McCabe worked as a common laborer on the railroads for 75c a day paid in orders or store truck and said Mass on Sundays for the few Catholics. Jeans were his clothing, corn bread baked in the ashes and badly cured hog meat, his food." Again it is said that "Father McCabe would make his way from Illinois once or twice a year to St. Louis, and so poor was he that he would take out of the way streets to get to his house to borrow a coat so he could appear decently on the streets." The priest who is authority for this statement, Father Patrick O'Brien, states incidentally that he was not much better off himself. "My salary," said he "was only $10 a month." General Michael Kelly Lawler, one of the best though not most known of the Union generals of the Civil War, is quoted as saying that Father McCabe was an honest and faithful priest, that he "often gave his last dollar to poor unfortunate persons whom he came across when traveling in boats between Cairo and the Wabash river on the Ohio." Old residents of the Wabash are authority for the statement that Father McCabe with the help of one man named Welsh, cut the logs in the forest and built the first church near the old bed of the Wabash. After covering virtually the whole of the southern end of Illinois Father McCabe established a headquarters at Cairo and as an evidence of his good judgment the site chosen for a church was on the highest point available and consequently free from the effects of the floods. His biographer sounds a very sad note for Father McCabe 's last years. When the new diocese was created in southern Illinois the Bishop ordered Father McCabe 's removal from Cairo and the order seemed so unfair and un- reasonable to the good old missionary after the efforts he had exerted and the life he had lead that he remonstrated. The Bishop summarily, however, en- forced his orders by suspension and the old clergyman was obliged to remain without faculties of the priesthood for the rest of his life. He remained a resident of Cairo, however, and commanded the respect of all who came in contact with him. Reverend Thomas Walsh Father Thomas Walsh was another of the traveling clergymen that made the circuit in Illinois. He had been pastor of the Cathedral of Cleveland, Ohio, and came to Illinois and was appointed pastor at Cairo to succeed Father McCabe. Although a parish priest it was Father Walsh's custom to saddle his horse on Sunday afternoon and with his saddle-bags packed with the necessities for his holy ministrations, ride during the week until the next Sunday, from settlement to settlement, saying Mass, baptizing, teaching catechism and attending the sick and the dying. It was while engaged in these laborious duties that he contracted a con- tagious disease locally known as the itch, resulting from poorly cooked food, imperfectly cured meat and an absence of vegetable diet. This disease infected 122 PRECURSORS OF THE PARISHES his eyes and he was compelled to remain in a darkened room for an entire year with his eyes covered, and although he recovered to a certain extent, he lived but a short time, falling dead on the altar just as he finished a sermon in Cairo on St. Patrick's Day. His biographer says of him: "I knew Father Walsh well and no nobler or more hospitable priest ever lived. His position was a very delicate one on account of the differences of the Bishop and Father McCabe, in which he tried to be neutral, but some of the people could only see him as a partisan. My recollection is that he and Father McCabe died the same week." Reverend Thomas Mangan Of Father Mangan, another of the early missionary priests, Father Larmer gives us this bit of information: "I do not know whether Father Mangan had any practical knowledge of mechanical labor before he became a priest, but he worked on the Jerseyville church, and in the intervals when not on mission- ary duty in the neighboring counties, finished the church and built the altar alone." The same author tells us what happened after Father Mangan had finished the church and his words are so quaint as to be well worth repeating : "The first time T saw Father Mangan was in 1858. He had just returned from Jersey- ville, Illinois, to Alton, fording the Piasa River, as the bridge was swept away, or, more likely in those days, there was no bridge. He rode a piebald Indian pony and, indeed, he looked as if the whole was not worth #10. Father Mangan was of medium structure, very homely in the face and common in appearance. ' ' Father Mangan 's errand on this occasion "was to report to the Bishop tfiat he had finished the Catholic church in Jerseyville. " The Bishop received the information, no doubt, with pleasure but instead of commissioning Father Mangan as pastor gave the parish and the new church to a young French priest, which action, his biographer tells us, very much disappointed Father Mangan and "made him sad when he would think of it even until a few days before he died, thirty-nine years thereafter." After being removed from Jerseyville, Father Mangan attended the Catholics in Jersey, Macoupin, Greene and other counties. He was next ap- pointed to Jacksonville and was soon called from there to the Cathedral at Alton. From the Cathedral Father Mangan was sent to Mattoon and the extensive prairie missions centered there. He remained in Mattoon a number of years and until after the death of the first bishop and the second was appointed. Although Father Mangan had many trials and sorrows in the new diocese of Alton, he was adopted into the Diocese of Chicago by Bishop James Duggan while he was yet administrator after the retirement of Bishop 'Regan, and was by him appointed to Macomb and the neighboring missions now part of the Peoria diocese. He was later sent to New Dublin and thence to Freeport. We meet this good missionary again after the diocese of Chicago had been erected into an archdiocese. The new Archbishop, Most Reverend Patrick 123 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Augustine Feeban, knew Father Mangan as he had been a few months await- ing ordination where the Archbishop taught as professor in Carondelet Sem- inary. "From this time until death," says his biographer, "peace and honor was his lot. Surely he deserved it." The Archbishop knew Father Mangan \s scholarship and his piety under his plain and unsophisticated exterior, and honored him in every way as far as he did any priest in his archdiocese. Soon after Archbishop Feehan's assuming jurisdiction, Father Mangan was sent to Joliet as pastor of St. Mary's and made Dean of that district. The parish had a debt of $40,000 but Father Mangan took hold vigorously and through many years of hard labor which he himself described as up-hill work, he scored a success. He died in Joliet on February 5, 1898. Reverend Joseph H. Fortmann A Catholic center in the diocese of Alton is Highland. The first settlers from 1831-1842 were nearly all Catholics, at least in name, though without strong affiliations to the church. The years 1840 and 1841 brought more than one hundred from the Grand Duchy of Baden, besides a number of Swiss and a few Bavarian Catholics. Occasionally, probably twice a year, a priest was sent them from St. Louis. More frequent became the visits since Shoal Creek (Germantown), had a resident priest in the person of Reverend Joseph H. Fort- mann, ordained at the Barrens, November 1, 1837, and since then pastor of Apple Creek. He did his best to persuade the Catholics to build a church and in this he succeeded. The corner stone was placed in 1844 on the first day of May. The first Mass was celebrated in this church of Highland in 1846 by Reverend Joseph Kuenster, pastor of Teutopolis. Father Fortmann was recalled from Shoal Creek by Bishop Rosatti in 1847 and sent as pastor to St. Joseph's church of Grosse Point, (Wilmette, near Chicago), where he stayed from 1847 to 1853. During his stay at Grosse Point he erected St. Peter's church at Niles Center. Next we find him busily engaged at St. Mary's of the Woods at Highland Park (near Chicago), after which he was appointed pastor of St. Peter's church at Teutopolis. Here he worked against many odds and diffi- culties from August 5, 1857 to January, 1858. He had made arrangements for the construction of a new parochial residence, for which purpose he had col- lected the sum of $723. Before he witnessed the realization of his plans, how- ever, he was sent to Peoria to assume charge of St. Joseph's church of that city. Three weeks after his advent to Peoria, Father Joseph H. Fortmann died. Reverend Thomas Quigley, D.D. Reverend Thomas Quigley, was ordained in 1849 by Archbishop Kenrick of St. Louis. He was a subject of the Bishop of Chicago, in whose diocese he spent almost his entire priestly life. Whilst the Illinois Central Railroad was being constructed Father Quigley made many trips along that line and his success with the poor fellows is said to have been marvelous. In 1855 he came to Springfield as pastor of the old St. John's church. He soon formed the design 124 PRECURSORS OF THE PARISHES of erecting a new building and placing it under the patronage of the Immacu- late Conception B. V. M. Dr. Quigley built the foundation but did not re- main to complete the work. When leaving he was replaced by Father P. McElherne, whilst he assumed charge of the parish work in the northern (Chicago and Peoria diocese) part of the state. Rev. Thomas Quigley was known in literary circles as a writer of some note. It is interesting to recall the career of the founder of this now Cathedral parish and the projector of the early church of the Immaculate Conception, which is succeeded by the new cathedral. Reverend Michael Hurley, Bishop-Elect op Peoria, 1875 A quondam pastor of the church of the Immaculate Conception of Spring- field was Rev. Michael Hurley, having been appointed to the pastorate in 1854. He succeeded Reverend Michael Prendergast. Owing to the brevity of his stay of but a few months, which were rather void of any notable achievements, we would be tempted to be satisfied with the mere mention of this short incumbency were it not for the important fact that the erstwhile Springfield pastor had been chosen by the Holy See to become first Bishop of Peoria. This new dio- cese was created in 1875, by a subdivision of the Chicago diocese. Father Hur- ley was at the time pastor of St. Patrick's church of Peoria. He had been pastor of all the English speaking Catholics of the city, St. Mary's, since 1864, and when the parish was divided in 1868 had chosen the new St. Patrick's parish in which to continue his labors. While he was by virtue of location and knowledge of the new diocese the most available candidate for the position, he modestly and humbly signified his wishes to the Holy See, at the same time returning the bulls of appointment. Singularly his declination and the bulls never reached Rome, but went down off the coast of France in a vessel lost at sea. Pope Pius IX and the Propaganda were advised from other sources of the state of affairs and on November 28, 1876 Reverend John Lancaster Spald- ing was appointed Bishop of the new See. Father Michael Hurley built the present St. Patrick's church of Peoria in 1878, and erected a commodious brick school house in 1888. He was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in the year 1826. His education was completed at Dublin, where he was raised to the priesthood. Coming to this country he labored as priest in Lockport, Bloomington and Springfield before coming to Peoria as pastor of St. Patrick's church in 1864. His death occurred at Peoria on December 11, 1892. Reverend Joseph Vahey Father Vahey was another of the nineteenth century missionaries. He was an intellectual man of great literary attainments, whose name became familiar to the world of letters and education. His treatise on "Mental Philosophy" had given him a wide reputation. He occupied some of the fore- most parishes in Wisconsin, among them Madison, and built St. Patrick's church of Milwaukee. 125 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Father Vahey was for some years a missionary priest in Iowa and Central Illinois, and amongst other places he occupied in this state and diocese were that of Paris in 1862 and Vandalia from April 12, 1863 to December 3, 1866. While he was located in Paris he built a plain frame church and cottage along the railroad track and west of the town, too far away to be comfortable and convenient of access. When the evening of life had set in Father Vahey retired to Elkhorn, Wisconsin. There he peacefully expired and his remains were buried there. Reverend John Ryan Reverend jJuin Ryan was one of Bishop Quarter's priests. He came from Ireland and was adopted into the Chicago diocese. The Bishop sent him to Mattoon where his headquarters were located. His territory was the great prairie, including counties lying along the Wabash river and the eastern state line. He, too, was in a sense the railroaders' priest and became the idol of the workmen building the lines of railway. Added to his priestly office we are assured that he was physically one of the tallest and finest looking men to be found. Father Ryan traveled on foot chiefly from mission to mission. He is an illustration of the priests who choose hardships. He and his sister brought with them considerable wealth from Ireland and were of independent means, and used sufficient of it to build a church and home in Mattoon. His biographer says that the Bishop was desirous that he turn over his fortune to the Church and that Father Ryan's refusal to do so caused a breach. The sister, how- ever, is said to have been clever enough to avoid serious trouble and Father Ryan was permitted to go on with his pastoral duties in Mattoon to the end of his life. Reverend Peter Paul Lefevre Coadjutor-Bishop of Detroit, 1841-1869 One of the earliest missionary priests who set foot on the virgin soil of Illinois was undoubtedly Rev. Peter Paul Lefevre. It was in the beginning of the thirties of the past century that this heroic man set out from St. Paul's on the Salt River in Ralls County, Missouri, to evangelize northern Missouri, southern Iowa and central Illinois. In 1833 he ministered to the spiritual wants of the few Catholics of Quincy, where he said Mass in the private house of Adam Schmitt. Springfield was also the beneficiary of his priestly ministra- tions, yea, most of the incipient towns where Catholics were known to reside, were included in Father Lefevre 's itinerary. He was hailed with unfeigned joy and delight wherever his coming was heralded by the orphaned Catholic people. This genial man of true apostolic spirit was a native of Belgium, born at Roulers in Flanders, April 30, 1804, ordained a priest at the Seminary of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, under Bishop Rosati of St. Louis, July 17, 1831, and consecrated a bishop November 21, 1841. He died March 4, 1869. 126 PRECURSORS OF THE PARISHES Bishop Lefevre was never actively Bishop of Detroit. He was made a titular bishop of Zela i. p. i., Coadjutor Administrator of Detroit — then em- bracing all Michigan and Wisconsin — and acted as such during the mental incapacity of Bishop Frederick Rese, first Bishop of Detroit, who died Decem- ber 29, 1871, surviving his Coadjutor and Diocesan Administrator. Father Gaspar Henry Ostlangenberg A careful writer in speaking of the priests who traveled about from place to place has said, "They went forth into the battle field of Christ with holy en- thusiasm and heroically bore the greatest privations but the irregularity of their lives unfitted them for the regular performance of pastoral duties under nor- mal conditions. In these early days the unlimited possibilities of life in this country developed a great deal of self-reliance and individuality of character both in clergy and laity. It brought out in many of the missionaries traits of eccentricity which exposed them to misunderstandings of the laity. Under these circumstances they did not always show the best judgment and prudence in pacifying factions and insuring peace. As soon as missions became stable par- ishes these pioneers failed ; like nomads they wandered from place to place even from diocese to diocese until the infirmities of old age brought them to rest in some quiet retreat." Thus does a good priest explain the uniformly sad latter days of the fine old missionaries that braved so many dangers and suffered so many hardships in the pioneer days in Illinois. Father Ostlangenberg 's first missionary work in Illinois was on Little Muddy Creek, Saint Clair County, where a few Irish immigrants settled down some- what prior to 1838 and were soon joined by a few north Germans, mostly from the diocese of Paderborn. The Germans seem to have been in the ascendency, for the settlement took the name of "Libori Settlement." In 1838 a couple of German settlers visited Bishop Rosatti in St. Louis, and asked for a priest who could speak both English and German. In response the Bishop sent Father Ostlangenberg who said the first Mass in the settlement on August 5, 1838, in the log house of Mr. W. Harwerth. Father Ostlangenberg did not remain at this time but advised the settlers to build a church which they proceeded to do. On January 21, 1839, Father Ostlangenberg left St. Louis with papers of institution to the parish of St. Thaddeus on Silver Creek and to the mission St. Liborius at Fayetville, and to St. Boniface, Shoal Creek. Reaching the ter- ritory he resided at Libori, but from there he served the missions of St. Luke at Fayetville and St. Boniface at Belleville. In 1840 arrangements were made by which the Libori settlement was to be taken care of by Father Joseph H. Fortmann from Shoal Creek and Father Ostlangenberg was sent on a roving commission to serve several missions in Mis- souri but was relieved of those missions in 1841 and sent to Galena, Illinois, to assist Father Remigius Petiot and to care for several mission stations in the vicinity. While living in Galena he also attended St. Mathew's church at Sholes- burg in Fayetville County, Wisconsin. 127 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Soon after Bishop Quarter arrived in Chicago he called Father Ostlangen- berg from Quincy to take charge of the Germans in Chicago and he arrived August 24, 1844 on the day that Father Fisher of the Vincennes diocese left. As soon as Father Ostlangenberg surveyed the field he recommended the es- tablishment of two churches for the Germans, one on the north and one on the south side, which was done a short time thereafter, but not by Father Ostlang- enberg. Bishop Quarter was not able to keep Father Ostlangenberg long in Chi- cago due to the fact that a strong personality was needed to deal with the Ger- mans of Belleville who had gotten into a serious quarrel. Proceeding to Belle- ville Father Ostlangenberg who was just to all, succeeded in establishing peace and put the church in Belleville upon a sound financial basis. His appointment to Belleville did not relieve him of the character of travel- ing missionary. While there he visited nearly all the missions in St. Clair County. In 1845 and 1846 he was frequently sent to Cahokia where the parish was vacant for some time. He also went to St. Thomas church in the Johnson Settlement and the German settlement, Teutonia, near Prairie du Long. He visited Mascoutah, Fayetville and the French village St. Philippe. Again the services of the solid missionary were needed as a peace maker. Due to the removal of St. Peters church in Chicago to Polk street a quarrel arose amongst the parishioners, and Bishop 'Reagan knowing Father Ost- langenberg 's capability sent for him to take charge of St. Peter's. In this juncture he does not seem to have been quite so successful, but after another attempt at pacification in the parish of St. Francis Assissi in Chicago, Father Ostlangenberg gave up in some disgust and left the Chicago diocese, eventually attaching himself to the diocese of Vincennes. The rest of his life was spent in Indiana and Kentucky and his death occurred on August 9, 1883. Reverend Michael Prendergast Father Prendergast was born at New Park, County Wexford, Ireland in the year 1810. He studied for the priesthood at Carlow College. There he was ordained for the Archdiocese of Dublin. For some time he was in the Mission of Anklow, County Wicklow. After spending ten years on the mis- sion in Ireland, he came to the United States, affiliating himself with the dio- cese of Chicago, and was sent at once as an assistant to Reverend Michael Car- roll of Alton. This was in 1853. In the following year, 1854, Father Prender- gast was sent to Decatur to become the first resident rector of St. Patrick's. He remained two years at Decatur, from where he attended Winchester, Pittsfield and other places, till replaced by Reverend Thomas Cusack. Next we find him starting the congregation of Winona, Minnesota. In 1868 he was at Danville, Illinois, which he left to take charge of Batavia, attending at the same time Geneva and St. Charles. He died at Batavia, March 3, 1875 and was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Chicago. Being a man of considerable means he left a goodly portion to relatives liv- ing near New Douglas, devoted larger sums to charitable purposes and be- queathed the remainder to Bishop Foley of Chicago for diocesan uses. 128 precursors of the parishes Reverend Joseph Kuenster Father Joseph Kuenster is hardly entitled to be classed as a missionary in the sense of traveling about from field to field, but in the sense of bearing privations he ranks amongst the most -worthy of them. Father Kuenster 's childlike simplicity was his outstanding characteristic and this is best told in the language of Father Larmar, who knew him very in- timately. Father Larmar says : Father Kuenster was located at Teutopolis. Effingham County, Illinois. Many curious but harmless stories the old priests used to tell about him. He was a German of the old but practical type. I have always had a profound admiration for the simple German character. Odd as it may appear to us, in early days it was allied with industry, piety, thrift and economy. All these were necessary in a new country, and they brought spiritual and temporal re- wards. The German priests in our sense could not be called missionaries, at- tending many settlements. Indeed, the German character is one of fixity — will not cover much ground, but what it does is solid and lasts. The German priests, no matter how small the settlement they were appointed to. went about increasing it, and left the rest of the country to look out for itself. Hence the German settlements became, from the start, places of com- parative comfort, even for a priest, and the German priests, with few excep tions, never experienced in Illinois the hardships of the Catholic missonaries. It is true, had other Catholic priests pursued the local improvement course of the German priests, few congregations would now exist in Illinois; but each people had its task to fulfill, and we must believe all was in the order of Providence. When Father Kuenster went to the prairies of Effingham County he found a few poor Germans. Like them he turned in to help himself and make the building of church and school light for his poor, but pious people. Father Kuenster had his little piece of cultivated land, his garden and his fowls and geese, and I was told once he was called on to pay his cathedrati- cum or cathedral tax for the support of the Bishop. He astonished all by paying his cathedraticum or cathedral tax with a goose and a gander, carried by his own hands across the prairie. The good priest saw nothing funny about it, as he got only pay in kind, as there was little or no money in his settlement. As time passed, Father Kuenster 's flock of fowls and geese increased and so did the worldly possessions of his thrifty Germans. Even in their poverty they were exacting on the priest for his services, which he gave with satisfaction to all. His success did not escape the authorities of Chicago, and he was removed to take charge of the annoying parish of Quincy. His quaint rural ways from the prairies caused irreverent laughter from the young German Americans, but many of his ways put the old people in mind of rural life in the old country, and they rather liked him. He was faithful and zealously demonstrative in the discharge of his priestly duties. But the diocese being divided and a new bishop taking charge gave the restless a chance to make some complaint about him. His life had been so regular in Quincy that the complainants thought they must inquire at Teu- topolis about him. They found a charge that stuck and was the laughing stock of Quincy outside the German church. The charge was this: When Father Kuenster was removed to Quincy, instead of selling his geese, of which he had a goodly number, he divided them into lots and arranged with his for- mer parishioners to board them each for a cent a month. They declared, with 129 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS emphasis, to the Bishop, such a worldly priest should not he allowed to officiate in Quincy. Poor Father Kuenster was removed. This hroke his heart, and he did not live long after. There is a nice illustration of the fickleness of men in the life of Father Kuenster. As has been seen a faction of the Germans in Quincy opposed and baited him. In seeking to make out a case against him they had gone to such length that the Bishop of the diocese was impressed and taking the word of Father Kuenster 's enemies the Bishop came to Quincy and publicly disap- proved of the good old German priest. "This," says Father Larmar, quoting Father McElhearne, "exasperated the people who had had him removed. They went around and gathered money, saying the Bishop's severity hastened Father Kuenster 's death, and put up a monument to his memory." Father Thomas Cusack Father Thomas Cusack was a near relative of Father Patrick McCabe whom we have seen in service and out of service at Cairo. Father Larmar tells how he happened to come to Illinois. Quoting Father Cusack, Father Lar- mar says : I called on Bishop Kenrick on some business. After transacting it we had a social talk. Among other things, the Bishop said, "You know Illinois is under my jurisdiction. The Illinois Central Railroad and other improvements are going on. I am written to frequently to send one or more priests; yet I have not one to send, and really I do not know what to do." I replied, "Bishop, if you wish, I will go." The Bishop, with surprise said, "Well, I could not ask you, but if you go over there among these poor, neglected people, it will be a great charity. ' ' Father Cusack at once went to Illinois where he made his home in Deca- tur, but tramped everywhere along the railroads and prairies attending the workmen and settlers. As he said himself he had an eye for every place which might be a permanent settlement and put up a modest church in keeping with the slender means of the Catholics. He continued as a traveling missionary until the diocese of Chicago was divided. When the division occurred the new Bishop objected to Father Cusack 's holding some small property he had ob- tained and as a result of the disagreement Father Cusack was suspended for a time. On being restored to the exercise of the ministry he went to Pana, Illinois, and started a mission, but it was during the Civil War and he found it very difficult to maintain it and would have been unable to continue the work ex- cept for outside assistance. Father John Larmar says he doesn't know how many churches Father Cusack built on the prairies but that "everywhere he built a church was the founding of a parish which at this day has a resident priest likely with a Catholic school." From Pana Father Cusack went to Brimfield in Brown County where he remained for the rest of his days. 130 PRECURSORS OF THE PARISHES Reverend Louis A. Lambert A very able priest who did missionary work in Illinois during the nine- teenth century was Rev. Louis A. Lambert, best known in this part of the country at least from his trenchant answers to the infidel doctrines of "Bob" Ingersoll, published under the title "Notes on Ingersoll." Father Lambert was born at Allanport, Pennsylvania, Feb. 11, 1835, and died at Newfoundland, New Jersey, Sept. 25, 1910. Father Lambert did missionary work in Cairo, Shawneetown and various places in southern Illinois before and after the war. In speaking of him Father Larmar says: "Father Lambert without exception has the reputation of being the best polemical writer in the English speaking world. His works against infidelity were, as I was told by a preacher, published by the half millions by the Methodist Book Concern and distributed in eastern workshops and in Canada." In 1894 Father Lambert became the editor of the Freeman's Journal and remained in that work until his death. In this position he had been preceded by James W., and John E. White, envoys of Gerald Griffin the Irish novelist; Eugene Casserly and John T. Devereux; Rev. James Roosevelt Bailey, after- wards Archbshop of Baltimore ; Orestes A. Brownson ; James A. McMaster and Maurice Francis Egan. Prior to becoming editor of the Freeman's Jour- nal, Father Lambert had held a similar position on the Catholic Standard and Times. Reverend F. J. Fischer. We know that prior to the erection of the Diocese of Chicago, in 1843, the eastern part of Illinois was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Vincennes, Monsignor Brute, whilst the western portion was ruled over by Bishop Rosati of St. Louis. Even after the formation of the former diocese priests from Vincennes continued to look after the spiritual interests of many parishes, such as Ste. Marie, Paris, Teutopolis, and others. Among the priests of Teutopolis who originally hailed from Vincennes was Reverend F. J. Fischer, who in 1847, had built the first brick building at Ste. Marie. He administered its parish af- fairs for several months in 1850 after Father Joseph Kuenster left. Before coming to Teutopolis, Father Fischer had been rector of Piquet's Settlement, (Ste. Marie), and previous to that for several years an assistant to Reverend Celestin De St. Palais, who a few years later became Bishop of Vincennes. When Chicago's first priest, Reverend John Mary Iranaeus St. Cyr was recalled by Bishop Rosati from St. Mary's of Chicago, Father St. Palais succeeded him in 1837, bavins Father Fischer as assistant. These were the only priests in Chicago when Bishop Quarter arrived there May 5, 1844. In August, 1844, Father Fischer was recalled by Bishop Brute to Vincennes. A few years later, in 1850, he presided for several months over the parish of Teutopolis. Reverend Charles Joseph Count Von Marogna. Charles Joseph Marogna, a scion of an old and illustrious Catholic family, was born September 17, 1802, in the ancestral castle of Villa Legrima, near 131 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Trent in the Tyrol. While yet very young he was ordered to repair to the Court of Florence to act as page, and there had an opportunity of seeing Pope Pius VII on his way to Pisa. After completing his classical course he was sent to Mayence, where he studied Theology under the famous Liebermann. Raised to the priesthood March 30, 1824, he labored first as an assistant and then as par- ish priest at Algaeu, diocese of Augsberg, until 1846, at which time he had de- termined to devote the remainder of his life to the promotion of the material and spiritual welfare of the immigrants in America. In due time he reached Chicago where for two years he faithfully labored in St. Joseph's parish. Thence he was sent to Germantown and Highland in 1840. He seems to have spent much of his time at Highland in the early part of 1840, after which he left for Germany, whither he repaired in quest of alms for his poor congregation and where he spent six months. On his return he sup- plied his church with plate and vestments. He expended the money he ob- tained in improving the church and securing forty acres of land for burial purposes. Political convulsions in Europe at about this time brought to America an increased number of immigrants, Highland receiving its share of them. Father Marogna persuaded Bishop Van de Velde to send to Highland a permanent pastor. In consequence Father Paul Limacher was appointed pastor whilst Father Marogna went to St. Vincent's, Pennsylvania, there to enter the Bene- dictine Order. In 1852 he was admitted into the Order, and on August 21, 1853, he made the profession of solemn vows, receiving the name of Demetrius. For awhile he was employed as professor and prior. Later on, at the request of the Bishop of St. Paul, Minnesota, he was sent to the Northwest to start an institution of the Benedictine Order which afterwards became St John's Abbey. Father Marogna died March 27, 1860, at St. Paul, Minnesota, and was buried in the cemetery belonging to the Abbey. He was another example of complete surrender of all temporal affairs, in- cluding wealth and station for the love of God. Reverend Hilary Tucker, After having been attended as one flock by Father Lefevre, the future Bishop of Detroit, from 1833-1837, the Catholics of Quincy found themselves divided, the Germans speaking under their resident pastor, Reverend Augus- tine Brickwedde, and the English speaking under Reverend John Mary Ire- naeus St. Cyr (residing at St. Louis, and afterwards at St. Augustine). Rev- erend Hilary Tucker, a native Missourian, who had been sent together with Reverend George A. Hamilton, by Bishop Rosati to Rome, there to prepare themselves for the priesthood, became the resident priest of the English speak- ing people of Quincy in 1839. This was his first appointment since ordination. Soon after his arrival Father Tucker succeeded in collecting the sum of $2,000 in cash. Obtaining from Mr. Whitney, a convert, a corner lot for build- ing purposes, he erected a church under the patronage of St. Lawrence, with the hope of having it ready for divine services by the feast of the Assumption. Unfortunately the Northern Cross railroad, for the construction of which many 132 PRECURSORS OF THE PARISHES Irish laborers had gathered at Quincy, became bankrupt and by reason of the resulting financial stress the building of the church ceased. The building was sold under the hammer before its completion, but it was afterwards recovered for the use of the congregation. Father Hilary Tucker remained in Quincy for seven years, 1839 — 1846, then for some years was in Chicago and Batavia, and ultimately he and Father G. A. Hamilton, whose headquarters were then at Springfield, both left for the East, joining the clergy of the Boston diocese. Father Tucker died at Boston as pastor of one of that city's parishes. Reverend Augustine Florent Brickwedde. The first German Catholic parish established along the entire course of the Mississippi River was that of the "Ascension" — " Christi Himmelfahrt's Ge- meinde" of Quincy. This name was given it by the small band of Catholic settlers who as early as 1834 had been gathered into a congregation by the oc- casional visitor, Reverend Peter Paul LeFevre (subsequently Bishop of De- troit). To this struggling young community, which chiefly was composed of German Catholic emigrants, Reverend Florent Brickwedde was appointed by Bishop Rosati of St. Louis, as first resident pastor. The name "Ascension parish" was retained until the present large brick structure was erected in 1848, and the patronal name of "St. Boniface" became substituted for the titular "Ascension." Reverend Augustine Florent Brickwedde was born June 24, 1805, at Fuerstenau in the then kingdom of Hanover. His father was a lawyer of repute who afterwards became a judge at Barsenbruck. The future Quincy priest completed his classical studies at the Carolinum of Osbnabruck and the theological course at the universities of Muenster and Bonn. He was made a sub-deacon September 20, 1828, a deacon September 19, 1829, and ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Hildesheim by Bishop Godehard Joseph, September 20, 1830. In his native city of Fuerstenau the young priest acted as Vicar until his departure for America in May, 1837. At this time it happened that quite a number of Catholics had determined on emigrating to Missouri and Illinois, which had become known for healthfulness, plentiful labor, and cheap farm lands. He was induced to join some of these emigrating families to become their pastor and counsellor in the new world. God inspired him to follow them and to aid them in their spiritual needs and necessities, for far and near there was no German priest to be found to minister to the colony of immigrants from the fatherland. After a long and tedious journey which lasted more than eight weeks, the young priest landed in New York on July 4, 1837, and reached Quincy a few weeks later. The hardships of the pioneer life may be imagined. The climate was severe, the way of living new and accommodations rather primitive. And yet he faced these conditions smilingly. He remained in Quincy where some of the early German settlers had located, and at once set to work to build a small frame church with additional two rooms for a l-esidence and another large one 133 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS to serve as temporary school. Having said Mass in private dwellings since August 15, 1837, Father Brickwedde now was happy to say Mass and adminis- ter the Sacraments in a church building proper, although humble and lowly in appearance; it measured but 28x18 feet. Solemn Benediction in this first church of Quincy took place on Pentecost Sunday, 1838. By this time his own private personal resources were well nigh exhausted. Twice he re-crossed the ocean for the purpose of gathering funds for his parish and outlying missions of Sugar Creek and Ft. Madison, Iowa. Not only were his friends and relatives asked to contribute; he solicited even at the courts of Vienna and Munich, bringing with him not only the much needed cash, but beautiful sacred vessels and vestments, even an organ, the gift of his sister. Of his periodical visits to Iowa settlements in and around Ft. Madison, Father Zaiser says in his Diamond Jubilee edition of St. Joseph's Church of Ft. Madison: "In 1837 Father August Brickwedde, the first pastor of Quincy, took charge of the missions in this territory and for several years visited Fort Madison, West Point and Sugar Creek, to give the few Catholics a chance to perform their Easter duties. He celebrated High Mass in Fort Madison, at J. H. Dingman's log cabin in 1839. Great must have been the joy and consola- tion of the good pioneers. From here he went to Sugar Creek settlement, now St. Paul, where he held Divine Service in the new log barn of J. H. Kempker, May 13, 1838. Sugar Creek deserves the distinction of having erected the first temple of God in Lee County, and in all the surrounding region. In 1839 a few Catholic farmers got together, cut down some of the tallest trees in the forest of Sugar Creek valley and built a log church. They sent for Father Brickwedde, who came, celebrated Holy Mass for them, and dedicated the lit- tle church in honor of St. James. After the building of the present church, St. Boniface of Quincy, Father Brickwedde had to encounter the spirit of dissension which rent the parish in twain. The seeds of discontent had been adroitly sown by a discharged teacher and his obnoxious following. Poisoned shafts of slander were levelled against the hard working priest, his priestly character was attacked and besmirched, his life even threatened. In the midst of his trials he had the consolation of be- ing upheld not only by the testimony of a good conscience, but also by the sup- port of his own Bishop, Right Reverend James Oliver Van de Velde, who em- phatically decided in his favor and twice closed the church and placed the clerical villifiers under the ban of excommunication. Though the Bishop of Chicago intervened (Quincy since 1844 had come under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Chicago), yet peace would not be restored, and as Quincy was one of the largest and oldest German Catholic congregations and the city was then serious- ly thought of for a new episcopal see, the division of the people and the fac- tionalism in the parish caused a great deal of adverse comment that hurt the city and ultimately, no doubt, had an influence in causing the change of loca- tion of the new See to Alton. Father Brickwedde resigned and left, sick at heart ,in March, 1849. To restore unity and harmony among the opposing factions, the Provincial 134 PRECURSORS OF THE PRRISHES of the Jesuits of St. Louis was appealed to by the Bishop of Chicago "to send a learned and prudent priest to Quincy. ' ' But the Jesuit priest was but a short time there when opposition turned also against him. When this was reported to the Provincial at St. Louis, he became indignant, withdrew the priest, and left the Catholics of Quincy to themselves. The cholera at that time decimated the ranks of the rebels. "When Father Brickwedde left Quincy," says Reverend John Larmer in "Lives of Early Catholic Missionaries of the Nineteenth Century in Illinois," he was so discouraged that he determined to take a rest. He went into the forest where Government land was from twelve cents to $1.25 per acre, about twenty-five miles from St. Louis. He selected forty acres for church purposes and a school. Not another human being was near the location. When settled, he went over to St. Louis, found three poor German immigrants on the river bank, not knowing where to go nor what to do. They were humble, God-fear- ing Catholics of the innocent peasant type. He told them if they would come with him he would give each forty acres of land. The only condition he im- posed w^s that they were to help the next settlers he found to build homes and get started. That was the way Father Brickwedde settled Columbia, in Monroe County, Illinois, from St. Libory, whither he was sent as pastor after leaving Quincy. When the good old priest related his first start in getting settlers, says Father Larmer, tears came to his eyes. Columbia soon grew into promi- nence and counted within a few years numerous families. At St. Libory or Mud Creek, as it was then generally known, it was his habit, though now advanced in years, to drive to and from St. Louis in search of necessary supplies. In the middle of November, 1865, as he was on his way home from St. Louis, he felt unwell and was compelled to stop at Belleville, where after two days of sickness, he died on the 21st day of November, 1865. At first funeral service was held in the Belleville church, attended by the people and clergy of the neighborhood, all eager to cast their eyes on the noted victim of persecution and pray for the repose of his soul. On the next day the same was repeated at St. Libory, Father Bartels sang the Requiem Mass, and Father Baltes (soon to be the second Bishop of the Diocese) gave the Absolu- tion. The remains of good Father Brickwedde were interred at Mud Creek. The deceased, says Father Larmer, was a man of great height and pos- sessed a rather homely, yet benevolent countenance. As a business man, and a cautious financier, he would be an example even in these days of careful cal- culation. This venerable servant of God was moreover a man of learning allied with solid piety. He was liberal in all his views and practical in all the affairs of life. He died as he had lived, a true servant of his Divine Master. Reverend John G. Alleman, O.P. The third resident priest of St. Peter and Paul parish of Collinsville, Illi- nois, was Reverend John G. Alleman, a Dominican Friar from the Monastery of Somerset, Ohio. He presided over the destinies of that young congregation, 1859—1860. Prior to his coming to Collinsville he had been for years an in- 135 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS defatigable missioner in Lee County, Iowa, especially in and around Fort Madi- son, contemporaneous with Father Brickwedde of Quincy. He is justly styled the "Apostle of Lee County." Reverend John George Alleman, says Reverend G. J. Zaiser. (in his Dia- mond Jubilee edition of St. Joseph's church, Fort Madison, 1915), was born near Strassburg, in Alsace, probably in 1806. He spoke both German and French with equal fluency, hence he was sometimes regarded as a German, sometimes as a Frenchman. When twenty-six years old he entered the Order of St. Dominic at the Convent of St. Rose, Springfield, Kentucky, where he was clothed with the white and black mantle of the Friar Preachers, and began his noviate in the fall of 1832. On March 7, 1834, the young religious made solemn profession of vows. As his course of divinities had mostly been made previous to his religious profession, the young aspirant to the priesthood was ordained by Bishop John B. Purcell in St. John's church, Zanesville, Ohio, June 1, 1834. He began at once his missionary labors in the churches of Ohio, traveling through its northern part as an itinerant priest until his departure for the farther west in the summer of 1840. He came to Fort Madison, Sugar Creek and West Point, in Lee County, Iowa, where in 1834-37, Father 1 Lefevre had already performed missionary duties, likewise Father Brickwedde, of Quincy, from '37- '39. However Father Alleman located in 1840 at Fort Madison, and thus became the first resident priest in that section of the State. He spoke four modern languages fluently (including his own vernacular, English, German and French), was missionary to the Winnebago Indians, an intimate friend of Chief Keokuk and other Indian chiefs. He introduced the first cultivated grapevines into Lee County. Many of the present orchards in that vicinity had their origin in the pioneer nursery conducted by him near his little church. In 1841-42, he organized the first total abstinance society in Lee County. He was saintly, generous, kind-hearted and charitable to a fault, always sharing his last farthing with any one in need, enduring and zealous, displaying a re- markable devotion to his calling. Father Alleman left Fort Madison in 1851 for Rock Island (and Moline, at both of which places he built the first churches), where he was pastor until 1859. Leaving Rock Island, this pioneer missioner became pastor of Collinsville in the diocese of Alton in 1859-60. On account of premature age and infirmities, both physical and mental, brought on by overwork and deprivations in his dif- ficult missionary labors, he entered St. Vincent's Hospital at St. Louis, Nov- ember 26, 1863, suffering from melancholia. His death occurred July 14, 1865, and he was buried from St. Vincent's chapel in Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis. There beneath the shadow of a great granite cross, beside archbishops and priests, awaiting the resurrection morn, lie the remains of this good and noble priest. 136 §11 ?! 30 Cj e ss P « 03 co « «. §"" 3 A 8 "a Co © s £ = a e ~ .5^5 « >a «&■«"& o *- ,.• ~ ~ S53„ gi^l W CO S _* « « •*> 8 ■*■» ■*"* £ CO -K> <(- s Z ss^ p W O © . -S y ^O-n +■* o ■s * s •e C g a."*- s c » o-g 8 ~ rj ^-a s S « i 112 © 2 g = ^g 5 o © g °> o *2 ** M ^g£ ^"•S ® 8 ^ s> i "S o H : = g CO 8 e- =0 ■i; 3«e . . "S co M CO B t, 03 «•* 2 w Ssa O ff ^ J; o <=>=0 s a, ~ 8 5 r^ ? a. .2 O 5 o ■— ^ co -w S =o c; ^ '"s . u ~, *■< ~ ** ^C v^ a *~ s: O CO JiJ -1 « ~ .8 co 8 ?s o *» £i •** <~ S t-. «■> >,. '~ a © -^ co ? ~ „ 8 8 w *i; co ■'S « a. ~ ~h # 2 *» 55 ^ h-^'-C CO O ~ O \~ a co = -^ .'»«> *i Si8 a a V 8 tojg v. ~. co -a .S s lift LIB5URY OF Tht CHAPTER VI The Pioneer Parishes, 1675 to 1844. It will be seen that some of the parishes treated of in this chapter are not now within the diocese of Springfield. Most of them now lie in the diocese of Belleville, but all of them were at one time (when the diocese was known as the Alton Diocese) a part of the Greater Diocese, which covered the entire southern half of the State. Of course, several of the parishes here described were in existence long before any of the present dioceses were created. This history would not, how- ever, be complete without some reference to them. It is of much interest to note the important part played by the Germans in the development of the church and church work in southern Illinois. In most localities it is usual to find the Irish predominating, but here after the French the Germans and German priests were unusually prominent and very effective. It is true, the home rule or lay rule sentiment was strong in the German laity and was the cause of many contentions, but the net result of the Church effort on the part of the Germans was gratifying. Indeed, Southern Illinois, the dioceses of Springfield and Belleville, owe the German priests and people a debt of gratitude and appreciation which can never be overpaid. In treating of the parishes, the chonology of establishment is followed. It is not pretended that priority is accurately fixed in every case as it is a matter of considerable difficulty in many cases to determine the exact time of the beginning of Church work in some localities. The plan of taking the parishes in their order of establishment and then carrying the history through to the present has been adopted for the purpose of preserving the reader's interest, and while separate periods have been designated by the reign of the bishop, the story of the parishes is given in continuity. It is due the pastors and clergy of the several churches of the present time to give them the credit of research, study and preparation of the parish sketches. In many cases it was a task of much difficulty for the present pastor to delve into the past of his parish and produce a satisfactory record. The painstaking labors in this respect are highly appreciated and it may truthfully be said that the writers and compilers of the parish data have admirably dis- charged their tasks. IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Kaskaskia, 1675 As has been seen, Father James Utica, in LaSalle County, Illinois, Marquette, S.J., established the first and the site was retained until 1699. mission or church organization in While the Mission of the Immac- what is now the State of Illinois, on ulate Conception was located at the 11th of April, 1675. He named Utica, it was tended first by Father the foundation "The Mission of the James Marquette, (1675); after- Immaculate Conception of the Bles- wards by Father Claude Jean Al- sed Virgin Mary." The site of the louez, S.J., (1675-1689); Father Se- mission was a plain near what is now bastien Rale, S.J., (1692-1694) ; 137 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Father Jacques Gravier, S.J., (1693- 1700) ; Father Pierre Francois Pinet, S.J., (1697-1699) ; Father Julian Bin- eteau, S.J., (1697-1699) ; Father Pierre Gabriel Marest, S.J., (1699). Late in the year 1699, the Mission was removed to the northwest part of what is now Randolph County, and relocated on the banks of a river about six miles from the Mississippi. Here the village established and the river also took the name of Kaskas- kia. Here a new church was built, the first being a temporary structure which, with perhaps renewals and improvements did service until 1714, when a stone church was built. In 1720 the mission was raised to a parish, but the stone church did service until 1744, when it was re- placed by another of similar ma- terial, but larger. This church was seriously damaged by floods and was taken down in 1801, and the fourth building erected, which lasted until 1838. In 1843 a new church was built which did service until 1894, when the present edifice was built and which now stands a considerable distance south of the original church site. The Jesuits who ministered in the mission and parish after the removal of the mission and before their ban- ishment, were Father Pierre Gabriel Marest, who superintended the re- moval and who had charge until 1715; Father Jean Mermet, (1702- 1716) ; Father Louis Marie Deville, (1707-1720) ; Father Jean Charles Guymoneau, (1719-1736) ; Father Joseph Francis de Kereben, (1719- 1728) ; Father Jean Antoine le Boul- lenger, (1719-1740) ; Father Nicholas Ignatius de Beaubois, (1719-1735) ; Father Jean Dumas, (1729-1739); Father Rene Tartarin, (1729-1745); Father Philibert Watrin, (1733- 1763) ; Father Etienne Doutreleau, (1735-1741) ; Father Alexis Xavier Guyenne, (1736-1762) ; Father Louis Vivier, (1750-1754) ; Father Julian Joseph Fourre, (1749-1750) ; Father Jean Baptiste Aubert, (1758-1764) ; Father Sebastien Louis Meurin, (1746-1777). These missionaries were not all of the time at Kaskaskia, but were lo- cated at some of the other Illinois missions at various times as well. The dates indicate the period during which they were in the Illinois mis- sion and not specifically the time spent at Kaskaskia. They all min- istered in Kaskaskia, however, at various times. Since the days of the Jesuits, the Church of the Immaculate Concep- tion has been tended as follows: Father Pierre Gibault, secular, (1768-1785); Father Paul de St. Pierre, Carmelite, (1785-1786); Father Pierre Huet de la Valiniere, secular, (1786-1789) ; Father Gabriel Richard, Sulpician, (1793-1798); Father Pierre Janin, secular, (1795- 1797) ; Father Donatien Olivier, sec- ular, (1799-1833) ; Father Francis Xavier Dahmen, secular, (1825- 1826) ; Father Hercules Brassac, secu- lar, (1822-1833) ; Father John Timon, CM., (1827-1829) ; Father Francis Cellini, CM., (1824-1828); Father Victor Pallaisson, secular, (but be- came a Jesuit later), (1830-1831) ; Father Vital Van Cloostere, secular, (1832) ; Father Mathew Condimine, secular, (1832-1834); Father B. Roux, secular, (1835-1838) ; Fathers Joseph N. Wiseman and Francis B. Jamison, both secular, (1836) ; Father J. B. Healy, secular, (1837) ; Father Timothy Joseph Conway, secular, (1838) ; Fathers G. H. Toch- man, secular, Richard Bole, secular, Peter J. Doutreluingue, CM., Hipo- lyte Gandolpho, secular, and John Mary Iraneaus St. Cyr, secular, came and went from 1839 to 1844 ; Father N. Stehle, CM., (1840) ; Father Pat- rick McCabe, C.P., and Father Joseph Paquin, CM., (1842) ; Father Vital Van Cloostere, secular, (1844- 1846) ; Father Patrick J. Donahue, secular, (1846) ; Father James Flynn, secular, (1847) ; Father John Fahy, secular, (1848) ; Father Nich- olas Perrin, secular, (1849-1859); 138 THE PIONEER PARISHES Father Wenceslaus J. B. Repis, sec- ular, (1859-1860) ; Father Jean Adolphe Jacque, secular, (1860- 1862) ; Father C. G. Magnee, secular, (1862-1863) ; Father Jean Adolphe Jacque, again, (1863-1867) ; Father P. J. Bedard, secular, (1867-1869) ; Father Joannes Schiff, secular, (1869) ; Father Aloysius Wiewer, O.S.F., (1870) ; Father J. D. Klein, secular, (1870-1871) ; Father Vin- centius Nagler, secular, (1871-1872) ; Father Joseph Lucas, secular, (1872) ; Father Frederick Metzger, secular, (1873-1880) ; Father H. J. Hoven, secular, (1880) ; Father Jo- seph Finnegan, secular, (1881-1882) ; Father H. Hegeman, secular, (1882- 1883) ; Father Henry Becker, sec- ular, (1883-1884) ; Father L. W. Fer- land, secular, (1884-1893) ; Father H. Goosens, secular, (1893-1903) ; Father Joseph Duenn, secular, (1903- 1908) ; Father Joseph A. Reinhardt, secular, (1908-1913) ; Father John Grootens, secular, (1913-1916) ; Father John Oberlinkels, secular, (1916-1920). Thus we trace the Marquette foundation in the partic- ular church organization established by him. In connection with this foundation a record, one of the most noteworthy in existence in America, may be ex- amined in the original at the St. Louis University, where it is at pres- ent kept. The existing record begins with 1695, some years, of course, after Marquette's time, but during the time of Father James Gravior, S.J., who was third in succession to Father Marquette, and who minis- tered in the upper Illinois region, where the mission was first located. From that time until 1729 the record is continuous, but from June 7, 1729, until January 3, 1741, all of the par- ish registers have been lost. Baptis- mal records are missing from 1741 to 1759, and death and burial rec- ords, which began January 4, 1721, are missing from 1727 until 1764, and marriage records are lost from June 7, 1729 to January 3, 1741. These lost records are unaccounted for, and there is a bare possibility that some or all of them may some- time come to light. There is abundant evidence, how- ever, to establish that the present Church of the Immaculate Concep- tion, located near the former site of Kaskaskia (for the center of settle- ment of the French days has been entirely swept away by the changes in the course of the Mississippi River) is the identical church foun- dation established by Father James Marquette on April 11, 1675. Holy Family — Cahokia, 1699 The next church organization was that of the Mission of the Holy Fam- ily, established first by Father Fran- cois Pinet, S.J., the same who found- ed the Mission of the Angel Guardian at the present site of Chicago. This mission was located in what became the village or town of Cahokia, St. Clair County, in the year 1699. Al- most immediately after its establish- ment the Fathers of the Foreign Mis- sions — a name given to the priests trained at the seminary established in Quebec by Bishop Jean Baptiste de la Croix St. Valier for training of priests for foreign missions — took charge, and it remained under their jurisdiction until 1763. The Fathers of the Foreign Missions successively in charge of Holy Family, were Fathers Francis Buisson de Saint Cosme, (1700-1701) ; John Bergier, (1701-1707) ; Dominic Mary Varlet, (1707-1718) ; Dominic Anthony Thau- mur de la Source, (1718-1728) ; John le Mercier, (1718-1754) ; G. Galvarin, (1718) ; Joseph Courrier, (1728- 1753) ; Joseph Gaston, (1728) ; Abbe Joseph Gagnon, (1750) ; Abbe Nich- olas Laurenz, (1754-1758), and Father Francois Forget Duverger, (1754-1763). * The pastors in charge since the Fathers of the Foreign Missions in- 139 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS eluded Fathers Sebastien Louis Meu- rin, S. J., Pierre Gibault ; Paul de St. Pierre ; Michael Levedoux, Sulpician ; Gabriel Richards, Sulpician ; Charles Leander Lusson, Rec. ; Jean Olivier ; F. Savine ; Joseph Antoine Lutz von Odenheim ; Peter J. Doutreluingue, CM. ; Jean Francis Regis Loisel ; Ig- natz Maes ; Jean Schultz ; Jean Mais- tre; Father Vigle; N. Stehle; Timo- thee Carie ; H. Laudry ; J. A. Jacque ; F. Kempin; J. F. Meifiss; N. Died- rick; L. W. Ferland; A. Vollebregt; F. Mumbour; F. B. Berkenbrock ; Robert Hines, and the present pastor, J. Wiemar. Holy Family parish, it is seen, has continued uninterruptedly from its foundation to the present, and is one of the most interesting historical monuments of the Mississippi Valley. The first church in Holy Family parish was undoubtedly a temporary structure, such as was set up in those days, but nothing very definite is known about church structures in the parish prior to 1783. In that year fire destroyed the church in use, and with it all of the parish records. A few relics survived the fire, among them a bell which hung in a tree in the churchyard, a Missal printed in 1668, a Monstrance made in 1717, and a new silver chalice and paten. Apparently no new church was built until the last few years of the eight- eenth century, when, under the direc- tion of Fathers Michael Levadoux, Gabriel Richard and Jean Olivier, a new church was built and is still standing. The walls of the church are hewed walnut logs, the floor is made of split cottonwood, and the roof of cypress clapboards. The logs forming the wall are set angling or leaning inwardly, and the spaces be- tween them are filled with mortar. Sometime after being built these walls have been covered over on the ex- terior by clap-boarding or siding. Records have been kept since the fire, the burial record beginning with 1783. There is no baptismal record prior to 1812, and no marriage record prior to 1822. Holy Family parish also boasts one of the earliest educational institutions in Illinois. While the Sisters of the Visitation established a school in Kaskaskia in 1833, the Sisters of the Order of St. Joseph opened a school in Cahokia in connection with Holy Family parish in 1836. Mother Mary Fabronie and Sisters Louise and Stephen of the Order of St. Joseph came from France for the purpose of opening this school, and they and their successors conducted a school until 1860. Our Lady of the Visitation St. Phillippe, 1720 The French government had a policy of granting land to com- panies or individuals for the purpose of development, and in dealing with the French possessions in America, frequently exercised that policy. The first such grant, within what is now known as Illinois, was made to Anthony Crozat in 1712, but failing to profit as much as was expected, Crozat surrendered his grant in 1717, and another and more exten- sive grant was made to the Company of the West, which merged with the Royal India Company in 1720. One of the articles of this grant reads as follows: As in the settlement of the coun- tries granted to said companies by these presents, we regard especially the glory of God by procuring the salvation of the inhabitants, Indians, savages, and negroes, whom we desire to be instructed in the true religion, the said company shall be obliged to build, at its expense, churches at the places where it forms settlements ; as also to main- tain there the necessary number of approved ecclesiastics, either with the rank of parish priests or such 140 THE PIONEER PARISHES others as shall be suitable, in order to preach the Holy Gospel there, perform divine service, administer the sacraments — all under the au- thority of the Bishop of Quebec ; the said colony remaining in his diocese as heretofore, and the parish priests and other ecclesiastics, which the said company shall maintain there shall be at his nomination and patronage. The Company of the West being empowered to sublet or grant to others, in 1723 granted a large tract of land west of the Mississippi and another fifteen leagues square near the present city of Peoria, and a third about five miles north of Fort du Chartres to Phillip Renault. On this latter tract Renault established the village of St. Phillippe and set- tled near there a large number of work people that he had brought into the territory. Tn this settlement was established the parish of Our Lady of the Visita- tion, no doubt soon after the foun- dation of the village in 1723. The Visitation was an out-mission of St. Anne's at Fort Chartres during the existence of the latter, but continued as a church or chapel at least until 1799, as appears from an entry on the parish register at St. Joseph's at Prairie du Rocher of a baptism bv Father J. T. Rivet, September 6. 1799, ' ' in the chapel of St. Phillippe. ' ' Not a trace of the Church of the Visitation or, indeed, of the town of St. Phillippe, remains. St. Anne Du Fort De Chartres, 1720 The parish of St. Anne, founded about 1720, was the outgrowth of the establishment of the French Fort Chartres on the Mississippi River. As soon as the fort was established it was provided with a chaplain, and quite a number of people settled near by, necessitating a church. During the palmy days of Fort Chartres, St. Anne's was a very prominent church. An edict of the King of France appears amongst the records of this old church, governing the position of the officers of state, army and marine, whilst in the church or in religious processions. The first pastor of St. Anne's was Father Jean Antoine le Boullenger, S.J., who was one of the most bril- liant of the early missionaries. So onerous were his duties that he had an assistant, Father Joseph Francois de Kereben. The names of other priests appearing on the parish register include Fathers Nicholas Tgnatius de Beaubois.S.J., J.Gagnon. F.M. ; Nicholas Laurenze, F.M. ; Phil- ibert Watrin, S.J. ; Francis Forget Duverger, F.M. ; Francis John St. Aubert, S.J. ; Hipolyte Collet, Rec. : Luc Collet, Rec. The church was discontinued in 1765 or thereabout, and the records and altar equipment, together with some of the furniture, was taken to St. Joseph's at Prairie du Rocher. St. Joseph's — Prairie Du Rocher, 1722 In the shelter of the cliffs three miles from Fort Chartres there grew up a little village begun in 1722 on a grant which Pierre Dugue de Bois- briant made to himself while he was commandant at Fort Chartres, and which descended to his nephew, Jean St. Therese Langlois. It is said that this village was founded in 1722. Early inhabitants of the village at- tended Mass at St. Anne du Fort de Chartres three miles distant. Nev- ertheless a chapel of ease was soon built, and was attended by priests sta- tioned at St. Anne's. The little church was built of up- right logs and was fifty feet long and 34 feet wide. The church at Prairie du Rocher was an outmission of St. Anne 's or of Holy Family at Cahokia at least until the banishment of the Jesuits in 1763. Father Sebastien Louis Meurin, who was the last re- maining Jesuit, may or may not have 141 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS taken up his residence at Prairie du Rocher, soon after returning from New Orleans. At any rate on May 24, 1768, he removed from the ceme- tery of St. Anne's the bodies of Rev. J. Gagnon and Rev. Luc Collet and re-interred them in the sanctuary of St. Joseph's, the former on the Gos- pel side and the latter on the Epistle side. Father Meurin himself died there on February 23, 1777, and was also buried at the Gospel side of the altar, from whence, as we have seen, his re- mains were disinterred by Bishop Van de Velde in 1849 and re-interred in the Jesuit cemetery at Florissant, Missouri. All of the noted priests, Father Paul de St. Pierre, Carmelite, Father Pierre Gibault, Father Pierre Huet de Valiniere and Fathers Jean and Donatien Olivier ministered at St. Joseph's. Prairie du Rocher is another of the French villages that has survived and has had a more or less successful career. "The cornerstone of the present large church, built of brick, was laid July 19, 1858, by Rev. Nicholas Perrin, parish priest of Kaskaskia and Chester, and administrator of Prairie du Rocher." It is located near the bluff, about half a mile from the site of the old church. The congregation now owns two entire blocks, one oc- cupied by the church, pastor's resi- dence and residence of the principal of the parochial school and the other stly across tin' street, is occupied by the school and sisters' residence. Improvements were constantly made. In 1874 the large sanctuary was add- ed to the church. In 1880 a new front and tower were built at a cost of $3,506, and two bells were bought for $1,200. In 1901 the church was newly frescoed. In 1908 a new main altar, valued at $950 was erected, and the following year the pipe organ was rebuilt. In 1910 new pews and communion rail were put in, costing $1,200. In 1912 a steam heating sys- tem was installed, and other improve- ments made with an outlay of $1,500. Besides these items, other minor im- provements have been made con- tinually. ' ' A parochial school has existed in the parish since the early sixties. There are at present about 350 fam- ilies in the parish, numbering nearly 1,600 souls. The earliest burial ground is still in use at the present day. The parish register of St. Joseph's began in 1765 as an independent rec- ord, previous entries having been made at St. Anne's and Our Lady of the Visitation at St. Philippe. The records of these two churches, how- ever, are in the possession of the pas- tor of St. Joseph's. The pastors' names appearing upon the register of St. Joseph 's are as fol- lows : SebastienLouis Meurin, 1765 un- til January, 1777 ; Pierre Gibault ap- pears in one entry on January 8, 1770, then continuously from October, 1776, until September, 1784; again from August, 1790, until June, 1791 ; Paul De St. Pierre, June, 1785, until April, 1786, again October, 1788; April, 1789; December, 1790; May and August, 1791, and from January until November, 1792. He seems to have been pastor of St. Genevieve from 1789 until 1797 ; Pierre Huet de la Valiniere, July, 1786, to October, 1788 ; Jacobin le Dru, from St. Louis, June, 1789 ; July, 1791, and January, 1792; Michael Levadoux, V.G., of Illinois, from Cahokia, September and October, 1792 ; Gabriel Richard, pastor, February, 1793, to February, 1798 ; Charles Leander Lusson, pas- tor, April, 1798; H. F. Didier, from St. Louis, July, August, October, 1798; J. Fr. Rivet, from Vincennes, V.G. of Bishop of Baltimore, Septem- ber 29, 1798, and September 6, 1799. He dedicated the church at Cahokia on September 4, 1799 ; Donatien Oli- vier, pastor, October, 1798, until March, 1827; John Timon, CM., April, 1827, until February, 1828; Francis Cellini, September, 1827; July, 1828 ; January, 1829 ; January, 142 THE PIONEER PARISHES 1830 ; Fr. Xavier Dahmen, CM., from Ste. Genevieve, September, 1829, May, June, July, September, 1830. Pastor of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, from 1822 until 1840; P. J. Doutre- luingue, CM., December, 1829; Feb- ruary, April, May, 1830; pastor of Cahokia, July until August, 1836; Centerville Station, November, 1857, until January, 1872; Vital Van Cloostere, July, 1830; February, 1832, to October, 1854; A. Mascaroni, Sep- tember, December, 1830; January, March, 1831 ; John Francis Regis Loisel, March, 1830; P. Borgna, Oc- tober, 1830 ; Victor Paillaisson, April, August, October, 1830; April, July, October, November, December, 1831 ; J. N. Odin, CM., and E. Dupuv, CM., same day, October, 1832; P. Lefevre, October, 1833; N. Perrin, pastor of Kaskaskia and administra- tor of Prairie du Rocher, January, 1855, to September, 1859 ; Francis Recouvreur from Ruma, April, 1860 ; November, 1862 ; J. A. Jacque, June, 1861, until October, 1862; Henry Frederick Frohboese, February, 1864, to May, 1876; Anthony Vogt, from Ruma, August, September, 1876 ; Charles Krewet, November, 1876, un- til February, 1902; Charles Eschnabb, March, 1902, until February, 1911; William Van Delft, since February 28, 1911. Our Lady of Good Help — Monk's Mound, 1810 A most interesting item in the Catholic history of Illinois is the story of the Trappist establishment at what is known as Monk's Mound. This earth formation is what is generally considered to be a struc- ture built up by some people who inhabited the region before white men knew anything of it — whether Indians of other tribes than those found here or ancestors of the natives found by Avhite men, or an entirely different race, sometimes; called Mound Builders. Monk's Mound is one of a group of large mounds still existing in St. Clair County not far from East St. Louis, and it was upon one of this group of mounds that a band of Trappists established a church, school, community houses and refec- tories in the year 1810. The story of the representatives of this somewhat strange order in America is quite interesting: "When the French revolution broke out the Cistercians, located at La Trappe, France, were scattered over Europe. Dom. Augustoine de Lestrange, who was the master of novices, decided to send a colony of Cistercian Trappists to America, where he believed a field for much good work existed. In 1802 he commissioned Dom. Urbain Guillet to proceed to America with twenty-four religious, lay brothers and members of the order. They sailed from Amsterdam on May 24, 1802, on the Dutch vessel Salley, which flew the American flag to escape attack from the English, since Holland was an ally of France, then in conflict with England. On September 25th the party landed in the port of Baltimore. They were kindly received by the Sulpicians of St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore. The little colony, through the kindness of the Sulpicians, lo- cated on a plantation about fifty miles from Baltimore, known as Pigeon Hill. They soon abandoned this location for the state of Ken- tucky, where the great apostle of the West, their devoted friend, Father Stephen Theodore Badin, secured for them temporarily, a plantation near Louisville, until they acquired a site about sixty miles from that city, called Casey Creek, or Potinger's Creek. In the meantime Dom. Augustoine Lestrange sent out another company of Trappists, under the guidance of Father Marie Joseph, which con- sisted of seven priests, seventeen lay brothers and twenty-four young people of the third order. 143 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS In 1809 sixty acres of land were cleared, the grain sown and many trees planted, when a fire destroyed all temporary buildings. Discour- aged, Dom. Urbain abandoned the idea of a permanent settlement there, and decided to go elsewhere. Mr. Mullanphy of St. Louis, whom he had met at Baltimore, offered him a grant near the city of St. Louis. Fathers Urbain and Joseph inspected it, were pleased, and removed their colony to the Mullanphy grant, near Florissant, Mo., and located on a hill sloping to the Missouri River. Then Mr. Nicholas Jarrot of Ca- hokia, a former procurator of the Seminary of the Sulpicians of Balti- more, offered a site about eleven miles northeast of Cahokia, upon which was located a wonderful group of Indian mounds, among them the largest of the world. He purchased this site in January, 1809. A chapel, charter-house, refectory and several smaller cabins, in all more than twenty, were immediately built on the smaller of the two mounds, probably the elevation lying west of Monk's Mound, the base of which meets the base of the former. The larger mound, then called Indian Mound, was intended for the abbey church and monastery. The location offered splendid advantages. The land built up of the deep alluvial deposits of the Mississippi River, was part of the world's richest soil, the famous American bottoms. Vast prairies, easy to cultivate, reached beyond the horizon to the south ; timber existed in abundance, and the streams, says Father Urbain, "are so full of fish that a blind man could not help but spear a big fish, if he tried." The city of St. Louis, within the distance of about seven miles, offered a ready market. Although the Indians made frequent excur- sions, the monks were not molested by them. Since Illinois at that time was only a territory and the title to lands in the old French settlements gave rise to disputes of ownership, Dom. Urbain, appealed to Congress for a confirmation of title, which was granted in March, 1810. He sought also to acquire four thousand acres of land in the vicinity of Monk's Mound. The president and some members of Congress favored the grant, but it failed to pass Congress. Father Urbain gave to the chapel and settlement the name of Notre Dame de Bon Secours — Our Lady of Good Help. Breckenridge, the noted traveler and writer, visited the settlement in 1811, and writes that "he learned that the family of the Trappists con- sists of about eighty persons, a con- siderable number of whom are not at home. The boys are generally American, the men probably German and French." At that time there was much sick- ness in the Mississippi Valley Settle- ments and there was but one priest in the entire territory, namely. Father Donatien Olivier. Realizing the situation. Father Urbain as- signed one of his priests to St. Louis and another as a traveling mission- ary to assist Father Olivier. One of these succumbed to the fever and died in the same year. In the next year a plague, probably typhoid or malaria, visited the bottoms and the settlement was largely depleted by it. The crops failed and distress was general. In such circumstances the monks sold all their belongings and abandoned the mound in March, 1813, and, after temporary settle- ments in Baltimore and Philadelphia, returned to France in 1814. Thus has the most notable relic of antiquity in Illinois become a mon- ument to a religious order. 144 Revehenu Peter Gibault "The Patriot Priest" in mid-America who served in the Illinois country from 1768 to 180! t . Alton — Rev. Francis B. Kchoe. Pastor, St. Patrick's Church, School . . . Alton — St. Mary's Chun h, Rev. J. Meckle {Dec'd), former Pastor, School, Sisters Residence, Rectory. THE PIONEER PARISHES St. Patrick's— Ruma, 1818 One of the earliest settlements other than French in Randolph County was the O'Hara Settlement at what is now known as Ruma. As early as 1818 priests came from Kaskaskia and said Mass in the home of Henry O'Hara. A log church was built on the land donated by Henry O'Hara in 1827, and a church and parish has existed there from then until the present time. Amongst the priests who have ministered in the settle- ment and parish may be named Rev- erend Victor Pallaison, who was chaplain of the Visitation Convent at Kaskaskia in 1836 ; Rev. John Kenny, the first resident pastor from 1839 to 1842 ; Reverend Patrick Mc- Cabe, 1842 to 1850 ; Rev. James A. Keane from 1850 to 1852 ; Rev. Tim- othy Conway from 1852 to 1854; Rev. John W. Gifford from 1854 to 1859. Since the territory was cut off from the Chicago Diocese a number of able pastors have officiated. The parish records of this early church date from January 31, 1831. St. Augustine op Canterbury Heckner, 1824 This is another of the very early churches and its history up to the division of the diocese is appropriate for insertion here. In the year 1816 several families who had immigrated from the coun- ty of Lancashire, England, in 1812, and had established their first abode in the state of Maryland, settled on the banks of Prairie du Long Creek. This settlement was known as Phiglish Settlement, and as Prairie du Long, St. Clair County, and we find it thus entered in earliest Cath- olic directories. From the same source we learn that these settlers were attended once a month by Rev. Vital Van Cloostere of Prairie du Rocher, from 1833 until 1838. A log church was built about the year 1824, and we may assume that the first twelve families were at- tended earlier than 1833, and very probably from Prairie du Rocher. A grant of land of sixty acres was made to Bishop Rosati of St. Louis, March 5, 1834, for the benefit of the parish by Edward Newsham of the county of Monroe and John Win- stanley of the county of St. Clair. The county line passes through this grant twenty acres of which are lo- cated in Monroe County and forty in ^t. Clair County. The church, rectory, school and cemetery were located on the St. Clair County side. The log church was replaced by one of stone in 1837, which was consecrated by Bishop Rosati of St. Louis, Novem- ber 11, 1838. A very detailed nar- ration of the events was entered on the chnrch records. There were present on this oc- casion Very Rev. John Timon, CM., Vicar-General of St. Louis; Rev. Hipolyte Gandolpho, CM.; Rev. Peter Doutreluingue, CM. ; Rev. Caspar Ostlangenberg ; Rev. Regis Loisel ; Rev. Felix Verheyden, S.J. ; Rev. John Kenny, pastor ; Rev. Peter Paul Lefevre; Rev. Jodocus Van Zweeveldt, S.J. ; Rev. Timothy Con- way and Rev. Henry Meyer. Six orphan boys from St. Louis assisted in the sanctuary. The relics placed in the altar on the day of the consecration were of the martyrs, Felicissimus, Corona and Columbia. This rock church was poorly con- structed and, in 1854, under the pastorate of Rev. John W. Gifford, the church was razed to the ground 145 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS and a new stone church arose on the same foundations. The first resident pastor, Rev. John Kenny, arrived in 1838, and remained until 1842. He was suc- ceeded by Rev. Timothy Conway and Rev. Ambrose G. Heim in 1842 ; Rev. Patrick McCabe, 1842-1849; Rev. James A. Keane, 1849-1851; Rev. John W. Gifford, 1854; Rev. Felix Carel, 1858-1862. St. Augustine's is still a flourish- ing parish. St. Patrick — Alton, Madison Co., 1883 Geographically speaking, Alton is a city of many "ups and downs." Perched beautifully and airily on the bluffs that skirt the eastern banks of the Mississippi, about thirty miles north of St. Louis, it is, in many ways, a grand old city that has long since ceased to experience growing pains. In its infant days it did in- deed bid fair to keep the pace set by its fast-stepping sister on the Missouri side of the Father of Waters, but in the course of time, the Mound city, favored by the leaders of industry and politics, so far out-distanced its Illinois rival, that today Alton, as viewed by the impartial on-looker, seems little more than a substantial suburb of St. Louis. Anent the early history of Al- ton, it may be of interest to quote a passage from an article from the pen of John E. Vaughn in the Illinois State Journal. Discussing recent references to Illi- nois capitals, which have appeared in the State Journal, Superintendent of Insurance George Huskinson directs attention to the historical fact that the capital, by popular vote, was once located in Alton. That city failed to get it for the reason that the legisla- ture did not choose to obey the popu- lar vote mandate. In 1833 there was a strong agita- tion in favor of removing the capital from Vandalia to some point farther north. A vote on the question was or- dered, and six locations were entered in the competition — Vandalia, Alton, Springfield, Peoria, Jacksonville and the geographical center of the state at a point near Illiopolis. Alton was first in the balloting, with 8,157 votes, Vandalia, with 7,730, was second. Springfield ran third, with 7,075. The vote for the other locations was insignificant, but so far as results were concerned, they fared as well as the winner. No canvass of the vote was made by the general as- sembly, and it was ignored when the legislature, in 1837, finally decided to move the capital from Vandalia. On the fourth legislative ballot, when the location was decided on, Alton re- ceived only six votes. Springfield, thanks to Sangamon county's able delegation which has become histori- cal as the Long Nine, received sev- enty-three votes on the final ballot. Alton, at the period when it was popularly favored as the seat of gov- ernment, was one of the most promis- ing of the cities in Illinois. It was advantageously located and was the best town on the Mississippi above St. Louis. In time it was expected to outstrip St. Louis as a commercial center. In all the plans for the de- velopment of Illinois, Alton figured prominently. The clash of political enmities checked the development of Alton. It had a bitter and tragic taste of the civil strife which later divided the nation, long before the country was plunged into war. Civic enterprise was discouraged and eastern capital was frightened away at the period when the city's natural advantages most strongly appealed to enterpris- ing industrialists. Nowhere has the baleful effects of unreasoning politi- cal hate been better illustrated than in Alton. But for politics, Alton might have been the center of the wonderful de- velopment which has since occurred south of it. Undoubtedly, it would 146 THE PIONEER PARISHES have drawn from St. Louis and at- tracted enterprises that located else- where. Despite politics, it has sur- vived as a substantial city, has over- come its early handicaps, and has a most promising future. Alton has had quite a number of factories from its earliest days, but by no means so many, as its fine loca- tion justified. The famous Illinois glass factory, its most representative industry, settled here years ago, and is perhaps the finest of its kind in the whole country. Of late years, how- ever, Alton is experiencing a long de- layed growth, — a kind of second Spring. Many new factories (and old ones that heretofore passed it by), are now making their homes here with a consequent increase in trade and population. With its fine natural location on one of the greatest water arteries of the world together with its splendid railway facilities, Alton with its thirty thousand inhabitants may justly vision a big industrial future. It is of more than passing impor- tance to note that Alton is one of the most Catholic cities in Illinois, and had for sixty-six years the distinction of being the Episcopal See of what is now the diocese of Springfield, in Illi- nois. About 1880 the Catholics of the Eastern section of Alton, thinking the distance too great to St. Mary 's or the Cathedral, began to consider the erection of a new church. Such at least was the wish of those speaking the English language. The Rt. Rev. Bishop, Peter J. Bal- tes, D.D., at first considered the move- ment ill advised but finally consent- ed to persistent solicitation. The Rev. David Moroney, then an assistant at the Cathedral on State street, was commissioned to look over the ground. But before making a report he was promoted to a pastorate, and the Rev. James A. Cassidy, his successor at the Cathedral, was assigned the duty. In a very short time Father Cassidy was able to report, that the eighty or more families of that district were unanimous in their desire for a church. In the meantime Father Cas- sidy was appointed pastor with per- mission to organize a parish at once. The majority of the residents being of Irish birth or lineage, St. Patrick was chosen the patron saint of the new church. Father Cassidy set himself to his new and difficult task with great earnestness. His congregation, al- though for the most part belonging to the poor laboring classes, were en- thusiastic and generous in their co- operation. The Corner-stone of the new building was laid in September of 1883 and construction was rushed so rapidly that, in all probability, it was ready for occupancy by the end of that same year, as the first bap- tism recorded in the new church is dated December 2, 1883. The dedica- tion took place in the spring of 1884 — this fact is inferred from a record in the cash book of a collection taken up on that occasion. The church was simply furnished at first, and remained so until Rev. P. J. O'Reilly purchased the present splendid altars and frescoed the walls, thereby improving its appear- ance. An inexpensive reed organ did service until May, 1921, when Rev. Francis B. Kehoe, who is now in charge, installed the present pipe organ. In the meantime Father Cassidy, tired of a rented house, erected the present substantial residence in the summer of 1886. A hot water fur- nace was installed in 1909, the build- ing until then being heated by stoves. The appointment of the first assistant at this time necessitated the building of two additional rooms to assure the convenience and comfort becom- ing a priest's house. Previous to the institution of the parish, the Catholic children of this section were pupils of the Cathedral, St. Mary's and Ursuline Academy. Some also attended the public schools. The zeal of Father Cassidy moved 147 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS him to build a school — a small frame structure at the rear of his residence, and westward from the sacristy of the church. Mother M. Clare of the Ur- suline Academy was first and sole teacher from the opening in Septem- ber in 1886 until her transfer to Saints Peter and Paul in September, 1888. The departure of the Brothers of the Holy Cross from the Cathedral school gave the Bishop an oppor- tunity to install the Ursulines in their place. This occasioned a shortage of teachers at the Academy, hence St. Patrick's was taught by lay teachers for two years. A Miss Moran taught the school year 1888-1889, and Miss Carde the following year. Upon the return of the Sisters in the fall of 1890, land was purchased across Wal- nut street (Central Avenue), and the school building moved across the street in 1891. The number of pupils continuing to increase, Father O'Reilly bought a room from St. Mary's congregation and joined it to the new school. Father O'Reilly's energy eventuated in the present substantial brick building. Upon its dedication in 1905, St. Pat- rick's could point to the finest parochial school in the city. To prop- erly accommodate the increasing number of pupils it was found neces- sary in later years (1923-1924) to partition off a portion of the hall in the second story, into class rooms. St. Joseph's Hospital has been at- tended from St. Patrick's from the very beginning to the present time. For some years previous to October, 1909, the priests from Saint Mary's (when possible) aided in saying Mass. In 1906 the Standard Oil Company located at what is now Wood River. The extensive construction works brought a number of workmen to the locality, among whom were to be found many Catholics. In the following year the prospects looked good for an independent parish. The first move was made by the Poles, who sent to the Bishop a petition with over 160 signatures. Reverend Francis B. Kehoe was sent to investigate, and re- ported the need of religious admini- strations, but recommended a church for all nationalities. Father Kehoe was officially commissioned to organ- ize the parish. A meeting was called, to discuss plans for a new parish. A short time later a hall over Reith's lumber yard was procured, where Mass was said henceforth for some years until a better hall in the Senglar building was rented. This hall was a center of Catholic activity until the erection of the present combination church and school. There being no assistant at St. Patrick's, Father Kehoe said Mass for the new congre- gation on week days until the ap- pointment of Reverend D. J. O'Brien, in the fall 1889, after which Mass was celebrated every Sunday. Thus Wood River, from its beginning, was attended continuously from St. Pat- rick's until Reverend E. J. Douglas was appointed first pastor in 1920. In 1915 a new Hospital for Insane was located at Alton, the religious care of which was committed to St. Patrick's by the Bishop. This chap- laincy was continued until July, 1924, when it was assumed by the chaplain of the Nazareth Home, now St. An- thony's Infirmary. The removal of one assistant from St. Patrick's made this transfer necessary. The country parish of St. Michael's at Beltrees in Jersey County, was also attended by St. Patrick's for a short time. The infirmities incident to old age, made it necessary to relieve somewhat the venerable pastor of St. Mary's, Father Joseph Meckel. To enable the assistant of St. Mary's to remain at home on Sundays, the par- ish was taken in charge by St. Pat- rick's. Reverend P. J. Molloy was appointed pastor of Brighton,' from which place he continued to minister to St. Michaels. Succession of Priests : Pastors: James A. Cassidy, 1882- 1887; P. A. Fallon, 1887-1896; Thomas McGrath, 1896, Januarv, July; P. J. O'Reillv, 1896-1907; F. B 148 M »> o e fa s e ■S e IK UBR&fiY OP Tht BWVERSITY !>t THE PIONEER PARISHES Kehoe, 1907 to the present. Assist- ants : Reverends D. J. 'Brien, 1909- 1910; B. N. Manning, 1910-1918; D. Daly, 1918-1922; P. J. Molloy, 1921- 1924 ; J. L. Marley, 1922-1924 ; A. J. Van Speybroeck, 1924-1924; Phil J. O'Reilly, 1924 to the present. The parish is growing with the pass- ing years. It has at present 446 fam- ilies and a school enrollment of 264 grade and 33 high school children. It has also the following active societies : the Holy Name Society, Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and St. John Berchman's Altar Boys' So- ciety. St. Patrick's parish has an en- viable War Record. The use of the school hall was at the disposal of the Red Cross and the ladies of the parish were ever willing to lend their hand to the good work during those hectic days. The pastor, too, was one of the Pour Minute Men on weekly duty during Loan Drives, and was also a member of the speakers' bureau to bid God speed to the various con- tingents as they left for camp. Nine- ty-five boj T s from the parish heard their country's call and most of them served overseas. It is interesting to note that among them, were two ne- groes who since their return tell the most extraordinary and amusing tales of their overseas experiences — real or imaginary. THE CHURCH IN QUINCY The first permanent settlement on the present site of Quincy, Illinois, was made by John Wood in 1821, when he took possession of lands alloted to him for his services in the war of 1812. The city was named after Quincy Adams, then President of the United States. Michael Mast, the first German Catholic settler, arrived in Quincy in 1829, and in 1834 he, with other trustees, signed the application for the incorporation of the city consisting of six hundred residents. Soon other Catholics arrived and in 1833 Reverend Peter Paul Le Fevre, then in charge of Catholic settlements of Missouri, Illinois and Iowa, paid flying visits to Quincy to provide for the spiritual wants of the people. It is generally conceded that Father Le Fevre, later Bishop of Detroit, was the first Catholic priest to set foot in Quincy, and that his first Holy Mass celebrated here was said in the home of Adam Schmitt, now Klene's Cigar Store, 127 South 4th Street. In 1834 the Catholics of Quincy, then under the jurisdiction of Bishop Rosati of St. Louis, applied for a resident priest, but their request could not be granted owing to a scarcity of priests. The Catholic population had grown to about fifty families in 1836, and they appointed five "trustees" to raise funds to build a church. On June 12, 1837, Reverend John Mary Irnaeus St. Cyr was ordered by Bishop Rosati to leave his mission in Chicago, come to Quincy, take up his residence here, and assume charge of the surrounding district. Obedient to the orders of his Bishop, Father St. Cyr started out for his new field of labor, but having stopped over in St. Louis he met Reverend Florentine Augustus Brickwedde, just arrived from Hanover, Germany, who offered his services to Bishop Rosati. The Bishop, therefore, assigned Father St. Cyr, to the English speaking Catholics of that territory with St. Augustine as his headquarters, while Father 149 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Brickwedde was assigned to Quiney territory with Quincy as his headquarters. So it stands that Father Brickwedde was the first resident priest of Quincy, and the first pastor of the oldest German Catholic parish along the whole Mis- sissippi River. His first entry on the parish record is dated August 15, 1837, so that it is probable he arrived in Quincy the week before. He took up residence with Adam Schmitt, who had just moved from Fourth Street to the northwest corner of 11th and Broadway. The second story of the Adam Schmitt residence was converted into a chapel, dedicated August 15, 1937, under the title of "Ascension of Christ," and the district around became known as Bethlehem. The parish was poor, so the zealous Father Brickwedde, out of his own slender means, built a frame church, 18x28 feet, on Seventh Street, between York and Kentucky, which he dedicated on Pentecost, 1838. This was the first Catholic church in Quincy. The hill on which this church was built was pop- ularly known as "Mt. Olivet." On April 22, 1839, Father Brickwedde published his second annual state- ment in which we read that a site 100x100 feet on Eighth and Maine Streets had been donated by Mr. Widney for a new church, and that $90.00 was on hand to begin the work. In May, 1839, Father Tucker succeeded Father St. Cyr, and took up his residence in Quincy. The Widney property was placed at his disposal for a church for English speaking Catholics, so the German Catholics were without a site for a church, owing to the fact that they had sold the property on South Seventh Street donated by Governor Wood. On June 17, 1839, a piece of property was bought at Seventh and Maine, and on August 21, 1841, another strip was added to it, making the present site of St. Boniface Church and Rectory. The records show that work on St. Boniface Church started in 1839 and was completed that same year. Thus we find that St. Boniface Church was the first Catholic church in or near Quincy. St. Peter's Church was the second; St. Francis Church, third; St. Mary's Church, fourth; St. John's Church, fifth, and St. Rose of Lima, sixth. St. Boniface Church, Quincy, Adams County, Illinois, 1837 The History of the Catholic Church in Quincy dates back to the year 1833, when Rev. Peter Paul LeFevre was sent here by Bishop Rosati of St. Louis. Father Lefevre was a Mission- ary priest whose territory covered the Northeastern part of Missouri and reached over into Illinois. Since Illi- nois at that time belonged to the dio- cese of Louisville, Kentucky, it was not supposed to be visited by priests from the St. Louis diooese. Yet, on account of the scarcity of priests in his diocese, the bishop of Louisville gladly consented to have part of his territory taken care of by the Bishop of St. Louis. Many letters from the zealous Father Lefevre to his Bishop are preserved in the archiepiscopal archives of St. Louis. They tell of the rapid growth of the city of Quincy which was then about ten years old. As Father Lefevre had many mis- sion stations to visit, he soon asked for an assistant priest. The name of the young priest promised him was John Mary Iraneus St. Cyr. Mean- 150 THE PIONEER PARISHES while requests also came to St. Louis from Chicago, that had been without a Catholic priest up to that time. Hence the appointment of Father St. Cyr, instead of being made for Quincy, was made for Chicago, Quincy continuing under Father Le- fevre who gave it as much time as he could spare. In 1837 a young priest arrived here from Germany among a number of emigrants, whom he had known in Europe, having been for several years their assistant priest. He knew well that all these emigrants needed spir- itual assistance in their new home, and accordingly he made up his mind to leave everything in order to be at their service. His name was Brick- wedde, the first resident priest of Quincy, Illinois. He came from Fuerstenan, Hannover, of a prom- inent family. He affiliated with the St. Louis diocese and was subsequent- ly sent to Quincy, in 1837. He im- mediately set to work and rented two rooms in a private house on Eleventh Street and Broadway, one for a church, the other for a residence. As the settlers were poor he had to draw on his own resources for subsistence. He gathered the Catholics in and around Quincy. A steady flow of German emigrants towards the city so increased the number of his con- gregation that he had to make prepa- rations for the erection of a church. John Wood, the founder of Quincy, donated a church site in the neigh- borhood of Seventh and York Streets. Here a small frame church was erect- ed in 1838. This, however, was soon found to be too small, and standing on a high elevation it was rather in- accessible, especially during the win- ter season. The name, "Oelberg" (Mount Olive) given to this place by the people, gives us a fair descrip- tion of how the place must have looked. Meanwhile a site had been offered at Eighth and Maine streets, where Father Brickwedde contem- plated putting up a large brick edi- fice. In 1839 Reverend Hillary Tucker came to Quincy as first resi- dent priest of the English speaking Catholics, and as this site had been given by a man of Irish descent, Father Brickwedde ceded this proper- ty to Father Tucker. Father Brick- wedde then bought a lot on Seventh and Maine Streets, where St. Boni- face Church is located today, and here he erected the first brick church in 1840. The present St. Boniface was built in 1847 by Father Brick- wedde and was solemnly dedicated in the following year by the illustrious Right Reverend Richard Kenrick, D.D., Bishop of St. Louis, Missouri. In 1849 Father Brickwedde resigned his position at St. Boniface and began to labor at the place now known as Columbia, in Monroe County, Illi- nois. He was succeeded by Reverend Joseph Kuenster, whose first entry in the church books is dated August 15, 1850. He began his pastorate in Quincy with a devotion to the victims of the cholera that was nothing short of heroic and soon won the hearts of all his subjects. Oftentimes for weeks he would not lay aside his clothes, in order to be ready at a moment's no- tice to come to the aid of a troubled soul that had to be prepared for eternity and was anxiously awaiting him. In the fall of 1851 the illustrious Father S. J. Weniger was called upon to hold a mission at St. Boni- face, which lasted from November 17 to 24th, and during which over 1,400 people received the sacraments, and the last vestiges of an unfortunate disturbance in the parish was wiped out. On November 30 a meeting was called by Father Kuenster, for the purpose of carrying out the sugges- tion of the missionary that an orphan society be organized to provide for the many children left parentless through the ravages of the cholera, and the result of this meeting was the St. Aloysius Orphan Society of St. Boniface Congregation, Quincy, Illi- nois. 151 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS In the early spring of 1852 Con- tractor Lichtendahl was engaged to complete the tower of the church, which was to rise 180 feet above the roof. About the same time a contract was signed with the firm of George Hanks of Cincinnati, to furnish three bells for the tower, the largest to be pitched in D, the medium one in F,and smallest in A. These are the same bells that call the parishioners of St. Boniface Church to divine service and though many rivals have ap- peared on the scene since then, they are still regarded by many as the finest, sweetest-toned bells in the city. After the demise of good Father Kuenster, September 15, 1857, there was an interregnum of about a year, during which Fathers J. Reis, B. Bar- tels and Father Ratte conducted serv- ice in St. Boniface Church. Father Herman Joseph Schaefermeyer, how- ever, was installed as the third per- manent Rector of St. Boniface. When he assumed his duties at St. Boniface the congregation had become so large that the church was taxed to its ut- most capacity. In 1859 the Francis- cans, at the invitation of Bishop Juncker and the efforts of Father Schaefermeyer, came to Quincy, thereby Father Schaefermeyer was released of a great burden and could devote more time to organizing other parishes. In December of the same year he induced the School Sisters of Notre Dame to come to Quincy and assume control of the girls of St. Boniface School. He was also instru- mental in inducing the Sisters of St. Francis from Aix-la-Chapelle to open a hospital in the city. The building of St. Aloysius Orphan Home was his work and for several years shel- tered boys of a larger growth — the students of St. Francis College. He was a true and constant friend of the College. Above all Father Schaefer- meyer loved the beauty of God's House. He spent over twenty thou- sand dollars in enlarging and beauti- fying the church. It was he who en- larged the sanctuary, built the Bap- tismal Chapel, and reconstructed the interior of the church. It was he who had the walls and ceiling beautifully frescoed and adorned with artistic sacred pictures and statuary. It was he who replaced the three old Altars with three imposing Altars which are so much admired to this day. To pay for these improvements St. Boniface Society, St. Joseph Young Men's Society, the Young Ladies' Sodality, and, in particular, St. Eliza- beth 's Ladies Society assisted by gen- erous contributions. Too much can- not be said in praise of the generous spirit shown by the members of the Ladies' Societies towards the church throughout its history. When all his plans for the beautifying of the church had been carried out Father Schafermeyer quietly slipped away from Quincy to join the Franciscan Order at Teutopolis, where he became known as Father Liborius. When Father Ostrop was sent to succeed Father Schaefermeyer at St. Boniface in September, 1872, it was a parish of brightest prospects for the future. The number of families was 500, children at school 460, baptisms 123, burials 62, marriages 20, net debt #5,000. Father Ostrop was pas- tor at St. Boniface but five years, but in that short period accomplished wonders and planned still greater ones when he was recalled by his superior and given charge at St. Joseph's Church, Carlinville, Illinois. The genial vicar-general of the Dio- cese, the Very Rev. John Jansen who later became Bishop of Belleville, Illinois, was sent as pastor to St. Boniface. The actual debt of the parish was placed by Father Jansen at $81,639.36. He bent all his energy to reduce this debt and succeeded ad- mirably. But he was foremost and always the priest, the man of God. The principal aim of Father Bruener during his sojourn of eight years at St. Boniface, was to continue the good work of his predecessor in reducing the enormous debt of the parish. On December 6, of the year 152 THE PIONEER PARISHES 1884 Father Bruener had the pleas- ure of celebrating with his parishion- ers the 25th anniversary of his first Mass. The occasion was fittingly ob- served both in church and in the school hall. On July 18th, 1886, Father Tolton, who had been or- dained priest April 24 by Cardinal Paroehi in Rome, celebrated his first Holy Mass in Quincy, at St. Boniface Church, where formerly he had served as an altar boy. He was the son of slave parents and the first negro priest in the United States. The principal event of the year 1887 was the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the parish which occurred in August. It was a three days' celebration, the equal of which had never before been seen in Quincy. It was on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee that Father Bruener pub- lished his famous "Church History of Quincy," a record of Catholic activ- ity throughout the city from its origin to his own day. But whilst the joyful jubilee celebration was go- ing on Father Bruener was harboring other thoughts, which he carefully concealed, however, from even his most intimate friends. Introducing Father Michael Weis, the new pastor appointed by the Bishop, he sets out that very night for Teutopolis where under the name of Father Leo he assumes the habit and becomes a humble son of St. Francis. A great reduction had already been made in the debt of the church through the strenuous efforts of Fathers Jansen and Bruener. A con- tinuance of this good work was one of the principal issues that confronted Father Weis when he became their successor. And so bravely did he un- dertake the work, so successfully did he carry it through, that in the course of only five years he had cancelled over half of the debt, and in spite of the many costly improvements which he was compelled to make since then, he left only $7,023.40 to be paid by his successor, thus meriting the title which he well deserved "The Finan- cier of St. Boniface." Father Weis was pastor of St. Boniface church for fully 22 years until his death, Novem- ber 9, 1909. The kind reader's atten- tion is called to the" Diamond Jubilee Souvenir" of St. Boniface Congrega- tion. 1827-1912 an Historical sketch compiled and published by Rev. A. J. Kunsch. This splendid "Souvenir" does full justice to Father Weis' activities and tireless labors. Reverend Henry B. Degenhardt the eighth pastor of St. Boniface Church, was born at Alton, Illinois, May 16, 1855. After graduating from St. Mary's and the Cathedral schools he was sent to Teutopolis and Ruma to pursue classical studies. After finishing a two years course in Phil- osophy he took a three years course of Theology at St. Francis, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was ordained priest by Bishop Baltes at the Alton Cathe- dral on August 15, 1879. After cele- brating his First Mass two days later at the parish church of his boyhood days, he was assigned to the congre- gation at Collinsville, where during the thirty-one years of his pastorate he built a magnificent church, a school and convent. After the death of Dean Michael Weis, Father H. B. Degenhardt was appointed pastor of St. Boniface Church, Quincy, Illinois, and still continues to govern the parish with great success in spite of advancing years and feeble health. St. Boniface, at present writing has 380 families, practically all of Ger- man descent. The school has an en- rollment of 220 pupils with the Sis- ters of Notre Dame in charge. The following Catholic societies and Branch organizations are proving very useful to the healthy life of the parish : Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Elizabeth, St. Agnes and Orphan Society, Holy Name, Western Catho- lic Union, Apostleship of Prayer, and Third Order of St. Francis. The condition of the parish, spiritu- ally and materially, is gratifying to those who have its interest at heart. 153 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Assumption Sainte Marie, Jasper Co., 1837 What is now Sainte Marie was settled by Joseph Picquet in 1837, under the name of Colonie Des Freres, (Colony of the Brothers). About July 18, 1837, Mr. Picquet ar- rived from Alsace at Vincennes, In- diana ; two days later he went, accompanied by Rev. De la Halan- diere, to St. Francisville, Illinois, where Rev. Francis Corbe was pastor. There he purchased a small farm as a temporary shelter until he could select a permanent place. About August 20, 1837. Right Rev- erend Bishop Brute, D.D., accom- panied by Father Corbe. came to visit the new-comers at their farm, about three miles from St. Francis- ville. At the arrival and departure of the Bishop they fired their guns as a mark of respect to the Bishop, and bestowed upon him all the honor circumstances permitted. In front of one of the log houses they erected an altar. The crucifix and candle- sticks on that altar were brought from France, also the vestments, which are part of those used to the present time at Sainte Marie. The saintly Bishop gave them a warm welcome to the land of their adoption, with his blessing and best wishes for their enterprise. Ferdinand Hartrich, Elienne Lauer and Joseph Picquet left the farm about September 22 to go to Pales- tine, Illinois, and from there to Newton, and thence they came to what is now Sainte Marie, and after remaining there a few days they re- turned to their farm. About Octo- ber 1 they left St. Francisville and came to begin the new settlement. They boarded with a Mr. Price who lived a short distance west of what is now Joseph Picquet 's residence. October 12 they went to Palestine and entered in one day about ten thousand seven hundred acres of land. Returning to Mr. Price's they immediately made arrangements to put up a shanty. About the 28th of October the new colonists, namely, Joseph Picquet, Ferdinand Hartrich, Charles Guthneck, Jean Baptiste Bernhardt, John Weiss, Mr. Lemuel, Xavier Kapps, and Etienne Lauer, most of them mounted on their horses, rode with guns in hand, from their boarding place over to the knoll where they intended to take formal possession. Here they placed the colony under the protection of her whose name it still bears, (Sainte Marie). After appropriate prayers and the chanting of the Salve Regina they fired their guns. Mrs. John Weiss, Miss Frances N. and Miss Barbara Irr belonged to the colony also. In remembrance of this solemn act a statue of Italian marble, a piece of art of first class, represent- ing the Queen of Heaven, has been placed in the new church as crown piece of the new altar. During the first years of the new settlement, priests from Vincennes, Indiana, visited Sainte Marie from time to time attending to the reli- gious needs of the colonists, until in 1839, Reverend P. Chakert, a Redemp- torist Father, was given them as residing pastor. He was sent from Vienna, Austria, with the instruc- tion to see what chance there was here for the establishment of a reli- gious community. Mass was said in a room of Joseph Picquet 's present residence until 1842 when a frame chapel was erected (about thirty feet east of what is now Barthelme's store) and blessed by Reverend Stephen Theodore Badin, a French- man, who was the first priest or- dained in America. From September, 1840, the settle- ment received spiritual attendance by priests from Vincennes until July, 1842, when Reverend F. M. Masquelet came who resided there until October, 1842. From October, 1842-46, Eudist Fathers from Vin- cennes attended the mission, viz: Fathers Mullin, Bellier and Vabret. They had as resident successors from November, 1846 to April, 1847, Rev- 154 THE PIONEER PARISHES erend J. Griffith; from May, 1847, to September, 1847, and also from January, 1848, until June, 1843, Rev- erend J. G. Schaeffer; from Septem- ber, 1847, until December, 1847, Rev- erend G. H. Plathe. During all these years many attempts had been made to get some religious order to locate here. The Redemptorists, whose temporary mother house was at Rochester, New York, gave up the country missions and decided to seek a field of labor in larger cities, and thus Father Chackert was called away from here in 1840. Then an agreement was attempted with the Jesuits from Bardstown, Kentucky, where they had a college ; then with the Lazarists from St. Louis, Mis- souri, whose Superior was at that time Reverend John Timon, after- wards Bishop of Buffalo, New York, and finally with the Eudists in 1845, but all to no avail. Sainte Marie and the whole East- ern half of Illinois belonged to the Diocese of Vincennes, Indiana, until 1844, when Bishop Quarter had the promise of the Benedictine Fathers of Mettenin, that they would settle in his Diocese. It was his intention to place them here, but when they arrived in Pennsylvania from Bav- aria under Abbot Wimmer as their leader, Bishop O'Connor of Pitts- burg kept them in his Diocese, plac- ing them at St. Vincent, Pennsyl- vania. In 1837 also an attempt was made to bring to Sainte Marie the Sisters of Providence, who had large com- munities in Alsace. Their Superior in Alsace was Father Ignatius Mer- tian, a grand-uncie of Mr. Joseph Picquet. Father Mertian promised 50,000 francs ($10,000.00) towards the erection of a house for the Sis- ters here. Father De la Halandiere, Vicar General of Bishop Brute of Vincennes, whose successor he be- came afterwards, anticipating that Eastern Illinois would be cut off from the Diocese of Vincennes, sought to secure them for Vin- cennes. But when the Sisters from Alsace finally gave up the intention of going into the North American Missions, he engaged Sisters of Prov- idence from Rennes in France, and placed them at what is now called St. Mary's of the Wood's, Vigo County, Indiana. Of the promised 50,000 francs he received only one- half as the promise had been made in favor of the Alsace Sisters, who though having the same name as those from Rennes, were a different religious order and having no con- nection whatever with the latter. Taking up again the record of resident or visiting priests at Sainte Marie, I find Father J. B. Chasse from Vincennes mentioned in Aug- ust, 1848. Until November, 1855, Father Fisher was pastor here. He returned to Alsace where in 1888, he still had charge of a parish. Under Father Fisher the former brick church (35x60 feet, plus sanc- tuary of 18 feet depth) was com- menced in 1849, and blessed in 1850. It served as a place of worship until 1891, when for the last time High Mass was celebrated in it on Easter Monday, after which it was stripped of all furniture and taken down, to make room for the present church. At least two-thirds of the bricks of the old church were used to advan- tage in the foundation of the new church. From 1856 to 1872 Sainte Marie was attended successively by the fol- lowing priests : Fathers Engeln, Doyle, and Chase (all from Vin- cennes, Indiana), Heimerling, Fort- mann, Beckwith, W. Engeln, J. Moshal, B. Bartels, J. H. Petit, and Father Sandrock who continued in charge for thirteen years. Father Sandrock, during his time here, was assisted by Fathers Laughran who died and lies buried in the Sainte Marie Cemetery, John Vahey, H. J. Hoven, Charles Raphaelz, and L. Quitter. From September, 1872, till June, 1873, the congregation was left with- 155 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS out a resident priest. During this time, Father Meckel, then stationed at Olney, attended the spiritual needs of Sainte Marie and then came Father S. Wegener who remained only a year. He built the west wing of the parsonage at a cost of $2,200.00. His successor, the distin- guished Father Pennartz, assumed the pastoral office of Sainte Marie in 1874 which he administered with success until 1881 in which year Father C. J. Virnich, the writer of this sketch, succeeded him. In the early years of this settle- ment Mt. Carmel, Bridgeport, Fair- field, St. Peter's, Newton, St. Wen- dell, Olney, and at times also St. Francisville, received spiritual at- tendance from Sainte Marie. When the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad was being built, the Sainte Marie priests went all along the line to attend to the religious wants of the Catholic workmen. In the course of time the Catholic congregation of Sainte Marie had grown too large for the old church and so the erection of a new and more spacious building became an imperative need. After much prep- aration, the corner-stone of the new church was laid on May 13, 1891, by Very Rev. Father Hickey who was then Vicar General of the Alton Diocese and pastor of the Immac- ulate Conception Church, Spring- field. The dedication took place on May 24, 1894, Right Reverend James A. Ryan officiating. By that time the building, unfrescoed and unfur- nished, had cost about $25,000.00, excavations and sand having been furnished by the congregation. Since then the sanctuary has been com- pletely and richly furnished to the amount of over $6,000.00. A beau- tiful marble altar, the work of Schrader & Son, St. Louis, Missouri, costing $2,300.00, and a statue of Cararian marble representing the Queen of Heaven, a fine piece of art and made in Munich, Bavaria, cost- ing $1,000.00 are memorial donations of Mr. Joseph Picquet. Others who helped to beautify the church by their donations in the line of stat- uary, windows, pulpit, etc., were Mr. and Mrs. Severine Laugel, John Kraus, Jacob Rennier, Joseph Miller, Joseph Huber, Joseph Kaufman, Mrs. N. Reis, Lizzie Hahn, and Car- oline Picquet. The Young Ladies' Sodality, St. Mary and Martha So- ciety, and the Young Men's Sodality also helped materially in this direc- tion. The building is 110x52 feet, in- side measure, plus a sanctuary 24x26 feet. It easily accommodates the 180 families of Sainte Marie congregation. It is strong in structure and quite imposing in style, being of the Roman- esque type. To complete this sketch I must hark back once more to the year 1861. In that year, through the mediation of the Right Reverend Bishop Juncker, D.D., of Alton, the St. Joseph Sisters of Carondolet, Missouri, took charge of the Sainte Marie district school. The Sisters worked well here until 1871, when they were recalled to Carondolet. Thereupon the school was placed in charge of a layman, Mr. George Hubert, who for a number of years has been principal of the Paro- chial school at Holy Trinity Church at Evansville, Indiana. In the home vacated by the Sisters, an infirmary was established in the year 1880 by Father Pennartz which was placed under the care of Hospital Sisters from Springfield, Illinois. In 1890 they were recalled to Spring- field as they could be of more prac- tical use in cities. We hated to lose the good Sisters of Charity, but what first seemed to be a great loss proved to be a blessing, in as far as it ren- dered the necessary establishment of a strictly Catholic Parochial School easier. In the autumn of 1893 the Catholic school started under the charge of Mr. H. Schlemmer. In the following autumn the Ursuline Sis- ters from Alton, Illinois, were en- 156 THE PIONEER PARISHES gaged. The school is a blessing for the congregation in every way. The only boy of the parish to be- come a priest was Father Guthneck, who was born in 1848, ordained in 1878, and died in 1921 at Madison, Indiana. The following nineteen young ladies of Sainte Marie have dedi- cated their lives to God in the Sis- terhood : Louise Miller, Josephine Ostheimer, Genevieve Kaufman, Anna Kaufmann, Magdalen Schneider, Ellen Pictor, Mary Pictor, Alice Pic- tor, Magdalen Althaus, Zita Lamotte, Amelie Merceret, Mary Frichtle, Phil- ipine Bolander, Mary Guthneck, Em- ma Guthneck, Julia Kaiser, Marie Hartrich, and Louise Kessler. From 1905 to 1918 Father Virnich had for assistants Fathers Neveling, 1905-07; Prost, 1907-15; Meyer, 1916-18. Since then he has been un- assisted in the administration of the parish. The parish records of Sainte Marie show that the first couple to be mar- ried was Miss Louisa Mildenberger and Michael Karst. The marriage took place February 11, 1839, in the home of Mr. Joseph Picquet with Father Chakert officiating and Joseph Picquet and Ernestina Karst as wit- nesses. The first funeral was that of an in- fant child named Philipina Sirg, and is dated December 21, 1847. The first adult funeral was of Mary Ann O'Neill, January 30, 1848. Father Schafer officiated at the obsequies of both. The first baptism on record is dated July 8, 1838. Richard Van Meter was the recipient and Father Vabret the minister of the Sacrament. Joseph Kaufman, while the second on the register, was really the first baby of Sainte Marie to be baptized. The Assumption parish has at pres- ent two hundred families and an en- rollment of one hundred fifteen chil- dren in school under the care of the Ursuline Sisters. During the past year there were 36 baptisms, 5 marriages, and three funerals. A synopsis of the annual account for 1922 shows that the total expendi- tures for that year were $20,488 84, while the total income was $21,059.14. The last parish debts, amounting to $12,635.90 were totally wiped out in 1922. In that same year improve- ments were made at a cost of $1,000, and a special diocesan subscription taken up which amounted to $14,- 648.66. Spiritually and materially then, the Assumption Parish is in a healthy condition, and its present status foreshadows a still brighter future. St. Thomas the Apostle, near Millstadt, 1837 On November 26, 1837, a log church was built on the farm of Thomas Laughlin and dedicated by Bishop Rosati of St. Louis in honor of St. Thomas, Apostle. The history of the building of this little church as it appears on the parish register of Holy Family Church at Cahokia, over the signature of Rev. John Francis Regis Loisel, is very interesting. It reads as follows : "November 17, 1836, I said Mass the first time at the house of James Pow- ers for the new congregation of St. Thomas. About twenty-five persons were present, and six received Com- munion. We spoke to them about building a little chapel, and we con- cluded that on the next Wednesday, the 23rd of the month, the parishion- ers should assemble to cut down trees for the construction of the chapel, to which they had given the name of St. Thomas, the Apostle. January 24, 1837, said Mass at St. Thomas the second time, twenty-five to thirty persons were present, and ten received Communion. After the Mass a subscription was taken up for the new church, which amounted to eighty-two dollars, and three trustees 157 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS were elected, John O'Brien, James Meyer, Powers and Bernard Slocy." Kenny This little church is also referred Joseph to in the Catholic directories as the Rev. G "Johnson Settlement." From 1839 The to 1843 it was attended from Teu- village tonia, now Paderborn, by Rev. Charles church and in 1839 also by Rev. John then from Belleville by Rev. Kuenster, until 1845, and by H. Ostlangenberg until 1850. mission was transferred to the of Millstadt, when the brick there was completed in 1851. St. Mary's Church, Alton, Madison County, Illinois, 1837 Beautifully and significantly has some poet voiced the sentiments of those who have watched the growth of St. Mary's, Alton, Illinois, in the words that follow : "Be not amazed at life, 'Tis still The mode of God with His elect, Their hopes exactly to fulfill In times and ways they least expect." In truth, the most sanguine hopes of pastors and people, both past and present, have been fulfilled "In times and ways they least expect." It is interesting and gratifying to allow the events of the years gone by to pass kaleidoscopically before the mind's eye. In spirit we revert to the early days of the missionaries wearing out their precious lives in unselfishly heroic sacrifices, and un- flinching and unparalleled service to God's red men directly, and our loved country indirectly. Theirs the blood that reddened American soil making it richly productive in the harvest of souls won for Mother Church and God. The name of the saintly Father Marquette will ever be reverenced by Illinoisans. The hideous figure of the Indian god, the Piasa bird, which Father Marquette discovered upon the smooth surface of the cliff remains to tell of the visit of the good and benevolent missionary. In all probability the first white man to view the spot on which Alton now stands, was the saintly Jesuit Father Marquette who sailed down the Mississippi in a birch-bark canoe in the year 1673. The first Catholic family settled here perhaps one hundred and sixty years later. In the year 1837 the first sacri- fice of the Mass was offered here in the house of Sebastian Wise. A year later a very small frame church, lightly built was erected in Upper Alton. Reverend George Hamilton was given charge of the little flock congregated there. In 1843 the directory of the diocese at Chicago had dropped the Upper Alton church from its lists as non-existent. Not very long thereafter, namely, in the year 1844, St. Matthew's Church was erected on a commanding elevation overlooking the great "Father of Waters" on Third and Alby Streets. Historical records are inaccurate re- garding the priest to whom credit for its erection is due. The names of Fathers P. M. McCabe and Michael Carroll arc mentioned. In all probability it was the latter under whom the work was com- pleted. The Right Reverend P. P. Lefevre, then Co-adjntor and Admin- istrator of Detroit, blessed the new church. No mention is made of a house having been built for the priest from which we conclude that the zealous pastor like the early ped- agogue "boarded and lodged at the house" of a parishioner. These early days were days of hardship, labor, sacrifice and generous, whole- hearted self-forgetfulness. We mar- vel at the cheerful endurance of the Catholic priest in primitive America. Of them Kipling might rightly have said : ' ' And no one shall work for money, And no one shall work for gain." "All for the greater honor and glory of God and the salvation of immortal souls"; this was their noble motto. 158 THE 1'IONEER PARISHES A mission was held in the new church the following year by Father Wenniger, S.J., which proved a great success. In course of time the congregation, a tiny mustard seed at first had grown into quite a tree. In the year 1851 God found it well to try His flock. During the absence of the priest a fire started in the rear of the church and in a few hours St. Matthew's Church was a thing of the past. Services were temporarily held in a hall on State Street. Upon the suggestion of Father Carroll the old site of the church was abandoned ;ind with the consent of the Bishop of Chicago a new site Avas chosen and on it SS. Peter and Paul's Church, until recently known as the Cathedral, was erected. The old church property was sold to the Unitarians who repaired the old structure, and for a number of years held their gatherings in it. In due time a new building replaced the old. Two stone slabs of the original church bearing the inscription, "One Lord, One Faith" have been in- serted in the front wall. The tree sprung from the tiny mustard seed had now grown con- siderably'' and spread its branches quite widely about the vicinity, hence, a spacious building was planned. In 1855 Right Reverend Anthony 'Regan, Bishop of Chi- cago granted Father Carroll the desired permission for building this new church. Its completion was deferred however, to the year 1857 when Bishop Damian Juncker was consecrated first Bishop of Alton. In the meantime German Catholic immigration had greatly increased in this region partly by immigrants from Germany directly, and partly by settlers from the eastern colonies moving westward. Prominent among the early settlers are the following : Henry Greve, Henry Maas, Michael Lampert, William and Conrad Budde. Frank Kleeschulte, Lawrence Fahrig, Barthel Hartmann, Henry Degenhardt, Joseph Goeken, Fred and Joseph Gottlob, M i c h a e 1 Schneider, Martin Boschert, Bernard Schuelle, Phillip Gerlach, Werner Kleffner, Lawrence Stilz, Frank Struif, Andrew Wagner, Casper Joehl, William Manns, William Startmann, Frederic William Stolz, Florentine Buerkli, Leonard Flack- enecker, Joseph Merkle, Matthew Schaup, Christian Walter, Joseph Krug, Conrad Pappe. Some lived in town ; more out in the country, miles away, indeed, from town. Failure to understand the English language had proven a source of much annoyance to these poor Germans. Soon after his ar- rival, Bishop Juncker realizing the need of German sermons for the German speaking residents, ar- ranged for separate service hours in the Cathedral, one for the English speaking and another for the Ger- man. Needless to say, this wise move proved a priceless boon to the good people. Father Menge was charged with the care of the spiritual needs of the Germans. This zealous priest, foreseeing the rapid increase in numbers, urged that the people petition the Bishop to allow them to build a church for German speaking people only. Permission was granted. Leonard Flackenecker, Michael Lampert and Lawrence Fahrig were appointed to collect funds requisite for the erection of the building. There were about twenty-five fam- ilies all poor and only a few living in town, the rest renting farms at great distances from the town. God was with them and success crowned their endeavors. In 1858, under the direction of Father Menge, the church was begun and when com- pleted the little flock was ministered to by Father Menge and Father Os- trop, who had been ordained May •4th, 1859. Both were quartered at the Bishop's residence until Father Ostrop was appointed first pastor. The new church was placed under the patronage of our Immaculate 15'J DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Mother and entitled "Church of the 1 mmaculate Conception. ' ' The basement of the church served a double purpose. The rear was par- titioned into small rooms which an- swered for apartments for the resi- dent pastor while the fore-part was arranged for school purposes and such gatherings as time and circum- stances called for. The church proper was small, the ornaments very poor but the debt heavy. The zeal of the pastor and the eagerness of the people to have a church of their own in which to sat- isfy the cravings of their hungry souls was a spectacle of joy to angels and of edification to their brethren round about them. When hopes of success and prosperity seemed bright- est God again tested the genuineness and sincerity of the zeal and love of his children. On Saturday night, at 8 o'clock, June 2nd, 1869 a tornado swept over the town which demolished the recently erected building, pinning the good pastor beneath its ruins. Miss Bertha Gottlob, housekeeper of Father Ostrop, shared a similar de- plorable fate. Thanks to the efforts of Messrs. Fishbach, Baumann and McCarrol both were extricated the same night, battered, it is true, but fortunately, not seriously injured. In the sermon preached on the occasion of Rev. W. A. Schmidt's first Mass, Father Ostrop alluded to this day of terror, saying : ' ' On the exact spot on which I now stand, that is, under this pulpit, I lay under the ruins and debris of our first church." The poor young struggling congre- gation was in a sorry plight. With one stroke the realization of their fond- est hopes had been shattered. The church was gone; the debt of $4,000 remained. A sad reminder of the joy so short-lived. What was to be done? Luckily, Father Ostrop was a man of undaunted courage and im- mediately bethought himself of start- ing anew. With God's help, the pood will of his people and his own untiring: efforts and indomitable will he felt confident of success. But there were other factors to be considered. The Bishop insisted that the new church could not be thought of until the debt had been paid. The good pastor thereupon turned mendicant and courageously started out on a begging tour outside his congregation, city and state. There were no such helps in those early days as the won- derful drives of today under the aus- pices of the Catholic Knights or some other similar benevolent organization. To the poverty-stricken pastor himself fell the lot of visiting house after house, repeating over and over again his tale of woe and begging alms. Cin- cinnati, Dayton and other cities of the East, as also St. Louis and Quincy were visited. God blessed His min- ister's efforts visibly. The amount collected sufficed not only to cancel the debt but also to lay aside so great a sum as to enable him to attempt a second more spacious and more beau- tiful edifice. It was dedicated on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8th, 1862. Soon after, a rectory was built and a frame school house fronting Third street. No man in Alton was busier than Father Ostrop. He performed his priestly duties in church, taught school for the boys while the girls at- tended school at the Ursuline Con- vent, and he gave private instructions at his residence to boys who desired a higher education than the common school afforded. Moreover, being a great student, he devoted much of his time acquiring a knowledge of lan- guages. Astronomy, too, was one of his favorite studies. Fortunately the zealous, untiringly energetic young priest was blessed with an iron consti- tution or he would never have been able to withstand the strain of ever increasing duties, recurring difficul- ties and sore privations. In time Father Ostrop purchased the cemetery ground and a portion thereof was mapped out for immedi- ate use. In 1866 he had built a brick school 160 THE PIONEER PARISHES house intending to make provision in it for a high school course. In this latter project the good priest was only partially successful due largely to a deplorable dearth of available teach- ers. Young students pursuing their Latin and the higher courses with Father Ostrop were pressed into serv- ice when no teacher could be had. Following are some of the priests who boast of having been pupils of Father Ostrop : Fathers Bartholomew Hart- mann, A. J. Klein, W. Schmidt and H. Degenhardt. Even the honorable Judge Dunnegan of Alton glories in having been a pupil of the good priest. Though a strict, and at times, even a severe task-master, Father Ostrop 's pupils greatly loved and revered him. He was competent, they knew, and generous and zealous in sharing his intellectual wealth and they were deeply grateful. One of his pupils, Father Hartmann has immortalized his reverence and appreciation of his loved teacher by writing his biog- raphy. It is an interesting volume, brimful of merited ecomiums. Under this zealous pastor the fame of St. Mary's congregation had spread over the diocese. In 1866 Father Ost- rop planned for the consecration of the church ; however, a debt of $3,500 proved an obstacle. Dauntlessly and confidently hopeful of the hearty co- operation of his flock he ascended the pulpit one Sunday, and, after an elo- quent and impressive appeal to his people, he called upon each one pres- ent to state publicly how much he was willing to give to help liquidate the debt and to his great surprise and intense gratification the entire amount was promised. The pastor's heart was full, too full, indeed, for words. The consecration took place January 1, 1867, Bishop Juncker officiating. Bishop Luers of Fort Wayne preached the sermon. In September, 1872, much to the regret of both pastor and people, Father Ostrop was assigned to a new field of labor, namely St. Boniface, Quincy. Needless to say St. Boniface prospered under his wise and zealous guidance so also did St. Joseph's at Carlinville to which place he was later appointed. Father Ostrop died June 26, 1892 and was buried June 30th. The new pastor, Reverend John Sandrock, came from Sainte Marie, Jasper County. His priestly life of twelve or more years had been one of hard work and many hardships; a regular pioneer priest, he was inured to an austere life. His exterior did not indicate the profound student he was. The members of his flock were early won by his impressive and elo- quent sermons. Unfortunately his labors were cut short by a premature death. In 1873 many of the inhabi- tants of Alton fell victims of the small-pox epidemic, and Father Sand- rock, himself contracted the disease and succumbed to it May 10, alone and unattended without even the con- solations of the Church for the dying. The Father who sees into the secrets of men's hearts has, we trust, amply rewarded him. Father Sandrock 's immediate suc- cessor was Rev. Vincent Nagler who survived his appointment only one year. This good priest was sick- ly and though blessed with the best of good will to attend to the needs of his flock he was physically unable to do so. The spirit, indeed, was will- ing, but the flesh was weak. On May 15, 1874, he fell a victim to dropsy. Father Peter Peters, former pastor of Highland, Illinois, was appointed his successor that same year and ar- rived in Alton, August 15, 1874. In the twenty-two years of his boundless zeal and systematic labors he effected a tremendous transformation at St. Mary's. The congregation spread to the North and West. He bought lot after lot, until the church owned three-fourths of the long block. He also changed the tower and built a very high one, which greeted the strangers on their way to Alton from a great distance. 161 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Acquaintance with and apprecia- tion of the efficient work done by the School Sisters of Notre Dame at High- land induced him to secure Sisters of this order for his new school. A resi- dence for them was erected on the west side of the church. The build- ing still stands. Father Peters loved children; and they knew it. The pic- ture of Jesus blessing little children still to be seen above the high altar is a forceful reminder of the Christlike love of this good priest. The old St. Mary's church was fast becoming unserviceable and Father Peters began to think of building a new church. The work of preparing for it had been going on for years. Our people still remember the grad- ing that had to be done. At last the time had come when Father Peter's dream of a new church was to be real- ized. On the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, 1892, it was decided not to add to the old church, as some ad- vised, but to build a new church. Brother Adrian, O.F.M., was en- trusted with the drawing of the plans. To obtain the necessary funds, Father Metzler, of Brighton, Father Hart- man of Fort Wayne Diocese, tem- porarily staying with his parents on account of an ailment, and Father Foerster first assistant at St. Mary's aided Father Peters in securing sub- scriptions. At last the ground was broken and the foundation was laid by Mr. Alexander Wegener. The cornerstone was laid July 16, 1893, by Bishop Ryan. Following is a trans- lation of the document, which con- tains a brief history of the church as well as other interesting data: 3n the pear of the Ilorb 1893, fulp 16, the eighth £>tmbap after fkutecost, on the feast bap of our ifflost &olp &e= beemer, curing tfjc most glorious reign of ILeo KMS3S, tate of Mi- nois, this stone toas placeb in the J^tame of tlje Jfather, the g>on, anb the ?£olp (ghost. Mr. Vincent Wardein built the church, while Mr. Lucas Pfeiffen- berger superintended its construction. The progress of the building was slow but sure. The church was built, frescoed and furnished, and the day appointed for the solemn consecra- tion had come, Thanksgiving day, 1895. It was a gala day for the con- gregation in particular and the city of Alton at large. Two Bishops, a great number of priests and crowds of people were present. Bishop Jan- sen, a cousin and friend of Father Peters acted as celebrant at the con- secration, while Bishop Ryan aided in the consecration of the marble altars. At the Pontifical Mass, Father Michael, Provincial of the Francis- can Fathers, preached the sermon. Bishop Ryan addressed the congrega- tion in English and complimented them on the successful erection of this beautiful temple of God. But where was Father Peters dur- ing the impressive ceremony? While a great number of priests formed a circle around the officiating Bishops in the sanctuary, he, the pastor, was no where in evidence. The good priest's heart was full, yea, full well- nigh unto bursting. Knowing he should never be able to stem the cur- rent of pent-up feelings demanding an outlet, he had withdrawn to the organ loft, where he knelt, humbly bowed in prayer, pouring forth his Te Deum to God and our Blessed Mother. On the first Sunday of Lent fol- lowing, an eye-witness says, Father Peters preached a sermon and con- cluded saying "A weight, a crush- ing weight, presses me down — DOWN into the grave," and tears streamed down the worn and aged priest's cheeks. The weight to 162 THE PIONEER PARISHES which he alluded was the enormous debt of $60,000, which rested on the church. Man proposes, but God disposes. Father Peters' work was done. The Master had selected him to erect the temple ; to another fell the lot of cancelling the debt. The next day the Angel of Death hovered over the anxious pastor. On Thurs- day, March 5, 1895, Father Peters was called home to give an account of his stewardship. The summons had come after a short illness. Father Peters was a noble, zeal- ous, hard-working, self-forgetting, unostentatious priest whose only aim was to serve the Master in the flock entrusted to his care. For God and his people he lived and labored and loved. Rarely has the city of Alton witnessed a sight as impressive as the funeral procession of Catholic and non-Catholic friends and ad- mirers, that formed to do homage to the good priest. All walked from the church to the cemetery, a dis- tance of over a mile. Those who were present at the solemn, mournful rite tell us when the children and the Sisters who had taken the lead arrived at the cemetery the last ones in the procession were still at the church. Reverend Father Foerster, assist- ant to Father Peters, aided by the Reverend Franciscan Fathers took charge of St. Mary's till the advent of the new pastor. On July 12, 1895, Father Meckel who had been Father Peters' successor in Highland ar- rived as his successor at Alton. In April, 1898, Father Foerster was called to St. Boniface, Quincy, and Reverend John B. Wand was ap- pointed to succeed him. One of the first undertakings of the new pastor was the remodeling of the old church into a new school house of which the parish stood in dire need. Four beautiful, spacious, well-lighted, inviting class-rooms were laid out on the lower floor. The upper floor was equipped for school and dramatic entertainments. Many, indeed, were the benefits and enjoyments derived from this re- modeling. The hall has likewise served as a general meeting-place for the various societies. The old school house was ren- ovated and converted into more comfortable and more desirable living quarters for the Sisters. A chapel was installed much to the joy of the good Sisters. Four rooms were equipped to enable the Sisters to accommodate boarding pupils, two were fitted up as class-rooms and the remaining rooms were placed at the disposal of the Sisters. Heat- plants were installed in the school, priest's house and Sisters' house. To defray the expenses incurred a fair was held. It is hardly cred- ible that at so early a date (1901) the enormous sum of $3,507.72 should have been realized by a church fair. Tremendous though the achieve- ment above may seem, when one remembers the enormous debt still resting on the congregation and its aging venerable head, they were not yet at the limit of the latter 's under- takings. The priests needed a new home. In the year 1903 the old rectory was converted into school- rooms. In the same year also the basement of the church, which, here- tofore, had been serviceable for a store-room only was remodeled into a chapel. This was not as simple a work as might at first mention be imagined, for a solid wall had to be removed and excavations made which proved quite a task. Diffi- culties proved no barrier. Before long the chapel was completed and the venerable historic altar of the old Cathedral was purchased for $50.00, and placed therein. The children's Sunday Mass was to be read in this chapel as the Sunday Masses were being attended in such numbers as to make it quite impos- sible to accommodate people and children together. The first Mass was said in this chapel on the feast of the Holy Innocents, 1903. The 163 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS iccounts on record show expenses by improvments running as high as $10,000.00. Waiting for the completion of the new rectory proved quite an or- deal. It was hoped that by April 1, 1903, the priests would be living in same, however, the Fates had decreed otherwise. Only on Oct. 15th, 1904, could they move in. In the meantime the Reverend Fathers occupied the two upper rooms of the remodelled rectory. Meals were taken at the Sisters'. The year 1908 has stamped itself indellibly upon the mind of every member of St. Mary's congregation. This was the 50th anniversary of the foundation of St. Mary 's. Despite the burden of work already weighing upon the venerable pastor, he never- theless, undertook to compile as a souvenir of the occasion our so-called ''Souvenir of the Golden Jubilee of St. Mary's Church," of which, we trust, each member of the congrega- tion owns a copy and cherishes it as a precious keepsake of the good priest who labored so zealously and so wholeheartedly among them. A four- day celebration commemorated the event. Program of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of St. Mary's Church, Alton, Illinois. Sunday, December 27th. — Pontifi- cal Mass and brief Sermons in Ger- man and English. In the evening at St. Mary 's Hall ; Jubilee speeches, interspersed by music and song. Monday, Dec. 28. — Solemn Mass for Benefactors. In the evening, Children's enter- tainment. Tuesday, Dec. 29. — Solemn Mass for the deceased members of St. Mary's Congregation. In the evening, Entertainment by St. Aloysius Society. Wednesday, Dec. 30. — In the eve- ning, General Jollification. In the year 1908 a home for the aged, known as the Nazareth Home was erected. Reverend J. Meckel act- ed as chief director, counsellor and support of the Venerable Sisters, Adorers of the Precious Blood who were to take charge of the institution after its completion. Father Meckel ever looked with pride upon his latest undertaking and hoped one day to make his own home there. In the year 1909 Fathers Stephen Schauwecker and John J. Brune, who had that same year been ordained to the Holy Priesthood, were appointed as assistants to Rev. J. Meckel. The time seemed opportune for a trip to the Fatherland ; hence, in 1910 the Reverend Pastor cast the cares of the congregation upon their ready and willing shoulders, and set sail for Europe, in company with his bosom friend, Monsignor W. Cluse, the fol- lowing June. The following October saw good Father Meckel back at his post, hearty and hale. His flock were now, once more his all-engrossing care. In 1918 when the church celebrated its 60th anniversary, the Reverend Pastor thought fit to have the church frescoed. It was war-time, and this, together with other difficulties, con- trived to make this undertaking al- most a hopeless task. The price asked was about #20,000. The follow- ing year saw St. Mary 's Church beau- tifully frescoed and further em- bellished by the installment of new electric chandeliers. The congrega- tion was evidently much pleased with the improvements. Characteristic among the many ennobling traits of the zealous pastor was his profound love for and his intense devotion to our Eucharistic Lord. The people of St. Mary's well remember how the good priest's face glowed and how tremulous the venerable pastor's voice became in his almost superhuman effort to reach the ears and incidentally the hearts of his hearers to the further- most corners of our big church when speaking of Jesus in the Blessed Sac- rament. Father Meckel loved our 164 THE PIONEER PARISHES Eucharistic Saviour. Second among his chief characteristics we place his obedience and respect to higher and lawful superiors, whether secular or ecclesiastical. It is not surprising then to find St. Mary's in the lead when the decree of Pope Pius X, Pope of the Blessed Sacrament, had gone forth, that children at a very- tender age should be brought to Jesus in Holy Communion. 1911 will ever remain a memorable year in the his- tory of St. Mary's. Class after class from the third grade to the eighth re- ceived First Holy Communion that blessed year. There were two hun- dred First Communions that year. In 1924 Rev. J. Meckel resigned his pastorship. In July of that year he again crossed the ocean and spent one year in Europe visiting friends and relatives. During his stay there he became seriously ill and was taken to a hospital. When news of his ill- ness reached Rev. J. J. Brune and the good people of St. Mary's, inces- sant prayers were offered for the re- covery and safe return of their loved pastor. As if in answer to the prayer on August 20, 1925, the venerable priest was again in their midst. After a short stay among them he left for Pennsylvania, and died in Januarv, 1927. The first assistant at St. Mary's was Reverend Joseph Foerster. for- mer assistant at SS. Peter and Paul's Springfield, Illinois. He served the congregation in this capacity for six years. The various societies proved his especial care and concern. Those who have known Father Foerster re- member him as a zealous, painstaking, capable schoolman. Father Foerster was untiring in his efforts to collect funds for the building of the new church. After two years of service in the Master's vineyard at Quincy, he resolved to make his long cherished dream to become a Fi-anciscan a re- ality. He entered the Franciscan Order and received the name of Father Paschalis. As religious priest he labored a short time in St. Louis. Cleveland and Beaver Island, Mich- igan, and in Joliet, Illinois. Father J. B. "Wand was his suc- cessor in Alton. Like his predecessor, he too, had been assistant priest at SS. Peter and Paul 's Church, Spring- field, Illinois. He arrived here in April of the year 1898. Many of the parishioners still remember him as an active priest and exceptionally clever in arranging festivities. The success of the church fair, to which allusion has been made in an earlier chapter, was due mainly to the efforts of Father Wand. An especial feature of the fair was the so-called chalice con- test, in which Father Hartmann and he cleverly contested for a chalice. Father Hartmann won the chalice. Father Paul Asmuth was successor. St. Mary's was the young priest's first love. He had received his ec- clesiastical training and fervor from the Jesuits at the University of Inns- bruck. Our people will remember him as a pious, saintly young priest, a very Aloysius in manner and fea- ture. "In few days he, like him, ac- complished many years. ' ' His friend- ly ways and love for the little ones drew them irresistibly to him. It was his delight to spend the noon- hour with them. His gun invariably accompanied him on his visits to them in the yard at play-time, and his violin when he gave instructions in the class-room. When the chil- dren knew their lessons well he re- warded them by playing for them on his loved instrument. In the month of October, 1902, Father Anthony Hochmiller came to Alton. After three months he was sent to Pana, to substitute for the pastor, Rev. W. Weigand, who through sickness had been incapaci- tated. Upon the latter 's recovery. Father Hochmiller returned to Alton only to be recalled after a short stay to replace temporarily Rev. F. Witt- haut, who in the hope of benefiting his shattered health had undertaken a trip to Europe. Upon his return, Father Hochmiller was transferred to 165 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Quincy where he substituted as an as- sistant priest at St. Mary's. In Sep- tember, 1904, he returned to St. Mary's, Alton, and was given charge of the St. Joseph's Hospital of this city. In the summer of 1925 we were notified of the death of Father Hochmiller. Prior to his coming to St. Mary's, Father F. Neveling was assistant at St. Boniface, Quincy, Illinois. Father Neveling was particularly interested in the welfare of the young men of the parish. His knowledge of music, particularly of Church music, proved a valuable asset. He was most untir- ing and ambitious in teaching the children the plain chant. His work was crowned with considerable suc- cess. Visitors could not but comment upon the improvement in the singing of the children. April 1, 1908, Rev. F. Neveling was appointed Rector of Kampsville, Calhoun county, much to the regret of both pastor and people. At present he is pastor at Greencreek, Illinois. For a short time Father Schroeder, later appointed to Brussels, Illinois, made his home at St. Mary 's. Rev. W. Pietch too, at one time gave his serv- ices to the congregation for a short time. Rev. Stephen Schauwecker and Rev. John J. Brune were immediate- ly upon their ordination appointed as assistants. Both priests served the congregation for ten years, when both were promoted to pastorships, the former to Meppen, Illinois, at which place he still functions in that ca- pacity, and the latter to Brussels, Illi- nois, where he remained for five years. At the expiration of this time Father Meckel, upon whom the hand of de- crepid old age weighed heavily, re- signed his position. Father Schauwecker has deeply engraven his name upon the hearts and minds of the members of St. Mary's by his gentleness, amiability and readiness to serve. The children especially, loved this well-meaning priest and missed him sorely at their games when he had been recalled. His punctuality was unparalleled. His influence on the boys in this regard was marvelous. No matter how hotly the boys played or how engrossed they had become, when the moment for class-duty arrived, Father Schauwecker called a halt and inex- orably insisted on "school" and "no more play. " He was firm as adamant and unswerving and unrelenting when duty called, and absolutely deaf to even the loudest and most tactful pleading of the wily little urchins whom the love of play imbued more strongly than love of duty. Father Schauwecker 's gentle firmness pro- duced a wonderful and highly desir- able effect on the boys. For ten years Rev. J. J. Brune proved an active untiring, perhaps unparalleled worker in Christ's vine- yard at St. Mary's, Alton. How deeply he had written his name upon the hearts of all, the future only told. Rich and poor, large and small joined in one unanimous lamentation at his removal. Rev. J. Meckel could ill hide the grief that threatened to crush him. Obedient to the summons of a higher authority, Father Brune removed to Brussels, Illinois. Dur- ing Father Brune 's five years absence Father Meckel's health had become impaired and he felt the ever increas- ing responsibilities of the parish too much for him, so he resigned his rectorate and Reverend J. J. Brune his former assistant was appointed administrator. Father Brune proved himself worthy of the confidence placed in him by his venerable friend, Rev- erend J. Meckel. During his admin- istration St. Mary's parish has pro- gressed spiritually, materially and financially. Fathers Schauwecker and Brune were replaced by Rev. H. Schnelten and Rev. G. Faller. The latter 's stay at St. Mary's was short. In 1922, he was transferred to Kampsville, Cal- houn county. He is now pastor at Sigel, Illinois. Though St. Mary's 166 THE PIONEER PARISHES enjoyed the happiness of Father Faller's presence and ministrations but for a brief period of time, he has greatly endeared himself to both adults and children. The name of Father Faller never fails to provoke a smile. His smile and laugh were contagious, his charity vivifying, his eloquence captivating, his zeal for sinners edifying. Rev. Henry Schnelten labored for the welfare of St. Mary's for five years and will long be blessed with pious remembrance, particularly by those to whom he ministered in the time of sickness. Many a soul has winged its flight before the throne of Avenging Justice with less fear and trepidation, thanks to Father Schnel- ten 's assistance. Many a pious, pass- ing, little grandmother has promised him undying gratitude and unending remembrance before God's throne as token of eternal appreciation for as- sistance rendered in death's dread hour. To Father Schnelten the con- gregation is indebted for the inau- guration of the envelope system which has proven so successful, as also for the firm footing on which finances have been placed since his advent amongst them. In December, 1922, Father Schnel- ten secured from the Bishop a month 's vacation and joined his father and sister in the West. The services of Rev. R. Heinzman were secured during his absence. He served the congregation well in the confessional, pulpit and school. Upon the return of Father Schnelten he withdrew to the Nazareth Home where he served as chaplain ; however, he still continued to help out at St. Mary's when the priests were crowded with work. In the spring of 1925 when the Vener- able Precious Blood Sisters left the Nazareth Home to commence their labors in their new field in Pennsyl- vania, Father Heinzman was given charge of God's most sorely afflicted in the State Asylum. He then resided at St. Mary's parsonage. Upon Father Faller's removal Rev. G. Link, assistant at St. Boniface, Quincy, was appointed to succeed him. While the St. Boniface congre- gation and particularly the aged pas- tor thereof sorrowed, St. Mary's re- joiced. Though they grieved at the loss of good Father Faller, they were deeply grateful to the Right Rev. Bishop for his choice of a successor. Rev. G. Link is an untiring worker first and foremost in the field of spir- itual activities. A word of praise to the priest as a director of the Young Folks ' plays staged at St. Mary 's Hall is truly well merited. Father Link has raised the tone of St. Mary's dra- matic presentations. The people of Alton have learned to appreciate St. Mary's productions. ' ' There 's a divinity that shapes our end." The truth of these words has been brought home to St. Mary's con- gregation most forcibly in the past year. When Rev. Father Meckel had convinced himself of the prudence of his resignation in favor of Rev. J. J. Brune, he decided to take a trip abroad which he did in July of 1924. Sympathy for the Rev. Administrator ran high, for all realized the care of both St. Mary's and the Nazareth Home was too heavy a burden for him and but one assistant. West Al- ton, a little settlement of pious peo- ple across the Great Father of Waters had long desired a church and school together with a resident pastor. None will doubt that it was Divine Provi- dence that led this good priest to St. Mary's, Alton, to request the hospi- tality of the Reverend Administrator, and intimate friend and countryman of his, till his own home in West Alton should have been completed. So it came to pass that Father Fetchel "camped" (if we may be permitted to quote the Rev. Father himself) at St. Mary's rectory for a period of a year. Father Fechtel holds the en- viable preogative of being "two in one," namely, Pastor of West Alton and assistant at St. Mary's, Alton. Events have proven that the good priest has a heart large enough to 167 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS harbor two loves. That Father Feeh- tel has wound himself about the heart- strings of the people of St. Mary's is an established fact. On October 4, 1925, Father Fech- tel left St. Mary's to reside perma- nently in his new home at West Alton, Missouri. On the same day Reverend M. J. Griffin arrived to sub- stitute for Father Link until the lat- ter 's return from Europe. The School Sisters of Notre Dame are in charge at St. Mary's, Alton. Under the patronage of our Lady of Perpetual Help their mission home was opened on September 12, 1875. On the feast of the Name of Mary, two Sisters and a candidate began the work of instructing the children of St. Mary's school. Their initial en- rollment was sixty children. Sister Mary Projecta took charge of the low- er grades consisting of boys and girls, while Sister Mary Simeona, Superior, taught the upper grades to which only girls were admitted. The record of these good self-sacri- ficing nuns has been a glorious one, and St. Mary's prayerfully, grate- fully remembers the teachers of the past, and points with a justi- fiable pride to its teaching staff of to- day. In this age of constant vicious at- tacks upon our parochial schools, these noble Sisters have borne them- selves creditably. It may not be taken amiss that we mention here that in the past two years St. Mary's has won the bulk of prizes offered by the city in contests; on the first occasion winning a first and a third prize out of three prizes offered, as also a silk marching flag for the best singing of a national song, and on the second, six out of nine offered ; among these the first girls' as also the first boys' prize with an additional bronze medal as award of highest honors in the city from headquarters of the House Lighting Contest in New York City. The parish rejoiced in the success achieved by its school and rightly so. It is a mark of especial favoritism from Almighty God to a parish if it is blessed with many calls to the high- er walks of life ; namely, the state of Holy Priest-hood and the call to the Religious State. St. Mary's must, in- deed, be a child of predilection, for she can proudly point to twelve who daily lift the chalice to God on High ; twelve who are shepherding America's children; twelve "Other Christs" "going about doing good" as did their Divine Model here upon earth. To this must be added three who have laid their lives, their earthly belong- ings, yea, their very wills at the feet of the Master whose call they followed by entering the Order of the Jesuits. Following are the names of those of whom St. Mary's is proudest in a spiritual way : Fathers Bartholomew Hartman (deceased), William A. Schmidt (deceased), A. J. Klein (de- ceased), H. B. Degenhardt, (Pastor of St. Boniface Church, Quincy, 111.) ; R. B. Groener, P. Engel, (Pastor of St. Elizabeth's Church, East St. Louis, 111.) ; J. R. Wardein, (Pastor of Grantfork, 111.) ; E. Eckhard, (Pastor of Edwardsville, 111.) ; L. Hufker, (Assistant at SS. Peter and Paul's Church, Springfield, 111.); C. Flori, (Pastor of St. Joseph's Church, Paloma, 111.) ; Fred Klasner, (Assist- ant at St. James, Decatur, 111.) ; A. Wolf, (Assistant at St. Boniface, Quincy, 111.) ; Jos. Gschwend, S.J., (St. Louis University, St. Louis, Mo.) ; John Gschwend, S.J., (St. Louis University) ; Mr. Paul Joehl, S.J., (St. Stanislaus Seminary, Flor- rissant, Mo.). No wonder the Church in her office of the Blessed Virgin Mary prays ' ' pro devoto femineo sexu ' ' the devout female sex! Sixty young ladies of St. Mary's parish have thus far con- secrated their lives to the service of Christ, Jesus, by joining the corps de elite, who in the day of retribution shall as educators "shine like the stars of the firmament" and as vir- gins "shall follow the Lamb whither soever He goeth." "Singing a new canticle which only they shall be able to sing." 168 THE PIONEER PARISHES Following are the names of this galaxy of consecrated virgins : Misses Josephine Merkle, Margaret Schroe- der, Mary Steiner, Catherine Steven- son, Emma Federle, Catherine Engel, Magdalena Klasner, Emma Stolze, Theresa Droste, Marie Koenning, Ber- tha Klasner, Theresa Metzler, Anna Struif, Bertha Merkle, Agnes Merkle, Agnes Schenk, Gertrude Brown, Helen Flori, Pauline Stiritz, Julia Beazley, Emma Hufker, Rosa Ochs- enbein, Emerentia Jehle, Wilhelmina Degenhardt, Anna Voges, Bernadine Bentler, Frances Hellrung, Elizabeth Weirich, Anna Koch, Catherine Kirchhoff, Emma Schaefer, Agatha Braunagel, Mary Schmidt, Ida Merkle, Clara Schulte, Ottilia Stiegler, Marie Heidrich, Loretta Pfeiffer and Mary Fahrig, all School Sisters of Notre Dame. Ursuline Sisters are as fol- lows: Theresa Budde, Eleonore Joehl and Cecelia Kelly. The Sisters of St. Mary are as follows : Misses Therese Budde, Stella Hohnstedt, Frances Droste, Clara Hille, Antionette Nolte, Mary Koeller, Katie Droste and Mar- garet Manns. Those of St. Francis are as follows : Misses Hellrung, Eliza- beth M. Wueller, Theresa Maas and Josephine Wetsstein. Those of the Poor Handmaids are : Misses Bertha Grusse, Frances Budde and Georgina Klos. Miss Ethel "Wehmeier joined the Sisters of the Precious Blood. ' ' 'Tis education forms the common mind : Just as the twig is bent, the tree's inclined." "There are two most valuable possessions which no search- warrant can get at, which no execu- tion can take away, and which no re- verse of fortune can destroy ; they are what a man puts into his brain — Knowledge, and into his hands — Skill." Realizing the truth of the above statements, the first German settlers early set about seeking ways and means of giving their children the priceless boon of an education. Be- fore they had a church, they had a school. Father Menge rented a room in a rock house on the corner of Sixth and Ridge streets belonging to Mr. Lawrence Fahrig which was to serve as a school. Mr. Mueller was the first teacher. In time, a frame house back of the present Methodist Church, and another frame building on Ridge and Fourth Streets were appropriated and used as school houses. The teacher at the former was a certain Mr. Bore and it was "THE" school of the priest in charge of the German Catholics. In 1859 the basement of the first church was converted into a school. Mr. Stiegler was the teacher. The demolition of the church put a stop to the school ; however, hardly was the second church completed when a small brick building was built at the west side of the same to serve as school house. Messrs. Simon Van der Haiden, Meir and Kramer were em- ployed as teachers. The latter was employed as teacher for a number of years in different places and lived to be almost a centenarian. In 1866 the building now used partly as school and partly as Sisters ' residence was built by Father Ostrop. The pastor, formerly a professor in Germany, had hoped to offer besides the parochial school courses, oppor- tunities for higher studies; however, his hopes were never fully realized. Among the teachers under Father Ostrop we notice Messrs. Wortmann, Hartmann, afterwards Father Hart- mann, and Adelmann. Hartmann was only thirteen years old when em ployed as teacher, taking lessons at the time from Father Ostrop who was the school-master in chief. A curious incident is told by one of the old settlers. Paul Ostrop had the reputation of being a very learned man, and frequently applications were made to him to give private les- sons to non-Catholic boys, which, however, he generally declined to do. One day Dr. Hope had been called upon to attend Father Ostrop, who was very sick. Due to the former's skill Father Ostrop recovered. Dr. Hope asked Father Ostrop to give 169 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS private lessons to his son Alex, who later became Judge Hope. The pastor refused, as he was already overbur- dened, remarking that he would not give a lesson for less than $50. "Well," said Dr. Hope, "Here are $100 ; give my boy two lessons. ' ' During Father Sandrock's time, Mr. Doering was teacher ; Mr. Schank succeeded him under Fathers Nagler and Peters. Both teachers, particu- larly the latter, are said to have been good disciplinarians. The next teacher was Mr. Henry Timper. This gentle- man also directed the choir. The school for the larger boys was a frame building on the corner of Fourth and Henry Streets, to which, later on, a small addition was built and used as a residence for the teach- er. Mr. Timper, however, lived in a frame house where the sacristy of the new church is situated at present. This building was torn down when preparations were made for the new church building. Mr. Timper then lived in the frame house, now occu- pied by the janitor. One day while re- pairing the roof he fell upon a picket fence injuring himself so seriously as to cause his death August 31, 1891. He was a good teacher and an able organist, and his former pupils honor his memory. His resting place is in St. Joseph's Cemetery. His successor, Mr. Kuehnle, arrived in 1892 and taught school for four years. He gave satisfaction both as teacher and organist, but resigned in answer to a call to the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota. Mr. Anthony Bansbach, former teacher and Direc- tor of Music at Kenrick Seminary, St. Louis, labored in our midst for three years; one year as teacher and organist, then two years as organist, in which latter capacity he evinced a thorough knowledge of church music, which has secured for him the above- mentioned enviable position. Dur- ing his time the old church was re- modeled into a school house. From this time forward St. Mary's grew slowly, steadily. Its reputation is an enviable one, thanks to the un- tiring and devoted efforts of the good School Sisters of Notre Dame in charge, the hearty co-operation of both priests and people and the con- sequent good will and diligence of the children. Let us hope that for many years to come St. Mary's school will remain the pride of both priests and people. Of all music, that produced by the human voice is the most beautiful. It gives expressions to the noblest emo- tions man is capable of. David voiced the fullness of his emotions in song before the Ark of the Covenant. Angels sang to announce the birth of a God made man. Mary, carried away by the ecstacy of overwhelming won- derment at the power of the Most High, burst rapturously into that most beautiful of Canticles, the Mag- nificat. History is replete with in- stances substantiating the assertion that, in moments of supreme and in- tense emotions, man sings. Mother Church realizing this pro- pensity in her children, and at the same time appreciating the excellence of the human voice, ordains singing as a vital part of her liturgy. St. Mary 's, Alton, Illinois, has long realized what a privilege Mother Church has granted and early organized a choir. As in every field, so too in this, be- ginnings were hard and crude. Our early organists were not profession- als, and in consequence many a gorge- ously planned and conceived per- formance resulted in a highly lu- dicrous affair. Recollections thereof are a source of much merriment. In time these deficiencies were remedied and St. Mary's boasted of quite an efficient choir. In the early days German hymns were sung during the High Mass. Vespers, too, was sung in the vernacular. About 1880 our St. Mary's choir was brought under the influence of the Cecelian Society, which worked for the reform of church music, and the use of liturgical music only was a decided step in the right direction. 170 THE PIONEER PARISHES Mr. Henry Timper organized a male choir and was rather successful in en- listing the favor of the congregation. This choir, however, was made to re- tire after a few years and was suc- ceeded by a children's choir. This choir it was that sang on the day of the Consecration of the church. For many years the parlor organ, which did good service for many years in our church, was used as a substitute when the big pipe-organ became de- fective. This latter organ, containing parts of the pipe-organ in the former church, was built by Mr. Gratian, Sr., of Alton, 1897. It has the reputation of being the last instrument he manu- factured. The following years were years of great activity. St. Mary's then boast- ed of having four church choirs, each of which could pride itself in being up to the standard ; a men 's choir, a mixed choir, a young ladies' choir and a children's choir. It was hard to say which was the best. We recall Mr. Anthony Bansbachas first organist of St. Mary's. Like his teacher predecessors, his services were of a dual nature, namely both or- ganist and teacher; however, in 1897 he became organist only. In this capacity he served the congregation creditably for two years. On July 15, 1899, he left for St. Charles, Mis- souri. Mr. B. Wortmann for a short time offered his services to St. Mary 's. Miss Lena Jehle next took charge of the various choirs and rendered ef- ficient service. The work was becom- ing very laborious, and to relieve Miss Jehle, Mr. Julius Kohl of Belleville, was engaged for Sunday duties while Miss Jehle continued as organist on week-days and as directress of the al- tar boys' choir. In the month of June, 1911 Miss Jehle 's health failed and consequently she resigned. Mr. Harry Wiegand a young and zealous graduate from the Pio Nono Insti- tute, St. Francis, Milwaukee, was next employed. St. Mary's will long re- member him for the highly profession- al work done here. On September 1, 1913, Mr. Wiegand left St. Mary's to take charge of a large choir in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he is still very active and very successful. Mr. A. Gramann of Aviston was next employed. He, too, proved him- self a very desirable organist. In 1919 Mr. Gramann left St. Mary's as a position as teacher and organist was offered him at St. Liboris, Illi- nois, of the Belleville Diocese. St. Mary's was most fortunate in secur- ing as his immediate successor Mr. Christian Hausner. During the first year of his stay, Mr. Hausner was able to give his services on Sundays only, as he was working in the city during the week. Mr. Hausner proved so capable an organist that steps were taken to enable him to do organist duties only ; hence, after a short time he was appointed organist- in-chief at St. Mary's. His work is highly commendable. Mr. Hausner deserved highest praise for his work among the children. On Christmas Day in the year 1922, Professor Rhode of especial fame, organist at St. Anthony's, St. Louis, met with a sudden death at the Midnight Mass. Mr. Hausner applied for the vacant position and was accepted. We are happy to state that the young and zealous organist has proven himself a worthy successor to Prof. Rhode. For some time St. Mary's was without a regular organist. One of the Notre Dame Sisters offered her services till the vacancy was filled. After some months Professor Lindenberger from Belleville arranged to come to Alton every Saturday evening. He held his rehearsals with the choir boys on Saturday evenings and with the men on Sunday before High Mass. They got along tolerably well, however, in the long run this new arrangement was found too burdensome. In the fall of 1923 Professor Max Hiendl- mayer arrived from Germany and was immediately engaged as St. Mary's new organist. He has proven himself so valuable an asset to St. Mary's congregation that they hope 171 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS to keep him with them for many years to come. Before the first church was built Father Menge had already organized a society which though primarily es- tablished for women, nevertheless, ac- cepted as members also some willing young ladies. Father Ostrop reorgan- ized the society, making women only eligible. Their untiring labors for the financial and material upkeep of their church are highly commendable. In 1896 each member took it upon her- self to say daily a decade of the rosary, using the mysteries appor- tioned, thereby affecting a continuous recital of the entire rosary and form- ing what is known as "The Living Rosary. ' ' Sometime later the so-called " Sterbekasse " was inaugurated by which each member was assured the payment of a certain sum of money to her survivors upon her demise. The society of women exists to the present day. Imbued with the spirit of their grand and great-grandmothers, they are veritable pillars of support of St. Mary's Church. In the year 1898 the Martha Club for women was organized. Its purpose was the doing of needle work for the church and for the poor, as also at- tending to the cooking at the various festivities at which children or guests are entertained by St. Mary's Con- gregation. In 1871 Father Ostrop organized a society for the young ladies. The older members were known as the St. Rose and the younger as St. Agnes So- dality. They exist and function ac- tively to the present day. Father Ostrop organized the St. Joseph's Society. In the beginning it numbered eighteen members ; at the end of the first year the membership had risen to sixty-two and ten years later to one hundred and fifteen men. During the years immediately follow- ing, the number dwindled to a deplor- ably small figure, due to various con- flicting circumstances and the forma- tion of the St. Boniface Society. Their chief object is an interest in the school. In 1925 they merged into the Holy Name Society. In 1880 the St. Boniface Society, a branch of the Western Catholic Union of Quincy, Illinois, an Insurance So- ciety was organized by Father Peters with twelve charter members. Its membership increased slowly but steadily. In 1912 the St. Elizabeth Branch of the W. C. U. for women was formed as a complement to the St. Boniface of the W. C. U. Since that time the two branches have met and worked and recreated conjointly with profit to one another. The organization of St. Aloysius Society is likewise the work of zealous Father Ostrop. The older young men joined the St. Aloysius Society and the younger the St. Stanislaus Society. The St. Aloysius Society enjoys the comforts and advantages of a moderately equipped club-house. In 1925 they too, joined the Holy Name Society. The young men and ladies of St. Mary's have gained considerable fame as entertainers on the stage. Their plays are well patronized. St. Vincent De Paul Society was organized in 1910 for the purpose of alleviating the needs of the poor. Its members are few but its charitable works are many. No task is too great for the magnanimous members of this benevolent society. The Sacred Heart League was or- ganized in 1914. Today it numbers four hundred members. In 1911 a society known as the Purgatorial Society was formed. It has for its object the succoring of the departed and the assuring of oneself after death the succor of the living. It numbers one hundred members at the present writing. In 1923 the Reverend Franciscan Fathers gave a mission at St. Mary's at the close of which eighty members were enrolled in the Third Order of St. Francis. This Order had been or- ganized some twenty-seven years pre- vious and for twenty years services 172 THE PIONEER PARISHES for them had been held ; however, the number of members had dwindled so that meetings were discontinued; hence, in 1923 the reorganization was undertaken. In the year 1901 the National Fed- eration of Catholic Societies of Amer- ica was organized. No sooner had this been done when in December, 1902, Rev. J. Meckel, who had at- tended the meeting at Cincinnati, called a meeting at St. Mary's Hall and explained why the Catholics of Madison County should organize and affiliate their societies with the Na- tional Federation. At this meeting a temporary organization was effected, and a committee was appointed to confer with the Right Reverend Bishop Ryan. Messrs. Wm. Gschwend and Ferdinand Vollbracht called in person on the Bishop who heartily endorsed the movement. A meeting was then called at the Spalding Club Rooms on February 15, 1903, and all Catholic Societies of the Madison County were invited to participate. At this meeting the Federation or- ganized and the following officers were elected: Messrs. Wm. Gschwend, (President) ; Peter Lafferty, (First Vice President) ; Louis Spengel, (Sec- ond Vice President) ; Frank Troeck- ler (Third Vice President) ; C. J. Mc- Ilenry, (Treasurer), and Joseph Budde, (Secretary). An Advisory Board consisting of Rev. J. J. Meckel, Rev. E. L. Spal- ding, Rev. P. J. O'Reilly and Rev. F. A. Meyers was also elected. At the request of the Bishop the Holy Name Society was founded in 1925. The various parish societies of men were taken over into this new society under the names of the St. Joseph's Society and the Holy Name and St. Aloysius Society of the Holy Name. We trust the Holy Name So- ciety will exist and flourish for many years to come, spreading far and wide the veneration of the Holy Name of Jesus. Its object is a noble and a worthv one and deserves all possible support of both pastor and parishioners. On the night of April 14th to 15th, 1902, St. Mary's Church was the scene of a horrible sacrilege. Mis- creants entered the church, broke open the tabernacle door and sacri- legiously scattered the Sacred Con- secrated Particles which the ciborium contained, about the floor of the sanc- tuary. The Sacred vessels were car- ried off. The next morning when Reverend Pastor entered he was hor- rified at the sight that met his eyes. Tremblingly he picked up the Sacred Hosts. After Mass, pointing to the battered tabernacle door, he informed the people of what had happened. All were deeply shocked and sorrowed. A solemn prayer hour was held that day during which atonement and repara- tion were offered to our outraged Sac- ramental Lord. Prayers were also said that the Sacred Vessels might be restored. Next morning before Mass the priest was informed that the sacred vessels had been found. They were hidden beneath the wooden door- steps of Mr. Theodore Wegener's house on East Fourth street. The priest thereupon put on his surplice and stole and prayerfully betook him- self to the place pointed out. People meanwhile had gathered around the place. Tears filled their eyes. Devout prayers all the while were recited. The priest having arrived, knelt down in adoration. One Sacred Host was still in the ciborium. It was still in- tact but for a small piece broken off. Needless to say there was much ex- citement. Suspicions were wild. No trace of the sacrilegious evil-doers was ever found. The lamentable effects of the World War were not unfelt at St. Mary's. A service flag with one hundred forty stars hung daily in the church to re- mind both priests and faithful to re- member unfailingly in their prayers those young men whom the nation's call had pressed into service. Four of these young men died for their coun- try's cause. Their martial funeral 173 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS obsequies will long be remembered by the people of St. Mary 's. The after effects of the war were perhaps more deplorable than the war itself. Reconstruction proved a slow process. The Flu consequent upon the War, so disastrous in its effects throughout the country, made itself felt but mildly in St. Mary's, for which the good people were profoundly grate- ful to Divine Providence. A mission had been commenced in 1919, how- ever, but on the second day the mis- sionaries were obliged to discontinue services, as the Mayor of the city had issued a decree forbidding the gather- ings of large numbers of people to avoid the spreading of the dreadful epidemic. St. Libory — at St. Libory, 1838 A congregation was established at St. Libory in St. Clair County in 1838. Bishop Rosati of St. Louis sent Father Gaspar H. Ostlangenberg as the first pastor. St. Libory is first mentioned in the Catholic Directory in 1840, and the parish was then known as St. Thaddeus. The priests who served at this very early mission from its establishment to the division of the diocese were Rev. Gaspar H. Ostlangenberg and Rev. Augustus Brickwedde, probably the first resident pastor, who said his first Mass as pastor of St. Libory in the 25th of March, 1849. He came from Quincy, Illinois, where he had built that city's first church in 1837. There was a Catholic school at St. Libory almost from the beginning. Father Augustus Brickwedde built the first school and the dwelling for the Sisters. St. Michael's — Paderborn, 1838 This locality was originally known as German settlement, Teutonia and Prairie du Long, but was called by Rev. W. Busch, Paderborn. All the first settlers were German emigrants, with the exception of three families. As early as 1838 mention is made in the Catholic directories of German settlement Teutonia and Prairie du Long. The English settlement, St. Augustine, was also in the same town- ship of Prairie du Long. Rev. Charles Meyer seems to have been the resident pastor there from 1838 until 1843, and from there he attended a vast number of Catholics scattered throughout the neighborhood. Since a study of the directories shows that he attended missions which were also attended by Irish priests, he probably limited his attention to the Catholic German emigrants. From 1843 until 1847 Teutonia re- ceived attention from Belleville. Then mention of the mission in Catholic di- rectories ceases until 1851, when it again appears under caption, "Prairie du Long, German Settlement, Help of Christians, attended from Centerville (Millstadt.)" St. Alexius, Beardstown, Cass County, 1838 To Beardstown belongs the honor of being one of the oldest Catholic Par- ishes in Illinois. As early as 1833, this city was visited by Reverend Charles Felix Von Quickenborne,S.J., of St. Louis, Missouri. In 1835 Rev- erend James Condamine of the same city included Beardstown in his mis- sionary activities along the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. In the early summer of 1838 Reverend J. B. Raho of LaSalle, Illinois, landed at Beards- town, and writes of his labors as fol- lows: "I discovered about two hun- dred Irish Catholics scattered around a radius of sixty miles of Beardstown. I visited them on foot carrying with me a carpet bag containing every- 174 THE PIONEER PARISHES thing necessary for the celebration of Holy Mass and the administration of the Sacraments. I was amazed at the working of Grace in these poor people." This pious missionary be- longed to the Lazarist Order in the St. Louis Diocese. Prior to Father Raho's arrival, the faithful here were ministered to by Father Peter Paul Lefevre, who was later consecrated co-adjutor Bishop of Detroit, Michigan. In a letter writ- ten by Father Lefevre to Bishop Rosati of St. Louis on October 6, 1836, the former urges the Bishop to send a priest to Beardstown where, as he said, much good can be done. In the summer of 1844, Right Reverend Bishop Quarter of Chicago, after hav- ing visited Joliet, Ottawa, and La- Salle, went to Peoria by boat and con- tinuing his journey down the river to Meredosia finally landed at Beards- town. He was accompanied on this journey by several priests amongst them being Father Maurice De St. Palais, afterwards Bishop of Vin- cennes, Indiana. For some years after the above date, Beardstown was visited by priests from Jacksonville, Quincy, Mt. Sterling, and other places, who said Mass in private homes and adminis- tered the Sacraments. In the year 1851, Beardstown was favored with the presence of Right Reverend James Oliver Vandevelde, second Bishop of Chicago. It was during this visit that the good Bishop contributed fifty dollars from his slender resources to aid the building of a church here. It was about this time that the land was purchased on which was built the first church and which was completed in 1852. It was a frame structure measuring 40x25 feet. It was put under the patronage of St. Alexius in honor of Alexius Fritzpatrick through whose generosity the church became possible. Father McCabe of Jacksonville was the first priest to officiate in the new church. Under him the parish was visited by Fathers Dempsey and Feeley of Quincy. Towards the end of 1854, Father McCabe was succeeded by Father Michael Prendergast of Mt. Sterling. In August, 1856, Father D. Byrne became the first resident pas- tor of St. Alexius. He ruled the parish for two years. Next came Father Michael O'Hern of Jackson- ville and then Father Merl. In 1859, Father Roderick Heimerling took charge of Beardstown. It was he who started the first Catholic school here and also bought the land for a ceme- tery. He died in 1866 after a brief illness and was buried in the Catho- lic Cemetery here. It may be of in- terest to note that Father Heimerling was born in Bavaria of a Catholic mother and a Protestant father. The latter was much opposed to young Heimerling becoming a Catholic. As a result the youth was obliged to flee from his native land and sought refuge in Switzerland and then to Rome where he read his philosophy and theology and was ordained a priest for the American Mission. He had as class fellows in the Eternal City, Cardinal Cullen, Archbishop of Dublin, Ireland, and Archbishop Spalding. This zealous priest was succeeded by Father Rustemeyer from 1866 to 1867; Father Jaeque, 1867 to 1868; Father Albert Busch, 1868 to 1878. It was during the administration of the last named that an addition was made to the original church. The following priests served for brief intervals around this time : Fathers Hellhake, John A. Mark, Sylvester Wegener, and Michael Ryan. Father William Weigand took charge in 1878, and re- mained pastor until 1896, when he was succeeded by Father Ader, who was pastor until 1899. Father Gesen- hues became pastor in 1899, and was in charge until 1902. During the pastorate of Father Weigand, the present beautiful Gothic church was built, the cornerstone being laid in 1889. The building cost about $12,000. On the transfer of Father Gesen- 175 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS hues, the parish of St. Alexius was in charge of Father Loughney until 1910, when Reverend George Hensey was appointed pastor. During Father Hensey 's pastorate, many im- provements were made on the church property including a parish hall donated by John Schultz, and a beau- tiful pastor's residence. Father Hensey being promoted in the fall of 1925, was succeeded by Father James Ahern who is in charge at the present writing, July, 1927. Further improvements are in con- templation and the result will be that St. Alexius Parish, in the near future, will rank with any of the smaller parishes in the Diocese of Springfield. It may be of interest to the reader to note the names of many of the pioneer families in Beardstown : John Quigg, Alexius Cooper, Alexius Fritz- patrick, John Higgins, James Finn, John Welch, Owen McCarty, Stephen Brannan, John Langdon, M. Murray, Wm. Rhineberger, R. F. Kippenberg, Henry Rotes. The first couple married in the original church were Martin Vaughan and Mary Connell, March 27, 1853. In later years the faithful who helped the struggling church were the Doyles, Morans, Dalys, Higgins, Flan- nerys, Collins, Coopers, Rinks, Schultzs, Murrays, Kanes, Scullions, 'Neills and Caldwells. The heirs of many of the above mentioned are still here and are following the good ex- ample set by their ancestors. The writer of this brief history of St. Alexius Church at Beardstown acknowledges his indebtedness to the records of the late Father Gesenhues and also to a history of Beardstown taken from Chicago New World of April 14, 1900. Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, 1839 In the early thirties of the last century Catholic families from Ire- land and Germany settled in and around Springfield, Illinois. These families were visited for the first time by the Rev. John Mary Irene- aus St. Cyr in the year 1834, who wrote a letter in which he informs Bishop Rosati, to whom the letter is addressed, that he (Father St. Cyr) had that same year from Chicago visited the Catholic missions at Sugar Creek, Springfield, and other points in Central Illinois. We take it as historically certain that this was the first visit paid Springfield Catholics by any priest, since neither tradition nor documentary evidence attests the contrary. On being transferred from Chi- cago to Quincy in 1837, Father St. Cyr still continued his pastoral visits to Springfield until 1839. Then, when he had grown old in the service of the Master and no longer able to meet the exacting de- 176 mands of the active missionary life he had hitherto led, he took a chap- laincy at Carondelet, St. Louis, where he died at the ripe old age of more than four score years. This is not the proper place to treat at length the life and labors of this extraordinary man of God. For our purpose it is sufficiently illu- minative of his priestly life to say that he was, in the truest and most Apostolic sense, a veritable "Peri- grinus pro Christo. ' ' His missionary labors, covering Northern Missouri and much of Illinois, particularly the Central region, were really extraor- dinary, and must have demanded in their fulfillment intense faith and self-sacrifice on his part, The jour- neys he then undertook by the most primitive methods of travel to bring the consolations of religion to the widely scattered missions within his care would be considered long and arduous even in this age of facile and speedy transportation. All Beardstown — Rev. Jas. Ahem, Pastor, St. Alexius' Church, Rectory, Hall . . . North Arm — St. Aloysius' Church . . . Virginia — Rectory, Rev. Joseph O'Dwyer, Pastor, St. Luke's Church . . . Edwardsville — St. Mary's Church, Rev. C. A. O'Reilly, Pastor . . . Teutopolis — Rectory, School, St. Francis Church. I Hp11 r i ■ wr ; drill Springfield — Cathedral (old) of the Immaculate Conception Church, School, Rev Louis Hufker, Rector, Rectory, Convent. THE PIONEER PARISHES honor to Father St. Cyr! He was ever about his Heavenly Father's business. His name deserves to be held in perpetual benediction. But Father St. Cyr was not only a zealous missionary ; he was also, and in a high degree, a man of keen dis- cernment and practical vision. Let me state an interesting fact which illustrates his practical insight in the field of his labors, and which, in addition, may be regarded as a pro- phetic sign of the future new Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. About the time Father St. Cyr first visited Springfield the American Hierarchy were contemplating a petition to Rome for the establishment of a new diocese in Illinois the more effectually to care for the spiritual needs of the growing Catholic population of that Commonwealth. To these higher ecclesiastics Father St. Cyr strongly recommended Springfield, because of its geographical situation and its likelihood of becoming a centre of Catholicity, as a most suitable site for the proposed Episcopal See. His recommendation was however re- jected in favor of Chicago. I said rejected, but postponed should have been the word used, for we of a later generation have seen his vision realized and his recommendation ful- filled in the creation of the new Diocese of Springfield. Reverend George Hamilton suc- ceeded Father St. Cyr in Springfield in the fall of 1838. This young priest began his work with high hopes, but hopes that were soon to be blighted by the relatively unsurmountable difficulties he encountered. In 1839 he made a gallant effort to build a church, but without success. Dis- couragement followed this failure. His letters to Bishop Rosati at this time are an open confession of his inability to meet the situation single- handed, and also a sad commentary on his first light-hearted hopes. Two of these letters we take the liberty of quoting in full because they reveal so vividly the then state of affairs in Springfield and the neighboring mis- sions which Father Hamilton also attended. The first letter runs thus : Springfield, 111. August 17th, 1839. Rt. Rev. Sir: I deem it my duty to apprise you of everything I do here. I have used every effort in my power to build a church this season in Springfield, but all my efforts have failed of success. I had indeed obtained Subscrip- tions to the amount of $2,000.00 or $2,300.00, and this created a hope of being able to proceed immediately with the building; but Sir, I per- ceive there is a wide difference between subscribing one's name for money and paying down the money. About the time we wished to com- mence, hard times began and many Subscribers felt it inconvenient to pay, and as they were not Catholics we did not like to urge the matter on them. Many of the Catholics paid their Subscriptions and if we had pressed them would have payed up every- thing, but when we saw that we could not get money from other Sub- scribers we told them not to put themselves to any inconvenience for the present. I think, however, there is no danger of not getting the amount subscribed this Fall and next Win- ter. And in consideration of this I determined to effect a loan if I could get it on fair and reasonable terms. The exhorbitant interest re- quired here deterred me from bor- rowing and the hope of getting it on more advantageous terms brought me to St. Louis. My inquiries soon satisfied me of my mistake. So I resolved to return to Springfield and wait until I could procure from some source or other the means to build my church. In the meantime I have tried to obtain a room which might be set apart for Divine "Worship, but as yet I have been unable to find one large enough, as every room more than ten feet square is being occupied, except one which was built 177 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS for a theatre and which will again probably be applied for the same use. I have refused to take it, thinking that it was not becoming for a house that has once been appointed for Divine Worship to be turned into a theatre. I know not whether I shall be able to get a room this season or not. As I am situated, I assure you, I feel uncomfortable being compelled to be always on the move in order to visit them once or twice a year. I most always find some that I have never heard of before. My opinion is that instead of one there ought to be two priests here in order to properly attend to the Catholics and to enable themselves to derive advantage from their own labors. A priest wandering over these woods without ever seeing an- other priest with whom he may advise and to whom he may unbosom his thoughts is very apt to grow cold. If there were two it might render their situation more pleasant. But these Catholics are too few and generally too poor to afford a com- petent support even to one clergy- man, and I am persuaded I could not live here were it not for the good family I reside with. It will require in my opinion, a society of men who have funds of their own to start with, to effect a permanent and extensively useful establishment. Once that is done everything will go on prosperously. I informed you in my last letter of a new Catholic settlement I had discovered north of the Illinois River. I have been told since there are several Catholic families south of Meredosia. These I have never visited nor do I know how many there are. There are some too about Vandalia and south of that. I intend to visit them next month. I thought I would take them in on my way home, whither I have to go in order to settle my affairs, which if I do not then, I might not be able to do for a year. Some of those who owe me are going down the river and may not return for twelve or eighteen months. I request your permission to do it. I have now given you all the in- formation worth your attention. If you desire any further particulars I shall make it my pleasure to afford them, especially the names of the Catholics and the places of their residence. Your obedient servant, George A. Hamilton. And in the second letter the note of discouragement and acknowl- edged defeat is still more audible. Springfield, 111., February 10, 1840. Rt. Rev. Sir: Your letter of the fifth of January came to hand during my absence on a mission at Jacksonville and Mt. Sterling, and I have been prevented from answering it by visits which T was obliged to make in several dif- ferent places. I have already published the reg- ulations to some of my widely scat- tered Congregations ; to some others I shall promulgate them this and the ensuing week. I have received the "Ordo" and said two Masses for same. I have now been on the mission for one year. When I arrived there was, I believe, a fairer prospect of erecting a church than there is at present. Whether the failure pro- ceeds from my inability or misman- agement, from coolness of zeal on the part of my subscribers or from pressure of times, I am unable to ascertain. Sir, I believe, I have done all I could to effect the erection of a church. I have traversed large por- tions of the State, begging at every house where I thought there was a hope of obtaining assistance, and preaching in every Congregation for the same purpose, and I have failed. I have reflected much on the sub- ject and I have come to the con- clusion that it is useless for me to try to build a church with the means I at the present can command. The 178 THE PIONEER PARISHES Catholics are, as I said before, too few and too poor to build one them- selves and their numbers do not ap- pear to augment. There are nine entire Catholic families in town, and two of which the females are Catholics. There are other transient families that remain here when they can get employment. In these circumstances, Sir, I confess I am at a loss to know how to proceed. I could write you a full account of my situation, but believing I can do it more to my satisfaction by oral communication, I have deferred to do so until the first of March when I hope to see you in St. Louis whither I desire to go about that time as it has been some months since I went to confession. Your obedient servant, George A. Hamilton. Father Hamilton was now trans- ferred from Springfield without hav- ing built the church, and on April 18, 1840, was given the pastorate of Alton. In his letter of appointment, Bishop Rosati remarked that the Mission at Springfield would be taken care of by the Vencentian Fathers of Perryville, Missouri, which duty they did fulfill until January 1844. It is believed that these priests celebrated Mass at the house of a Creole named William Schoville. It is also pretty certain that at that time Mass was occasion- ally said in the Court House. Strangely enough the predecessor of the Vincentians was also their suc- cessor, for February 18, 1844, saw Father Hamilton back again in charge of Springfield. A few months later (March 10, 1844) the Diocese of Chicago Avas established and Springfield came automatically under its jurisdiction. But it still remained the difficult parish of his first administration, for in addition to Springfield he had under his care such distant missions, as Sugar Creek, Bear Creek, South Fork, Tay- lorville, Jacksonville, Potsville, Tur- key Prairie and Virginia. To attend Missions so widely separated was a tremendous task, and in doing so Father Hamilton must have endured all the hardships of the pioneer mis- sionary. His second, as his first stay, was short. He left the Diocese in 1846 and went to Boston where he died a few years later. Father Hamilton was born in Marion County, Kentucky, about 1815. He studied at St. Mary's Sem- inary, Kentucky, and afterwards in Rome. Having completed his studies in 1839, he returned to St. Louis where that same year he was or- dained priest by Bishop Rosati. In reading Father Hamilton 's vivid pen-pictures of the lowly condition of the Catholic Church in the Spring- field of his day, one is greatly struck by the change for the better which has since taken place. Springfield Catholics could not then afford to erect a $2,000.00 Church ; today, they are represented by nine flourishing congregations with eight parochial schools, an elaborate Old Folks' Home, a splendid hospital and two convents. In addition, there is being built at the present time on one of Springfield's most beautiful loca- tions, the magnificent Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception which, with its auxiliary buildings, will rep- resent a Diocesan outlay of a million and a half dollars. And all this gratifying progress has taken place in the life-time of an octogenarian ! Reverend Phillip Conlon, the next pastor of Springfield, remained in charge until 1850. In the Fall of 1848 he succeeded in erecting the first Catholic church in the city. This primitive, little structure, ded- icated to St. John the Baptist, stood on the South Side of Adams Street between eighth and Ninth Streets on ground previously purchased by Father Conlon from one John S. Berger for a consideration of $500.00. Father Conlon was succeeded by Rev. John Gifford, a Scotchman or- dained in Ireland. He served the parish two years, and died towards 179 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS the end of 1853 at the O'Hara Settlement (now Ruma), Randolph County. After Rev. John Gifford, came in quick succession Fathers Stehle, Prendergast, and Hurley, whose re- spective ministries, because of their brevity, were unmarked by any notable achievements. Father Hur- ley's subsequent history deserves ii passing mention. On leaving Spring- field he became pastor of St. Pat- rick's, Peoria, and when in 1877 the new Diocese of Peoria was created he was appointed its first Bishop. But he declined to serve, being in- fluenced either by modesty, or the thought that uneasy lies the head that wears the mitre. His death occured at Peoria on December 11, 1892. Reverend H. Quigley now took charge of Springfield in November 1855, remaining until March 1857. As a prolific and learned writer on religious and doctrinal subjects he deservedly enjoyed a wide reputa- tion. During his incumbency, to be exact on January 8, 1856, Right Rev- erend Anthony 'Regan bought from John Kavanaugh lots five and six and the West half of lot seven on the corner of Seventh and Mon- roe Streets, — the ground on which the old Immaculate Conception Church, now the Cathedral, stands. At a later date the East half of lots seven and eight on the corner of Eighth and Monroe Streets were secured, thus completing the valu- able half block on Monroe Street between Seventh and Eighth Streets. In the fall of 1856, Father Quigley began the erection of the present church, but had progressed no further in its construction than the founda- tion when he left for the Northern part of the State the following Spring of 1857. On April 21, 1857, an historical event of much significance occurred : the Archbishop of St. Louis received letters Apostolic confirming the ap- pointment of Reverend Henry Da- mien Juncker of Dayton, Ohio, as Bishop of the newly created Diocese of Alton. Some months later (Oct. 23, 1857) Right Rev. Anthony 'Regan, Bishop of Chicago, to whose Diocese Springfield had hitherto be- longed, transferred the title of the church property on Adams Street and the four lots on Monroe to Bishop Juncker. The immediate successors of Rever- end H. Quigley were Fathers Muller and McElhern neither of whom re- mained long enough to accomplish anything important. Father James Fitzgibbons, familiar- ly known as Father "Fitz," took up the pastoral charge in 1858, and im- mediately resumed construction on the new church on which little had been done during the two previous years. Under his able management the building progressed rapidly. The Register of October 11, 1858, in com- menting upon it at this stage has this to say : "The Catholic Church: Among the many handsome buildings going up in our city, none will contribute more to its adornment than the elegant church edifice which the Catholics of our city are erecting. "It will be the largest in our city and in point of architectural merit will probably excel all others. Mr. Fitzgibbons, the pastor of the Church here, deserves much credit for the zeal and energy with which he has prosecuted this work, which he has done thus far without calling for lib- eral subscriptions for the building in this city, but, to enable him to get it covered in by the close of the season he hopes that the subscribers here will lend him assistance by meeting their subscriptions at as early a date as possible." The church was completed and ready for dedication in the early part of the year 1859. On completion, but before its dedication to Divine Serv- ice, a festival was held in the new edifice which happy event the Spring- field Journal (issue January 14, 1859) describes as follows: "The Catholic Festival :— The fes- 180 THE PIONEER PARISHES tival given on Wednesday night in aid of the new Catholic Church was a very successful affair. Notwithstand- ing the inclemency of the weather, the large building was crowded with guests, all of whom seemed to enjoy themselves to the utmost. Three tables, loaded with the choicest viands of every variety and extending the whole length of the building attracted much attention and were handsomely re- lieved of their load during the ' vn- ning. "Merritts' Cornet Band contrib- uted not a little to the pleasure of the occasion. Much praise is due the Rev. Mr. Fitzgibbons and his assist- ants, for the successful termination to which the festival was brought." In its issue of March 24, 1859, the Journal in referring to the now com- pleted church, the consummation so devoutly wished, carried this inter- esting and informative article : "The Catholic denomination have erected a new edifice, the entire length of which is 132 feet exclusive of foundations of tower and dwelling in rear, by 58 feet wide outside dimen- sions. There is a basement under the entire building about ten feet high in the clear. The main room is about 32 feet high and will be finished with an arched ceiling, and when completed will be the best church in the city. "The stone work of this building was done by C. Lang, brickwork by William Childs, Denis and Beam builders. The foundation of this building was begun on plans by Mr. Akron of Nashville, Tennessee, and when the foundation was completed the plan was abandoned and a plan by Mr. Miller of Alton adopted. "There is also a dwelling house con- nected with the building for the resi- dent Pastor which is 26 feet wide by 43 feet long and two and a half stories high, which will cost when completed about $2,000. There has been expended on this church about $12,000." April 3, 1859, witnessed the dedica- tion of the new Immaculate Concep- tion Church. The dedicatory cere- monies were performed by Right Rev- erend Henry Damian Juncker, Bishop of Alton, and the sermon of the oc- casion was preached by Rev. Stephen Ryan, CM., of St. Louis. The pub- lic to whom a hearty invitation had been extended filled the edifice to overflowing. An incident which occurred on the day of dedication has often been spoken of and magnified. Some of the footings of the piers in the base- ment were of sandstone taken from the local quarries of that day, south of the city, at Sugar Creek. As this stone was soft when first quarried a few of the footings crumbled under the weight of the immense crowd, and the floor in a small space settled three or four inches. No one was injured, the walls and roof were not disturbed and since the footings of the piers were replaced they have carried capacity crowds through all these years without indication of failure. It is worthy of special note that this church has the unique distinction of being the first church in the entire Western Country to be dedicated to the Blessed Virgin under her glorious new title of Mary Immaculate which had been definitely given to her in 1854 by the illustrious Pope Pius IX of sainted memory. Viewed architecturally, the Im- maculate Conception Church has lit- tle to recommend it, beyond the fact that it is strongly constructed, had good space appropriation, and ex- cellent acoustic properties. Viewed historically and religiously, it is a grand old edifice linking the past with the present, whose every brick, stone and stick is sacred in the eyes of Springfield people. So popular has this hoary old church grown, that from the time it is opened in the morning until its closing at night, it would be difficult to find it even for a moment empty of worshippers. In 1860 a two room school, a small frame structure, was built in the space to the north side of the church. This school was for boys only and was taught by Brothers of the Holy 181 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Cross from Notre Dame, Indiana. The girls attended school at St. Joseph's Ursuline Convent out in the north part of town. An event of State-wide signif- icance and of singular interest to local Catholics was the death of William H. Bissell, Governor of the State of Illinois, which took place on the afternoon of March 18, 1860. The Governor became a Catholic five years prior to his death and the funeral obsequies were held at the Executive Mansion. The Reverend officers of the Solemn Requiem High Mass sung on the occasion were : Celebrant, Father Fitzgibbon; Deacon, Father Byrne; Subdeacon, Father Jansen, and Master of Ceremonies, Father Ban- non of St. Louis. At the conclusion of the Mass the procession, starting from the Governor's Mansion, moved up Cook Street to Sixth, down Sixth to Washington, thence west on Washington to Fifth Street, then south on Fifth Street to Adams and finally west on Adams to the Cem- etery. At the Cemetery a funeral oration was delivered by the Reverend Smarius, S.J. of St. Louis, which was for many years referred to as a discourse of unusual eloquence and power. Father Fitzgibbon left the parish in January 1864, from which time until the end of May when a regular pastor was appointed in the person of the Rev. Joseph Costa, the spir- itual needs of the parish were at- tended to by Fathers Zabel, D.D., and Stick, a young priest recently ordained. Father Costa proved an earnest and energetic pastor during his all too short administration of less than two years. Reverend Louis Hinsen, who had pastoral charge from February 1865 to June 1868, made immediate ar- rangements for a new school for the girls of the parish. To this end he secured the old St. John's Church building vacated by the German con- gregation to occupy their new Church of SS. Peter and Paul. As teachers he employed the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Milwaukee. During his somewhat more than two years stay Father Hinsen was assisted by Fathers Michael Clifford and George Mitchell. His successor, Reverend John 'Sullivan, had a brief pastorate. He died after a service of little more than a year and was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Springfield. Reverend Timothy Hickey who had been appointed as- sistant in the fall of 1868 acted as administrator from the death of Father 'Sullivan until the appoint- ment of Reverend Patrick Brady in November 1869. Under Father Brady's pastorate of well-nigh twenty years, the par- ish developed so extensively that the church became too small to accom- modate the congregation. It there- fore became necessary to remodel the church and put an addition to it so as to extend its length. This addition was built in 1870, Dennis and Beam being the Architects. The front of the church was extended twenty feet, the entire floor lowered three feet, and the gallery was set back over the vestibule and made to extend a considerable distance up the body of the church on each side. Patrick Conway was the contractor for the work and Chris Hang did the stone work. In 1876 Father Brady built a large eight room brick school which still serves its original purpose, where the Brothers of the Holy Cross had charge of the boys, and Sisters of Notre Dame of the girls. Many other improvements were made dur- ing his incumbency which go to show his administrative ability and a sub- stantial increase in the numbers and wealth of the congregation. The priests who assisted Father Brady were Reverend Timothy Hick- ey 1869-70, Reverend V. Burgos, 1871-72, Reverend P. M. Burke, 1872- 1884, and Reverend Thomas O'Reilly who took up his duties in March 1884. 182 THE PIONEER PARISHES Father Brady was succeeded in February, 1889 by the Very Reverend Timothy Hickey, his first assistant at the Immaculate Conception Church, who by this time had been made Vicar General of the Diocese by Bishop Ryan. The first notable pastoral act of Father Hickey was to place the parochial school in the teaching care of the Dominican Sisters of Sacred Heart Convent, Springfield. This he did in the September of 1890. A very substantial brick residence at a cost of $10,383 was erected in 1896, and in 1902 new pews and al- tars were installed in the Church and other necessary minor improvements made. In 1906 a brick home was built for the School Sisters. This building cost $8,547. After a long and fruitful adminis- tration of five and thirty years in which time he had the happiness of seeing his congregation grow in num- bers, in wealth, and, what pleased him best of all, in grace before God and man, on January 19, 1924, Father Hickey, owing to the loss of sight and infirmities consequent to old age, gave up the heavy burden of his par- ish which he could no longer bear, and entered St. John's Hospital where he lived in peaceful retirement until his lamented death, October 20, 1926. He died as he had lived — a true priest of God, honored, esteemed, yea, beloved by all who knew him, and their name was legion. It is doubtful if Springfield had had a sec- ond resident more truly and lasting- ly popular with all classes of people than the witty and amiable pastor of St. Mary's. It is sometimes said that Father Hickey did not make the most of the splendid material opportunities that were constantly before him during his long pastorate. In answer to this mild criticism the writer would like to say, it is true indeed that Father Hickey built no handsome parish monuments that arrest the eye of the passer-by, but he did build something of far more importance, viewed in the light of eternal values, — he built (per- haps better than he knew) pyramids of love and faith in God, in the hearts of a grateful people who will never forget him. The harvest of his spir- itual efforts is being today abundant- ly reaped by his successors in office. Father Hickey had many assist- ants during his thirty-five years as pastor, some of whom are now dead, while others are Pastors in various parishes throughout the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. The follow- ing priests served under him in the time order herein given : Fathers Thomas O'Reilly from February, 1889, to June of the same year ; Pat- rick R. Ducey, 1889-92 ; P. R. Byrne, 1892-93; Bernard Lee, 1899-1900; Joseph O'Connor, 1895-99; J. J. Driscoll for a few months in 1895 ; J. F. Murphy, 1899-1900 ; Joseph Finne- gan, 1900-2; William M. Costello, 1900-3; T. O 'Carroll, 1903-04; E. Maguire, 1903-05; Francis Curran, 1905-08; John J. Connolly, 1905- 1910; Laurence C. Ryan, 1908-12; Michael Enright, 1910-15; Timothy McKeogh, 1912-13 ; Joseph O 'Dwyer, 1913-15; William O 'Sullivan, 1915- 26; Patrick J. Beary, 1915-17, and George J. Kenny from July, 1917 to January, 1924. And now at long last the vision of Father St. Cyr, that Springfield should one day be an Episcopal See, was realized unexpectedly when, on October 26, 1923, Pope Pius XI is- sued a document designating the Church of the Immaculate Concep- tion to be henceforth the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, thus transferring the Episcopal See from Alton to Springfield. Fifteen days later (November 10,1923), a second Papal document was issued appoint- ing Reverend James Aloysius Griffin, D.D., Bishop of the newly created Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. On February 25, 1924, Dr. Griffin was consecrated Bishop in the Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago. Most Reverend George W. Mundelein, as- sisted by Bishops Stritch of Toledo and Hoban of Chicago, was the con- 183 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS secrating prelate. Four days later (Feb. 28) the Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., was solemnly in- stalled in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception as Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield. On this occasion too, Most Reverend George W. Mundelein performed the induc- tion ceremonies. Several Bishops were present, nearly all the priests of this Diocese, and large delegations of Clergy from Chicago, Peoria, and other neighboring Dioceses. Never before did the old St. Mary's witness such an array of distinguished ec- clesiastics within its walls. Rev. M. A. Tarrent having read the Papal Mandate, Archbishop Mundelein delivered a short and eloquent exhortation. Then the newly installed Bishop impressively delivered his charge to the clergy and laity of his Diocese. After the Pontifical Mass a banquet was given to the visiting Prelates and priests at the St. Nicholas Hotel. That evening a civic reception was ten- dered Bishop Griffin in the State Armory by the citizens of Springfield who packed the spacious building to capacity. Early in March, 1924, the Chan- cery Office Records were removed from Alton to Springfield and an of- fice set apart for them in the Cathe- dral Rectory with Very Reverend M. A. Tarrant appointed Chancellor in charge. In May, 1924, another assistant was attached to the Cathedral Staff, and thus under the direction of the Right Reverend Bishop three assistants, Fathers William 'Sullivan, George J. Kenny and Michael J. Griffin served to the needs of the parish. On January 20, 1925, Reverend J. Kenny was promoted to the Pastorate of St. Catherine's, Virden, and Rev- erend Michael Griffin was sent on temporary duty to SS. Peter and Paul Church, Alton. They were re- placed at the Cathedral by Fathers Daniel 'Grady and Charles C. San- don. In October, 1924, the Right Rever- end Pastor abolished the pew rent system as a means of church support and introduced the monthly envelope system by which every parishioner having means or revenue, does his or her part towards financing the church. The Cathedral has several well-or- ganized Societies and Sodalities pre- sided over by the assistant priests. They are : The Holy Name Society, The Altar and Rosary Society, Prop- agation of the Faith, the League of the Sacred Heart, Young Ladies So- dality, Children of Mary, and Junior Holy Name Society. These organiza- tions are in a flourishing condition and are productive of much good along their individual lines of ap- peal. The parochial school with its float- ing average of 400 pupils is entrusted to the care of the Dominican Sisters whom Father Hickey introduced in the year 1890. At present eight Sis- ters are employed and two lay teachers. The Cathedral parish is bounded on the North by Carpenter Street from Third Street East to Eighteenth Street; on the East by Eighteenth Street from Carpenter Street south to Grand Avenue; on the South by South Grand Avenue from Eight- eenth Street west to Third Street; and on the West by Third Street from South Grand Avenue north to Carpenter Street. Such in brief is the story of the Im- maculate Conception Parish — a his- tory of ups and downs of triumphs and failures, but withal a history dis- closing a continuous, steady, substan- tial progress in numbers, wealth and grace. It had a beginning like the mustard plant; it had a growth like it too. In 1839 it began with a dozen families or so, too few and too poor to build even the smallest kind of church; in 1923 it had increased to 600 families averaging considerable means, ami in that year was signally honored by His Holiness Pope Pius XI by being designated the Cathedral Parish of this Diocese. Its splendid past begets the hope of a more splen- did future. 184 THE PIONEER PARISHES SS. Simon and Jude, Silver Creek, 1839 The Catholic directories of 1839 mention this mission, and state that a church is to be built. It is visited by Rev. John Kenny, who preaches in English. Where was the mission located? Could it have been the beginning of Lebanon or Mascoutah, the only two present day parishes situated on or near Silver Creek? Rev. Henry Meyer attended the settlers about Mascoutah as early as 1839, but Mascoutah does not appear in the directories until 1854, when it is visited monthly from Belleville, but has no church. Lebanon makes its first appearance in the directories even later ; however, about 1838, Rev. Henry Meyer, the first priest who visited Germantown, is met at Lebanon and accompanied from here to Germantown by two of the early settlers, near Germantown. Rev. Henry Meyer also visited sta- tions and missions elsewhere, which were attended by Rev. John Kenny. It appears that the former attended the Germans and the latter the Eng- lish and Irish settlers. St. Francis, Teutopolis, Effingham Co., 1839 St. Francis Church is situated in Teutopolis, in the Township of the same name, about three miles east of Effingham, the County Seat. Though now famous chiefly as a center of Franciscan activity, its history dates back to about 1837. In that year Mr. Clement Uptmor and a number of other German emigrants, mostly from Oldenburg, Hanover and also from Westphalia, desiring to acquire their own homes at a reasonable cost and to preserve the faith more easily for their children, conceived the plan of founding a German colony in the West. They organized the "German Land Company" (Deutsche Land- kompagnie). Each member paid monthly $5.00 until a sufficient sum had been collected. From nine char- ter members the number soon in- creased to one hundred forty-one. A committee consisting of Clem Upt- mor, I., John Ferdinand Waschefort, and Gerard H. Bergfeld was sent out to find a suitable site for a colony. Setting out on April 17, 1837, they crossed Indiana (via Vincennes), ex- plored a large part of Illinois, and came as far as Chillicothe, Mo. Dis- gusted with slavery in Missouri, the party returned via Quincy and Jacksonville, went to Vandalia, then the capital of Illinois, examined the books of the Land Office and chose the spot where Teutopolis now stands. The reason for this choice seems to have been the desire to get a suf- ficiently compact stretch of land and of woodland, because they were under the impression that the prairie land, then very swampy, was unhealthful and unproductive — like the heath of their native land which was barren. They then returned to Cincinnati after an absence of fifteen weeks to report to the Company. They were silent about the site of the location, lest some speculator or disloyal per- son buy the land in question and make them pay a higher price. A commission was now appointed to ex- amine the land. Messrs. Henry Berg- feld, George Meyer and Henry Roennebaum were selected and Mr. Clem Uptmor led them to the place now called Teutopolis on the old na- tional road. After examining the plot of land, they purchased at Van- dalia about ten thousand acres, pay- ing $1.25 per acre except eighty acres for which they had to pay $5.00 each. The land belonged largely to veterans of the Black Hawk War.' On September 21, 1839, the new town was platted by John Wasche- fort, and recorded on November 27, 1839, at Cincinnati, Ohio. The forty- eight blocks have nine lots each with a frontage of fifty feet and a depth of 185 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS five hundred thirty-three feet. Lots were set aside for Church, cemetery and market places. The eastern part of the present town was incorporated later on. The plat was recorded in Vandalia, June 9, 1841. In the Fall of 1839 the lots, etc., were raffled in the old engine house at Cincinnati. Mr. J. F. Waschefort made out the deeds. The new town had to have a name. Various names were suggested but finally the name of Teutopolis was adopted at the sug- gestion of Most Reverend John Bap- tist Purcell, D.D., Archbishop of Cin- cinnati, since "Germantown" and "Hanover" had already been taken. Now the exodus from Ohio to Illinois began. Among the first members of the German Land Company to arrive at Teutopolis were : Messrs. Hy Vor- mor (the only one who possessed a team of horses and a wagon), John Herman Bergfeld, John Henry Upt- mor and family and Mr. Toebbe (Green Creek). Vormor lived for a short time at Gennivers (where is now the B. Overbeck farm near the Salt Creek, east of Effingham). John Hy Uptmor was the first one to own a house in Teutopolis and thus became the first citizen of the town. Mean- while his brother, Clement, at Cin- cinnati married Mary Elizabeth Nie- haus and with his wife together with Clem Vahling and wife, and with his brother Herman Hy Uptmor and daughter Mary (Mrs. Theodore Pruemmer) came to Teutopolis December 21, 1839. In 1839 or 1840 came II. Brummer, Joseph Ostendorf, Franz Moritz Masquelet, B. H. Vogt, Joseph Woermann, John Steinkes, Jacob Doedtmann ; Mrs. J. F. Wasche- fort (1840), and J. G. Korfhagen in February, 1841. To take care of the spiritual wel- fare, provision had probably been made at Cincinnati. On November 26 we find Father Masquelet bap- tizing one Elizabeth Boeckmann, born October 13, 1839. This must have been at Ginncvers (Bernard Over- beck's farm). In February, 1840, the Reverend Pastor, with five or six men, went into the forest north of town to fell the first trees for the log church. The first one to be baptized in it was Henry Uptmor, "The Soldier." As Father Masquelet insisted on getting a subscription for his salary before he would hear the confessions of the people, he got into trouble and began to build a second church about a mile and a half west of the village on Mueller's place between the rail- road and the National Road. Settlers living in the vicinity before the arrival of the Germans were Messrs. Nick Radley ;Bresley ;Leavet Genivers; H. Stallings, a Catholic and Williams, a passionate hunter. (Thus old settlers informed Father Eugene in 1900.) In April, 1840, the officers of the German Land Company at Teutopolis were: Messrs. Clem Uptmor, Joseph Brockmann, and J. Herman Bergfeld who were authorized to receive new members. On June 1, 1840, Teutopo- lis numbered four houses. In 1842 a post office was begun and Mr. Clem- ent Uptmor, Sr., appointed the post- master with his son Clement as Dep- uty postmaster. He held the office twenty-seven years. His successors were Jos. Habing, April, 1869; Chas. Eversman, Mrs. M. Vonderheide, Daniel Ordner, Von Oy, Mr. Nuxoll, John Weiss and Mrs. John Weiss. The first saw mill was built by Mr. T. Pruemmer and Mr. Franz Schleper at Salt Creek. In 1842 Uptmor Broth- ers built a windmill on the present College grounds. Later on in 1857, Mr. J. Waschefort built a grist and saw mill operated by steam. In 1882, Uptmor and Siemer built a steam roller mill with a daily capacity of three hundred barrels. About 1845 or 1846 Teutopolis was incorporated as a village. It then numbered eight citizens and all except one were honored with an office. The nearest markets were first Terre Haute, and then St. Louis; later on Vandalia was added. Fever was epidemic. 186 THE PIONEER PARISHES The earlier doctors were: Brady Schinkel, Lange, Koch, and Evers- man. Later on Drs. J. and I. Brum- leve, Westhoelter, F. J. Hoffman and Weisenhorn. Dr. F. Eversman came from Cincinnati in 1852. Nor was education overlooked. In 1840 a log school house was put up and Mr. J. H. Raben was the first teacher. About six to seven attend- ed the first school. On February 9, 1848, a severe storm uncovered all roofs in town except two. The church was uncovered exposing the altar, but the crucifix on the altar remained un- damaged. The following boys of Teutopolis took part in the Civil War: H. Upt- mor, Jos. Bussman, John Eversman, Geo. Weiss, and John Zerrusen. The last two were killed in battle. Dr. Hy Eversman was a surgeon with an of- ficer's rank. In 1868 the Teutopolis Mutual Fire Insurance Company was founded. On April 6 of the same year, the citizens voted to take Railroad Stock to the amount of $15,000.00 in the Vandalia & Terre Haute railroad. On Novem- ber 1, 1869, a freight train brought the first freight to Teutopolis. Mr. J. F. Waschefort passed away on Janu- ary 18, 1879. Mr. Clement Uptmor, IV, (teacher and merchant) followed him on the following day; Clement Uptmor I went to his reward in Aug- ust, 1893. His brother, Henry, had preceded him on June 5, 1884. St. Peter's Church, Teutopolis, Illinois, 1840-1858 Pastor: Rev. Joseph Masquelet, (November, 1839-43). According to Clem Uptmor II, his father, Clement Uptmor I, Messrs. Waschefort and Bergfeld obtained the consent of Father Masquelet while they were yet in Cincinnati to be their pastor in the new colony. According to Mr. C. Nacke, a brother-in-law of Father Masquelet, the priest lived with his parents near Greenup for two years and from there alternately attended Piquet's Settlement (St. Marie) and Teutopolis. He now moved with his parents to Teutopolis. At first he seems to have boarded at Ginnevers, (Judge Barney Overbeck's Farm) where Father Masquelet also bap- tized several children. In February, 1840, he began to cut trees for the log church, the exact dimensions of which are unknown, probably being 32x38 feet. The log church was surmounted by a low steeple in which hung a bell, shipped from Cincinnati and said to have weighed seven hundred pounds. When Father Masquelet got into trouble about his salary, the people com- plained to the Right Reverend Celes- tine De La St. Hailandiere, then bishop of the diocese, that the Pastor did not know Low German which a pastor at Teutopolis needed because the old people understood High Ger- man but imperfectly, and the priest must needs explain some things to their children in Low German. Father Masquelet now built a church one and one-half miles west of Teutopolis and started a cemetery there. Charles Eversman hints that perhaps he would eventually have started a town there ; but this is uncertain. Father Joseph Masquelet labored later on in New Orleans, Louisiana, and even- tually returned to France (Alsace). He came back again to visit Teutopo- lis first in 1855 and again in the seventies (from France) and gave a sum of money and a number of vest- ments to the Teutopolis church. Soon after his return to his native country he passed away. While Teutopolis was without a resident pastor, a number of priests came occasionally from the Diocese of Vincennes to administer to the most pressing spiritual needs of the settle- ment. They were : Fathers Charles Joseph Oppermann, rector of the Priests' Seminary at Vincennes, In- diana; T. N. Mullen, O.S.A., of New- ton, who did not understand the language of the Germans; Roman Weinzoepflen, O.S.B., then a young 187 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS and zealous secular priest who had become famous because he became the innocent victim of blackmail and owing to bigotry was detained sev- eral years in the penitentiary of In- diana until the wife of President James K. Polk, U. S. A., induced the governor to pardon the innocent priest. Mrs. Schmahl afterwards con- fessed to the fraud perpetrated by her, the purpose of which was to ex- tort money. In 1890 Father Roman, O.S.B., celebrated his Golden Jubilee as a priest. His end came in 1895. The Eudist Father, J. Vabret, bap- tized several children in 1844. Final- ly, Teutopolis received a resident rec- tor in the person of Rev. Joseph Kuenster, (November 20, 1845, to July, 1850). He signs himself "The First Resident Pastor." After leav- ing Teutopolis, he labored zealously at Quincy, Illinois, where he died in 1857. As Teutopolis was again with- out a resident Pastor, the Reverend Francis J. Fischer came over from time to time from Ste. Marie, Illinois, to administer the Sacraments to the Teutopolitans and neighboring Cath- olics of Effingham, Green Creek, etc., at Teutopolis. In November, 1850, to June, 1854, we find another priest residing at Teutopolis — the Reverend Joseph Zoegel. As the old log church had proved to be inadequate long before, Father Zoegel carried out what his predecessor had been unable to ac- complish, the building of a new and more substantial brick church. Great was the difference of views over the site; a majority was for the old site about two blocks west of the present mill, but a low and swampy place ; the determined minority who are said to have used unfair means to get the church for the eastern part of town, succeeded. Four trips on foot to Vincennes by the majority leader proved unavailing as the old place was too low and swampy. The new Bishop, Right Reverend James Oliver Vandevelde, of Chicago, was in favor of the new place and the matter hav- ing been decided by him, the day was set for the laying of the Corner-stone, July 20, 1851. It was a splendid cele- bration. Father Zoegel sang the High Mass while his Lordship delivered the English sermon and Father Bus- chotts preached in German. About one hundred persons partook of the banquet served. In the evening there was a torch-light procession. All seemed happy. Mr. Caspar Nolte of St. Louis was the contractor for the new church. The edifice as planned, perhaps the finest in Southern Illi- nois, was 110x60 feet, the walls 30 feet and the steeple to be 180 feet high. The stone work was done in 1851. On March 27, 1853, Divine Service was held for the first time in the still unfinished church. A num- ber of parishioners, disgruntled by the site on which the church was built, refused to do their share. Bitter dis- sensions for many years delayed the progress of the Parish. At least twice the church was on the verge of being sold for debt. Some church land was sold to defray expenses, and, as Mr. Huels had suggested a Mission was given by the Jesuit Fathers Weber and Patschowski, which helped to es- tablish harmony. Father Weber re- mained a few weeks before returning to St. Louis, Missouri. Reverend Charles Raphael was the next resident Pastor. During his ad- ministration (July, 1854, to Novem- ber, 1856) he organized St. Mary's Society for Married Ladies. He also said Mass occasionally at Bishop Creek School. Father Raphael died as Chaplain of the Convent of the Good Shepherd at Milwaukee, Wis- consin. After the rather short pastorate of Reverend H. Liermann (November, 1856, to January, 1857) the Reverend Charles Zucker succeeded him. After three weeks he shook the dust of the town from his feet to seek a more con- genial place of activity. Reverend T. Frauenhofer, who had been appointed the first resident Pastor of the neigh- boring Green Creek Parish, took pity 188 THE PIONEER PARISHES on bereft Teutopolis and served dur- ing the interregnum. The next resident priest was Rev- erend Joseph H. Fortmann mention- ed in the records (August, 1857, to January, 1858). He took up a sub- scription for the erection of a rec- tory. For a time, the Pastor had lived in a house belonging to Mr. J. F. Waschefort. The subscription amounted to $723.64. Soon after the Pastor had left for Peoria, he passed to his eternal reward on March 9, 1858. Reverend Thomas Frauenhofer of Green Creek, Illinois, once more ad- ministered St. Peter's Parish until the Reverend Bartholomew Bartels, recently from Germany, was appoint- ed to fill the vacancy at Teutopolis. As a rectory was a real necessity, he took up another subscription and began work on it, when the Bishop assigned the Franciscan Friars of the Saxon Province of the Holy Cross to this Parish. St. Peter's Congregation Administered by the Franciscan Friars The Friars arrived on September 23 and 26 respectively, and were hos- pitably received by the Pastor. They took formal charge of the Parish on October 3, 1858. Father Servatius Altmicks first gave a number of Mis- sions in Southern Illinois, while the Superior, Father Damian, adminis- tered the Parish. At the end of De- cember, the Friars had moved into the rectory which served as the first monastery. Father Capistran now succeeded Dr. Frauenhofer at Green Creek while Father Servatius took Father Fraunhofer's place at Effing- ham. When Father Damian Henne- wig arrived, the Teutopolis church was little more than four bare walls. The steeple had not been built and the interior was just then being plas- tered. The altar was a temporary one, the boards being covered with cloth. A new large bell in honor of St. Peter was installed on September 22, 1860. On September 23, the church was consecrated in honor of St. Francis of Assissi with St. Peter as second patron. The heads of the families had pledged themselves to pay all debts. On July 28, 1867, two more bells were blessed in honor of St. Mary Immaculate and of St. Rose of Lima. Father Damian, in seeking to beautify the House of God, did not neglect the spiritual welfare of the Parish entrusted to his care. This needed even greater attention than the material and financial part. Owing to bitter dissensions and fre- quent change of Pastors or the ab- sence of them, the spiritual condition of the people was far from satisfac- tory. In a letter dated May 9, 1859, Father Damian writes to the Very Reverend Provincial in Germany : "Before the Mission, the Parish seemed to be a barren field. Hardly any one showed a desire for the (frequent) reception of the Sacra- ments. Only to those in danger of death we were frequently called; for just then many were sick and not a few died. But after the mission, new life became apparent. The faithful learned to know us and we to know them. They are really an impression- able people, susceptible of good." The zealous shepherd next introduced the scapular and the Stations of the Cross. The Devotion of the Forty Hours was introduced with episcopal approbation during the carnival days of 1859 and has been kept up since. Father Damian was also very anxious about good teachers and the higher education of the young people. He tried to get religious teachers from Europe, Brothers of III Order. The Notre Dame Sisters came to Teutopo- lis at his invitation, December 7, 1861. Father Damian also built St. Joseph 's College at the request of the Right Reverend Bishop. The Confraternity of the Sacred Heart of Mary for the 189 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS conversion of sinners was also intro- duced by the saintly Father Damian. After his term of three years as Su- perior, Father Damian was succeeded by the Reverend Mathias Hiltermann as Pastor and by Father Kilian as Superior while he took charge of the Green Creek congregation. Father Mathias, full of priestly zeal, labored indefatigably like his predecessor. He organized St. Joseph's Reading Club and Singing Society until some mis- understandings with the Bishop in- duced his transfer to St. Louis, Mis- souri. Reverend Damian Hennewig was once more placed in charge of St. Francis Parish. For a lot adjoining the church $395.00 was paid on Aug- ust 14, 1865. Mr. W. Stilleke was teacher and organist, May 1864-68. A new communion rail was installed. (Paid to Clem A. Riemann $25.60 for 128 staves for Communion Rail). On November 20, $100.00 was paid out for decorating the church. He planned the erection of a new school building but death prevented him from carry- ing out his plans. During his dying hours, he appointed Mr. Clement Upt- mor I as one of the Building Commit- tee and requested through Father Mathias a donation of $50.00 for "A Good Cause" (probably for the school). As Father Damian suffered with consumption, he was often rep- resented by Father Kilian or Father Eugene or Father Francis Moenning. The first Superior was also the first of the Fathers to pass away and the first to be buried in the newly con- structed vault or mortuary chapel in the monastery garden. The Right Reverend Ordinary, Henry Damian Juncker, D.D., Bishop of Alton, came to preside at the obsequies and deliver the funeral oration. Reverend Mathias Hiltermann, O. F.M., was now recalled from St. Louis and took charge in December, 1865. Father Mathias erected the Girls' School and Academy. The Cor- ner-stone was laid on May 21, 1866. At the Solemn Dedication on August 15, 1867, the Commissary Provincial, Killian Schloesser, O.F.M., officiated and Reverend P. Servatius Altmicks came expressly from St. Louis, Mis- souri, to give the festive sermon for the occasion. The sisters moved into the new building on August 24. On May 1, 1868, the chapel in the con- vent, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Mary, was blessed by Father Kil- lian who also read the first Mass in it on the same day and donated some of the most necessary equipment. Probably prior to November, 1867, the present organ was installed by Mr. Cratian of Alton, Illinois. To this event clings the famous romantic story of the "Dutchtown War." It is hard to find reliable data of this curi- ous episode and we can not vouch for all details of the humorous account in "The History of Effingham County." It seems, however, that some Yankees from the woods south- west of Teutopolis had observed at Effingham the unloading of the boxes containing the organ pipes and as they looked similar to the boxes in which Uncle Sam shipped guns and ammunition, the suspicion arose that the Dutch were importing arms to use against the Americans. Some Low German wag may have encouraged the hoax and the alarm caused, al- most led to serious trouble. When, however, scouts examined the monas- tery and the church and found the mysterious cases to contain only or- gan pipes, the war was at an end "And Johmry Came Marching Home" waving the olive branch of peace. This seems to be the gist of the famous "Dutchtown War." Father Mathias also put up the steeple. The Society of Men paid for it. In the summer of 1873 Father Mathias was succeeded as Pastor of St. Francis by the Reverend Gerard Becher, O.F.M. He enlarged the cemetery and had a walk built thither. At his invitation, the Rever- end Franciscan Fathers Vincent Halbfas, Pancratius Schulte, and Matermus Mallmann preached a suc- cessful mission. 190 THE PIONEER PARISHES In December, 1876, Father Gerard was assigned to St. John Church, Joliet, as Pastor and as the first Su- perior of the new residence there. His place at Teutopolis was now filled by the Reverend Master of Novices, Da- mascus Ruesing, O.F.M., (December, 1876). He procured the new Sta- tions of the Cross, the Christmas Crib (except the Three Kings) and began to erect the Boys' School east of the church. When he was appointed one of the first Definitors of the Province of the Sacred Heart, the Reverend Dominic Florian, O.F.M., heretofore rector of St. Michael Parish at Sigel, was made Pastor at Teutopolis. He changed St. Mary's Society of the Ladies into a Christian Mother So- ciety and St. Rose Young Ladies' Society into a Marian Sodality. He also finished the School and Hall be- gun by his predecessors. Reverend Paul Teroerde, O.F.M., was the next Pastor of Teutopolis, (July, 1879). He renewed the roof of the church, installed new windows, renewed the steeple in 1886, invited the Capuchin Fathers Capistran, Ig- natius and Damian to give a Mission ; enlarged the cemetery, bought a fine set of vestments for $500.00, ordered the statues of St. Louis and of the Guardian Angel, added steps to the Boys' School, enlarged the organ gal- lery and in 1886 installed a new tower-clock which came from Mr. Pollhans in St. Louis, Missouri, and cost $750.00. The St. Joseph's Men Society, St. Peter's Men Society, the Christian Mothers, the Young Men's Sodality and the Young Ladies' So- dality paid for this in part. Mr. J. Funnemann donated $100.00. When the six years as guardian were up, Father Seraphin Lampe, O.F.M., was given charge at Teutopo- lis congregation and monastery. He had the organ built at an expenditure of $1,020.00, and shade trees planted around the church, school yards, and in the cemetery. After a year and one-half, his predecessor became his successor (January, 1888). Father Paul Teroerde completed the crib by adding the figures of the Three Kings — the whole crib costing about $400.00; it was paid by the Christian Mothers. Father Paul put steam heat in the church in 1889; he also put up the Sacred Heart Altar and regulated the salary question. Heretofore, the Fathers accepted no cash salary, but took up two collec- tions ("Termine") per year — one in the Spring, another in the Fall. Various victuals: meat, eggs, wheat, potatoes, etc., were collected. Father Paul was ably assisted by the Rever- end P. Damasus, Francis Haase, Francis Albers, Eustace Bruegge- mann, Anselm Puetz, and Cletus Gierschewski. In 1882, the seventh centenary of the Birth of St. Francis was solemnly commemorated. Dur- ing Father Paul's second term, the dreaded influenza snatched a number of victims. Father Paul himself was very sick, but recovered. At the expiration of the second term, Father Paul was called to be Pastor and Superior at the new Fran- ciscan residence at Washington, Mis- souri, entrusted to the Franciscans by Most Rev. Archbishop J. J. Kain, of St. Louis, at the request of the Jesuits who had long been in charge. At Teutopolis he was followed as Pas- tor and Superior by the kind P. Poly- carp Rhode, O.F.M. (August, 1894). Father Polycarp had been a teacher in Germany and sought to win the young people. He won the hearts of all by his amiability. Father Poly- carp installed the new Communion railing and the new pulpit. When he was called to St. John's at Joliet, the people at once made up a purse to be used at his pleasure. With the permission of the donors he used the money to pay for a window in the poor church of his native city. The new pastor was the Reverend Casimir Hueppe, O.F.M. (January, 1899). He was to do great things at Teutopolis and his pastorate is one of the most remarkable of all in the an- nals of the "Duetske Staadt." In 191 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS fact Father Casimir was a typical Low German and it took a man of stubborn determination to accomplish what he achieved. He repaired the school and hall and in 1900 erected the beautiful crucifixion group in the Cemetery. This cross cost about $300 and is a gift of St. Peter's Men and St. John's Young Men Societies. Father Casimir also organized the St. Aloysius Sodality for boys and the St. Agnes Sodality for girls and the Holy Family Society so strongly recom- mended by the Pope. He, moreover, induced the Men's and Young Men's Societies to affiliate with the" Kathol- ische Vereinsbund von Illinois." As the fiftieth anniversary of the laying of the Corner-stone of the present church drew near, Father Casimir be- gan to plan what his predecessors bad often wished, viz., to transform the plain unattractive church with its flat ceiling into a more artistic House of God. He at first met with great opposition ; but finally he prevailed, and he so thoroughly remodeled the edifice that little remained of the original temple but the walls. The steeple, already showing signs of de- cay, was taken down and rebuilt to a height of 173 feet. The walls were raised and three naves of Gothic de- sign replaced the flat ceiling. The Friars erected their choir on the east side of the Sanctuary in order to have a view of the altar during Divine Service. This enabled the Pastor to move the Communion railing and the new High Altar farther to the south. This beautiful altar is from the studio of Mr. Hy. Dreisoerner, then at Quincy, and cost $1,000.00. It is a gift of the John Funnemann family. When the interior remodeling was done, the church was tastefully deco- rated by Mr. William Kloer, a St. Louis artist, while Mr. Scheidgen of Chicago, furnished the paintings, the granting of the Portiuncula Indul- gence (over the triumphal arch) ac- cording to Fred Overbeck and the paintings of St. Bernadine of Sienna and of St. John Capistran. The four evangelists painted on copper plates are a fine ornament on the front of the High altar. The old Romanesque altars purchased by Reverend P. Damian were sold to Reverend Wil- liam Healy of the Sacred Heart Church, Effingham. For the present, temporary side altars were installed. As these many changes took more time than at first anticipated, the Jubilee celebration had to be post- poned until January, 1902. As a re- mote preparation, a Mission had been preached by Reverend Francis Al- ters, O.F.M., and Rev. Francis Haase, O.F.M. Meanwhile a Golden Jubilee Souvenir was edited entitled "Bei- traege zur Geschichte von Teutopolis und Umgegend unter besonderer Beruechsichtigung des Wirkens der dortigen Franziskaner." The material was gathered by Reverend Eugene Hagedorn, O.F.M. ; it was edited by other hands. The Golden Jubilee of the Laying of the Corner-stone of St. Francis Church, 1851— January 6, 7, 8, 9, 1902. A three days' mission preceded the grand Jubilee as a fitting preparation. On Monday, January 6, 1902, took place the consecration of the new High Altar by the Right Reverend Bishop John Janssen, D.D., of Belle- ville, Illinois. A solemn High Mass followed closing with Sacramental Benediction and Te Deum. In tbe evening, the college boys, under the able direction of Rev. Valerius Nelles, O.F.M., rendered an excellent musi- cal program in honor of the guests. On Tuesday, January 7, cannons an- nounced the break of the great day. At 9 :00 o'clock the brass band of Ef- fingham arrived and formed a pro- cession to the college, to escort the Right Reverend Bishop Ryan, D.D., to the church. Here Pontifical High Mass was celebrated; the Jubilee ser- mon was preached by the Very Rev- erend Hugolinus Storff, O.F.M., Pro- vincial. The banquet was served in the College Gymnasium by the ladies of the Parish. This over, the poems 192 THE PIONEER PARISHES on "Teutopolis" composed by the Reverend Francis Albers for the oc- casion were sung again and again. Next was the Fair with its comic scenes. At 5 o'clock supper was served ; at 6 :30 the children rendered a fine program in the school hall, after which the Fair continued. On Thursday, January 9, the Fair was kept up partly inside, partly outside in a tent, in front of the school. Sup- per was served again ; at 6 :45 a large concourse of people — from 600 to 700 — marched in the torchlight proces- sion through the main streets past the college and Sisters' School; in front of the church a halt was called and, after giving three cheers for Father Casimir and Teutopolis and singing "Grosser Gott," the people dis- banded. In the Fall of 1902, the church was furnished with new pews and with a new floor. The following year many contracted small-pox from a person at a dance, and business houses and even the church were closed for a time. Two children died; one adult only had to be anointed, but recovered. In the Fall of 1903, Father Casimir, with the approval of the Bishop changed the highest class of boys and girls into a parochial school. Mr. Louis Rieg, who had served the Teu- topolis Boys' School so long and well, was replaced by Sisters de Notre Dame. The school directors were henceforth to pay the Sisters $650.00 to which the Parish added $150.00. Besides, it was agreed to furnish the Sisters with fuel. The position of or- ganist was filled by Miss Carrie Young. The year 1904 brought the fiftieth anniversary of the declaration of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Besides a high Mass every month, a triduum preceded the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Almost the whole Parish received the Sacraments and tried to gain the Jubilee indul- gence. On December 8, the celebra- tion reached its climax. Reverend Roger Middendorf preached the fes- tive sermon. In the afternoon there was a procession with the statue of Mary Immaculate carried by the young ladies, dressed in white. St. Agnes Sodality and the Franciscan Community took part in the service. The church was decked in festive ar- ray, with wreaths and inscriptions on the pillars. Among the Jubilee gifts was a beautiful new cruciform Mon- strance imported from Kevelaar. Alas, it was received a few days after the festival celebration. The Golden Jubilee op the Advent op the Friars Minor at Teutopolis — September, 1858 — October, 1908 The Golden Jubilee of the arrival of the Franciscan Fathers was an- other occasion of great rejoicing in Teutopolis. It was united with the celebration of Pope Pius X's Golden Sacerdotal Jubilee and with the meet- ing of the Effingham County Dis- tricktsverband. This time the Parish could celebrate in its own hall for Father Casimir had purchased the necessary land from Mrs. Hackman and had erected "Society Hall" 1907. It was dedicated on June 28, 1908. At the time there was much oppos- ition, and the Pastor, in fact, built against the will of the majority. The vision of Father Casimir in provid- ing the Parish with such a spacious hall can only be properly understood now after the lapse of years. The ex- cellent Jubilee program was opened with Pontifical High Mass on Sun- day, October 4. Right Reverend John Janssen, D.D., Bishop of Belleville, was the celebrant. A powerful ser- mon was delivered by the Very Rev. Michael Richardt, O.F.M., a most popular preacher. Dinner over, the Delegates of the District's Verband held their meeting. After a short de- votion, the parade of the delegates and societies from the neighboring Parishes took place. The streets were appropriately decorated with bunt- 193 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ing, streamers and inscriptions. At the hall, Mr. Brumleve gave the ad- dress of welcome. Very Reverend Provincial Cyprian Banscheid deliv- ered the address on the Pope's Sacer- dotal Jubilee and Mr. F. P. Kenkel spoke on St. Francis and the Social Question. Reverend John Pennartz of Sigel closed the meeting with an address on the "Purpose of the Dis- tricksverband. " At 7 -.00 o 'clock in the evening, the school children, un- der the direction of the Sisters, gave a delightful entertainment to a crowded house. It is claimed that on this occasian there were five thousand persons in Teutopolis. Besides the regular trains which were crowded, a special train from Newton and Die- terich brought a large delegation. On Monday, Solemn High Mass was sung at 9 :30. Father Francis Albers, 0. F. M., delivered an excellent sermon on the Religious State. At 2:00 o'clock in the afternoon a meeting was held during which Father Hoff- mann and Mr. Nosbisch gave re- ports on conventions attended. At 7:30 P.M. St. Rose's Sodality pre- sented a fine drama entitled "The School of Sorrow." On Tuesday afternoon the children gave an en- tertainment to a crowded hall. At 6:30 P.M. a Chinese Torchlight procession took place through the brilliantly illumined streets. Then followed a reception given to the Franciscan Fathers. A number of addresses gave evidence of the love and esteem in which the Fathers are held. Finally, Father Casimir thanked all who had aided in making the celebration such a success. Father Michael closed the evening's program in his popular vein. The next day a Requiem Mass was chanted for the souls of the departed Friars. On Thanksgiving Day, November 30, 1911, was celebrated the Fiftieth Anniversary of the arrival of the Notre Dame Sisters to this town. The exact date is December 7, 1911. As the Sisters have deserved very well of the Catholic youth of the parish, there took place a plain but heartfelt celebration. Very Reverend Pro- vincial, Benedict Schmidt, O.PM., was celebrant at the Solemn High Mass and Reverend Rector Hugolinus Storff, O.F.M., of St. Joseph College, preached the sermon for the occasion. Afterwards the ladies served a dinner for the Sisters. In 1909 a concrete block wall was put up on the northwest corner of the church block at a cost of $525.00. Mr. Frank Schultz furnished the blocks. After so many and great achieve- ments of Father Casimir, we need not wonder that he was given a notable farewell reception, when the chapter of 1912 transferred him to St. Ber- nard, Nebraska. He left in July. Father Theodosius Plassmeyer, O. F. M., who had been professor and sub- rector at St. Joseph College for many years was assigned to the congrega- tion of St. Francis. He soon in- stalled a new gas light system at a cost of $800.00. Mr. Ben Weber and Brother Ewald Richardt, O.F.M., put in the plant. The men and young men did the excavating gratis. The Young Men's Sodality was reorgan- ized, and a large library purchased and opened in December, 1912. A Young Men 's Social Club was also or- ganized. On February 2, 1913, the Reverend Charles Brumleve, a boy of the Parish, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alex Brumleve, said his first Mass in his native town. The addition to the Sisters' School was begun in the year 1913 and blessed by the Pastor on January 11, 1914. When, during the World War a neighboring editor and others began to attack the loyalty of the German- Americans and their descendants, a monster Loyalty Meeting was held, April 18, 1918, and it was so well at- tended that the large Society Hall could not hold all the people and an overflow meeting had to be held out- side. The main speakers were : Father Theodosius who blessed the Service Flag ; Reverend Joseph C. Meyer; Mr. H. S. Parker, an Attor- ney of Effingham; Mr. E. Schneider of Saline ; Judge W. B. Wright ; Hon. 194 THE PIONEER PARISHES G. M. LeCrone, and Dr. C. F. Burk- hardt of Effingham. Father Theodosius, moreover, turn- ed his attention to the finances of the Parish and reorganized them and improved the receipts greatly. As some of the windows in the church were in great need of repairs, the ex- pert consulted thought it wiser to waste no money but to buy new win- dows. Father Theodosius now con- ceived the idea of making the church genuinely Franciscan by depicting in its windows the principal scenes of the life of St. Francis as a constant sermon. The first window installed was the Triumph of the Franciscans, a gift of Mr. Joseph Plassmeyer, the father of the Pastor. It cost $1,000, being the largest of the windows. The others were donated by various fami- lies and are most artistic ornaments of the church which is now one of the finest in this section of the State. Another problem Father Theodo- sius had to solve was the reorgani- zation of the schools, especially the High School. He succeeded with the help of the County and State Super- intendents of Schools and that of Sister M. Ethelbert de Notre Dame. On May 27, 1923, Father Theo- dosius had the happiness of commem- orating the twenty-fifth Anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. The Reverend Rector, Philip Marke, delivered the festive sermon. When his Superiors sent Father Theodosius to Waterloo, Iowa, Father Bartholomew, O.F.M., of St. Augus- tine's, Chicago, was chosen to ad- minister the congregation at Teutopo- lis, (August, 1923). Electric light was finally put into the church and other buildings and a second German sermon per month reintroduced. As the voice of the new Pastor was rather weak, a change was made after one year and the Rev. Hildebrand Fuchs, O.F.M., appointed to the pas- torate. After six months, in Janu- ary, 1925, he was transferred to Cleveland, Ohio. His successor was the Reverend Guardian, Father Isidore Fosselman, O.F.M., a former assistant at St. Francis. He has already, as a prepa- ration for the Diamond Jubilee in 1928 caused the whole church to be cleaned, pews to be revarnished, statues cleaned, etc., at an expendi- ture of $2,500.00. The organ is being electrified and thoroughly modern- ized. A souvenir for the Jubilee is in preparation. In 1918 the High School was re- organized (and in 1925 another year added.) At present the primary and intermediate grades occupy a build- ing which is also equipped in accord- ance with the requirements of the State of Illinois, whose inspectors have placed the sign "Standard School" above the front door of each building. Up to the present year, a standard three-year course was recog- nized by the State Department, and this year a fourth year has been add- ed, thus meeting all the requirements for official recognition. There are at present thirty-eight students in the Senior High School, and 217 in the grades. On Thanksgiving Day, 1911, the Venerable Notre Dame Sisters cele- brated their Golden Jubilee at Teu- topolis. The Very Reverend Pro- vincial, Benedict Schmidt, O.F.M., of St. Louis, Missouri, was officiant at the Solemn High Mass while Rever- end Hugoline Storff, O.F.M., Rector of St. Joseph College delivered the festive sermon. On July 2, 1912, Sister M. Verena celebrated at Mil- waukee her Golden Jubilee. The ladies of the Parish brought presents and the Parish installed a gasoline en- gine in the Sisters' Laundry. Served Their Country Fifty-seven of our young men served in the World War: Albert Adam, Hubert Adam, Leo Adam, Louis Adam, Ben Althoff, Frank Bertram, Leo Bourgeois, Edw. Bor- ries, Edw. Borries, Bro. Pacific Brunk, 195 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Anthony Broeringsmeyer, August Brumleve, Ralph Brumleve, Sylves- ter Brumleve, Allen Brewer, John Buenker, Edw. Buenker, Lawrence Burford, Edw. Busse, Ferd. Delker, Alphonse Esker, Edw. Funnemann, Ferd. Gardewine, Mike Graser, John Hawickhorst, Joseph Hess, Ferd. Hoedebeeke, Frank Jurgens, Louis Kahtz, Win. Kahtz, Edw. Kliesner, Bernard Kenter, Wm. Kenter, Allie Kemme, Louis Knabe, Theodore Lau, Alfred Meyers, Bro. Martin Marek, O.S.F., Ewald Niehaus, Lawrence Niendiek, Edw. Poeppelmeyer, John Probst, Edw. Pruemer, Hy. B. Prue- mer, Frank Rieder, Anton Ruesken, Herman Runde, Albert Schoenhoff, Joseph Schoenhoff, Leo Schoenhoff, Ferd. Schlanser, Aloys. Schmidt, Edw. Stumborg, Allie Thoele, Law- rence Thoele, Wm. Thoele, Oy Carl Von, Bernard Weber, Edw. Willen- borg, Lawrence Willenborg, Ferd. Zerrusen, and Revs. Zyrinus Schneid- er, O.F.M., and Isidore Fosselman, O.F.M., Chaplains. Gold Star List Harry B. Juergens, died October 4, 1918, at Fort McHenry, Maryland; Alfred Meyers, died October 11, 1918, at Winchester, England. Hubert Adam, died October 10, 1918, at Camp McClellan, Anniston in Al. Ferd. Delker, died November 10, 1919, at Marcheville, France, and Edw. Buenker, died June 28, 1919, at St. Sulpice, Gerondo, France. Societies The oldest Society is the St. Peter's Men Society founded on April 7, 1844, and beginning with twenty- eight members. Its purpose : "To sup- port the church and adorn the altar. Reverend Paul Teroerde changed it into a Sodality. The letter of Affilia- tion dates back to October 30, 1888. The Society of Married Ladies is next in age, having been founded by Reverend Charles Raphale in 1855. It was transformed into the Christian Mothers' Society in 1881 by Reverend Dominic Florian, O.F.M. Father Damian, who had been a teacher, in 1860 gathered the young people into the St. John's Young Men's Society and the Young Ladies into the St. Rose of Lima Young Ladies' Society in the same year. Father Paul changed them into Sodalities in 1888, on October 30. Father Damian also introduced the Confraternity of the Sacred Heart of Mary for the con- version of poor sinners. The Society of the Holy Childhood was introduced at an early date. Father Mathias, O.F.M., was a great promoter of this society. The first members received into the Third Order of St. Francis were received in 1863, but the real or- ganization seems to have taken place in 1864 by Father Kilian. Mathias Hiltermann, Director (Regelpater) . St. Vincent Orphan Society ordered by the Bishop in 1866, was by the wish of the people united with St. Francis' Mutual Aid Society. St. Joseph's Society having for its pur- pose the education of talented boys of the Parish to the Holy Priesthood and founded in 1873 on the Feast of the patronage of St. Joseph, existed until about 1881. It was finally merged into the St. Francis Mutual Aid Society. St. Anthony's Reading Circle and Singing Society was or- ganized on February 9, 1864, and ex- isted until 1881 or longer. The Apostleship of Prayer was intro- duced by Father Mathias, April 2, 1871. The Confraternity of the Precious Blood dates back to about July 4, 1872, it seems. Father Paul, with the aid of Dr. Hy. Eversman, in 1892 organized the St. Mauritius Branch of the Catholic Knights of America, No. 670. The Confraternity of the Scapular of Mt. Carmel exists in the Parish since about 1859. (Father Damian.) The Confraternity of the Holy Rosary was introduced 196 THE PIONEER PARISHES February 2, 1894, by Reverend Lud- ger Glauber, O.F.M., Master of Nov- ices — 5,925 enrolled. Father Casimir Hueppe organized the St. Agnes So- dality for Girls and the St. Aloysius Sodality for Boys in 1899. The Teutopolis Schools The first school was built about 1840 and stood south of the cemetery. The second school seems to have been in Kalvelage 's building, a little frame school. The third school house was a two-story frame building owned by Theodore Wilke, now Stumborg's. The fourth school was built in 1855 on Church property and was after- wards bought by Clem Uptmor IV, Mr. H. H. Hardiek's partner; he used it for a stock pen. Father Mathias wanted a parochial school and turned an old stable into a school house. This stood in the present church block about where the boiler house is. The Notre Dame Sisters lived and taught for several years in a house opposite the church. The Academy and Girls' School was erect- ed in 1866-67. Father Damasus be- gan and Father Dominic Florian fin- ished the Boys' School and Hall. Father Casimir built Society Hall, now used partly for a school (high school) and Father Theodosius built the addition to the Sisters' school and residence (1913). Venerable Sisters of Teutopolis Teutopolis has furnished the fol- lowing consecrated workers to the Church : Three Franciscan Sisters ; two Sisters of the Dominican Order; seventeen Sisters de Notre Dame ; eleven Sisters of the Precious Blood ; seven Sisters of St. Joseph up to January, 1902. Since, there are eight other vocations from this Parish. The Pioneers The oldest list of Parishioners is found in Clement Uptmor 's, Sr., Ac- count Book, beginning 1839 : The fol- lowing subscribed for the support of Reverend Joseph Masquelet in Decem- ber, 1839, and January, 1840 : Messrs. Ostendorf, Huemmeler, Bergfeld, Bruemmer, Debbe (Tebbe), C. Pund- sack, A. Pundsack, Messmann, Upt- mor, Vahling, Vormor, Bruemmer, Dependener, Remme, and Wehr- mann (Woermann). Later Messrs. Osterhaud, Dodenkamp, Kuester, Fischer, Sur, J. P. Uptmor, Kuester, Hackmann, H. H. Uptmor, Niemann, Mindrup, Suer, J. Pund- sack, Boeckmann, Kabbis, Rickel- mann, Arns, Vechtrup, H. Bermann, and Vogt. Soon after the following subscribed: Joseph Schroeder, Joseph Rabe, H. H. Schulte, W. Kabbis, H. Meyer, H. Kathmann. The old settlers still living are : Mike Katz, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Kroeger, Joseph Uthel, Barney Uthel, William Uthel, Hiram Riesenbeck, Hiram Wernsing, Herman Wernsing, Anton Zerrusen, George Deymann, George Kreke, Joseph Siemer, Teresa Pals, Elizabeth Hackmann, and Mrs. Morhinners. The following Stations were attend- ed from Teutopolis Monastery or Col- lege (*) denotes founded by the Franciscans. Green Creek, 1858-1893; Effing- ham, 1858-1871; Mt. St. John's or Piopolis, 1859-1870; Howard's Point or San Elma, 1860-1889; St. Pat- rick's, Big Spring or Trowbridge, 1862-1888; Bishop Creek, 1864 ; Edgewood, 1866-1879 ; Kinmundy, 1866-1879; Sigel, 1866-1887; Spring Point, about 1867; Pocahontas, 1870- 1878; Greenville, 1870-1878; Island Grove, 1874-1922; Altamont, 1874- 197 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS 1889; Desotum, 1876-1884; Shumway and Stewardson, 1879-1888. At present Bishop Creek and Mont- rose are attended from the Monas- tery and Casey from St. Joseph Col- lege. The same fathers visited Mont- rose at times since 1879 or temporar- ily attended Marshall, Illinois, Van- dalia, Flora, Watson, Mason, Tonti, Farina, Centralia, and Salem. St. Luke, Virginia, Cass County, 1840 St. Luke's Church, Virginia, Illi- nois, was established about 1840, and for a number of years Holy Mass was celebrated in a frame building south of the first court house square in the west part of town. The first Catholic ceremony that occurred at Virginia appears to have been the baptism of Jane, daughter of Robert Maslin and Ellen Maslin, June 2, 1867. Reverend J. A. Jacque being the officiating priest. He attended Virginia from Beardstown once a month. In 1868, Reverend A. C. Busch took charge and continued his minis- trations at Virginia until 1873, when Reverend J. A. Mark attended Vir- ginia. About 1875 a new church build- ing was begun but the work was tem- porarily halted at this time owing to financial difficulties. In 1876 Rever- end M. C. Ryan was appointed the first resident pastor and during his term the church was completed. Father Ryan was pastor of this little flock about fifteen vears until his death on March 19, 1892. When he came to Virginia about forty-five families composed the membership of the church. In 1891, Reverend P. J. MacManus succeeded Reverend M. C. Ryan and remained until 1893. From that time until 1895, Very Reverend J. W. Crowe, of Jacksonville, attend- ed once a month. During his pastor- ate the Right Reverend James Ryan paid off the indebtedness of the church which amounted to $3,252.25. A parochial house was built in 1894 while Very Reverend J. W. Crowe was in charge. In 1895, Rev- erend F. J. Meskel was appointed and was succeeded by Rev. T. McGrath, who in turn was followed by Rev. M.J. Davis, who remained until 1906, when Reverend J. Cronin became pastor. During his pastorate, improvements on church and rectory, costing $2,000.00 were made in 1909. In 1915, Reverend J. O'Dwyer, the present pastor, succeeded Reverend J. Cronin. During his residence here, a new parochial house was built in 1916, also the spire of the church was fin- ished, a new bell erected, and the in- terior of the church remodeled. From the time a priest was located permanently at Virginia in 1873, the Chandlerville Catholics have been at- tended from there. There is also a mission at Arenz- ville, with church building and prop- erty, which from its organization un- til 1902 was attended from Beards- town, but in that year it was trans- ferred to the care of Rev. M. J. Davis, Virginia, and is still ministered to from Virginia. According to reliable information, the congregation of St. Luke 's Church in 1849 consisted of forty-nine fami- lies. All were Irish or of Irish de- scent. The following extracts from a copy of the Illinois Observer of date April 13, 1849, then published by A. S. Tilden : "Religious Notice— We are author- ized to state that the Reverend Philip Conlan of the Catholic Church will meet his congregation in Virginia on Sunday, April 15." (1849). The following were old settlers : Thomas Meade, who donated the pres- ent site of the church property, and who became in his day one of the lead- ing business men of the city. He pur- chased property adjacent to the city limits. This property was afterwards sold in lots, and finally became one of the best and most popular residential districts in the city. Henry Quigg, whose father and mother were born in Ireland and 198 THE PIONEER PARISHES emigrated to the United States in 1822, was elected Assessor and also served as Treasurer of Cass County for four years. In 1832, his father, William Quigg, superintended the construction of Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D. C, the famous street, one mile in length, that connects the United States Capitol building with the White House. He came to Vir- ginia with his father and mother in 1834. During his life time he filled various offices. He participated in the organization of the Centennial National Bank of Virginia of which he was vice-president at the time of his death. John Dirreen was born in Virginia, July 29, 1840. His father and mother came to Virginia in 1837. He was elected Sheriff of Cass County, Nov- ember, 1886, and retained the office until November, 1894. He was Dep- uty Sheriff for several years before he was elected Sheriff. His father and mother came from Ireland and were exemplary Catholics. In recent times some of the Catholic settlers have taken a prominent part in County af- fairs, among them being James Meade who was elected County Clerk in 1906, and continued in office until 1910. He was elected County Treas- urer and Assessor in 1916. The first white child born in Vir- ginia was Robert Hall, son of the founder. He is living yet in Virginia, and has reached the ripe old age of 93 years. The city of Virginia the county seat of Cass county, is beautifully situated in a fine region of country near the geographical center of the county. The C. P. & St. L. and the B. & 0. Railroad cross here and afford the citizens of the place and the farmers of the adjacent neighborhood ample facilities for shipping as well as travel. St. Aloysius' Church, North Arm, Illinois, 1840 North Arm, also known as Bald- winsville, is situated eight miles northeast of Paris in Edgar County, Illinois. The first settlers of this district were a few families from Kentucky led by Aloysius Brown whose ances- tors came from England with Lord Baltimore and migrated from Mary- land to Kentucky to escape the per- secutions carried on against the Col- onists by Lord Baltimore 's successors. Early in the Nineteenth Century Reverend Stephen Theodore Badin, laboring under the illustrious Bishop Flaget, was ministering to the scat- tered Catholics throughout Kentucky and the states that then comprised the diocese of Bardstown. On the sugges- tion of Father Badin, Mr. Brown and his family moved to Edgar County, Illinois, about 1818, and settled at North Arm. One of his daughters, Jane, became a member of the Order of Providence at St. Mary-of-the- Woods, Indiana, entering there on January 18th, 1844. She became Superior, was known in religion as Sister Anastasia and died August 10th, 1918. The bricks for the original church at North Arm were made by Mr. Brown with his own hands, and the church was named in his honor. James, son of Aloysius Brown, was the first white child born in Edgar County. The precise date of his birth cannot be determined, but his daughters, Ann and Alma, who be- came Sisters of Providence at St. Mary-of-the- Woods, Indiana, are still living and they believe their father was born about 1820. Between 1833 and 1837 some Irish emigrants located in this district. A special edition of the New World, Chicago, published April 14th, 1900, is authority for the statement that Father Buteux of Vincennes, Indiana, ministered to the spiritual wants of these settlers in 1840, and that Father Lalumiere, from the same diocese, visited North Arm in 1843. Their first Church built in 1849 199 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS was replaced in 1900 by a substantial brick building worth about $20,000.00, having a seating capacity of two hundred. Reverend Bernard Lee had charge of North Arm when this church was built, attending from Paris. In 1849 Reverend George A. Ham- ilton, Jr., resided in North Arm. He was succeeded in 1851 by Reverend Thomas Ryan, who was buried in the parish cemetery at St. Mary-of-the- Woods, Indiana. Father Ryan re- sided in North Arm until 1858, at- tending Paris from there. By 1858 the relative importance of North Arm and Paris were reversed. Since then North Arm has been a mission attended from Paris. At the present time Father Cronin, pastor of Paris, and his assistant, Father Sullivan, take care of the spiritual needs of North Arm. St. Mary, Edwardsville, Madison County, 1841 Edwardsville, a city of some six thousand well-to-do inhabitants, is the county seat of Madison county, Illinois. It is beautifully and health- fully located twenty miles northeast of St. Louis on the highest point of land within a radius of seven or eight miles. Without doubt it is one of the prettiest small cities in the state. A spacious, handsome courthouse stands in the center of the business section, which, (if the writer be correctly in- formed,) has the distinction of being the only one of its kind in the state constructed of marble. Its streets are broad and well-paved and for the most part run with delightful disre- gard for the major points of the com- pass, and as if in no hurry to reach their destination. This writer likes them for their graceful curves and sharp angles inasmuch as they be- speak the innocent infirmities of an age less devoted to straight lines in city planning than our own. Its large trees, which line the way "with um- brage wide", its many fine homes standing in stately retirement away from the streets, its fine business sec- tion of attractive shops and banks, its proximity to larger centers of population, together with its splen- did hard road and railroad facilities, — all these make Edwardsville a de- sirable residential and business city. Edwardsville is a long established city largely made up of retired far- mers and business men with a liberal sprinkling of politicians. Most of its families trace their ancestry to Ger- man, Bohemian, English or Irish stock. Germans predominate i n numbers. Prior to the building of a Catholic church in Edwardsville, Reverend Michael Carroll of Alton, ministered to the spiritual wants of the Catho- lic people in this vicinity. He said Mass in the home of Mr. Taylor on the Hillsboro Road where the few Catholic families of the neighborhood assembled once or twice a month for Divine Services. In 1841 the Catholics of the locality assembled for the purpose of devising ways and means for the erection of a Catholic church. January 22, 1842, Mr. Samuel A. Buchmaster and Mary Jane Buchmaster, his wife, deeded for the consideration of one dollar to the Right Reverend Joseph Rosati, Bishop of the Diocese of St. Louis, and his successors in office, lot 191, as laid out in the plat of the town of Ed- wardsville, County of Madison, and State of Illinois, in trust for the use, benefit and behoof of the Roman Catholic Congregation of Edwards- ville. The deed was acknowledged before William Tyler Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Records of said County. The original St. Mary's church was a small frame structure and accommo- dated about seventy-five or eighty worshippers. In due course of time, the congregation developed to such proportions that the German-speak- ing people felt the necessity of a par- ish of their own, and in 1869 sepa- 200 THE PIONEER PARISHES rated from St. Mary's and began to worship in their own parish church. The division of the parish left St. Mary's a small congregation made up of English and Bohemian speaking people and from this nucleus devel- oped the present St. Mary's congrega- tion. Among these may be mentioned the following pioneer families : Dunn, Manion, Murray, Grainey, Flynn, Krouse, Smola, Taylor, Purcell, Mc- Xeilly, Desmond, Halley, Drda, and Werner. St. Mary's congregation continued to worship in the old church until it became unsafe as well as inadequate for church purposes. The congrega- tion, after mature deliberation, de- cided to build a new church which they did in due course of time. The original property was disposed of to John S. Trares for a nominal consid- eration. In 1888 a site was secured for the new church from Mr. Crocker, on Park Street, Edwardsville, and ar- rangements made to begin the build- ing of the present edifice. A build- ing committee appointed by the rec- tor, Reverend J. C. Daw, worked earnestly and successfully. In a short period of time plans and speci- fications were drawn by Mr. Spilman of Edwardsville for the present St. Mary's Church. The corner-stone of said church was laid August 15, 1888, and in June of the following year, the new edifice was solemnly dedicated. Right Rev- erend James Ryan, Bishop of Alton, assisted by the pastor, Reverend J. C. Daw, and several of the clergy, of- ficiated at both functions. Since the dedication of the church, the congregation has enjoyed a steady growth and at present there are about one hundred families. The congrega- tion is quite substantial and has reasons to be thankful that there is no debt on the church. The former pastors during these years were as follows: Fathers J. Reiss, 1857-59; L. Hinssen. 1859-61; P. Peters, 1861-62; J. Vollmeger, 1862-64; J. Tuerk, 1864-65; E. Her- mann, 1865 ; Wm. Kuchenbuck, 1865- 68; J. F. Mohr, 1868; L. Hipper, 1868-69; A. Rustige, 1869-70; D. Byrne, 1870-72 ; F. Revourik, 1872 ; J. J. O'Halloran, 1872-76; P. J. Macken, 1876-79; Reverend A. Schlegel, of St. Boniface's Church officiated at St. Mary's for a short period after Rev- erend P. J. Macken 's time; J. P. Smith, 1879-85; J. C. Daw, 1885- 1893; Thos. Connolly, 1893 . Reverend Thos. Connolly was suc- ceeded in 1893 by Rev. C. A. O'Reilly, the present pastor of St. Mary's Church. Father O'Reilly is now as- sisted by the Rev. Charles Meagher, who, since his coming a few years ago, has built, and practically paid for, a beautiful new church at Glen Carbon, an out -mission of St. Mary's. The following vigorous societies ex- ist in the parish and accomplish good work along their several lines : Young Ladies' Sodality, Holy Name Society, and the Altar Society. St. Philip's — East St. Louis, 1841 The first settlers came to East St. Louis in about 1800, and were chiefly French. In 1827 there were about fifteen families in the village and in 1837 there were less than twenty fam- ilies. Some of the priests in the neighborhood, as from Cahokia, oc- casionally visited the place and said Mass. The present church property was deeded to Bishop Rosati on April 25, 1834. The parish was established April 18, 1841, and the first ■ pastor was Rev. Jean Francis Regis Loisel, curate at Cahokia. The first church was a frame build- ing about 36 feet by 54 feet, which stood on the same ground which the present church occupies, and was built in 1842 by Father Peter J. Doutreluingue, CM. St. Philip 's is one of the flourishing churches of East St. Louis at the present time, but is not now within the diocese of Springfield. 201 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS SS. Peter and Paul — Alton, 1841 The names of the first Catholics settled in Alton were Melaney, Mc- Carroll, Clifford, Dr. White and Wise. The first Mass said in the city was celebrated at Sebastian Wise's house, on Bond Street, in the year 1837. From that time on a priest would come from St. Louis now and then to hold divine service, either in a hall on State Street or in a small house rented for that purpose from Mr. Clifford in Upper Alton. In the directory for 1841 the latter was called the Church of St. Mathias, and had for resident rector the Reverend George A. Hamilton. Reverend Michael Carroll, a native of County Limerick, Ireland, replaced Father Hamilton in the same year, and the church under his charge was called St. Matthew church. In 1845 Father Carroll built the first real church. In the following year a successful mis- sion was preached by Rev. F. X. Wen- ninger, S.J. A fire, occasioned by the tumbling down of a burning house situated on a hill close by, destroyed the first building for Catholic worship in 1851. The walls for the most part remained standing, and the building was after- wards reconstructed, and is now the Unitarian church, on Third and Alby Streets. Alton became the seat of a new see in 1857. Its history (now the Diocese of Springfield) is detailed in this vol- ume and the record of the parish of SS. Peter and Paul is followed. Mary Help op Christians, Chester, 1850 The first Catholic church in Ches- ter — now the county seat of Randolph County — was built in the year 1850. When Right Reverend James Oliver Van de Velde, bishop of Chicago, visited Chester in 1853 he dedicated this church on the feast of SS. Peter and Paul, to "Mary, Help of Chris- tians." Soon afterwards the diocese was di- vided but St. Mary's is a flourishing parish at the present time. The parish registers of this old church were opened in the year 1848. St. James — Millstadt, 1850 The neighborhood of Millstadt in St. Clair County was the site of two or three very early churches. Mill- stadt was formerly called Centerville and is first mentioned in the Catholic directories in 1850. It appears that both St. Thomas and Centerville were attended in 1849 and 1850. Prior to 1851 there had been a log church at St. Thomas, but in that year this was abandoned and a new church erected which was dedicated in 1851 in honor of St. James the Apostle, in the vil- lage then called Naperville. The first resident priest was Rever- end H. Lierman, who remained until 1857. A school existed here as early as 1850. The records of St. James Con- gregation were opened January 1, 1851. The records of the St. Thomas parish, which preceded St. James, were opened by Bishop Joseph Rosati, November 26, 1837. St. Patrick's— Tiptown, 1851 St. Patrick's church of Tiptown marks another early Irish settlement. This settlement derived its name, Tip- town, from the place of nativity of its first Irish immigrants, who came principally from the County of Tip- perary, Ireland. The arrival of these first Irish settlers during the years 1838 to 1840 was phenomenally large. The continued strong influx of Irish during the following decade appears to indicate that the first settlers were 202 THE PIONEER PARISHES pleased with their abode in a new country, and encouraged others to come. The first mention of Tiptown in the Catholic directories occurs in 1851, from which year until 1853 the the settlers received spiritual atten- tion monthly from Waterloo, by Rev- erend James Gallagher. However, Joseph Rickert remembers that the settlers were also attended by Rever- end Michael Prendergast, who was pastor of Waterloo from 1848 to 1850. The county records of land entries show that Reverend Patrick McCabe, who was then rector of St. Augus- tine 's, Prairie du Long, entered forty acres of land for the parish in June, 1849. The Catholic directories recite the existence of a log church in 1854, which Mr. Joseph Rickert states was begun in 1850 but was not completed until 1853. Previously Mass was said mostly in the home of William E. Walsh. The home was located about three miles from the present Tiptown and four miles from Red Bud. The settlement was attended by Reverend James A. Keane, pastor of O'Hara's now Ruma, from 1850 to 1852, who died October 27, 1853, and lies buried in the parish cemetery of Tiptown. The Catholic directories mention the attendance of New Design from St. Augustine's of Prairie du Long, in 1843, by Reverend Ambrose G. Heim, and by Reverend Patrick Mc- Cabe from 1844 to 1847. Since New Design is situated near Tiptown, it may be assumed that the first settlers of Tiptown constituted the worship- pers at New Design during those years. From 1853 to 1859 Reverend John W. Gifford, pastor of Ruma, and in 1859 and 1860 Reverend F. C. Carel, pastor of Prairie du Long, attended Tiptown. Reverend John W. Gifford, assistant at Waterloo, again assumes charge in 1860 and 1861, probably until his death October 1, 1861, for his remains are buried in the Tiptown parish cemetery. He was a native of Aberdeen, Scotland, and was born February 27, 1791. Other Missions and Congregations Besides the parishes and missions and churches above mentioned, there were many stations and localities vis- ited more or less regularly through- out the state. Wherever a few Cath- olics were settled they were either found by the priest or they them- selves went in search of the priest, and always found some self-sacri- ficing missionary ready to undergo virtually any hardship for the pur- pose of bringing the consolations of religion. An examination of the church di- rectories which were issued regularly from 1834 on, shows that in addition to the parishes and churches already named, the following places were vis- ited by missionaries and parish clergy : 1834— English Settlement; Grand Prairie, and Racoon Settlement, all in the southeastern part of the state, near Vincennes. 1836 — Shawneetown, Cairo and Al- bion. 1837 — Coffeetown, Lawrenceville, Riviere Au Chat, Thrawl's Station. 1838 — La Cantine, near Cahokia; Village Francais, St. Clair County; St. Augustine; James' Mill, Monroe County; Grafton. 1839 — Crooked Creek, Hancock County; Marseilles; Commerce; St. Francisville ; Darwin ; York, Picquet Settlement. 1840 — New Harmony ; O 'Haras- burg ; Illinois and Michigan Canal ; Peru. 203 Bishops and Archbishops of the Diocese of Chicago TfcE LIBf Gf Iht mmmn or CHAPTER VII In the Diocese of Chicago The territory now included within the present Diocese of Springfield was, as we have seen, successively a part of the vast Diocese of the first American Bishop, Right Reverend John Carroll, D.D., of the Diocese of Baltimore. It next came under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Bardstown, now Louisville, Kentucky. The next transition was to the Dioceses of Vincennes and St. Louis, and finally to the Diocese of Chicago, which covered the entire State of Illinois. During fourteen years following the creation of the Diocese of Chicago in 1884, the Church in that part of the state which is now the Diocese of Spring- field, as well as throughout the state, was ruled from Chicago, and during that time four distinguished Bishops administered the affairs of the extensive Diocese. A brief sketch of the lives and labors of these distinguished prelates follows : Right Reverend William Quarter, D.D., First Bishop of Chicago, March 10, 1844— April 10, 1848 During the fifth Provincial Council of Baltimore which convened May 14, 1843, the Bishops present proposed to the Holy See the formation of three new bishoprics, namely: Little Rock, Albany and Chicago. The pious and zealous pastor of St. Mary's, New York City, was appointed first Bishop of Chicago. He was consecrated by the great Bishop John Hughes, in the old Cathedral on Mott street, New York City, on the third Sunday of Lent, March 10, 1884. With the coming of Bishop Quarter to Chicago, the southeastern portion of the present diocese of Springfield was eliminated from the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Vincennes, whose valiant clergy were likewise withdrawn, and hence- forth became subject to the new Ordinary of Chicago. Some of the older men yet served under him. Likewise all jurisdiction of Bishop Rosati of St. Louis over Illinois ceased. Bishop William Quarter was born in Killurine, Kings County, Ireland, January 21, 1806. When sixteen years old he came to America, April 10, 1822. The vessel in which he sailed landed at Quebec. He applied to the Bishop of Quebec and Montreal to be received as an ecclesiastical student, but his youth was urged as an objection. He then went to Mount St. Mary's, Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he was gladly welcomed by Bishop Dubois, president of that institution. His progress, owing to a well-made preparatory course, was rapid. On September 19, 1829, he was raised to the dignity of the priesthood by the Right Reverend Dr. Dubois, Bishop of New York, under a special dispensation, he not being 23 years old. He became at once pastor of St. Peter's, and on June 9, 1833, pastor of the new St. Mary's parish, which position he held till elevated to the Episcopacy in 1844. The recall of the priests by the Bishop of Vincennes from in and around Chicago and other portions of the eastern half of the state beset the new Bishop with unexpected difficulties. In consequence he set about founding a college, the nucleus of the future University of St. Mary of the Lake, beginning with 205 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS six students and two professors. Throughout his short episcopal career he maintained the same unflagging, zealous spirit which had characterized him as pastor in New York. He set out on a tour of inspection of the diocese. A diocesan visitation in those days was an arduous undertaking fraught with many risks and hazards at a time when the vehicle was an ox-team or horse wagon, or horse-back, sit- ting on the quaint saddle bags, journeying over marsh or prairie or through the forest — for Illinois along her creeks and rivers had in the forties her heavy wooded sections. Add to all this his mental work preparing for and holding his synod, publishing his excellent pastorals to mission rectors and their flocks, and above all that ever abiding thought, "The solicitude for all the Church," of which an account is to be given to the Shepherd of Souls. No wonder, being of a frail and delicate constitution, when he was burdened "with a load that would sink a navy," he sank under the weight, as writes Father Shaw in the story of the LaSalle Mission — and after four years, strengthened by all that is refreshing and hopeful, passed to his Lord, Whom he had served so faithfully. Bishop William Quarter, who died a rather sad and sudden death, April 10, 1848, was buried in a vault under the main altar of old St. Mary's Cathedral, in Chicago. The sudden death of the energetic young Bishop Quarter, which cast a pall of gloom and sadness over the youthful diocese of Chicago, was somewhat mitigated when it became known that the Holy See had found a worthy suc- cessor in the person of Very Reverend James Oliver Van de Velde, S.J., a native of Belgium, born April 3, 1795. He was a former president of St. Louis Univer- sity and vice president of the Order ; a man of great moral force and learning, well equipped for the exalted though onerous and responsible position. The brother of the deceased Bishop who had been his Vicar General and counsellor in many difficulties and perplexities, Very Reverend Walter J. Quarter, had acted in the meantime as Administrator of the bereaved diocese, receiving the appointment to that position from the Most Reverend Doctor Eccleston of Baltimore. The prominent position occupied by Father Van de Velde in his own Order, the important services rendered by him to the cause of religion in the United States and the acquaintance which was thus formed between him and many Prelates of the church who entertained a high appreciation of his talents, piety and zeal, led to his being selected as the successor to Bishop Quarter in the diocese of Chicago. Archbishop Eccleston received from Rome the bulls appointing him to that See, December 1, 1848. He was consecrated by the Archbishop of St. Louis, Most Reverend Peter Kenrick, assisted by Bishop Loras of Dubuque and Bishop Miles of Nashville, on Sunday, February 11, 1849, in the Church of St. Francis Xavier attached to the St. Louis University. Bishop Spalding of Louisville preached the consecration sermon. The advent of the new Bishop into his diocese was hailed with delight by the clergy and laity of Chicago. After spending a few months in arranging the concerns of the diocese in Chicago and vicinity, he began his first visitation July 25, 1849. These visitations were journeys of severe labor and unremitting zeal for the spiritual improvement of his flock. Besides administering con- firmation at all practical times and places, the distances were so great and the means of travel so inconvenient and uncertain, that he had to pass through the country as a missionary laboring for the salvation of souls and performing every kind of clerical and spiritual service. Twice he made such episcopal visitations throughout the vast extent of his diocese within the confines of which the entire state was embraced, hence also the territory of our present Springfield diocese. 206 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO Bishop Van de Velde's health had not been good for several years. He suffered severely from rheumatism which was greatly aggravated by the cold, damp and penetrating air of Chicago. His health was still further impaired by the anxieties of his office and by the hostility and opposition of a small number of his clergy and laity. In consequence of his impaired health and the unfavorable influence of the northwestern climate he forwarded a petition to Rome to be released from the burden of office. It was during the second visitation of his diocese that he finally received from Rome the brief transferring him to the vacant See of Natchez, agreeably to his own request. The Transfer dates from July 2, 1853. Bishop Van de Velde departed for the South November 3, 1853, and arrived at Natchez, November 23, where he was most joyfully received by all the clergy and people who had so often heard of his great labors, noble sacrifices and heroic services to religion. He died November 13, 1855, on the Feast of St. Stanislaus in whose honor he had just finished a novena, aged 60 years and 7 months. His remains were deposited in a vault under the sanctuary of St. Mary's Cathedral in Natchez. Right Reverend Anthony 'Regan, D.D. Third Bishop of Chicago, 1854—1857 Bishop 'Regan was born in the town of Lavalloe, County Mayo, Ireland, in the year 1809. After completing his preparatory studies he spent eight years in Maynooth, pursuing courses in philosophy, theology, church history and sacred eloquence. Having completed his ecclesiastical studies he received Holy Orders and said his first Mass in the chapel of the Maynooth College. His superiors were anxious to retain the talented young priest for college work. With great success he taught for ten years at St. Parlath's in Tuam, after which he rose to the presidency of the institution ; this position he occupied for five years with the greatest distinction. In 1849 Archbishop Kenrick established his Seminary at St. Louis and installed Father 'Regan, whom he had induced to come to America, as presi- dent. Under his regime the Seminary soon began to flourish and to send forth worthy laborers in the vineyard of the Lord. Since the bishopric of Chicago had become vacant by the resignation of Bishop Van de Velde, the unanimous choice fell upon Father 'Regan as the man eminently qualified to fill the Episcopal office of that rapidly growing diocese. His name for the position was forwarded to Rome. The Holy See, in consequence of the strong recommendation and unanimous endorsement of Father 'Regan nominated him for the Chicago diocese and the bulls of ap- pointment were immediately transmitted to the Archbishop of St. Louis. How- ever, the Bishop-elect strenuously opposed the nomination and sent back the bulls to Rome. But the Holy See had spoken and did not withdraw its appoint- ment. The papers were returned to the Bishop-elect, who said : "I accept them only in the spirit of obedience." On July 25, 1854, the feast of St. James, the Apostle, the ceremony of con- secration took place in the Cathedral of St. Louis, the Most Reverend Arch- bishop Kenrick being consecrator. The assistant Bishops were Right Reverend Oliver Van de Velde of Natchez, Right Reverend John Martin Henni, of Mil- waukee, Right Reverend Mathias Loras of Dubuque, and Right Reverend Bishop Miles, of Nashville. The eloquent sermon was preached by Reverend James Duggan, of St. Louis (who a few years afterwards succeeded him as Bishop of Chicago). 207 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS On the third day of September, 1854, the ceremony of installation took place in St. Mary's Cathedral amid the universal rejoicing of the clergy and laity of Chicago. It is easily understood that a vast field was opened to Bishop 'Regan on his arrival in his See city, and mighty interests at stake claimed his immediate attention. He lost no time in looking after the pressing needs of the diocese. When making a visitation of the diocese, he encountered as many hard- ships as his predecessors, but physically a strong man, he never knew sickness or fatigue, hence he would frequently walk from one mission to another when the distance was not too great. But Bishop 'Regan was by no means a happy man under the weighty burden of the mitre. He had accepted the dignity of the Episcopacy under protest, in obedience, and he could never make the onerous duties congenial to his tastes. After a "trial," as he called it, he determined to go to Rome and place his resignation in the hands of the Supreme Pontiff. Bishop 'Regan's resignation was reluctantly accepted and he was appointed Bishop of Dora in partibus infidelium. He passed the remainder of his life in quiet retreat at Michael's Grove, Brompton. The third Bishop of Chicago died November 13, 1866, aged 57 years. His remains were conveyed to his native parish of Cloufad, Archdiocese of Tuam, where they found their last resting place. Although the territory of which the Diocese of Springfield is composed, by reason of the creation of the new Diocese of Alton and the installation of the Bishop newly consecrated, was cut off from the jurisdiction of Chicago, a quite intimate relationship between the two Dioceses necessarily continued ; so in- timate were the relations that it would be unfair not to mention the succeeding Bishops of the Chicago Diocese, and particularly the brilliant Bishop Duggan, who succeeded Bishop 'Regan, especially by reason of the many activities of Father Duggan before he was raised to the Episcopacy when located in St. Louis and when acting as coadjutor of Bishop 'Regan. One of the saddest incidents in the history of the Church was the mental ailment of Bishop Duggan, developing but a few years after he became Bishop of Chicago, and through which he was disabled and confined to a hospital for more than twenty- five years before his death. Bishop Duggan was succeeded by Right Reverend Thomas Foley, who was appointed to act in the capacity of coadjutor and who administered the affairs of the Chicago Diocese from March 10, 1870, to February 19, 1879. During the period covered by the regnum of Bishops Duggan and Foley, what is now the Diocese of Springfield, was still within the ecclesiastical Prov- ince of St. Louis, as was also the Diocese of Chicago, and the advisory powers of the metropolitan, the Archbishop of St. Louis, were in force. On September 10, 1880, the Diocese of Chicago was advanced to the stand- ard of an archdiocese and Patrick Augustine Feehan was consecrated Arch- bishop. Thereupon, the Diocese of Chicago and that of Springfield (formerly Alton) were again more closely united. The State of Illinois was erected into an ecclesiastical province and the Archbishop of Chicago constituted a metro- politan. The successors of Archbishop Feehan to the present have been Most Rev- erend James E. Quigley, D.D., and his Eminence Cardinal Archbishop George William Mundelein, D.D., the present distinguished incumbent. With this brief reference to the leaders, attention is now directed to the church work as best illustrated in a record of the parishes established during the period covered by episcopal supervision under the Diocese of Chicago. 208 Highland— St. Paul's Church, Rev. A. M. Hohl. Ad., Rectory, Rev. J. DeChene (Dec'd) former Pastor, School . . . Taylorville — St. Mary's Church, Rectory, School . . . Yan- dalia — Rev. Francis Gribbin, Mother of Dolors Chun it. 6f BWVEBSITY 0! IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO Church of St. Paul, Highland, Madison County, Illinois Established in 1844. Present Pastor : Reverend August Hohl. The Catholic Congregation of High- land is but a few years younger than Highland itself. For the sake of com- pleteness we shall refer briefly to the first German settlement of that dis- trict and to the founding of High- land. In October, 1831, Dr. Casper Koepfli with his three sons and his nephew, Joseph Snppiger, arrived in that neighborhood. They hailed from the German speaking canton of Lu- cern, Switzerland. Their object lay clearly before them ; they desired to establish a new home and transplant an extensive German settlement to American soil. The newcomers set- tled in the immediate neighborhood of Highland and took up their first win- ter quarters at a house on a farm owned by a family named McAlister, natives of Kentucky. Saline Township with which this history is concerned was first settled in 1809, the population remaining very sparse until 1831 when German immigration set in. This district must have suited the Swiss pioneers on account of its hilly topography, re- minding them of their Alpine homes. The founders of Highland were Dr. Casper Koepfli, Joseph Suppiger, James Reynolds and General Semple. To encourage the growth of the town everybody who would erect a build- ing received a free lot. Five years later, in 1841, the village contained fifty dwellings and a saw mill. In the meantime (1840) the colony at Highland was augmented by eight families from Baden, Germany. In 1841 seventy-two settlers were added which included the names Foederer, IIotz,Rall,Trautner, Fellhauer, Essen- preis, Weber, Voegel, Schwartz, Frey, Schaefer, Bellm, Barth, Koch, and Winter, all from Baden. Simultane- ously a considerable number of Swiss Catholics located at Highland of whom the names of Gall and Willi still remain in the town. Buchmann, a Swiss, and Kreuzer, a Bavarian, had arrived there in the decades of 1830- 40. Most of the families mentioned established their homes east and northeast of Highland about two and seven miles from town. The first settlers were all farmers and lived in log huts often rudely constructed. Corn was the principle crop and furnished the greater part of food for man and beast and what- ever little cash money the people could lay their hands on to purchase the other necessaries of life, was de- rived from its sale. Theirs was a hard lot in those pioneer days. Keenly though they felt the want of material comforts, to which they were tolerably accustomed in their native land, yet still more keenly did they feel the need of the religious consolations to be derived only from the ministrations of a priest. True indeed, the Coadjutor Bishop of that time, later the Right Reverend Archbishop, Richard Ken- rick of St. Louis, would send out a priest to Highland from time to time, to say Mass in a private home and at- tend to their spiritual needs generally. But these visits were irregular, and could not, as a rule, be fixed in ad- vance. Among the clergy, who visited the early Catholics of Highland, were Reverend James Cating, S.J., who ministered to their spiritual wants on several occasions, and Father Joseph II. Fortmann, pastor of Shoal Creek. On December, 1843, the Catholics in and around Highland, (Highland was then a village of sixty families) decided to build a church in town. The location was probably selected in accordance with the advice of a vis- iting priest. A committee of nine members was appointed to devise ways and means for building, and a subscription was started. The pro- 209 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ceeds were not over encouraging, as the people were in straightened cir- cumstances and had none too good a reputation for generosity. However, work was begun and the cornerstone was laid with solemn ceremony by Father James Cating, S.J., on May 1, 1844. Shortly after the building was ready for divine services. The terrible ravages of Asiatic cholera visited this county in 1851, and depleted many families, thus making a parish cemetery an impera- tive need. Rev. Thomas Marogna, who then attended Highland, had a suitable plot of ground enclosed for cemetery purposes out of a forty acre tract of land owned by the congrega- tion. This cemetery was later en- larged and beautified during the in- cumbency of Father Oberpratacher. All facts recorded above, antedate the institution of the diocese of Al- ton, which occurred in 1857. The Bishop of the newly created diocese, Right Reverend Damian Juncker, soon turned his attention towards Highland because of serious con- ditions existing there between pastor and people. Father Limacher had been appointed as first resident pas- tor to Highland in 1851, and con- tinued in charge until 1862. From all accounts he was a good and earn- est priest, who did his very best to further the spiritual and temporal welfare of the congregation under his charge. His efforts, however, met with little success, due to the oppos- ition of his parishioners who seemed ever ready to block his every move. The new Bishop, being apprised of the serious situation, determined to bring the people to a more docile state of mind towards their pastor. In 1861 the Bishop visited Highland, and dedicated the new church and con- firmed a class of seventy-five. It is recorded that in his sermon on that occasion, he reprimanded the people for their harsh treatment of Father Limacher, and threatened, that if they did not mend their behavior soon, he would be forced to leave them without a priest altogether. This threat had the desired effect. The peo- ple, now penitent, begged the Bishop not to leave them without a resident priest, whereupon, he complied with their request by sending them Father Bartels. Father Limacher was ap- pointed to another parish. Before leaving Highland, however, he had the consolation of being made the re- cipient of a nice donation, presented by the parish Ladies' Sodality. From that time on, the parishioners of Highland have proved themselves ex- cellent Catholics, ever ready to co- operate with their pastor in all parish undertakings. Father Bartels remained only a short time. His successor, Rev. P. Peters, had charge of the congrega- tion from 1863 to 1874, during which time he labored zealously, in paying off an existing debt, and collecting a fund for a parish school building. In 1874, Father Peters left High- land and was succeeded by Father Oberpratacher who remained but a short time. Next came Rev. Joseph Meckel. His incumbency coincided with the period of great spiritual ad- vancement in the parish. He brought about this spiritual development largely through the introduction of vigorous societies such as : St. Joseph's Society, Purgatorial Society, Infant Jesus Society and the Third Order of St. Francis, and by quicken- ing to new life the societies existing in the parish when he assumed charge. These organizations still exist in their pristine vigor, and attest the wisdom of their champion, by con- tinuing the good work for which they were originally instituted. From all this it is evident that Father Meckel paid particular attention to the spir- itual needs of his congregation. It must not be thought, however, that in doing so, he neglected the material in- terests of the parish, for such was not the case. As a matter of fact, he made so many repairs in the church, inside and outside, overhauling and furnish- ing it to such an extent, that one 210 IN THE DIOCESE OP CHICAGO might justly say, the church was re- newed by him. He was also the founder and builder of St. Joseph's Hospital in the block east of the city. This hospital, — under the direction of St. Johns, Springfield — has a present capacity of about eighty beds. Last Spring, an addition was built to it, at a cost of $80,000. After a successful pastorate at Highland, Father Meckel was pro- moted to St. Mary 's church, at Alton, July 7, 1896. He died there, Decem- ber 28, 1926, beloved by all. Reverend August Schlegel followed Father Meckel as pastor of St. Paul, and continued in charge until 1903. His first act of parochial importance was to sell the hospital (which was owned by the parish) to the Sisters in charge. The money realized from the sale he used in paying off the parish debt. Father Schlegel had quite a reputation for preaching, and in addition was an able organizer. He succeeded in putting the parish in a splendid condition, spiritually and financially. But just when he had accomplished this desirable result, and announced that he would rest, he was summoned, like the man in the Gospel, to his eternal reward. He was the first pastor to be buried in the parish cemetery. Father Ferdinand Stick succeeded him on Thanksgiving Day, in 1903 Although handicapped by age, and the infirmities incident thereto, he threw himself into his work with a right good will and earnestness. Dur- ing his charge, the church was redeco- rated and many improvements made. Increasing debility, however, put an end to all his endeavors after a few years. He died August 20, 1914, and was buried beside Father Schlegel. He provided his own monument in a splendid window in the church, de- picting the death of St. Joseph. From 1911 to 1919 Father Gramke administered the parish. Not being pastor, he wisely contented himself by striving to do the work assigned him, as quietly as possible. The chil- dren, the young people, and the sick were his special care. On Father Gramke 's promotion to Jerseyville, in 1919, Father Joseph De Chene who had been rector of Assumption for twenty-two years, came as pastor to St. Paul's church. He entered upon his work vigorously and God abund- antly blessed his labors. During his office of rectorship, the school, which was in pretty bad shape, was remodel- ed at an expense of $20,000. This pleasing transformation resulted in a brick building, spacious, convenient, and modern in every respect. At the present time St. Paul's church property, ideally located, in- cludes an entire city block. On that block stand the following stately buildings: St. Paul's church, rectory, the Sisters' Convent and a splendid up-to-date school. Three years ago the church was seriously damaged by fire, and a year later, lightning set the tower on fire, but today, St. Paul's is finer and more beautiful than ever, thanks to the generous co-operation of priest and people. The Sisters' new convent, which cost $14,000, is a building of beauty and comfort. It has a pretty little chapel which is a source of consolation to the Sisters. The priests who up to the present time have served as assistants in this congregation, were : Fathers F. Rein- hard, Anthony Kersting, Joseph Jele, William Oberdoerster, August Fors- ter, John A. Duval, John B. Wardein, F. Kopp, A. Shokard, J. Dietrich, Oscar Wernet, Anton M. Jaschke, John H. Gramke, Joseph A. Reiss, Henry B. Schnelten, George Faller, John Klaes, Lawrence Winking, Stanislaus Yunker, James Telken, and Francis Enzweiler. Word has just reached the reviser of this historical sketch that the kind and good Father DeChene, whom old age and illness have incapacitated for further work, has resigned his parish and taken his residence at St. Joseph 's Hospital, where he intends to spend in peace the declining years of his life. Reverend August Hohl, pastor of Tuscola for a number of years, has been appointed to succeed him. 211 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Church of St. Mary, Taylorville, Christian County, Illinois. Established in 1845. Present Pastor : Reverend John Joseph Corcoran. Taylorville, the Capital of Chris- tian County, is a growing city with a present population of about 10,000. It has an industrial distinction of pos- sessing two of the largest coal mines in America, if not in the world. As early as 1845, Taylorville had a Catholic church building which was then attended from Springfield and continued to be so attended until 1868 when the Reverend Charles Gonant visited it from Assumption. In 1872 it was attended from Ed- wardsville by Reverend Francis N. Recouvreur. During his ministration, a substantial parsonage was built, and lots for a new church were bought. In 1873 the Reverend Bernard Claus became the first resident pastor. He left the following year, only to return again in 1875. During the year 1876 it was attended from Morrisonville. In 1877 Reverend Fred Schulze took charge and resided at Taylorville un- til 1885, when Reverend P. S. Pen- nartz administered it from Assump- tion. During his term, the present church was built. Following Father Pennartz, Reverend F. Reinhard took charge for two years. In 1888 Rev- erend John Higgins assumed office and was permanent pastor until his change to Mattoon in 1898, in which year Reverend John W. Merscher was appointed rector, remaining in office until 1919. During Father Merscher 's term, some improvements were made in the church building, the present sacristy being added. In 1906 a new hospital was built, and the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood took charge. This hospital has so flourished since its inception, that to- day its patronage exceeds its ca- pacity. A new addition is contem- plated in the near future. In 1919 the present pastor, Rever- end John J. Corcoran, was appointed to Taylorville. Immediately on as- suming charge, he took up the ques- tion of a new parochial school. To that time the school consisted of two private residences, where both teach- ers and pupils suffered many incon- veniences. The people cheerfully re- sponded to the idea of a new school, and the present fine structure was erected at a cost of $50,000.00. While the school was under construction a new Sisters' home was purchased, thus giving to the Sisters much need- ed modern conveniences. The pres- ent school has an enrollment of about 250 children, with six Sisters of the Most Precious Blood in charge. In 1920 Reverend Joseph P. Jor- dan was assigned to Taylorville as assistant to Father Corcoran, and la- bored here until his appointment as pastor to Grafton in 1924, at which date he was succeeded by Father O'Hanlon, the present assistant. The Right Reverend James A. Grif- fin, D.D., made his first episcopal visit to the parish in 1924 and ad- ministered Confirmation to a class of 242. The Bishop 's visit was made the occasion of much local rejoicing. At this time there are 258 families in the parish and the following well organized societies: Young Ladies' Sodality, Children of Mary, Holy Name, and Altar Societies, and branch organizations of the Catholic Daugh- ters of America and Knights of Columbus. Church of Mother of Dolors, Vandalia, Fayette County, Illinois Established in 1845. Present Pastor : Reverend Walter H. Speeman. During the pioneer days the only means of transportation in and out of Vandalia was by way of the old dirt roads in wagons, and stages by which 212 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO the early Catholic settlers of Fayette County could reach St. Louis, Mis- souri, some ninety miles away, to re- ceive the Sacraments and have their children baptized. On May second, 1845, Father George A. Hamilton came from Springfield, Illinois, and celebrated the First Mass in this ter- ritory in the Old Capitol (now the Court House building). People of every denomination were present and the building was crowded. Catholics, not only from Vandalia, but from all parts of the county attended this First Mass and more than fifty-five persons received the Sacrament of Baptism on that day. Mass was subsequently celebrated once a month and the Sacraments ad- ministered in Mr. Michael Lynch 's Warehouse. In 1855, the first church was erected and named "Mother of Dolors Church." In 1859, Father Thomas Cusack was appointed Mis- sionary-Rector of Vandalia by Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, D.D., first bishop of Alton, Illinois. Father Cusack was the first resident priest and his territory extended from Decatur on the North to Cairo on the South and from Highland on the West to Terre Haute on the East. Al- though the Illinois Central Railroad was completed, Father Cusack con- tinued to ride a mule in crossing the country attending the scattered mem- bers of his flock. Great were the pri- vations he endured for the cause of Christ and Religion. Father Cusack organized the Altar Society in 1860. He remained till April 12th, 1863, during which time he baptized in his territory nearly two hundred persons. He was succeeded in 1863 by Father Joseph Vahey who remained for eight months. Then came Father Thomas Walsh who remained until May 17, 1867. On May 17, 1867, Father Michael Weiss took charge of the Mother of Dolors Parish, and had charge also of congregations at Ram- sey, Greenville, Oconee and Patoka. In 1868 he repaired the Church and Priest's house, and in 1869 he pur- chased a church bell which was blessed by Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D., Bishop of Alton, Illinois. When Father Weiss left March 5, 1870, the Franciscan Fath- ers of Teutopolis, Illinois, took care of Vandalia and its missions until De- cember 10, 1870. Father Jacob Stremler then took charge of the parish and its Missions and it was during his pastorate, on December 28, 1870, that the church received the Authenticated Document of Incorporation by the act of the Legislature of the State of Illinois, passed March 8, 1869. The first trus- tees selected by the Bishop of Alton, were : Messrs. John Engert and John Carroll. On January 3, 1870, steps were taken to repair the church, which had been in a very poor con- dition. A new cemetery was bought and named "St. Joseph's Cemetery." When Father Stremler left on July 18, 1872, Father Ferdinand Stick took charge for three months to be fol- lowed by Father Francis Xavier Schreiber for five months. Father James Rensmann was ap- pointed to Vandalia on June 5, 1873, and started a parochial school with thirty-four children on September 1, 1873. Mr. Sebastian Weiss was the teacher with a salary of $40.00 per month and lived with Father Rens- mann in the two-room priest's house. A new organ was installed at a cost of one hundred and seventy-five dollars. On June 2, 1874, St. Patrick's Society was organized with Mr. John Engert, President, Mr. Patrick Heavy, Vice President; Mr. H. I. Witte,* Secre- tary, and Mr. D. Cullety, Treasurer. This society with the Altar Society contributed the finances for the up- keep of the school. Father Rensmann left July, 1875, and was followed by Father John Enzleberger for one year when again the Franciscan Fathers of Teutopolis took charge from March 21, 1876, to Februarv 24, 1877. Father Longinus Quitter was in charge of the parish and its missions from 1877 to 1881. He repaired the Church, the school and the priest's 213 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS house in 1877, but the parochial school was discontinued in September, 1877, for the reasons of poverty and inactivity of the societies. Father Charles G. Geier took charge on July 24, 1881. He built a new belfry on the church. On September 30, 1882, he received word from Right Rever- end Bishop Baltes "Not to lease the school-house but to start the school as soon as possible." Therefore, in October, Father Geier reorganized St. Patrick's Society and reopened the parish school with Miss M. Seckinger as teacher, and thirty-eight children attending. Repairs were made on St. Joseph's Church in Ramsey in 1881, and the Stations of the Cross were erected in the churches at Ramsey, Greenville and Vandalia. Property was bought and the Church of the Most Precious Blood was built in Patoka in 1881. In 1882 Father Geier established the new Cemetery. On July 29th, the cornerstone of St. Lawrence Church in Greenville was laid by Bishop Baltes. On August 12, the "Catholic Knights of America" was organized with seventeen mem- bers with the purpose of supporting the parish school. In February, 1884, general repairs were made on the school house. On Sunday, August 24, 1884 conditions were such that Father Geier was compelled to close his school, and in September the Catholic children had to attend the public schools, where the Reverend Mr. Hursh was superintendent and held chapel services every morning. Father Geier failing in health, took a leave of absence. On July 27, 1885 he told his parishioners that he would be back within a few months, but the Lord called him to his reward. Father John Higgins was temporar- ily appointed and was succeeded by Father Henry Becker, D.D., who was put in charge December 10, 1885. Be- fore his arrival the men of the parish built a very much needed addition to the priest 's house ; a third room. In 1887 new sacristies to the church were built. In January, 1887, the Mission of Patoka was taken into the newly erected Diocese of Belleville, leaving with Vandalia the missions of Ram- sey, Oconee, and Greenville. Father Henry Becker remained in Vandalia till October, 1888, and was succeeded by Father M. M. Burke. In 1890 the Mission of Oconee and later also the Mission of Greenville were made sep- arate parishes. "The Catholic Knights of Illinois" were organized December 13, 1891, with : President, Mr. Thomas Hart ; Vice President, Mr. Julius Burtschi; Treasurer, Mr. Charles Marty. In 1894 a good brick foundation was built under the church and school and house. Father Carr was ap- pointed temporarily from March un- til December, 1894, when Father Ber- nard Lee took charge, December, 1894, and established the Sacred Heart League counting thirty-three members with Miss Maggie Lynch, President, and Miss Hattie O'Neill, Vice President. On July 27, 1896, new church prop- erty was acquired on Seventh street, between St. Clair and Randolph Street. On March, 1897, a great mis- fortune visited the parish for the old church standing on Randolph Street near Eighth Street, was destroyed by fire. Until May 21, 1898, Divine Services on Sunday were held in the old Literary Hall in the Higgins Block. On January 31, 1898, a com- mittee was appointed to procure funds to build a new Church on the new site as follows : Reverend Ber- nard Lee, Rector, Mr. Joseph Weiss, Mr. Dan Burtchi, Mr. Edmund Le- Doux, Mr. James Kelly, Mr. John Phillips, Mr. Charles Oldfield. The new church was built and on May 21, 1898, it was dedicated by Right Rev- erend James Ryan, Bishop of Alton, Illinois. Father Lee stayed in Van- dalia until June, 1898. In June, 1898, Father John P. Mor- oney became Pastor of Mother of Dolors Church. He added a tower and a basement to the new Church Building and built the present rec- 214 IN THE DIOCESE OP CHICAGO tory. The most generous contribu- tors to the church were Mr. James Kelly, $500.00; Mr. Julius Bertschi, and Mr. Charles Marty. The most generous contributors to the rectory were : Mrs. Mary Eckard who donated $400.00 in cash, and Miss Maggie Lynch, who donated $200.00 in cash and other articles for the Rectory. Father Moroney installed a heating system in the Church and the house. The old church ground and school house were sold, being of no further use for the parish. In 1903 the Sanctuary and two Sacristies were added to the Church. The most gen- erous contributors were Mrs. L. Joyce, who donated four hundred dol- lars in cash, and Mrs. Mary C. Boyle, who donated six hundred dollars in cash. The cross in the cemetery was blessed by the Right Reverend Bishop James Ryan, D.D., of Alton, Illinois, in 1903. The Main and Side Altars were carved by Father Dechene, Pastor of Assumption, Illinois. Ramsey ceased to be a Mission of Vandalia in 1906 In July, 1908, Father J. P. Mol- oney was appointed Pastor of St. Pat- rick's Church, Pana, Illinois, and was succeeded by Father Thomas Mc- Grath. He continued to make im- provements on the Church property by installing a new heating system in the Church and by erecting new Sta- tions of the Cross and also by reno- vating the roof on the Church and the house. In 1919, Father McGrath was appointed pastor of Illiopolis, whose pastor, Father John C. Daw, came to Mother of Dolors Church. Father Daw died at St. John's Hospital, Springfield, Illinois, in 1922, and was succeeded by Father M. J. O 'Flah- erty. Father Walter H. Speeman was ap- pointed October 12, 1925. "The Holy Name Society" was organized with Mr. Joseph Burtschi, President; Mr. Edmund LeDoux, Vice President. In February, 1926, the Church was fres- coed. The Main Altar was remodeled and many improvements were made in the Sanctuary and priest's house. On May 30th, 1926, the Blessed Virgin Mary Sodality was solemnly organ- ized with Miss Hazel Simma, Prefect ; Miss Bernadette Sturgess, Secretary. Church op St. Mary, Marshall, Clark County, Illinois. Established in 1847. Present Pastor : Reverend Joseph A. M. Wilson. Clark County, Illinois, was cre- ated from part of the very extensive Crawford County by an act of legis- lature in 1819. It is situated about midway between Chicago and Cairo, Illinois. Its main resources are agri- culture and the raising of horses, mules and other domestic animals, al- though it is rich in coal and oil. In the days of its beginning as a separate county, the great commer- cial highway for the Southeastern portion of Illinois was the Wabash River. This continued till the United States Government had advanced the opening up of the great Cumberland Highway as far as the Old National Trail to St. Louis in 1821. The first County Seat of Clark County, chosen by the commissioners appointed by the settlers themselves, was named Aurora, and was really only a tentative choice, rather than a regular county seat. With the Old National Trail, fast developing towards Illinois, the settlers began a loud clamor for a more central county seat. Colonel William B. Archer and Joseph Dun- can, later Governor of Illinois, and United States Senator, whose land was bisected by the fast developing national highway, on October 3, 1835, had the site of a new town surveyed and laid out in town lots, with splen- did wide streets and county seat property. To this new town they gave the name of Marshall, in honor of John Marshall, the eminent Chief 215 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and United States Senator. Marshall was not, by some few miles, as central as Auburn, and this brought about a bitter political war, which lasted for years. The Commission ap- pointed by the Legislature to select the position of the new county seat was overwhelmed and finally the Legislature decided to leave the selec- tion to the vote of the people of the county. After a nasty campaign, in August, 1837, Marshall captured the county seat, and in June, 1838, it was removed from Darwin to that town. In spite of its splendid railroad facilities, Marshall has not one single industry to hold its continuous crop of young men and women. It now boasts of 2222 inhabitants, while, but a few years ago, it boasted of over 3,000. As soon as Marshall secured the County Seat of Clark County, in August, 1837, town lots sold rapidly. One of the early buyers was Patrick Conohy, who, with his wife and small family had come from Ireland and after a short stay in Ohio, settled in Marshall in the fall of 1837. This was the first Catholic family to settle in Clark County. Early in 1838, sev- eral other families came from Ohio, all German Catholics, and settled south of Marshall. These were the Staubs, the Swopes, the Saunces and Loebs. Of these families, only the Staubs are represented in St. Mary's Parish. A little later in 1838, Robert Wilson, an Irishman, but not pro- fessing the Catholic faith, settled North of Marshall, taking up a large tract of land in Douglas Township, on what was called The Barrens. He was shortly followed by quite a little col- ony of Irish Catholic families who settled on the barrens, most of them purchasing land from Mr. Wilson. As early as 1838 the Catholics had so increased in Clark County, that the people applied to Bishop Brute of Vincennes, under whose jurisdic- tion the Southeastern portion of Illi- nois was at that time and Father Bu- teux of Terre Haute, Indiana, was ap- pointed as regular attendant, follow- ed by Father Lalumier, until the erec- tion of the diocese of Chicago in November, 1843. Chicago diocese em- bracing the whole state of Illinois, the priest from North Arm, Illinois, was ordered to attend the spiritual needs of the thriving mission at Mar- shall. Father Thomas Brady of North Arm visited Marshall at regu- lar intervals for nearly two years, fol- lowed by Fathers D. Byrne and George Hamilton, until late in 1847 Father Hugh Brady a priest from Easton, Pennsylvania, became the first resident pastor of Marshall. Father Brady was very progressive and soon several Irish Catholic fami- lies followed him from Easton. He at once began the building of a neat lit- tle brick church along Gothic lines, making several trips East in order to collect funds. Father Brady succeeded with his new church as far as putting on the roof, when obliged to start on a jour- ney to visit the Bishop at Chicago. He died a few hours after arriving at Joliet. As soon as Bishop Quarter heard of Father Brady's death he sent Father H. Nicholsby, one of the first priests ordained in the new dio- cese, to investigate conditions at Marshall, where he stayed for about four months, returning to Chicago, to the great regret of the people of Marshall. Father Thomas Ryan again took charge of Marshall, pushing on the building of the new church. At that time Colonel William B. Archer, a non-Catholic, gave to the Catholics, through Father Ryan, a plot of land west of Marshall for a burying ground. On October 2, 1849, Bishop Van de Velde visited Marshall and confirmed a small number of persons among whom were Honora and Mary Conohy, John and James Welsh, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Callahan, Michael Loeb and John Hamel. The new church not being as yet in condition, the sacra- 216 Marshal— Ret). J. A. M. Wilson, Pastor, St. Mary's Church . . . Mt. Sterling — Rev. J. J. O'Donoghue, Pastor, St. Mary's Church, Rectory . . . Liberty — Rev. E. J. Scanlon, Pastor, St. Bridget's Church, Ho.ti Name Society, Ladies' Altai Society, Rectory . . . Mt. Sterling — St. Mary's Church, Rectory, School, Sisters' Residence. Ja. 118! Of IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO ments were administered in the home of Patrick Conohy. Miss Conohy won the prize, a silver half dollar, given by the Bishop, for proficiency in the catechism. As there was no resident pastor at Marshall at that time, and the Conohy home was crowded, the Bishop took lodging at the Baxter House ; but such an uproar continued through the night that the Bishop was obliged to leave the place, and in the dark, early morning hours seek the home of Mr. Conohy, where, seated on a simple chair, he passed the long hours till the time appointed for the services arrived. Mrs. Conohy was too ill to supervise the conduct of the home on that day, so the Bishop, aft- er his Mass, refusing to return to the detestable inn, contented himself with the simple fare prepared by one of the little girls of the household. In 1851, Bishop Van de Velde again visited Marshall, presumably for the dedication of the new church, which was now finished, confirming nineteen persons on this second oc- casion. In 1849 Robert Wilson who in 1838 had settled at The Barrens on a large tract of land, laid out a new town, which in honor of his birth place in Ireland, he called Castle county. Mr. Wilson presented to the Catholics, through Father Thomas Ryan, ten acres of rather hilly land for religious purposes. Mr. Wilson 's town did not materialize, however, but remained a mere hamlet. Mr. Wilson did not pro- fess the Catholic Faith, but his wife and all his children joined the church. Father Ryan sometimes went to the Wilson home to say Mass. Father Thomas Ryan continued, generally to attend Marshall up to 1860. Early in 1860 Father D. Byrne became Father Ryan's successor. Father Byrne is the first priest to be- gin a Record of St. Mary's parish. Al- though the top of the first page on the new book records a baptism Septem- ber 1, 1860, the fact that a little later several entries are placed in June, ar- gues that he took charge in May or June, 1860. His latest entries are in August, 1861. Father Herbert Hoff- mans, his successor made his first en- try June 29, 1862. Very likely, Father Brady was succeeded by Father Hoffmans toward the end of 1861. The next record shows that Father Henry I. Hoven was there October 5, 1862, when three baptisms took place, the births having taken place in Aug- ust. Father Hoven, seeing the need of a much larger church, procured the present splendid church site, which covers a whole town square of land. He laid the stone foundation of the present fine brick church. The next priest in Marshall, of whom there is official record, was Reverend Anthony Zigsheim, who re- corded a baptism August 7th, 1864. The latest entry by Father Zigsheim is February 5th, 1864. Following Father Zigsheim was Father Jeremiah A. Sullivan. His first entry of Baptism — April 30, 1865, his latest, May 1st of that year. He was succeeded by Reverend Aug- ust B. Ranches, 23rd of July, 1865, latest March 5, 1865-1866. He was followed by J. A. Sullivan, April 1, 1866, latest entry April 28, 1867. Fol- lows: Liber Mortuorum, 8th of May, 1867, Father J. A. Mark, latest entry, in same Liber Mortuorum, November 30, 1873. But, as there is no entry until September, 1873, it is impossible to say just when Father Mark left. Father Mark was a master carpen- ter and joiner, and when he came into the parish and saw the need of the church started by Father Hoven, he at once set to work on the splendid foundation already laid. The brick work having been finished by the con- tractors, Father Mark, with Joseph Forbeck as his youthful helper, un- dertook, and carried through, all the carpenter work, not only of the large church, but also two other parochial buildings, a large schoolhouse and rectory. It was not ready for dedica- tion, however, till the date of October 20, 1872. It was dedicated by Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, Bishop 217 DIOCESE OF SI'KINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS of Alton, who confirmed a large class on that day. Father Mark's build- ing proclivities had not only put the parish in debt but they seemed to have no end. Complaint was made to the Bishop and Father Mark was transferred. It was he, however, who sowed for others to reap. For he had provided not only an ample church, but a fine residence for the priests for fifty years to follow. He may well be considered the second founder of St. Mary's Parish. In September, 1873, Father Francis Albers, O.F.M., attended the parish for about a month. The next entry is by Father Clement Devmann, O.F.M., October 12, 1873. January 17, 1874, we find Father Albers, O.F.M., again in at- tendance until about the end of Feb- ruary. He was followed by Reverend S. Wegener who makes his first entry in the Baptismal Record, April 18, 1874. Father Albers is again in charge during May, and we find Father Weg- ener back again in June. Father Reynerius Diekniete has taken charge in August, 1875, latest entry of Father Diekniete 's was the twenty- fourth day of December, 1876. Father Charles Kuhlman makes his first en- try on December 18, 1876. Father Kuhlmann was a very active man. He was the first priest to open a parochial school in Marshall. He hired a lay teacher at first, but later introduced the Dominican Sisters. He had the fine brick tower added to the church. He founded the Catholic Knights of America in the parish, un- der the patronage of Saint Paul. He founded the Catholic paper called the Church Progress which he edited and printed in a little building on the southeast corner of the church prop- erty. He started a separate mission in Casey in 1878, and another in Rob- inson, both of which he visited from time to time. In Marshall the Catholics were by a large majority Irish and English speaking. Until November 1888 when Bishop James Ryan became Ordinary, Bishop Juncker and Bishop Baltes provided only German priests who could scarcely speak the English language. This was a cause of almost continual strife, which, with the ad- vent of Bishop Ryan, came to a climax and ended in the removal of Father Kuhlman. Father David Moroney succeeded Father Kuhlmann on July 12, 1891 and remained until September 1, 1900. Father Moroney was a quite, persevering and energetic pastor. His special devotion was to "God's Acre," the cemetery, the common ob- ject of his daily walk, where rosary in hand, he sprinkled the graves with his Aves. He had the cemetery put in good order, placing a fine wrought iron fence with a beautiful arched en- trance all along the front. He had the spire placed on the church, en- larged the organ loft, placing therein the fine old organ from St. Benedict's, Terre Haute, Indiana. He put in the beautiful art glass windows in the church. All of which work he accomplished without adding to the indebtedness of the parish. He was greatly esteemed by all the citizens of Marshall, both Catholics and non- Catholics. Father Patrick R. Ducey, followed Father Moroney as pastor on Septem- ber 1, 1900. Young and full of en- ergy, Father Ducey made many im- provements in and about the church. The sanctuary was very small, so he had it enlarged and transformed to its present beautiful and commodious form. He removed the old Altars made by Father Mark, and placed the present pretty altars in their place. He built the present fine sacristy to the church as a winter chapel for daily Mass. Having received as as- sistant Father Florent Delfosse, he reopened the missions at Casey and Robinson, in both of which places oil had lately been discovered. Father Delfosse, was in 1907 appointed pas- tor of Robinson and Father John Hes- lin followed him as assistant. Father Ducey purchased, through Mr. A. J. Worman, of Effingham, two fine city lots in Casey, laying the stone founda- tion for a new church. He was 218 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO obliged to give up the project how- ever for want of co-operation. The lots cost $500. They were sold for $400 in 1920 to help improve a newly purchased abandoned sectarian chapel. Father Ducey contracted tuberculosis and died in Colorado in December, 1907. He expressly re- quested to be buried in Springfield, Illinois in the priests' plot of that cemetery. Father Ducey was succeeded by Father William J. Healy on Febru- ary 15, 1908. Father Heslin remained as his assistant until the appoint- ment of Father William O 'Sullivan in the fall of 1913. Father Healy was changed to Murrayville, Illinois, where he died a few months later, whereupon Father O 'Sullivan was formally appointed Administrator of St. Mary's and so served until Oc- tober 1, 1915, when Father Joseph A. M. Wilson was appointed pastor and at present serves in that capacity. During the last ten years, besides the building of the fine new rectory, many and expensive repairs and im- provements have been made. A large basement was excavated under the church and an up-to-date steam sys- tem replaced the wood burner, which quite frequently drove the people from the church by its smoke. The studding of the church having de- cayed, and the floor having fallen nearly a foot, new studding and a new flooring for a great part, was sup- plied. The old carpet in the sanctu- ary was replaced by tile and Tennes- see marble trimmings, the church was redecorated by the priests them- selves, Father Timothy Smith being assistant, The organ which had given place to a little harmonium, was put in good repair by a firm of expert organ builders, who attached an elec- tric blower. The unwieldlv church windows, that could not be closed, were made stationary and iron framed swinging panels were in- stalled in the lower part of the frames. A note for $800, which forty years previously had been given at 6 per cent interest, was paid off in a few minutes on December 8, 1918, $2400 having been paid in interest to that date. The assistants at St. Mary's during Father Wilson's time were from Nov- ember 1, 1915 to October 1, 1916, Reverend Timothy Smith ; October, 1916 to October, 1918, Reverend Ed- ward Butler; October, 1918, to Sep- tember, 15, 1922, Reverend John J. Hogan, grand nephew of the late Bishop Hogan of Kansas City, a worthy relative of his distinguished uncle ; from September 15, 1923, to December 3, Reverend E. A. Carey. The mission at Casey having been placed in charge of the Franciscan Fathers at Teutopolis, there has been no assistant in Marshall from the last mentioned date. In 1915, when the present writer came as pastor to Marshall the parish numbered 120 families. It now has in 1925, 96 families. In the last ten years many of the old settlers have died, thus breaking the ties that held their children to this locality. The Ford, Studebaker, etc., have attracted the youth from the ill-paying farms to Detroit and other cities, and the old folks are obliged to sell out, to hire a little cottage in town. The young women have gone to the cities for employment, have married and settled down, usually calling their sis- ters and brothers after them. A death or a marriage in Marshall, now- adays, usually means "A scattering of the clan"* and "Pews to rent," with no one to hire them. Church of St. Brigid, Liberty, Adams County, Illinois Established in 1847. Present Pastor: Reverend Edmund J. Scanlan. St. Brigid 's church was founded in 1860. From the names in an old ac- count book in which is recorded the money received and expended in the 219 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS building: of the church in 1869-1870 it would appear that this territory was at this time settled by Irish Cath- olics. The list of subscribers to the building fund is as follows : Peter Brennan, Patrick Kelly (senior), Maurice Kelly, Michael Kelly, John McMahon, F. Lambert, James Cor- rigan, Patrick Corrigan, Edward Fitzpatrick, Patrick Clark, William Farren, Mrs. Mary Clark, John O'Donnell, Patrick Curran, Thomas O'Donnell, Thomas Langan, Bernard Masterson, Frederick Worley, Hugh Markey, David Fitzgerald, James Gorman, Edward Cleary, Patrick Or- mond, Michael Welsh, Mrs. Mary Ham, Mrs. John Roberts. Among the first German families whose names later begin to appear on the parish roster were : Reinhard and John Smith, Andrew Flick, John Waner, Louis Kleinhensen. The first Catholic settlers of this territory were occasionally visited by the famous pioneer missionaries, Father St. Cyr and Father De Smet, S.J. Later on Fathers McCabe and Stick ministered to their spiritual needs riding on horseback from one little Catholic colony to another with their vestments and altar supplies strapped behind them. Although the parish was founded in 1860 the church was not built until 1870, its first pastor, the Reverend Thomas Cusack, during this decade following the custom of Fathers Mc- Cabe and Stick of riding from one Catholic settlement to another in that large territory of over six hundred square miles and saying Mass at the various homes of his parishioners ac- cording to their turn. And even after the church was built the devoted peo- ple of Liberty had to be satisfied with one Mass each month, as its pastors usually had charge of other parishes also. The Reverend John Patrick Kerr succeeded Father Cusack. Father Kerr had a sacristy built and on the occasion of his monthly visit to the church roomed over it in the Summer and Fall months, the ladies of the parish taking turns to prepare his meals. In the severe days of Winter and Spring he usually availed him- self of the ready hospitality of his friends, Peter Brennan or Patrick Kelly. The Reverend Clement Johannes was the first resident pastor of the parish, being the builder of the pres- ent attractive parochial residence. Father Johannes was succeeded by : Reverend L. Guerin, Reverend D. Kelly, Reverend Francis Smith, Rev- erend Thomas Costello. Father Cos- tello was a skilled architect and dur- ing his administration much was done to beautify the church premises. The ceiling was raised and arched, the windows were mullioned, the sanctu- ary space increased and the church enlarged. After Father Costello came : Rev- erend James Brady, Reverend A. Vollebreght, Reverend William Pietsch and Reverend Edmund J. Scanlan, the present pastor. Father Pietsch 's administration was marked by a great increase in the number of weekly Communions. He also estab- lished a flourishing branch of the Holy Name Society, which is the means of bringing a magnificent at- tendance of the men of the parish to the altar rails each month. At the present time the entire church plant is being repaired and modernized. Two hot air furnaces have been installed, the church and pastor's residence have been painted and equipped with a modern plumb- ing system. The names of some of the trustees who served the parish since its or- ganization are : Peter Brennan, Pat- rick Kelly, John Williamson, Patrick Clark, Constantine Clark, James Clark, James Welsh, Frank H. Smith, William Kaltenbach, Joseph Ormond, Frank Dietrich, Moritz Cramsey and Frank F. Smith. The parish at present has sixty- eight families, making a total of two hundred and fifty-two persons. Most of the members reside at an average distance of six miles from the church. 220 IN THE DIOCESE OP CHICAGO Only dine families reside in Liberty itself. St. Brigid's church had four epis- copal visitations, one on October 23, 1882 by Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, two by Right Reverend James Ryan, one in 1891 and another in 1894, and one by Right Reverend James Aloysius Griffin in May, 1926. Father Cusack was Pastor of St. Brigid's from 1860 to 1875; Father Kerr, 1875-1884; Father Johannes, 1885-1892 ; Father Guerin, 1892-1893 ; Father Kelly, 1893 (Feb.- June) ; Father Smith, 1893-1896 ; Father Cos- tello, 1896-1899; Father Vollebreght, 1900-1921 ; Father Pietsch, 1921-1927 ; Father Scanlan, 1927—. Church of St. Mary, Mt. Sterling, Brown County, Illinois. Established in 1849. Present Pastor : Reverend Patrick J. Fox. St. Mary's Parish, Mt. Sterling, Illinois, extends over Brown County, and parts of Schuyler and Adams counties. The first white settler with- in the limits of Brown county built his log cabin in the northeast part of Coopestown township in 1823. The date of the first settlement of Catho- lics here runs back almost to this twi- light of Brown County history. It is certain that there were some Catholic families among the first emigrants to Mt. Sterling and vicinity. Among the earliest settlers, whose descendants are today more or less prominently identified with the affairs of the county were the 'Connors, Sweeneys, 'Haras, Rioths, Flynns, Doyles, Cor- rigans, Dillons, Foleys, McCromicks, Bordenkirchers, Sullivans and Culli- nans, not to mention almost a score of other families whose names and his- tories have almost lapsed from the memory of the population of today. Before a Catholic church was built in Mt. Sterling, Mass was said at the homes of the above mentioned, either in town or country, by Reverend D. Byrne, who came from Quincy. St. Patrick's, the first Catholic church of Mt. Sterling, was built in 1 849 in that part of the city now known as Lawns- dale. This little frame church was for many years commodious enough for its small and widely scattered con- gregation. There was no resident pas- tor but the church was attended from Jacksonville and Quincy at such odd times as suited the convenience of the much overworked clergy of that day. When the Catholic population be- came more numerous and more for- tunately situated, the present splen- did site of the Church property was secured. This consists of an entire square block, half of which was do- nated by Mr. James Gibbons, and half purchased by the congregation. The building of the present church, St. Mary's, was begun in 1862, but it did not reach completion until 1876, al- though it was dedicated in 1864 and put into use at once. At this time the congregation consisted of both Ger- man and Irish nationalities, but in 1868, many of the "out-and-out" Ger- mans were organized as a separate congregation called St. Joseph's. At the present time St. Mary's is com- posed of families of Irish and Ger- man extraction with the Irish pre- dominating somewhat. The first resident pastor of St. Mary's occupied a house a block and a half east of the church. Because of its inconvenient situation, it was sold and the present parochial residence was built in 1878. Many of the first priests were not permanently station- ed here and only officiated in a desul- tory sort of way, sharing the hospi- tality in their respective homes with the better-off families of their congre- gation. These were : Fathers Byrne, Gallagher, Kearney and Pendergast. Father Gallagher was the priest tem- porarily in charge at the time the first church was built. Reverend Aug- ust B. Rinker was the first resident pastor. He officiated here from 1860 to 1864, and during his incumbency the erection of the present church 221 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS building was begun. Reverend Fer- dinand Stick succeeded the former pastor and brought to a close the work on the new church. He remained un- til 1868 and was succeeded by Rever- end Dennis Cohan, who in turn was succeeded by Reverend Michael Clif- ford. The batter's term of rectorship was the longest in the records of the church of Mt, Sterling ; it lasted from July, 1872, to July 1, 1896. The present parochial residence and the Sisters' Convent were built during the incumbency of Father Clifford. In 1896 Reverend Daniel J. Ryan took charge of St. Mary's and re- mained until 1899. In that year he was fatally burned when the house ac- cidentally caught fire. Reverend Michael H. Cawley was acting pastor until July, 1900, when Reverend David Moroney became pastor. He was succeeded by Reverend W. Heff- ernan in 1907, who remained here un- til his death in 1912. While Father Heffernan was pas- tor, the congregation at Bluffs, Illi- nois, formerly attended from Jack- sonville, was attached to Mt. Sterling as an out-mission. A curate was needed, and Reverend J. Murray was appointed to that position. He was succeeded first by Rev. Peter T. McGuinness, and then by Reverend Charles Fanning. The latter was act- ing pastor from Father Heffernan 's death until 1913, when Reverend T. J. Carroll was appointed pastor. The following priests were assistants dur- ing that period : Reverend Joseph O'Donnell, Reverend James Maloney and Reverend Joseph McKeogh. After Father Carroll's death in 1919, his place was filled for about two months by Reverend Amos Guisti, when Reverend Joseph O'Rourke, the present pastor, was appointed. Reverend Edmund Butler and Rever- end Dominic Lydon were former as- sistants to Father O'Rourke. The present assistant is Reverend James Holmes. Prominent among the influential men of the earlier days were John Teefey, an able lawyer who was State's Attorney in 1863, and J. M. Murphy, who worthily held the office of Mayor for fourteen years. Today the office of Mayor is again filled by a member of St. Mary's Congregation, William Purcell. The early Catholic settlers and their descendants have always exercised a wholesome in- fluence upon the affairs, material and moral of the country. The Civil War found many soldiers among them and the World War added to the Parish Roll of Honor four gold stars after the names of George E. Borden- kircher, Thomas Moncton, Richard Monckton and Frank E. Drew. St. Mary's Congregation has en- joyed the benefits of a Catholic school from the time the little one room school house was built in 1864. An- other room was added in 1873. Lay teachers taught here until in 1880, when Reverend M. Clifford secured the services of the Dominican Sisters from Springfield, Illinois. In 1908 St. Mary's Academy, the present school, was erected under the direc- tion of Reverend W. Heffernan. At present its grade school has an en- rollment of 65 pupils and its High- School numbers 72 students. It is listed among the recognized High Schools of the state, and is affiliated with the Catholic University of Amer- ica and with the St. Louis Univer- sity. As to Mt. Sterling itself : It is the capital of Brown County. Its inhabi- tants, 2,000 — in number are, for the most part, retired farmers with a sprinkling of business and profession- al men. It has no productive indus- try except farming; hence its con- servative outlook and lack of growth during many years past. Mt. Ster- ling has many things of which it may reasonably feel proud, but unques- tionably its greatest asset is its fine community spirit. The writer knows of no small city in such comparative isolation where a more beautiful spirit of good fellowship exists between the Catholics and non-Catholics. This spirit was especially evident during the incumbency of Father O'Rourke 222 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO and his assistant, Father Lydon, both of whom seldom missed an oppor- tunity to promote civic welfare. And their efforts in this direction were duly appreciated by their separated brethren. An illuminating instance confirmatory of this good will is seen in the fact that when Father Lydon was about to start for the Catholic University of Washington, D. O, to pursue his studies further, he was feted by the prominent non-Catholics of the city and made the recipient of a beautiful gold watch chain which he still numbers among his most precious possessions. It can then be justly said that Mt. Sterling has found a civic common denominator wide enough to embrace all denominations without prejudice to their respective religious convictions. After a long painful illness, climaxed by a fatal operation, Father O'Rourke died at St. Mary's Hos- pital, Milwaukee, on Friday, Febru- ary 17, 1927, and was buried the fol- lowing Tuesday in Calvary Cemetery, Mount Sterling. The Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D. D., in the pres- ence of a large number of Diocesan priests and an over-flow congregation of the laity representative of all classes and creeds, officiated at the obsequies and preached an inspiring sermon in which he dwelt at length upon the priestly character of the de- ceased. Reverend Joseph O'Rourke was born 1864, in County Longford, Ire- land. He received his elementary ed- ucation in the local national school, and his classical training in Moyne Seminary, Longford. From the latter place he entered the famous Mission- ary College, All Hallows, Dublin, where after successfully completing his philosophical and theological studies, he was ordained priest in the year 1892. On coming to this country he was sent as assistant to Our Saviour's Church, Jacksonville, where he re- mained till 1896. From 1896-1899 he was pastor of Sacred Heart, Dalton City; from 1899-1919 of St. Isidore's, Farmersville, and from 1919 to his death, of St. Mary's, Mt. Sterling. In all these places he did splendid work and always bore himself with priestly dignity. Particularly was he loved by the Farmersville people round Avhose hearts he had entwined him- self by his pleasing personality and devotion to duty. Father O'Rourke, in his deep faith and buoyant light-heartedness, was typical of the Cream of Irish priest- hood. Near his faith there never seemed to come shadows of doubt. His deportment and address were re- miniscent of Newman's true gentle- man, as the man who never gives pain. Father 'Rourke was, however, hu- man enough to get angry on occasion, but then the toe of his forgiveness al- ways pressed the heel of his anger. Those who knew him will recall his contagious, wonderful laugh, which would ripple and run, and delight its hearers like the song of the lark on a morn of May over his native moun- tains of Innisfail. It was no wonder that when he died he was mourned by all. The number of priests and people at his funeral considering the remoteness of the place, and the many tears shed as the portal of the tomb closed in upon him whom they loved so well are proofs of his great popularity. The writer of this appreciation lived for two and one-half years un- der the same roof as Father 'Rourke, and consequently knows whereof he speaks when he says that in his death St. Mary's congregation lost a true shepherd, the priests of the diocese a companionable friend, and Bishop Griffin a priest of sterling work. As I now think of him, the beautiful words of Hamlet to his noble friend, Horatio, come to my mind: "Thou art e'en as just a man, as e'er my conversation coped withal." Father Joseph O'Rourke, after life's fitful fever, may you sleep well — that is the fervent prayer sent up to God by yours in Christ, — D. F. L. N. B. — Rev. Patrick Fox, a former pastor of Divernon, is now in charge of Saint Mary's, Mount Sterling. 223 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Church of St. Joseph, Mt. Sterling, Brown County, Illinois. Established in 1849. Present Pastor : Reverend James J. 'Donoghue. Brown County is situated a little north of the center of the State of Illinois, and was originally a part of Schuyler County. In the year 1829 Brown was cut off from Schuyler and independently established with the city of Mount Sterling, its capital. The first white man to locate in what is now known as Brown County ar- rived in the year 1823. His name was Sheppard. From that time onward the white race gradually came in and settled down to clear away the timber and cultivate the land. It appears that those early settlers had a knowl- edge of and a love for the Christian religion. No less than five denom- inations with churches established had been identified with the locality from its earliest history; namely, Methodist-Episcopal, Presbyterian, Baptist, Christian and Roman Catho- lic. As evidence of the Catholic faith in Brown County from its beginning, there is a long list of distinctively Irish and Catholic names, all of which have been associated with the first settlement and development of the county. Those men together with their German neighbors of the same Faith, were the pioneers who planted the first seed of Catholic Faith in this new and fertile field. In the year 1849 the first Catholic Church was es- tablished in the city of Mt. Sterling, and from that time onward the con- gregation steadily developed in the face of many disadvantages. At this time the parish was territorially com- mensurate with Brown county, and the priests at Mt. Sterling attended the spiritual needs of all Catholics dwelling in that area of whatever nationality. The year 1868 saw a development or rather a kind of revolution in the Catholic Church in Brown County, when the majority of the German ele- ment, which numbered about half of the original parish of about 200 fam- ilies, seceded from the mother church of St. Mary. The reason, or reasons, today alleged for the secession cannot be fully authenticated. However, from what the old families now living admit, the secession was caused by the race and language questions. The Germans, naturally enough, wanted a church and a pastor of their own na- tionality, who would preach the Gos- pel in their language. And, when we consider that all the German people of those early days came over the At- lantic from Germany, Holland and Alsace-Lorraine, knowing no other language than that of the Mother Country, we can appreciate their ef- forts to have the best opportunities for the practice of their religion. In the year 1868 a delegation of German men waited on Bishop Baltes of Alton, laid their plans for a new church before him and secured his approval. The next move was to pur- chase three small lots in the east end of Mt. Sterling for the sum of $1,000. On one of these lots was a one-story frame building of considerable dimen- sions. This frame building was con- verted into a Catholic church, en- titled St. Joseph 's, and thus began the German parish in Mt. Sterling, Illi- nois. For the first two years of its exist- ence it appears the new parish was taken care of by a priest from Quincy, Illinois, by the name of Father Schaefermeyer. In January, 1870, Father Cornelius Hoffman was ap- pointed the first resident pastor of the parish. He rented a frame house, lived in one end of it and opened a school in the other, with a German Catholic layman as teacher of all the grades. In May, 1871, Father Hoffman was changed and the parish was again taken care of by Reverend P. Paul- inus Weiss, a Franciscan monk from 224 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO Quincy, Illinois. He had charge for one year. In October, 1872, Reverend Edmond Claus was appointed pastor and held that office until May, 1873, when Father John A. Mark came to take charge, remaining until Novem- ber, 1874. He purchased two lots on the south side of East South Street opposite the church. On one of these lots was an old log cabin which he converted into a parochial school. On the other he built a large two-story house as a pastor's residence. The new parochial school was again taught by a layman. In 1874 Father Mark was changed and Reverend Joseph Locher was ap- pointed pastor. Father Locher re- mained many years at St. Joseph's, and it was during his time there that the parish began to show signs of per- manent progress. In 1884 Father Locher built the present brick church on the lot where the original frame church was located. The church cost $10,000. In the following year, 1885, it was dedicated by Bishop Baltes of Alton. The old log cabin school- house on the south side of the street was now closed and the old disused church was moved to the lot east of the new brick church and converted into a parochial school with a Catho- lic layman as teacher. The parish property now consisted of a new two-story priest's house on the south side of East South Street and a new brick church on the corner of East South Street on the north side, and on the lot west of the church was a frame building school- house. In 1888 Father Locher em- ployed Mr. Reuter as school teacher and organist, both of which offices he filled until 1897. In July, 1890, Father Joseph Dechene succeeded Father Locher and remained the pas- tor until 1897. Father Dechene did much good work for St. Joseph 's par- ish. He erected two very beauti- fully designed side altars in the church, paid off all the debt on the parish and advanced the congregation spiritually and otherwise. Reverend Benard Hasse succeeded Father Dechene in December, 1897, and remained as pastor until Novem- ber, 1910, when he went to St. John's Hospital, Springfield, where he died May 4, 1911. At his own request he was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Quincy, where his college chum and life-long friend, Rev. Joseph Still was buried. By way of improve- ments Father Hasse moved the frame school-house from the north to the south side of the street and there con- tinued the parochial school. About this time Father Hasse for the first time in the history of the parish em- ployed Sisters to teach in the parochial school, bringing in three Sisters of the Precious Blood Order. Where the old school house was, he built the brick house that has since been used and stands today as the pastor's residence. In 1910, Reverend John Marion came to St. Joseph's and remained as pastor for six months. He was succeeded by Rev. Frederick Neibling who was pastor until June, 1920. For some reason or other when Father Neibling came to St. Joseph's the school had been closed. He again re- opened it and employed as teacher Miss Kulman from Quincy. Later he employed Miss Louise Geers also from Quincy. Finally in September, 1913, Father Neibling employed three Sis- ters of the Notre Dame Order from St. Louis to take charge of the school. In June, 1920, Reverend Anton M. Jaschke succeeded Father Neibling. Under his pastoral charge the school was closed after two years and has since remained closed. Viewing the circumstances all around, it appears it was a mistake ever to open a school in St. Joseph's parish for the reasons that most of the families live out in the country, anywhere from five to fifteen miles, and also in view of the fact that St. Mary's Academy offer- ed the children of St. Joseph's con- gregation the advantages of a good 225 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS grade and high school education at a moderate expense. In August, 1924, Bishop James A. Griffin appointed Reverend James J. O'Donoghue administrator of St. Joseph's, Father Jaschke having been previously sent to Effingham as chaplain of St. Anthony's Hospital. Since his coming, Father 'Donoghue has made many improvements that were badly needed. A new roof was placed on the church, an up-to-date heating plant installed, organ rebuilt and the rectory, heretofore wanting in practically every home convenience was thoroughly modernized. These improvements cost in the neighbor- hood of $7,000.00. The parish today numbers about one hundred families, all German- Americans. The majority of the parish is made up of farmers who are moderately circumstanced. Twenty-two young men from St. Joseph's parish served in the late World War, one of whom George J. Elbus, was killed in action. Church of Our Saviour, Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois Established in 1851. Present Pastor : Reverend Francis F. Formaz, S.T.L. The memory of the French Catho- lic Missionaries of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries has lent a halo of romance and heroism to the early history of the Mississippi Val- ley, and its adjacent country. Every spot where their footsteps lingered during their journe} r s is, to the stu- dent of history no less than to the de- vout Catholic, a place replete with in- terest and hallowed by sacred tra- dition. If one of these traditions may be relied upon, there is within the lim- its of Morgan County, and within the limits of the parish of the Church of Our Saviour of those days, a spot hallowed by the memory of the pres- ence of one of these glorious pioneers of the Faith. At the western edge of the county, where the Illinois river broadens into a lake-like stretch of water, there is a small plateau. Here long years ago stood an Indian vil- lage visited from time to time by one of the black robes, Pere Antoine d'Osia, and to this day the lake and village lying just south of the plateau bear the priest's name in the form of Meredosia. It is likely therefore that the first Christian worship within the bounds of the county and the parish of Jack- sonville was the Mass. Long years passed after the days of Pere Antoine before the Mass was again celebrated. The town of Jacksonville in Morgan County, was laid out in 1825. The early settlers were, some of southern birth, some of New England extrac- tion. The founding of Illinois Col- lege in 1829 by men from Yale Col- lege brought a large increase to the New England element of the town and resulted in giving to the com- munity a decidedly Puritan cast. To a town therefore typically New Eng- land in spirit came the first Catholic settlers in Jacksonville. So far as can be learned, the first Mass in Jacksonville was said in 1851 by the Reverend John Gifford, a Scotch priest at that time stationed in Springfield. Finding four or five Catholic families, he held Divine Service and appointed George Eber- hardt, Edward Keys and Henry Mc- Donnel as collectors to raise funds and assist in the establishment of a church. The services were held in a private house but soon the increase of the congregation demanded more room and the old court house was occupied. The Honorable Murray Mc- Connel gave the congregation a piece of ground on North Sandy street, near the Wabash railroad, and soon thereafter a small brick building, which may still be seen, was erected and the modest beginnings of the Church of Our Saviour were made. The first resident pastor was 226 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO Reverend Patrick T. MeElhearn, but before his coming, Reverend Thomas Quigley of Springfield, visited the church at intervals. An interesting story is told of how that devoted man managed to say Mass on Christmas day for the little flock in Jackson- ville, by procuring a hand car and making the journey from Springfield after having previously said his two Masses there. Father MeElhearn was succeeded by Fathers Brennan, Man- gan, O'Halloran and Clifford. In 1866, Reverend Joseph Costa, O. C, succeeded Father Clifford. The con- gregation had been making progress. Immediately on assuming charge of the parish, Father Costa put into operation his plans for the building of a new church, in a more desirable part of town. Unfortunately, the anti-Catholic feeling was so strong that he found difficulty in obtaining a site. Through the aid of a third party, he finally succeeded in buying property on East State street, adjoin- ing the home of the War Governor, Richard Yates. In 1868 he had the satisfaction of seeing his new church completed and the present spacious building on East State Street was oc- cupied, having been previously blessed by the famous Archbishop Purcell of Cincinnati. In the corner-stone of the building, among other things, was placed the following document : 1. <©. ffl. VI 11 3B. JVC Anttn «- parata* aalutta miOKECEIG- XV 1 1 1 Pin pp. IX £>anrtae (Eatfjnltrap 3Erd?aiae Pnntt- firp fflaxima Attirra Slfllfttann Am?rtrae3FnebprataeprarBtDr Iffttrirn Uaminn Junrkrr Al- tmtrnata Btormos l-piaropn Strar&n GDnleabg flrmmtriar JlltnntPttBta gubfrttator? 3loerph (Casta (£atluiliruruui liuiiiB ritritatta A ifarkanttmlla tumrupatae paator? &upra&tr- tta JRrtJfrett&taaimua If. 31. Juurkrr Ait fttaiarrnt (Sluriam let Amtnarumnur *5>alutrm iUaptbrm Amutlarriu lutius Irm nli ileau Oli^rtsto (Erurifixn ifliuiu i §•? matort otranot §>ub- qup tnunratinnr fS. V. fHaria? Dumiur UJirl|aelia Arrljattgelt Srttf iixit. rttpqup poamt. (Signed) Henricus Damianus, Epus. Al- tonensis, P. J. Baltes, Vicarius Generalis dioceseos. Joseph Peter Klein, pastor at Carrollton; L. Hinssen, pastor of the Immaculate Conception Church at Springfield; F. H. Zabel, pastor of St. Patrick's Church, East St. Louis; F. Stick, pastor of the Immacu- late Conception Church at Maddonaville, 111.; William Cluse, pastor of Petersburg; Francis Recouvreur, pastor of Pittsfield; James Harty, of the Cathedral, Alton, Illinois. After completing his church, Father Costa at once set out to build a rectory, erecting a substantial brick residence on Court street, which after- wards served the Dominican Sisters as their Convent and Motherhouse. About this time, Father Costa also began the building of the parochial school and before leaving Jackson- ville he had the present school well under way. In the original parochial school, sit- uated near the depot of the old T. W. & W. railroad, according to a con- temporary account, Father Costa had 185 pupils. He acted as the prin- cipal of the school himself and had two laymen to assist in the work of teaching. Among the men so em- ployed was Thomas A. Rice, the uncle of Very Reverend F. V. Nugent, CM., who later removed to St. Louis, where he organized the Mound City Business College and later still be- came a prominent figure in the Real Estate World. On the removal of Father Costa, the work was completed by Reverend Peter J. Macken. Father Macken was a native of Ireland, and when he took charge of Our Saviour's parish 227 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS on August 16, 1872, was a very young man. Under his discreet manage- ment, the irritation between Catho- lics and non-Catholics began to di- minish. He pushed the work on the new school and on January 2, 1873, the school opened its doors. Three lay teachers were employed. In 1872, realizing the inadequacy of his teach- ing force, Father Macken secured a band of six pioneer Dominican Sisters from St. Catherine's in Springfield, Kentucky, to take charge of the school. Unknowingly, Mother Joseph- ine and her companions laid the foun- dation of the present community of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, whose Motherhouse is now located in Spring- field, Illinois. Leaving their Ken- tucky home on August 18, 1873, they arrived the following day in Jack- sonville, where they were housed in a low, one-story brick cottage, west of the school on Court Street. This con- tinued to be their dwelling until the cramped, unsanitary quarters made a change necessary. Father Macken proposed to move from the new rec- tory to a frame building on the cor- ner of Court and Brown Streets, and transfer the rectory to the Sisters for a consideration of seven thousand dollars. This was accordingly done. The growth of the pioneer com- munity later reached a point where new quarters were again needed, es- pecially for the department of music. The community had been incorpor- ated in 1884, with twenty professed Sisters and seven novices. The prop- erty of Governor Yates, on East State Street, was acquired, and later, an addition was made. On July 14, 1887, the new addition was blessed by Father Janssen, Administrator of the Diocese, assisted by Fathers T. Hick- ey and J. Murphy. After Father Macken came the pastorate of Father John 'Halloran, in 1878. The new priest was young, inexperienced, and in very delicate health. In the spring of 1878 Father 'Halloran was called to his eternal home, and the Reverend Father Dani- her filled the vacancy until Father Timothy Hickey's appointment in 1879, when Father Daniher became his assistant. During Father Hickey's administration, Liberty Hall was built upon land adjoining the paro- chial school. The Young Men's Catho- lic Benevolent Association had been organized in November, 1878, with twenty-three members, later increas- ing its membership to sixty-five. The officers in 1884 were : President, M. H. Murray; Vice President, George Buhre ; Secretary, 0. Weisenberg ; Financial Secretary, Edward Keat- ing; Treasurer, M. S. Harmon. The Ancient Order of Hibernians was es- tablished in September, 1883, with a roster of ninety-five members. Its officers at that time were : President, John Boylan ; Vice-President, Charles Devlin; Recording Secretary, E. A. Cosgrif f ; Financial Secretary, W. A. Carroll; Treasurer, M. McGinnis; Doorkeeper, Denis J. McCarthy; Grand Marshall, M. S. Harmon; Sargent at Arms, John Devlin. Some idea of the condition of the Church of Our Saviour at this time may be gleaned from a contemporary notice : "At the Church of Our Saviour (Roman Catholic) from January 1, 1884, to December, 1884, there were fifty-eight baptisms, 34 funerals and 21 marriages. On May 25, 1884, 114 persons received the Sacrament of Confirmation at the hands of Right Reverend P. J. Baltes, Bishop of the Diocese. There are 298 children en- rolled at the Catholic school who are instructed by the Sisters of St. Dom- inic. Mother Josephine is Superioress of the Sisters and this is the Mother- house for the Diocese of Alton. The Church has a seating capacity of 800. There is also standing room and a large gallery. Two Masses are cele- brated every Sunday, the first at 8 :00 and the second at 10 :00 A.M. At one of the Masses, all of the seating space is occupied and some persons are standing, and many in the gallery. At the other Mass the Church is more 228 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO than three-fourths full. Catechism at 2 :00 and Vespers at 3 :00. There are two societies of ladies attached to the Church, one, the Altar Society, and the other the Young Ladies' So- dality of the B. V. M. Their object is to help one another by mutual prayer and to supply the sacred vest- ments used at divine service. Besides the Young Men's Benevolent Society, there is also attached to the Church the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Orphan Society." It is interesting to compare the sta- tistics given for 1884 with those for 1925. In the latter year there were 48 children baptized as compared with 58 in 1884 ; there were 36 funerals in 1925 as compared with 34 in 1884; there were 14 marriages as compared with 21 in 1884 ; there were 209 chil- dren in the school in 1925 as com- pared with 298 in 1884. In January, 1889, Father Timothy Hickey was appointed Rector of the Church of the Immaculate Concep- tion at Springfield, and Father Pat- rick Brady was assigned to Jackson- ville, with the Reverend T. O'Reilly as Assistant. During most of his pas- torate, Father Brady was in delicate health, dying on May 5, 1892. Father Brady was the first Rector of the Church of Our Saviour, that church having been made an irremovable rec- torate. Shortly after the death of Father Brady, Father John W. Crowe came to Jacksonville on August 2, 1892. For the previous fifteen years he had been stationed in Mattoon. He was a man of indefatigable energy, and under his direction there began a period of expansion undreamt of previously. One of his first efforts, the remodeling of the church, was completed in the autumn of 1895. In November, 1896, Father Crowe was able to announce the opening of Our Saviour's Hospital. The hospital building, which adjoins the church was originally the mansion occupied by Richard Yates the War Governor of Illinois. It had been purchased by the Dominican Sisters from the Gov- ernor's heirs, and for a time was used by them for their Motherhouse, until their headquarters were moved to Springfield. The last profession made with Jacksonville as the Dominican Motherhouse was in the convent chapel, October 24, 1892. On the re- moval of the Dominican Sisters, the property was purchased by Father Crowe and used by him as a parochial residence. Early in 1896 the work of remodeling the fine old house for the necessities of a hospital was begun by Father Crowe and in November of that year Our Saviour's Hospital was opened to the public. Among the early Sisters who nursed the sick here were some members of the famous band that went forth from Notre Dame during the Civil "War and did heroic work under the direction of Mother Angela, the favorite cousin of the celebrated James G. Blaine. In 1897, as the facilities of the Hospital were taxed to its utmost, a substan- tial wing was completed, while in 1922 the present magnificent six story fire proof building was added at a cost of $250,000, making the Hos- pital one of the most modern and best equipped in this part of the state. On Thanksgiving Day, 1897, just a year after the opening of this Hos- pital, Father Crowe had the pleasure of founding and equipping a Com- munity Center. Shortly after assum- ing his rectorate, he had projected a Catholic Club for the social and intel- lectual benefit of the men of the parish. This Club had rooms in the old rectory, now the hospital, and for a time afterwards used Liberty Hall as its home. In the summer of 1897, a fine old family mansion located at 453 East State Street, just opposite the church was purchased for the use of the Club as its home. This build- ing which still stands, is now used as the Dormitory of Routt College. At the heighth of its career the club was officered as follows : President, John Buckley ; First Vice President, Michael Heffernan ; Second Vice President, 229 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Frank Corcoran ; Financial Secretary, Michael White; Recording Secretary, J. J. Kelly. In keeping with former donations, Mr. William R. Routt set aside in the spring of 1901, the sum of six thousand dollars for a new church organ, which was duly in- stalled and opened December, 1901. In 1902 the auditorium of the church was enhanced by the addition of the entirely new seating accommodations. Among the zealous workers for the Church of Our Saviour at this time, the first place was easily taken by con- verts to the Catholic Church — the members of the Routt family. Charles L. Routt, the brother of William R. Routt, was born in Kentucky in 1824, and came to Illinois ten years later with his father. Charles Routt's mother was a sister of the famous Reuben Springer, the millionaire philanthropist of Cincinnati. About 1839, she sent her son Charles to Cin- cinnati to be educated. In 1840, Mr. Routt became a Catholic, an incident which naturally interested his uncle, Reuben Springer, and a few years later, led to Mr. Springer's entrance into the Church. A year or two after his conversion to the Faith, Charles Routt returned to Jacksonville, where for over fifty years he was conspicu- ous as a public spirited citizen. He died November 26, 1895, leaving in his will numerous bequests to the Right Reverend Bishop of the Diocese for various diocesan institutions. The High Altar in the Church of Our Saviour is a memorial to him, pre- sented to the church by his brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. William R. Routt, his sister, Mrs. McMillan, and his nephews, the Newman broth- ers of Chicago. All of these at the time of the donations were non-Catho- lics. In 1896, four years after the appointment of Father Crowe, as pas- tor, he had the satisfaction of receiv- ing William R. Routt and his wife into the Catholic church. The story of their baptism, as told, is curious. Their son, Harvey J. Routt, had be- come a Catholic in 1888 through the instrumentality of his uncle Charles Routt. Harvey J. Routt was a fear- less high minded, uncompromising Catholic and his life naturally had some influence with his parents, who from time to time had studied the practices and doctrines of the Catho- lic Church, though they evinced no wish to come within its fold. Mr. William R. Routt was originally a member of the Christian Church, which he had entered at the age of sixteen, in which he served for many years as Elder and Deacon. In 1896, two years after the death of his brother Charles, he and his wife at- tended, in a casual way, a mission given at the Church of Our Saviour. Later, entering the rectory, they were met by Father Crowe, who without further preamble asked Mrs. Routt to come to the church to be baptized, and upon her demurring, he said : "Well, then, come in and see your husband receive Baptism." Strangely enough William R. Routt arose, went to the Church and was baptized. On the completion of the ceremony, turning to Mrs. Routt, Father Crowe remarked : ' ' Don 't you think you could do the same thing?" and upon receiving an affirmative answer, she was baptized as well as her husband. The sole surviving member of this thoroughly Catholic family is Mrs. Martha A. Routt. Father Crowe was eminently suc- cessful in making converts and at one time, by far the most prominent men in the Church of Our Saviour were converts, and converts were the ma- jority of the membership. It was a common sight to see men assemble in threes and fours each evening in the week at the rectory to receive instruc- tion. The largest accession to the Church at any one time was a class of fifteen men who were part of the con- verts of the year 1899. During the first ten years of Father Crowe 's min- istry over two hundred converts were received into the Church through his instrumentality. The priests of whom mention has been made so far 230 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO were pastors of the Church. Among the men whose names may be found on the church books in one capacity or another are those of Fathers John Janssen, John J. Brennan, D. Byrne, C. G. Mangan, William Busch, J. J. Fitzgibbon, Edward McGowan, Rich- ard Grant, J. Turmel, Jeremiah A. Sullivan, John Dietrich, Thomas Reilly, Charles J. Carr, Father Joseph O'Rourke was assistant in 1893. Fol- lowing him came Fathers James T. Meskel, M. H. Cawley, Joseph Fin- negan, William J. Healy, M. Simon, J. Murphy, F. F. Formaz, A. A. O'Donnell, M. J. 'Flaherty, Denis O'Brien, Michael O'Donnell, D. Doyle, Joseph O'Dwyer, C. A. Snyder, W. T. Sloan, Edward J. Ca- hill, James O'Donoghue, George E. Hobbs, Walter H. Speeman, Ernest A. Burtle and Charles C. Sandon. The present pastor of the church is the Rev. F. F. Formaz. Such in brief outlines is the history of seventy-five years of Catholic prog- ress in a typical Middle West com- munity — a progress so healthy and natural in development that its na- ture has hardly been realized by the casual onlooker. Church of St. Bernard, Glenarm, Sangamon County, Illinois Established in 1849. Present Pastor : Reverend Timothy G. Smith. One of the earliest, if not the earliest Catholic settlement of Sanga- mon County, was in Ball Township, near the present village of Glenarm, now better known as Sugar Creek. This settlement was organized as a congregation in 1849 and as a parish under the title of St. Bernard Church. Some few years after Illinois was admitted into the Union a number of families migrated from Kentucky to what is now Ball Township. They came originally from Maryland to Kentucky, and after sojourning in that state for more than a generation, pushed their way to the fair prairies of the Sangamon. Among them were the Burtles, Gattons, Simpsons, and Logsdons, who may be justly styled the Lords Baltimore of this diocese. William Burtle the pioneer of his family, was born in Maryland in 1780 and came with his parents to Ken- tucky when a boy. He married Sarah Ogdon there, and when forty-six years old, he and his wife and their nine children moved from their Ken- tucky home to the fertile prairies on Sugar Creek settlement in Ball Town- ship, about two hundred yards east of where St. Bernard's church now stands. Here he built a commodious log house into which he moved his family in the spring of 1828. In 1828 James Simpson followed Mr. Burtle from Kentucky, and two years later his brother Richard Simp- son came. Then came Josephus Gat- ton in 1827, later bringing from Ken- tucky his widowed mother, Mrs. Ruth Gatton. Mr. Joseph Logsdon how- ever seems to have been the earliest of them all, having come in 1824. In 1829 they were so lonesome for the comfort and consolation which the Sacraments of the church afford, that they determined to obtain a priest; and so Mr. William Burtle and Mr. James Simpson joined in a request to the Church Authorities at St. Louis to send a priest to minister to the spiritual wants of the little colony on Sugar Creek. In response to their request, Father Dusnawas came to them, and Mass was cele- brated by him in the home of Joseph Logsdon. This, so fas as known, was the first time Mass was ever cele- brated in Sangamon County. Mr. Burtle has said that at that time there were only two Catholic families in Springfield. From time to time after this, a priest visited the settlement, cele- brated Mass and administered the Sacraments. The Reverend Joseph A. Lutz was the next priest to attend Glen Arm 231 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS and after him came the Reverend Charles Felix Von Quickenborne, S.J. Reverend John Mary Irenaeus St. Cyr, on his way from St. Louis to Chicago to minister to the spiritual needs of the faithful of the later city made a short stay at Sugar Creek. That journey was made in 1834. Under date of January 11 of that same year he (Father St. Cyr) re- ported to his ordinary, Bishop Rosati of St. Louis, that he had visited Sugar Creek, said Mass there, and adminis- tered the Sacraments to the Catholic people living in the vicinity. About 1831 or 1832 Mr. Logsdon moved to Missouri, and from that time until 1849 services were con- ducted at the home of Mr. Burtle with more or less regularity. In 1849 a church was built on the spot where St. Bernard's now stands. In 1865 this church was sold to one of the families of the parish, and ac- cording to the best authenticated local tradition the present building was erected in 1866 by Father Murphy one of the pioneer priests of this diocese. Henceforth the parish was succes- sively attended from St. Mary's, Springfield (now the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception), Virden, Auburn, and Divernon to which last mentioned it is still attached. It is more than passing strange that St. Bernard, Glenarm, which be- gan so early and well — it long ante- dated the institution of this diocese — should now be reduced to a congrega- tion of twelve families. The rosy hopes of growing to be a larger and greater parish which it had in the morning of youth were never realized, and so today it finds itself numbered among the smallest out-missions in the diocese. Small though it is, it has, however, the distinction of giving to the diocese a priest in the person of Father Ernest Burtle who is a native son of Glenarm and a direct descend- ant of the original Burtles of the parish. Church op St. Alextos, Beardstown, Cass County, Illinois. Established in 1851. Present Pastor : Reverend James Ahem. As early as 1833 Beardstown had been visited by Reverend Charles Felix Von Quickenborne, S.J., from St. Louis. In 1835 Father Conda- mine of St. Louis labored for awhile among the scattered Catholics of Beardstown. In 1838 Father John B. Rabo, CM., of LaSalle, Illinois, min- istered to about 200 families along the Illinois River, extending for sixty miles. Reverend Peter Paul Lefevre, later Coadjutor Bishop of Detroit, in 1841, begged Bishop Rosati of St. Louis, October 6, 1836, to send a priest to Beardstown. Right Reverend William Quarter, the first Bishop of Chicago, landed at Beardstown, June 18, 1844, and ef- fected wonders among the scattered people. Reverend Maurice De St. Palaise, afterwards Bishop of Vin- cennes, and other priests accompanied him on his apostolic journey. On the 8th of August, 1851, Right Reverend James Oliver Van de Velde, second Bishop of Chicago, started from Naples, Illinois, to Beardstown. It was on this occasion that the good Bishop donated $50.00 toward build- ing the first Catholic church in Beardstown. This good Bishop be- came Bishop of Natchez, Mississippi, July, 1853, and died November 13, 1855. The first church was placed under the special protection of St. Alexius and completed in the year 1852. The church property is valued at about $85,000.00, and out of debt. The parish consists of about 65 fam- ilies, many of these living here for 50 232 Glenarm — St. Bernard Church . . . Jacksonville— Rectory, Our Savior's Church, Very Rev. F. F. Formaz, Pastor, School, Our Savior School, Routi Club, Liberty Hall . . . Dieterich — Rectory and St. Mary's Church, Rev. Oscar J. W. Wernet, Pastor. 1a. U8fi^!iY fif Ha IWftSlTY OF ILUMfflS IN THE DIOCESE OP CHICAGO years. It is an ideal place to live for a shepherd who enjoys the sport of hunting and fishing during the re- cess from worry. Father George Hensey, having served his people here since 1910, was succeeded in the fall of 1925 by Father James Ahern. Church of St. Mart, Brussels, Calhoun County, Illinois. Established in 1852. Present Pastor: Reverend Henry B. Schnelten. Brussels is a little village with about 400 inhabitants, situated in the southern portion of Calhoun County between the Mississippi and the Illi- nois rivers. Available records indi- cate that Calhoun County was in- habited as early as 1838. From two families at that time the population of the county has increased to 8,245. The slow growth of the county is due to its peninsular position, being sit- uated between the Illinois and Miss- issippi rivers. In addition to this, neither the population of the county nor its volume of produce, owing to its size, has heretofore ever war- ranted the cost of a bridge in order to give reliable access to the markets. The early settlers of the county were wood choppers, mostly of French and Irish descent. They sup- plied St. Louis, Missouri, with wood before the days of coal. About the year 1843 a few families from the province of Hanover in Germany came here and began clearing the ground for cultivation. From this time to 1850 there were about thirty Catholic families in the southern por- tion of the county, of French, Irish, and German descent. Among the early settlers were such families as the Cunninghams, Kelleys, Gleasons, McCaulys, Wittmonds, Rowes, Schleepers, Blooms, Telkamps and Pohlmans, who formed the nucleus of the first Catholic parish in Calhoun County. Up to the year 1852 these people had no resident priest. Every effort was made, however, to secure one, and they were finally in the year 1852 rewarded. Until the above men- tioned date a priest from St. Charles, Missouri, would come occasionally to give the people an opportunity to re- ceive the sacraments. Sick calls were also attended from St. Charles, which is twenty-one miles from Brussels and separated from it by the Miss- issippi river. Difficulty in crossing the river as well as the hardships of travel through the wilderness in those days, made regular trips to the county impossible for the priest from St. Charles. Preparing for a resident priest, the Catholics built in the year 1848 a frame church 40x30 under the lead- ership of Casper Blooms and Theo- dore Schleeper. To the rear of the church four rooms were added which were to serve as living quarters for the priest. May 12, 1852, Brussels received its first pastor in the person of Father John Molitor, he having been sent there by the Bishop of Chicago. He was a young priest and came to Brussels in failing health. During his short life of three months in Brus- sels he endeared himself to his people. He was the first priest to be buried in Brussels cemetery. The village was named Brussels in memory of their deceased pastor who was a native of Brussels in Belgium. After the death of Father Molitor in August of 1852, Father I. F. L. Nerreydt, S.J., a Jesuit Father from St. Charles, Missouri, took charge of Brussels parish until October 14, 1853, when Father J. C. Regal was appointed pastor. Father Regal was pastor from October 14, 1853, to January of 1860, during which time he established a mission church at Michael, Illinois, the second church in Calhoun County, twenty-four miles from Brussels, which distance Father Regal made on horseback once a month. After seven years of strenu- ous work in the then very wild coun- try of Calhoun, he died and was 233 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS buried with his people in St. Mary's Cemetery, Brussels, Illinois. Father Regal's successor was Rev- erend Charles Raphael who was pas- tor from 1860 to 1863. During his short stay he did very effective work. Due to the generosity of Mr. Theo- dore Schleeper, one of the first settlers, the present beautiful church grounds, five acres in all, became the property of the church. The ceme- tery land had been previously donated by the same man. Shortly after Father Raphael's arrival, he began making plans for a new home for himself on the newly acquired church property. Having completed his residence in 1862, he immediately began to build the new church, a brick structure 40x80 feet, which forms part of the present church building. The new church was ren- dered fit for services the same year, but Father Raphael was sent else- where before he could accomplish his plans. The third pastor of this congrega- tion was Reverend Peter Rustemeyer, who served from 1863 to 1865 and from 1867 to 1870. It was due to his efforts that in 1869 the services of the Sisters of St. Joseph from St. Louis, Missouri, were secured and a Catholic school established. Father Ruste- meyer converted his own home into a Sisters' house and added thereto a large room which was used for a class- room, he going back to the old four- room appendix to the original church. From 1865 to 1867, during the ab- sence of Father Rustemeyer, Rever- end John Mark, a native of Bavaria, Germany, was pastor of Brussels. During Father Mark's stay the new church was plastered. In the year 1871 Reverend Blasius Winterhalter was appointed pastor of Brussels. Father Winterhalter was pastor here for thirty-six years, from 1871 to 1907, during which time he labored zealously for the spiritual and temporal welfare of the parish. Practically all of the buildings on the church premises today were erected by him. Although he did not build the church, he added to it so that it would accommodate the ever increas- ing congregation. In addition to this he built the present school, first with two rooms, and when this became too small, he added a third room. The present house for the priest was built by him as also the parish hall. In 1907 Father Winterhalter resigned. A short time later he died in St. Louis, Missouri, and was buried in Calvary Cemetery of that city. From February, 1907, to Novem- ber, 1907, Reverend Joseph Maurer acted as pastor. In the same year he was succeeded by Reverend Doctor Henry Becker, who remained until the latter part of November, 1910. During Father Becker's last year as pastor of Brussels, he took a trip to Europe, and while he was away Father B. Schroeder took his place. It was during Doctor Becker's ab- sence that the Sisters of St. Joseph from St. Louis left the parish, much to the regret of the people, who to this day speak very highly of the efficient work that these good Sisters ac- complished during their nearly forty years work in the parish. In December, 1910, Reverend An- ton J. Stengel was appointed as Father Becker's successor. His first task was to provide Sisters for his school, and he was fortunate in se- curing the Precious Blood Sisters, who had their motherhouse in the city of Ruma, Illinois. During his nine years here Father Stengel labored zealously for the temporal and spir- itual welfare of the congregation. He made many improvements on the church property, ornamenting it with trees, shrubbery and lawn. It was he also who built the beautiful home for the Sisters, which is a two story, mod- ern brick building. The priest's house was also remodeled by him. During his stay in Brussels Father Stengel was very active and did much of the work about the premises himself, be- ing particularly gifted in that direc- tion. He took great delight in doing 234 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO such handiwork and in this way inci- dentally saved the congregation many dollars. Due to his whole-souled ef- fort in their behalf, the people loved and revered him, and when the news came of his transfer to Litchfield, Illinois, the people were much grieved and it was several months before they could be reconciled to the loss of their beloved pastor. In July, 1919, Reverend John J. Brune was appointed by the Right Reverend Bishop to succeed Father Stengel, Father Brune, as his prede- cessor, was active in advancing the spiritual as well as the material inter- ests of the parish. He remodeled and frescoed the church in a very artistic and practical manner. Be- sides these material improvements Father Brune had the various branches of the Holy Name so- ciety established in the parish, which continue in a very flourishing condition. Other organized societies in the parish are : St. Agnes Young Ladies' Sodality for the Propagation of the Faith, St. Theresa's Girls' So- dality of the Holy Childhood, Purga- torial Society and St. Joseph Benevo- lent Society. At the present writing the parish numbers 142 families, with a total Catholic population of 600. The school taught by two Sisters of Di- vine Providence, has an enrollment of 75 pupils. In July, 1924, Father Brune was transferred to St. Mary's church, Al- ton, Illinois, and Reverend Henry B. Schnelten who had been assistant in Alton, was made pastor of Brussels. His efforts are being spent in keeping the well organized parish in good con- dition spiritually and financially. He hopes soon to liquidate the present indebtedness and then build a new school in keeping with present-day educational requirements. Church of St. Mary, Dieterich, Effingham County, Illinois. Established in 1852. Present Pastor : Reverend Oscar J. "W. "Wernet. The first Catholic school in Bishop Township was erected in 1852 on the present forty-acre plot then pur- chased for the future church, and was taught by Herman H. Huels until 1854. In this early school the Fran- ciscan Fathers, Joseph Zoegel, O.F.M., then pastor of St. Francis Church at Teutopolis in St. Francis Township, and his successor, Charles Raphale, O.F.M., held services at different times, as did also Father Matthias Hiltermann, O.F.M., in 1863. St. Aloysius Church "on 'Big Bishop' Creek" was the first church erected in the township. It was built in the year 1851 or '52. The first Catholic school in Dieterichsburg was erected in 1890. To this parochial school in several cases the village children indiscriminately came, in preference to walking the long dis- tance to the District School, which then was located at the north of the corporation. At the time of its incorporation the town embraced a wide area, this be- ing necessary to meet the State Laws of incorporation. With the increase of souls, however, this is now no long- er the state of affairs. The confines of the village have become more re- stricted. The Catholic School, a small one- room frame structure, is still stand- ing on its original site. This land as well as the site whereon rests the present Immaculate Conception Church was donated to the congrega- tion by Peter Hutmacher, one of Dieterich 's early citizens. Mr. Hut- macher was very prominent in the Dieterich Catholic circles in the early days. His name, as also that of the Hutmacher family as a whole, will ever live in the memory of the Parish for their benefactions, deep interest and whole-hearted activity. The little school building is now used as a sort of a Parish Hall. The 235 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Parish property is located in the east- ern part of the original village of ' ' Dietrichsburg ' ' and a little north of the present Illinois Central Railroad. Here the first depot — a box car was located. This part of the village in those days was the business section. Since then the commercial center has moved farther west. From the previously mentioned St. Aloysius Congregation "on Bishop Creek" have come many of the fam- ilies who go to make up the present Immaculate Conception Parish in Dieterich. John Grace and Michael Dieterich were prominent characters among the early settlers of Bishop Township. "We now pass on to Michael Dieter- ich, born July 23, 1826, in Germany. The records at hand show that he was the father of at least eight children, viz., Henry, Lizzie, Minnie, Barbara, Michael, Caroline, John and one dead. None of them reside here at the pres- ent time. Mr. Dieterich seems to have been a very shrewd business man. He gave the right of way for the "Springfield, Effingham and Quincy Railroad ' ' which crosses diag- onally the north half of Section Thirteen. At the completion of this road in 1880, the company built a station on his land and he naturally named it "Dieterichsburg" in his honor, and it was surveyed in the Fall of 1880 by County Surveyor A. S. Moffit. So "Dieterichsburg-Grace- ville ' ' ceased to exist as a twin village and hence was known under one name, ' ' Dieterichsburg. ' ' This name, the railroad company for telegraphic brevity, later still, cut down to "Dieterich," the town's present legal designation. Dwelling sites were bought up as the inhabitants in- creased; different lines of commerce were entered into ; the town developed more and more, and Dieterich became a fine business center for many miles around, especially the south and west. At one time it sheltered over one thousand inhabitants. Today there are not over five hundred people in Dieterich. The cities seem to be call- ing them away, and each year the population grows a little less. Besides those already mentioned quite a few other Catholic families gradually became dwellers of the original Dieterichsburg. Before the erection of a church in the town these pious people and those of the vicinity, in order to fulfill -their religious du- ties, necessarily went to St. Francis Church "on Big Bishop Creek," three and one-quarter miles due west of this village, or to St. Joseph church, Island Grove in Jasper Coun- ty. In the inclement weather of the Spring, Fall and Winter this was a great hardship, and demanded many sacrifices. The Franciscan Fathers established a school taught at various times by the following : Mary Mulvaney, Rose Gardewine, George Probst, Leo Mul- vaney, John A. Donsbach, Cecilia Ordner, Mary Bertram, Laura Ord- ner, Josephine Brink, Emma Lampe, Maggie Brey and Edna Petry. Which of the above was first to so act at the time of the school's origin in 1891 is not exactly known. Earnestly real- izing their isolation and deeply re- gretting their situation, after a fairly well attended meeting the leading Catholics of the community appointed and sent a committee to the Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., who was then at St. Michael Church in Sigel, on one of his Episcopal visits, with the request to permit them to build a church of their own in Dieterich. The personnel of this body consisted of the following: Joseph Hoedebecke, George Overbeck, C. J. Steppe, George Krumberg and Nicholas Hut- macher. These men, be it stated, de- serve much credit for their interest shown, both in the early days of the Parish and in its later development. The Bishop kindly and readily grant- ed their petition. The ground for the school and church site was donated. Reverend Celtus Girschewski, 0. F. M., was the pastor of St. Aloysius Congregation "on Bishop Creek" 236 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO 1903-05, during which time he also cared for the Dieterich Catholics. Under his leadership, preliminaries were attended to, materials were gathered together, and ground for the local structure was broken. In the following Spring building operations began in all earnestness. In Septem- ber of 1904, the present frame struc- ture, Roman in style, was brought to a completion. One year later, Septem- ber 17, 1905, the edifice was fittingly dedicated under the ever inspiring title of "The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary." Local Catholics, in abbreviation, are ac- customed to call it "St. Mary Church." Brother Christopher, O.F.M., of the Teutopolis Monastery, designed the building. The building commit- tee with Father Celtus, O.F.M., as leader, consisted of these gentlemen : Charles J. Steppe, Nicholas Hutmach- er and William J. Petry, Jr. The labor and material in many instances were donated. Prior to its dedication, the Parish Dramatic Society gave a play in the building. The sanctuary served as the stage while the sacristy and Missionary's quarters furnished dressing rooms for the actors. A fair sum was realized from this produc- tion. Today the "Girls and Young Ladies' Sodality" aided by the Par- ish members continue this dramatic circle. From time to time they give plays and entertainments in the Town Hall. In the early days the upper story of the old "Petry Broth- ers' " frame structure served as their Dramatic Hall. Their old scenery and unique curtain are still on hand in a good state of preservation. The "Petry" building was destroy- ed by fire some three or four years ago. The village bought up the site and thereon erected the new Town Hall. This is now used for their pub- lic meetings. The Franciscan Fathers continued to care for the Dieterich "Mission" until April, 1907. After this time the Bishop chose to attach it to St. Thomas congregation in Newton, Jas- per County, as a "mission." Father Bede Carbury, O.F.M., then attached to the teaching staff of St. Joseph Col- lege at Teutopolis, Illinois, was the last Franciscan Father to have charge of the Dieterich Mission. From this time Very Reverend Dean John Moli- tor, R.D., of Newton, Illinois, through the agency of his various assistants, diligently looked after the needs of the Mission. The first of these assist- ants was Reverend John Marion. The present revered Pastor of St. Mary congregation, Alexander, Morgan County, Illinois, Father Francis A. Lucius, was the happy successor of the above named. He remained un- til March, 1909. The present incumbent, Father Oscar J. W. Wernet, was next as- signed by the Bishop, with charge un- der Dean Molitor of this Mission. The latter in taking up the work of his predecessors found the people very enthusiastic and especially desirous of regular Sunday services. Owing to conditions existing, they readily un- derstood this to be impossible unless they could have a resident priest. And in compliance with their wishes, un- der the guidance of their Pastor, a lot 50x150 feet adjoining the church on the east was duly purchased from C. J. Steppe for $300.00. The neces- sary preliminaries cared for, building was commenced and in December. 1910, the present substantial brick rectory was ready for occupancy. George Overbeck and Nicholas Hut- macher served with the Pastor as building committee. As in the church structure, so also in this case, much of the labor and lumber were donated. In its formation and upbuilding the Dieterich Parish had its difficulties to contend with and its little obstacles to overcome, together with the numer- ous sacrifices to be borne in such events. A good sized debt, like a threatening cloud, gloomingly hung over it. The congregation has furnished the county with a number of efficient 237 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS teachers. Of these we are able to men- tion the names of the following: An- nette M. Barcum and Esther Dons- bach. The first named is now a mem- ber of the Notre Dame Sisters, while the latter is engaged in public school teaching near Montrose, Illinois. The several young ladies of the village to enter the Religious Life are the following: Theresia Clara Over- beck, deceased; Frances Catherine Probst, and Annette Mary Barcum. A fire resulting from a stroke of lightning in the early morning of Sunday, September 4, 1910, caused considerable damage to the church. No financial loss, however, was suf- fered by the congregation as the in- surance policy fully cared for that part. Some inconvenience had to be borne for a while until repairs were completed. A few changes in the rear of the edifice were necessitated as a result of the above incident. Since then each year has seen some necessary improvements to the prop- erty from their meagre purses. The Parish is free from all indebtedness. In this connection special mention must be made of Owen O'Reilly, de- ceased. This pious member of the con- gregation bequeathed much of the money wherewith the parish met its financial burdens. For the same reason we dare not pass over the name of John N. Steppe. Of the 166 Baptisms administered as recorded in the Parish Books up to date, the first took place in the Teuto- polis College Chapel. The child was the son of Nicholas Hutmacher and wife, Anne, nee Barcum. It occurred on August 20, 1905. The sponsors were Henry Meyer and Elizabeth Lustig with Father Bede Carbury, O.F.M., officiating. The first of the forty-one marriages on record was that of Henry Habing and Elizabeth Hardollar. It occurred on October 20, 1905, with Father Bede Carbury, O.F.M., officiating, and with Francis Hardollar and Cath- erine Pille as witnesses. There have been 136 First Holy Communions up to date. The Holy Sacrament of Confirmation was con- ferred on a total of 92 persons as the records show. The names of others appear on the Parish Books of either Bishop, Teutopolis, or St. Thomas, at Newton, Illinois. Regarding deaths and burials there have been in all forty-one to date. The first one on record indicates that of a certain George Benick. He was a man of 56 years of age, dying sud- denly on October 24, 1905. His burial took place on October 26, 1905. The obsequies were in charge of Father Bede Carbury, O.F.M. These facts are in full accord with the Parish Records. Others serving as Parish Trustees are the following : William Lustig and George Overbeck until January, 1919 ; William II. Ruegger and Leo- pold Deters until 1920. From 1920 the following gentlemen have been holding the office, viz., J. H. Westen- dorf and Leopold Deters. They still continue in that capacity and deserve great credit for their many sacrifices in different ways for the good of the congregation and for their ready will- ingness to sustain the Pastor in all undertakings. From the very beginning the Altar Society and the Sacred Heart League have been in existence in the Parish. The present officers of these efficient organizations are as follows : Presi- dent, Mrs. Thomas L. Wooley; Vice President, Mrs. Ben Beckman; Sec- retary, Mrs. John A. Donsbach; Treasurer, Mrs. Michael McMahon; Counsellors, Mesdames J. H. Westen- dorf, Joseph Lustig, Sr., and William Lustig. In 1910 the "Girls and Young Ladies' Sodality" was established. Their Prefect is Miss Gladys Barcum ; Secretary, Miss Dorothy Hutmacher; Treasurer, Miss Evelyn Petry. Their Holy Communion Sunday follows that of the Married Ladies' Organiza- tion mentioned above. It includes in its membership all the girls who have made their First Holy Communion. 238 IN THE DIOCESE OP CHICAGO They have about thirty members en- rolled. On Christmas Day, 1910, "The Holy Childhood Association" was established in the Parish. Its roster embraces every child, even infants, of the congregation up to the sixteenth year. The children rejoice in it. On Easter Sunday, 1924, in accord- ance with the wish of the Right Rev- erend Bishop, James Aloysius Griffin, D.D., a "Senior" and a "Junior Di- vision" of the "Diocesan Holy Name Confraternity, ' ' was duly established. The following are the Charter of- ficers: President, Albert Barcum; Vice President, Rudolf Schneider; Secretary, William J. Petry; Treas- urer, Henry Krone, Jr. ; Marshall, N. Hutmacher ; Consultors, George West- endorf, Joseph Lustig, Sr., and Henry Meyer. Prefects, Louis N. Hutmacher, Aloysius H. Westendorf and Lawrence Donsbach. They are a fine body of men and they certainly made a fine and lasting impression upon the congregation and all who witnessed the 1924 Easter Sunday event in general. The Junior Di- vision have the following for their Prefects : Edgar Lustig and Leonard A. Barcum. The names of those of the Dieterich Parish to serve in the ranks as sol- diers in the late war are as follows : Frank Niendick, B. F. Deters, George Deters, Edward Hutmacher, Joseph Hutmacher, Peter Hutmacher, Jr., Lawrence Lustig, Harry Meyer, Ed- ward B. Meyer, Allie Hutmacher, Joseph Ruegger, Eugene McCaffery, Alphonse Wooley and Aloysius West- endorf. Church of St. Mary, Pittsfield, Pike County, Illinois. Established in 1853. Present Pastor : Reverend Francis Curran. As early as the year 1835, Pike County was visited by a Catholic priest who traveled from St. Louis to minister to the scattered members of the church along the Mississippi. The priest was Reverend Peter Paul Le- fevre, afterwards Bishop of Detroit. Pike County was afterwards included in the territory apportioned to the spiritual care of Reverend John Mary Iranaeus, St. Cyr, who visited Atlas, a town of some importance in the county at that time. In 1845, when Pittsfield was the County Seat, it was put un- der the charge of Reverend Hilary Tucker, who came here at intervals from Quincy, where he resided. In 1847, the Catholics of Pittsfield and vicinity were attended by Reverend James Gallaher, who resided at Mt. Sterling. In 1852, a small frame church was built, which stood for fif- teen years. The following priests of- fered up Mass and administered the sacraments in this church as they suc- ceeded one another in its pastoral charge: Reverend P. McCabe, 1852- 54; Reverend Thomas Cusack, 1854; Reverend Michael Prendergast, 1855- 56; Reverend D. Byrne, 1856-59; Reverend James Dempsey, 1859-61 ; Reverend August B. Rinkes, 1861-62. In 1862, Reverend Peter McGirr be- came the first resident rector of this church, but he was soon transferred to Quincy and was replaced before the end of the year by Reverend Claude C. Carel. When in January, 1864, the post became vacant by the departure of the latter clergyman, the Reverend P. McGirr again as- sumed charge and ministered to the place at stated intervals, coming down from Quincy, where he resided. The following clergymen came in succession to Father McGirr 's second term : Reverend Thomas Cusack ; Reverend P. Kearney, 1865-66 and Reverend F. Stick, who attended this church from Mt. Sterling in 1867. In the latter years, Reverend Francis N. Recouvreur was appointed to take charge of Pittsfield, and the following year had caused to be built a brick 239 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS church to replace the old frame structure, and in 1880 this was fol- lowed by a frame house for a resi- dence. He also opened the first Catholic parochial school ever oper- ated in Pittsfield. Those who succeed- ed him were : Reverend William O'Reilly, 1871-1873; Reverend Tim- othy Hickey, 1873-1874 ; Reverend L. Hoey, 1874-1878; Reverend Henry Hoven, 1878-1880. In the year 1880, Reverend Frederick Metzger was put in charge as rector of this church, and during the fifteen years of his spir- itual rule the congregation was blessed. Reverend W. Costello was appointed to succeed Father Metzger. He was replaced in 1897 by Reverend E. McGowan. On January 1, 1900, Reverend Thomas O'Hara was ap- pointed pastor and remained in charge for eleven years. Poor health forced Father O'Hara to resign but not until he had erected a parish hall. Reverend Daniel Doyle, who was in charge of the parish for nearly a year, took Father O'Hara 's place until a new pastor could be secured. Rever- end Martin Joseph Foley of Quincy, Editor of the Western Catholic, was appointed the new rector of the parish. Father Foley's first important work was to hold a two days bazaar during which he netted the great sum of $1500.00. With this money he paid off debts that approximated a thousand dollars. His next work was to organize the parish into so- cieties as follows : The League of the Sacred Heart, the Holy Name Society, the Holy Angels Sodality, the Young Ladies' Sodality and the Altar So- ciety. Having provided for the spiritual needs of the parish he made a house to house visitation of the parish and raised several thousand dollars, a sum sufficient to pay for the improvements he contemplated in the church and rectory. These im- provements were as follows: He strengthened the tower and walls of the church with steel rods, installed an electric motor to pump the organ, frescoed the church, installed a beau- tiful set of group Stations of the Cross, varnished the pews, placed cork carpet on the floor of the church, put in a new confessional, put hard wood floors in the sanctuary, bought a beautiful statue of the Sacred Heart and one of St. Anthony for the sanctuary, bought two angel statues — one for either side of the main altar, and each holding an elec- trolier in its hands — painted the altars and railing in white and gold, removed the old fixtures and in- stalled a central hanging electric shower of 900 candle power. He installed the beautiful Taber- nacle Safe, which he always regarded as his crowning work in Pittsfield. He also renovated the rectory, in- stalled new electric fixtures, ar- ranged for a bath room and installed an electric force pump that sent water to the bath room and kitchen. While doing all this he visited Quin- cy each week and edited the Western Catholic. Besides paying for all this work he left a thousand dollars of parish money with a Quincy firm drawing 5 J /2 per cent interest and left a substantial amount in a Pitts- field bank. Thus ended his four year pastorate in 1917 when he accepted the chap- laincy of the Soldiers' Home at Quin- cy, in order to be near his paper. On July 1, 1917, Reverend Francis Curran, the present pastor, assumed charge of the parish. Father Curran erected a beautiful new brick parish house. The church property now in- cludes the church, the parish hall, the parsonage and two houses which are rented. Pittsfield and vicinity were settled by Irish, English and German people. St. Mary's parishioners have always been Irish and German people with the Irish predominating. Of the early members of the parish only Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Kane are still liv- ing. As the community is largely an agricultural one — Pike County is among the leading stock and poultry - 240 Pittsfleld — Rectory, Rev. Francis Curran, Pastor. Immaculate Conception Church . . . Brussels — Rectory, St. Mary's Church, Rev. Henry B. Schnelten, Pastor, School, Sisters' Residence . . . Decatur — St. Patrick's Church. School. Black Jack — St. John's Church . . . Bunker Hill — Church of the Annunciation, Rev. C. T. Stolze, Pastor . . . Mattoon — Immaculate Conception Church, Rev. T. E. Cusack, Pastor. IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO raising counties in the country — most of the Catholics follow that occupation. At the present time, 1927, the popu- lation of Pittsfield is 3,000. St. Mary's, which is the only Catholic church in Pike County, has ninety- eight Catholic families with 400 peo- ple, including the children. Several years ago, one of Pittsfield 's leading doctors, Dr. Humphert, was a Catho- lic. At the present time, five of its business men are Catholics. St. Mary's furnished twenty-three men for the Civil War; thirty-four men for the World War ; one man for the priesthood, one for the brother- hood, and four girls for the sister- hood. These societies flourish within its confines : Altar Society, Holy Name Society, Young Ladies' Sodal- ity, and Holv Angels Society. Church op St. Patrick, Decatur, Macon County, Illinois. Established in 1853. Present Pastor : Very Keverend Dean Jeremiah Murphy. To the reader there must necessar- ily be discovered a monotonous same- ness in the various histories unfolded in this book, all carrying the salient items of early arrivals, occasional visits by pioneer priests, building of church and subsequent growth. In spite of difference of localities, the factual chronicle will repeat itself, the motive of upbuilding does not greatly differ from region to region, the impulses that are valid for one parish are valid for another. Still a variety is not indistinguishable. As no two faces are exactly alike so no two parishes are exactly the same; one is not a duplicate of the other; each is differentiated from the other by the limitations of its respective lo- cality; each story of battle and par- tial victory preserving its note of local coloring. The first Catholics in Macon County brought with them the valu- able asset of Keltic blood. They were a handful of exiles, sorrow laden, fleeing from a persecuting Protestant government, that had linked nature with itself for the extinction of a noble and ancient race. Their pos- sessions were strong arms, love of that sweet thing called liberty and the gift of immemorial Catholic Faith. Ec- clesiastically the beginnings were marked by humility and lowliness, the tiny mustard seed took root and has in the past seventy years grown into a not inconspicuous tree. Not without suffering and self denial, if not with the confession of blood, they have made the confession of labor and privations. They came from a land, "Where every inch of the soil is drenched with the blood of its Martyrs" and they faithfully handed these traditions down to their chil- dren and these are today the proud inheritances of their grandchildren. In July 1853 Father Prendergast held the first Catholic services known to have been celebrated in De- catur, at the residence of Mrs. Mar- vin on West Main Street, and then and there baptized the first child, Mary Phalin. His pastorate lasted one year and in 1854 Father Cusack took up the work and conducted it with zeal and success. During his in- cumbency, the first church was built on West Prairie Street. He remained until 1859. The next pastor was Father Anton Vogt and his tenure of office came to a close in 1870. In a short time he imparted some of his energy to the growing flock and in 1863 replaced the frame structure which inade- quately served as church, by a more pretentious building of brick, the cor- nerstone of which was laid on March ]7, and the dedication followed in 1864. His successor was Father Richard Walsh, who remained for three years ; his activities were somewhat circum- scribed by illness and at his resigna- tion in 1873 the bishop appointed Father Timothy Ilickey. His admin- 241 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS istration continued until 1876. In this short time his lovable character- istics made him the ideal "Soggarth Aroon. " He took a very strong stand on the Temperance question, which at that time was being very keenly and often bitterly discussed. He founded a Temperance Society and went on the public platform as a de- termined foe of the saloon. After his removal to Jacksonville in 1876 the people were fortunate in having Father Mackin for pastor, who re- mained with them until his lamented death in 1898. During his pastorate the present parsonage was purchased, but due to the protracted sickness of the good Father (his health for the last six years of his life being very precarious) the purchase price was not secured and a burdensome debt was the legacy left to his successor. In 1898 the present pastor was called to shepherd a faithful but dis- couraged people. After some years of very distasteful and plodding efforts, the debt was finally lifted and for the first time in its history St. Patrick's congregation sent up, without a dis- senting voice, but with loud acclaim, a joyous Deo Gratias to the Giver of all good gifts. Now the congregation deserved a breathing spell, but their desire for rest was rudely disturbed by a let- ter from Bishop Ryan to the pastor, to erect a "New Church (the old one had been enlarged and renovated) large enough to seat one thousand people and built of Bedford stone." It was to be "a thing of beauty and joy forever" — an elegant and fault- less edifice. The order at first was considered an apocalyptic dream, on the Bishop's part, but episcopal visions have sometimes the secret of realization. By this time the pastor, having test- ed the mettle of his people, girded himself for the new work. As the plans unfolded he found that their spirit chafed within them until they could realize the dream of their Bishop. They kept as a text for med- itation "Neither will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord which cost me nothing. ' ' The style selected for the new church was Gothic "endowed" in the words of Newman "with a profound and commanding beauty which prob- ably the Church will not see sur- passed until it attains to the Celestial City." The building was dedicated Novem- ber 1909, by Bishop James Ryan. Reverend William Robison, S.J., de- livered the sermon, morning and eve- ning. The structure is considered the finest in the state outside of Chicago, and during the summer months is the show place for travelers within a radius of one hundred fifty miles. Its lines are harmonious, intellectual, peaceful and devotional. In fact ar- chitect and pastor builded "better than they knew as the conscious stone to beauty grew." Why should we not here mention the name of the architect, one of the best in the coun- try, George Staudahar, Rock Island, Illinois. Some three years ago the entire in- terior was renovated at the cost of $23,000. In 1912 a new school was built at the cost of $32,000. In closing this fragmentary sketch, it should be added that this congrega- tion was in a flourishing condition until 1925, when it was subjected to a very serious condition, losing by ex- cision a third portion of its body. As a result it will take several years be- fore the recovery of its former vigor and usefulness. The educational activities of the parish have been in the hands of the Ursulines since 1873. The parish is very deeply indebted to this Order of Sisters for the preservation and fos- tering of its Faith. Their work as far as their humility allows them to un- veil it, will be read on another page. "Our thanks are registered, where every day, we turn the leaf to read them." And not only have they cul- tivated the religious spirit but they 242 IN THE DIOCESE OP CHICAGO have implanted in their pupils the true principles of patriotism. Christianity and war have walked together down through the centuries. Nothing sacred, nothing precious, would have survived, had not men fought for their wives, their children and their national life. And while men slay, men must give up their lives — sacrifice unto death. St. Patrick's response to that fate- ful appeal in April, 1917, was to send one hundred ninety-seven men, the pick of her young manhood in the pride and prime of life, into the Euro- pean slaughter house. And St. Pat- rick's will ever cherish as one of its dearest treasures a Service Flag with one hundred ninety-five blue stars and seven in gleaming gold, to attest the supreme sacrifice consummated. Church op St. John, Black Jack, Madison County, Illinois. Established in 1853. Present Pastor : Reverend John Joseph Klaes. This rather small but romantic country parish is situated in the southern part of Jarvis township in a fertile district of Madison County and belongs to the diocese of Spring- field, Illinois. Its history like that of most other missionary parishes, no matter how small, offers many inter- esting points and teaches not a few lessons. Written records of its early days are scarce and much of the pres- ent sketch is from recollections of the older parishioners, most of whom have now gone to their reward. At first this settlement was known as Black Hawk. Some claim it was so named after the chief of a tribe of Indians who were driven back by the early settlers. Why the name was changed to Black Jack is obscure his- tory. Some would have it, that the present name, which it has enjoyed since 1833 was given to it on account of a certain kind of trees with which the land was covered, which cast a dark shadow and a deep pall over it. As early as 1832, strong voices, firm steps and the chopping down of trees re-echoed through the dense forest. Brave Germans from the Palatinate, (whatever their reasons may have been for leaving their coun- try is of less importance,) had come to make this strange and gloomy place their future home. In a few years, enough land had been cleared so that these busy farmers by diligence, pa- tience and perseverance not only gained a livelihood but prospered. Combined with these sterling quali- ties they had inherited from their an- cestors a deep love for their Holy Religion and in spite of the many hardships connected with pioneer work, and the dark mysterious shad- ows that enveloped the land about them, the flame of faith was ever burning in their hearts. Thanks to Divine Providence, which from time to time, directed zealous missionaries to their lonely, log cabins, who sup- plied them with spiritual food for their hungry souls. These torch bear- ers of Christ as we may call them came on horse back from St. Louis, three or four times a year. This was in 1842. In 1843, the community comprised four Catholic families. From 1846 on, these families were at- tended by priests from Belleville. Father Ostlangenberg visited them till 1853. This truly apostolic priest sowed the seed for the development of the future congregation. There were now seventeen Catholic families living there and they were still with- out a church. When in the year 1853, Reverend P. Limacher, from Highland, took charge of the little colony he at once took steps to build a frame church. Although the preceding year the cholera had visited them and claimed its victims, the people were heart and soul for this enterprise. The church was completed and ready for service in the spring of 1853. It was erected at a cost of $500.00; the ground, one 243 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS acre, was donated by a certain Mr. Gietermann. Now the people of the little congregation rejoiced in the thought that not only the foxes have their holes and the birds of the air their nests but the Son of man had a dwelling place among them. Father Limacher visited them until 1858, and the young and successful mission would have continued to be an object of his spiritual care had not circumstances altered the situation. Highland, a neighboring country parish, had developed so rapidly and the spiritual vineyard of Father Lim- acher had become so large that it claimed all of his services. And from now on the pastoral office of the small congregation was subject to many changes as is evident from the many names found on the parish register. Here are the names of : W. J. Kef- ries, a missionary, (1858) ; P. Peters, of Edwardsville, (1861-1862); F. I. Fisher, of Collinsville, (1863) ; B. Herman, of Collinsville, (1865) ; B. Kuchenbuch, C. Sieghard, and An- ton Rustige, of Collinsville, (1866) ; S. Wegener, of Collinsville, (1867- 1870) ; G. H. Hesse, of Collinsville, (1870-1872) ; R. Peters, of Highland, (1872-1873). At this time the little congregation had to pass through a severe crisis. It came in the form of an Interreg- num. For nearly five years the good people had to go to the neighboring parishes to fulfill their religious du- ties. At the present time this would be considered a small sacrifice, with automobiles and good roads but in those olden days it was pioneer work. There were now twenty-five Catho- lic families living in Black Jack and the question arose, what to do? They saw that this could not go on much longer. There were several Catholic families living in Troy a distance of five miles, and the people of Black Jack were asked to forget about their little church and to consolidate with Troy. While the families living in Troy were nominal or luke warm Catholics, those in Black Jack were fervent. Besides, nature had fos- tered a certain spirit of individuality among the latter and so thinking it over they agreed to donate $2,000.00 for a new church in Troy, provided, the Catholics in Troy would guarantee an equal amount. This agreement was accepted and it broke the consoli- dation plan. In 1877 the Reverend F. Reinhard, assistant at Highland, took charge and the little country parish once more began to flourish. Services were held regularly every two weeks. For four years Father Reinhard made the trip to Troy. There, some member from Blapk Jack would receive him. While in Black Jack he boarded first with Mr. John Mersinger and later with Philip Schwartz. His trip to Black Jack and return usually re- quired three days. By this time, the little frame church built in 1853 which was equipped with a crude bell, hanging in a small tower, had fallen into serious decay. In 1882 Reverend A. Kersting (Highland) took charge of the con- gregation. Under the fatherly care and direction of this zealous priest, the love of the people for their Faith and Church, waxed strong. The old frame church was to be torn down and replaced by a new brick structure. Father Kers- ting set to work at once. He appoint- ed a building committee of which he himself was the president. The ob- ject of this committee was to collect funds, provide the necessary material and supervise the erection and com- pletion of the church. The members of the committee were : John Mers- inger, Frederick Mersinger, Philip Schwartz, Joseph Bugger, George Loyet, Anton Schroeder, George Fohne, and Carl Mueller. These self- sacrificing and energetic men dis- charged their duties with the great- est care. The plan of the new church having been approved, the corner-stone was laid on May 1, 1883, with pomp and ceremony by Bishop Baltes, surround - 244 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO ed by a concourse of happy and sat- isfied people. The new church was erected at a cost of $3,300.00 This amount was soon gathered without much trouble for the members vied with one another in donating and sub- scribing. Some gave $500.00, others $300.00. Everything necessary for the inside of the church was quickly provided for. Mr. John Petry, a member of the parish, made and do- nated the three beautiful altars and the pews. The married ladies col- lected for the organ and other articles. Mr. John Mersinger donated the statue of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of the church, and the St. Joseph's statue. The statues of St. Aloysius and St. Anthony, each one occupying a niche on the main altar, were donated by the family of Frederick Mersinger. The statue of the Blessed Virgin was donated by the teacher Goeltz. A cemetery was needed, and Mr. Franz Bertram do- nated eight acres of ground to be used for this purpose. Now its people could rejoice, the new church was free from debt — there was plenty of room on the in- side and everything in it fostered and stimulated devotion. One thing, how- ever, had to be attended to, namely, its dedication. On April 30, 1884, Bishop Baltes of Alton, arrived and blessed a new bell that had been procured, and placed it under the patronage of St. Anne. Grandma Catherine Bugger, 83 years old, on account of her age, and be- cause she had liberally contributed towards it had the honor to be spon- sor for the new beU, although sick- ness prevented her from being present. On the following day, the first of May, just a year after the corner- stone had been laid, Bishop Baltes blessed and dedicated the new struc- ture, under the title of St. John the Baptist. All the gates of heaven ap- peared to be open that day, rain poured down uninterruptedly. Be- sides the Right Reverend Bishop and the pastor Father Anton Kersing, there were present at the service the Rev- erend Mauritius Klostermann, O. F. M.; Reverend W. Drube of O 'Fallon, and Reverend Henry Degenhardt of Collinsville. In August, 1884, Father Kersting was succeeded by Reverend Joseph Jele, who had charge over his little flock for four years. He was suc- ceeded in 1888 by Reverend Wimar Oberdoerster. The congregation owes much to this zealous priest. While at first he visited the congregation regu- larly from Highland, where he, like his predecessor, was assistant pastor, in 1889 he was made pastor of the newly erected parish at Troy, and Black Jack was annexed to Troy as a mission. When he built a new par- sonage in Troy, the congregation in Black Jack donated one-half, $800.00. He built a Sisters' house, a two story frame structure in Black Jack in 1891, at a cost of $897.85. In 1893 he built a new school, also a frame struc- ture at a cost of $849.65. He or- ganized St. Joseph's Society and was about to give a constitution to the Ladies of the Altar and the Rosary Society when in 1894 he was trans- ferred to Pierron. His successor, the Reverend Aug- ust Forster, arrived in July of the same year. On account of the fre- quent trips to be made to Black Jack, in order to give Communion to the Sisters, it was necessary for him to have a horse and buggy, like his predecessor. The congregation offer- ed to furnish the feed. In 1895, stained glass windows from Europe were procured for the church at a cost of $300.00; the following fami- lies have their names inscribed on the windows : John Mersinger, John Liebler, Frederick Mersinger, George Loyet, Barbara Schwartz and Henry Niehaus. Father Forster established the League of the Sacred Heart. He is still remembered as a great musi- cian. In 1899 he was transferred to Quincy and was succeeded by Rever- end A. Wieneke, who in 1901 had the 245 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS church renovated and decorated, at a cost of 1500.00. Gerke and Hal- bracht from St. Louis had the con- tract. Father Wieneke remained with the congregation for fifteen years, from 1899 until September, 1914. The following is a list of the Priests who succeeded him : Fathers B. Mon- truchio, September, 1914 — September 1, 1915; C. T. Stolze, J.C.D., Septem- ber—October, 1915 ; William A. Pach- olhofer, October, 1915— July, 1918; A. M. Jaschke, July, 1918— July, 1920. In July, 1920, the present priest in charge, Reverend J. J. Klaes, the writer of this sketch, was appointed successor to Father Jaschke. Since then, services have been held regular- ly every Sunday. In 1924 the church again was decorated at a cost of $800.00. Mr. Max Autenrich of Ger- many did the work. Two large pic- tures done in oil, grace the sanctuary, St. Isidore plowing, on the gospel side, and St. Northburga working in the harvest field on the epistle side. Above the main arch are two angels and the Agnus Dei. The ceiling shows the four evangelists and the baptism of Christ in the River Jor- dan by St. John the Baptist. Much repair work has been done on the church and school. A new carpet for the sanctuary was donated by the ladies of the Altar Society; a rubber runner for the aisle by Mr. John Siegel, Sr. ; Altar boys' cassocks and tabernacle veil by Mrs. Kate Mer- singer. A votive stand has been pro- cured and a large picture — Queen of vhe Most Holy Rosary — was donated by the ladies of the Altar and Rosary Society. Since Black Jack is a farming community there is small chance for much growth. At present the congre- gation numbers thirty families and its financial condition is satisfactory. As early as 1864 Black Jack had an unpretentious log house for a Catho- lic school, in which the boys and girls, the future men and women, received a thorough education. It was looked upon as the heart of the parisli ; and it reflects great credit upon the par- ents of that time, who cheerfully made many sacrifices and shoulder- ed many burdens for the sake of the children. They knew full well, what far-seeing and unprejudiced educa- tors tell us today, that religion and education must go hand in hand, that not only the mind but also the heart of the child must be educated to ob- tain citizens that are loyal to their God and Country. The Messrs. Neuenkirchen, Moli- tor, Etlinger, Goeltz, Diehsen and Wegeman were some of the first lay teachers. They were teachers of the old school, men who did not spare the rod, some of their former pupils say. Often they received but scant remun- eration ($45.00 a year) or apprecia- tion for the services rendered. Un- doubtedly, they were much stim- ulated in their chosen profession by the words of Holy Writ: "They that instruct many unto Justice shall shine as the stars for all eternity. ' ' But the congregation could not al- ways find a Catholic teacher and at times the children had to attend the public school. On account of the fre- quent necessary changes the school did not progress as well as had been expected and Father Oberdoerster succeeded in obtaining the Precious Blood Sisters of Ruma, Illinois. He began to build a Sisters' House in 1891, which was nearly completed when the nuns arrived. With their advent the old log school house soon proved too small, and in 1893 he erected a frame structure. The Sis- ters' house and the school were erect- ed at a cost of $1,850.00. From forty to forty-five children attended the school at that time. Under Father Pachelhofer, the Sisters of the Prec- ious Blood were succeeded by Bene- dictine Sisters of Little Rock, Arkan- sas, who stayed until 1919. When the war caused a shortage of Sisters they were withdrawn. The Sisters by their good example, as well as by their external appear- ance, soon worked their way into the 246 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO hearts of the children and their par- ents. Their refinement and superior education, their gentle and peaceful hehavior, overcame that rudeness and roughness which is sometimes found among children in a country parish. The effect of the Sisters upon the chil- dren is shown in this that at least eight girls took the veil and joined re- ligious orders. They are : Sisters of the Precious Blood (Ruma, Illinois), Venerable Sisters, Mary Christine (Mary Helldorfer), Gregory (Miss Margaret Helldorfer), Olivia (Miss Mary Bugger), Caroline (Miss Anna Bugger), Odilla (Miss Lina Bugger) and Alvisia (Miss Catherine Mersin- ger). Sister of the Good Shepherd, Venerable Sister Mary of the Cheru- bim (Miss Mina Mersinger). Carmel- ite Sisters, Venerable Sister Mary of Joseph, (Miss Rose Mersinger). Since 1919 Catholic lay teachers have been employed in the school. The following in turn have taught school in Black Jack: Miss Maggie Coil, Miss Rose Peosic, Miss Aurelia Ham, Miss Jenneta Schultz, Miss Clementine Hamel, Mr. Joseph Hunk- ler, Miss Charlotte Waidar and Miss Elinore Lang. The number of pupils in Black Jack school at present is twenty-five. The school building is provided with a stage on which the children from time to time, give interesting plays and recitals. The congregation is looking forward to the day when they will have Sisters again to teach in their school. The present school trus- tees are Mr. Adam Bugger, Mr. John Riebold and Mr. Fred Loyet. From what has already been said, we can estimate the character and the caliber of the people of this congre- gation. Most of its early settlers emigrated from the Palatinate in Germany. They were simple, crude, honest and hardworking people. They were used to hard work prior to com- ing here and their lot was no easier here. They showed strong points of individuality, were conservative and morally clean. They remained most intimately attached to their religion and their mother tongue. They were self sacrificing farmers who in their offerings and donations were always guided by noble motives and never tired in their christian charity. Theirs is a glorious record of loyalty, fidelity and sacrifice to the parish and its priests. The present generation has inherit- ed many of these good and sterling qualities of their forefathers and let us hope that they will continue to re- main true and loyal children of Holy Mother, the Church and an example to their fellow men. Mention must be made of the Church Choir and the organist. In former years the teachers usually led the choir, later on it was under the direction of the Sisters. During the present pastor's charge, Mrs. Francis Kirsch has held this enviable place. Members of the choir are : Mesdames Louisa Siegel, Veronica Mersinger, Clara Mersinger, Irene Bugger, Clara Petry and Irma Loyet ; Messrs. Adam Bugger, Leo Bugger and Gilbert Mersinger. Under the inspiration of St. Cecilia, the patroness of music and Sacred Chant, these singers help beautify the sacred services on all Sundays and Holidays in a most be- fitting manner. Next to the pastor, the load of re- sponsibility in any parish rests upon its trustees. They are authorized to give advice to the pastor in temporal affairs, they take care of finances, look after purchases and repairs, sug- gest improvements and alterations, in fact the pastor leans upon them for help and support. Not everybody is fit to be a trustee. Trustees should be staunch and sterling men and never flinch nor waver in their fidelity and loyalty to either pastor or parish. Among the first trustees in Black Jack were : George Loyet, Sr., Philip Schwartz, John Mersinger, Frank Mersinger and Henry Niehaus. The present trustees are Philip Mersinger and William Sieger, Sr. St. Joseph's Society was called 247 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS into existence under Father Ober- doerster, May 12, 1889. It was placed under the protection of St. Joseph. Trustworthy and unselfish men have guided its destinies with clear vision and strong determination, so that the society today after 34 years of exist- ence, is as strong as ever. It has at all times assisted the pastor financial- ly and also vastly contributed to the success of social undertakings. A glorious record of noble achievements is theirs. Its members visit the sick and pray for the dead ; they live up to the ideals and purposes for which they have banded together. Some of its first officers were : George Loyet, Philip Petry, Adam Mersinger, Joseph Bugger and Leonard Loyet. There are at present thirty names on the roll. Father Oberdoerster was about to give a constitution to the Altar and Rosary Society when he was trans- ferred. Its first regular meeting was held on the 18th of August, 1895, under Father Forster. Its first pres- ident was Mrs. Henry Niehaus, its treasurer, Mrs. Frederick Mersinger, who at the present time is its presi- dent. It would be a long list were we to mention all the various donations that have been made. The youngest of the societies is the Holy Name society. At the urgent re- quest of the pastor, this society was organized in 1925. In its first general meeting the following officers were chosen: Mr. Oscar Mersinger, Presi- dent ; Mr. Clem Petry, Secretary, and Mr. Benjamin Mersinger, Treasurer. The aim and object of this society is too well known and needs no further comment. Forty members have so far been enrolled. Every three months they have a Mass said for the living members. They visit the sick and when a member dies they have a Requiem Mass said for the repose of his soul. Likewise in the month of November they remember the depart- ed with a Requiem Mass. When one of their members marries, the Society presents him with a Bible or an Ex- planation of the Gospels or with some other useful present. May it continue to grow and wax strong. Church of SS. Peter and Paul, Alton, Madison County, Illinois. Established in 1854. Present Pastor : Right Reverend Edward L. Spalding, V.G. THE CHURCH IN ALTON The First Church of St. Matthew The first church of Alton was a frame building erected in Upper Al- ton in the year 1838. It bore the name of St. Matthew. The first pas- tor was Reverend George Hamilton, a young priest who had just com- pleted his ecclesiastical course of studies at the College of the Propa- ganda in Rome. He was a native born American, and was sent to Al- ton by Bishop Rosati of St. Louis, whose jurisdiction at that time ex- tended over several counties of Illi- nois. Father Hamilton's parish in the year 1840 contained about four- teen families or seventy-five souls. Previous to the coming of Father Hamilton, periodical visits to the scat- tered families by the Jesuit Fathers of St. Louis were made. The church of St. Matthew was more properly a hall than a church. It did not belong to the parish, but was the private property of Andrew Clifford, a prom- inent parishioner, with whom Father Hamilton boarded during his pas- torate. In the Catholic Directory of 1841 it is called the church of "St. Mathias. ' ' Second Church of St. Matthew The second church in Alton was built by Reverend Michael Carroll, who succeeded Father Hamilton as pastor in 1841. It was a stone build- ing, situated on Third Street, be- tween Alby and Easton Streets, and was erected in the year 1843. It bore the patronal name of St. Matthew, the 248 Alton — SS. Peter and Paul Church (Ohl Alton Cathedral). Rectory, School. Rev. Ter- ence Conley, Rector 1873-' h Rev. J. A. Sullivan, Ass't 1874-1880, Rev. Edward J. Walsh, Ass't 1888-1892, Rev. Paul W. Sims, Ass't 1893-6, Rev. Charles J. Zwiesler, Rector 1876-88, Rev. Thos. M. Connolly, Ass't 1892-3, Rev. Wm. J. Hcaley, Ass't, 1895-1900. m LIBRARY UNRVIEHStTY OF ILUSflfc IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO same name that had already been given to the frame church in Upper Alton. Soon after its completion, it was dedicated to divine service by Bishop P. P. Lefevere, coadjutor and administrator of the Diocese of De- troit. This church was partially de- stroyed by fire which originated in an adjacent building in the year 1853. On its site and out of its ruins was erected the present Unitarian Church, which was torn down and rebuilt a few years ago. It is noteworthy that two slabs of stone of the orignal front wall bearing the inscriptions : ' ' One Lord, One Faith" and "One Fold and One Shepherd," were retained by the Unitarians and can now be seen on the front wall of their new church. Father Carroll received $5,000.00 fire insurance and $4,000.00 from the sale of the church lot and the charred ruins thereon. There was an indebt- edness on the church at the time of $1,800.00. Permission to change the location and build a new church was granted by Bishop O 'Regan of Chi- cago. During the next three years the Catholics of Alton held services in a large hall over a livery stable at 310 State Street. SS. Peter and Paul's Cathedral, Alton, Illinois After the sale of the lot and ruins of St. Matthew's Church on Third Street by Father Carroll, the pastor, arrangements were begun at once for the erection of a new church. A site was purchased at 721 State Street from Peter and Harriet Wise for a consideration of $600.00. The deed was executed April 7, 1854, and the title was vested in the name of Most Reverend Peter Richard Kenrick, Archbishop of St. Louis, who on the 7th day of December, 1854, conveyed the same property to Right Reverend Anthony O 'Regan, Bishop of Chi- cago. Bishop Regan in turn deeded the property to Right Reverend Henry D. Juncker, D.D., Bishop of Alton, on the 23rd of October, 1857. By a clause in the deed of Peter Wise, the lots were conveyed in trust for the use of the Roman Catholic Church "and no other purpose whatever." Through the kindness and efforts of Charles P. Wise, a son of Peter Wise, this conditonal and restricting clause was revoked by an instrument signed by most of the heirs, dated November 16, 1923. The name of the new church, soon to be built, was changed from St. Matthew to S.S. Peter and Paul. Two years and more passed by after the burning of St. Matthew's before the actual building of S.S. Peter and Paul's Church began. On a stone in the front wall of the church, high up over the rose-window, is engraved the year 1855. The building was suf- ficiently advanced for services held by Father Carroll for the first time in 1856. The church was completed with the exception of the spires by Bishop Juncker in 1857. It was in this year that it became the Cathedral of the newly established Diocese of Alton. On May 15, 1859, the third Sunday after Easter, it was solemnly consecrated by Most Reverend Peter Richard Kenrick, D.D., Archbishop of St. Louis. It is a noteworthy fact, that the altar in the church at the time of the consecration was not of marble, but only of wood. There were present on the occasion besides the Archbishop of St. Louis, Right Reverend J. H. Luers of Fort Wayne, Right Reverend James Duggan of Chicago, and Right Reverend James Whalen of Nashville. It is said that the plans and speci- fications of the Cathedral were made in England by a noted architect named Pugin. However, an old rec- ord of Father Carroll shows that the sum of $200.00 was paid to Thomas Walsh, architect. From the records preserved, it seems that the total cost of the church did not exceed $35,- 000.00, exclusive of sanctuary and spires, which were built later. The architecture of the Cathedral is a beautiful specimen of pure Gothic. The interior of the church, espe- 249 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS cially with its graceful arches, clustered columns and capitals and hood-molded windows, is very beauti- ful and has attracted the admiration of many a lover of art. The spires were built in later days, 1865, under the rectorship of Reverend James Harty. The church is a hundred and twenty feet long and sixty feet wide, and contains a spacious gallery. On January 12, 1902, the roof of the sanctuary burned, just as the people were assembling for High Mass. Dur- ing the fire, a large piece of glass from the window in the ceiling of the sanctuary barely missed the head of the Bishop, who had ventured into the burning building. The Blessed Sacrament was taken from the church, and the vestments and much of the church furniture were re- moved. The stone fire wall between the sanctuary roof and the church roof saved tbe building from total de- struction. The blaze mounted high above the church and a large crowd of people gathered around. The edi- tor of the Sentinel-Democrat urged the writer of these lines to ask help from St. Louis. The Alton fire de- partment was very efficient and did excellent work, saving the church from destruction. The loss entailed was estimated at $3,093.67, covered by insurance. The weather was ex- ceedingly cold; and a fact not ex- aggerated, which might be recorded here, is, that the clothing of one of the firemen sitting on the roof plying a hose, froze to the slate, and it was with difficulty he was extricated. There are three bells in the tower of the cathedral. The first and largest was purchased with money obtained by subscriptions from the parishion- ers, and was solemnly blessed by Bishop Juncker on January 12, 1862. The second bell was donated in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph by Peter Wise and his wife Harriet; and they were its sponsors at its solemn consecration by Bishop Baltes on September 11, 1870. The third bell was donated in honor of Saint Bridget by Thomas Biggins and his wife Elizabeth. It was solemn- ly blessed by Bishop Baltes December 2, 1871, and the donors were also the sponsors on the occasion. In 1886, during the pastorate of Reverend C. J. Zwiesler about $5,- 000.00, a large sum in those days, was spent in renovating the interior and the exterior of the Cathedral. The organ, sweet-toned and full, was built by Hook and Hastings, of Boston, Massachusetts, in the year 1893, at a cost of $4,000.00. It was blessed by Very Reverend F. H. Zabel, D.D., August 6, 1893. The ser- mon was preached by Reverend Henry Moeller, S.J., of the St. Louis University. In 1916 the bellows of the organ were removed and an elec- tric blower installed; and the tracker action was changed to an electric pneumatic action, at a cost of about $1,500.00. In 1915 the entire floor surface of the sanctuary, aisles and vestibules were raised three inches with a cov- ering of concrete overlaid with two and a half inch hexagonal tile, pure white ; and the steps and risers of the altars, throne and communion railing were changed from wood to white marble, rendering the church semi- fireproof. The floor surface un- der the pews was likewise raised and covered with hard maple flooring; and the walls and ceiling were hand- somely frescoed by a firm of Italian artists from Louisville, Kentucky. Total cost $4,000.00. The marble altar in the old Cathe- dral was built in the year 1902 by T. G. Schrader and Sons of St. Louis. The crucifixion group over the altar is the same that surmounted the wooden altar of previous days. The wooden side altars were do- nated by Right Reverend John Jans- sen, D.D., Bishop of Belleville, at a cost of about $900.00. They were erected in the year 1890 by H. Schenk of Quincy, Illinois. The Stations of the Cross, illum- inated by electric lights concealed 250 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO within the frames, were made and put in place by "The Kaletta Company" of St. Louis. They were donated by Benoist Cabrilliac, who was ever a faithful and generous benefactor of the Church, as were all the other members of his family. The stations cost $1,800.00 and were erected in 1923. The Cathedral was the prolific mother of many churches. Promi- nent among them are St. Mary's Church, Alton; St. Francis' Church, Jerseyville; St. Mary's Church, Ed- wardsville; St. Patrick's Church, Grafton; SS. Peter and Paul's Church, Collinsville ; St. Patrick's Church, Alton, 111., and many others. On August 29, 1859, the property south of the old Cathedral and ex- tending back to the intersection of Eighth Street was purchased by Bishop Juncker from Henry Weaver for a consideration of $3,000.00 as a site for a residence and a school. The school was built first, and was com- pleted in 1860. Some old parishion- ers who were children then remember playing in the incomplete basement of the Bishop's house whilst attend- ing the school in 1862. The Bishop's residence is a large building of four floors and fifty-two rooms, including the basement and attic. It was intended not only for a residence, but also for a seminary for students of the diocese. However, no students ever lived there, and the intention of using it for educational purposes was finally abandoned. The cemetery of the old Cathedral parish was purchased by Bishop Juncker, August 24, 1858, and named St. Patrick's Cemetery. It cost $2,420.00 and contains a little more than twenty acres. It is located just outside the city limits, and is a burial place for the English speaking Catho- lics of the city. Previous to the year 1858, Catholics were interred in an old graveyard purchased June 10, 1848, from Charles Tillman, and deeded in trust to Right Reverend William Quarter, D.D., Bishop of Chicago. The Parish Schools In the year 1856 a parish school was opened on lower State Street and was conducted by five Sisters, "Daughters of Charity," from Em- mittsburg, Maryland. Sister Emilie was "Sister Servant" (See Catholic Directory of 1857). The pupils numbered fifty. This school, called "The School of the Immaculate Con- ception, ' ' was very short-lived ; and soon we find this same community of Sisters from Emmittsburg, Maryland, establishing and conducting St. Joseph's Hospital, Alton, Illinois. The Ursuline Sisters at St. Louis sent a colony of Sisters to Alton, March 19, 1859, consisting of Mother Josephine Bruiding and seven com- panions. They opened at once an academy and boarding school and a parish school for girls at 506 State Street. On December 18, 1862, they moved from State Street to their newly erected convent home at 219 East Fourth Street, where both a "pay school" and a "free school" were conducted by them. On August 29, 1859, the property south of the Cathedral and extending back 444 feet to a stone quarry was purchased as a location for a resi- dence for the Bishop and priests and a school-house. The school-house for boys, containing two class rooms and four small living rooms and basement for the brothers was begun at once, and in the following year we find the Brothers of The Holy Cross from Notre Dame, Indiana, teaching the boys of the parish. Brother Berna- dine was the first principal. In 1874 an addition to the school of two more large class rooms was built (during the pastorate of Reverend T. J. M. Cowley) at a cost of §5,013.53. Lucas Pfeiffenberger was the architect and Thomas McGinnis the contractor. The Brothers of The Holy Cross con- tinued to conduct this school for boys from the year 1860 to the summer of 1888, when at their own request, they 251 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ceased their labors in Alton. The Ursuline Sisters assumed charge of this school in September, 1888, when it was made a free school for all the boys and girls of Alton who wished to attend. The free school for girls at the convent on Fourth Street was dis- continued at this date. The Ursuline Sisters have had excellent success in their schools, up to this date (1926). A house collection is taken up in the early spring each year to defray the expenses of the Sisters, and the deficit, if any, is taken from the parish treas- ury. A High School for both boys and girls was gradually established on a small scale in this building, and in 1892 the first two graduates went forth well equipped for their respec- tive duties in life, after a course of studies extending over a period of twelve years. This was the beginning of the Cathedral High School, which is now an accredited institution, and which has sent forth more than two hundred graduates. In June, 1870, lots Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, at the corner of State and Prospect Streets (opposite the Bishop's house) were purchased by SS. Peter and Paul's Cathedral for a school site for 13,260.00, and notes payable in two, three, four and five years were given for the full amount, with interest at the rate of ten (10) per cent from date. For some reason, the school building was never erected, and on April 9, 1883, the lots were trans- ferred to the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum at Alton, Illinois. "The Cathedral School," a new building at 801 State Street, adjoin- ing the Old Cathedral on the north side, was begun in 1907. The need of a new building was first broached at the reading of the Annual statement in January of that year. A general meeting of the parishioners was after- wards called and held March 3, 1907. The meeting was enthusiastically in favor of a new school on a new site. Committees were appointed, locations discussed. The assessment committee reported excellent success. Letters were mailed to the parishioners, notifying them of the amount of their assessments and appealing to their generosity and good will. The pastor and Fathers Fennessy and Tarrent, the assistants, visited the members of the parish individually, and almost without exception met with the kind- liest of feeling and encouragement, and a subscription list of $21,000.00 was quickly obtained. J. L. D. Mc- Carthy of St. Louis was selected as architect. After a long wait, the plans and specifications were submit- ted but rejected, and a new set of plans was ordered. After another long delay, on July 20, 1908, bids for the building according to the new plans were opened, and the contract awarded to Murch Brothers Construc- tion Company of St. Louis, whose bid was 133,884.00, the lowest submitted. Work was started at once. It was found necessary to drive twelve hun- dred feet of oak piling, some of it to a depth of thirty feet, for the founda- tion on the north corner of the build- ing. The work then proceeded rapid- ly, and the corner-stone was laid without solemnity October 3, 1908. The building was completed early in April, 1909. The dedication and for- mal opening occurred May 25, 1909, and continued the two following days, and the new school building was left ready for the sisters and children, who took possession at the beginning of the following school term, Septem- ber 6, 1909. The building is an up-to-date struc- ture of steel, tile and brick, of two stories with four standard size school rooms on each floor, divided by corri- dors twelve feet wide. Besides these eight class-rooms built for the eight grades, there are four mezzanine rooms, two hall rooms, and in the basement two large play rooms and toilet rooms. The building presents a fine appearance and is an at- tractive credit to the parish and the city. There are at present 425 pupils in this building — of whom 120 are high-school children — 252 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO taught by eleven sisters of St. Ursula, and Reverend P. J. Smyth, who is the principal of the school. Arrange- ments for a new high school to cost about $175,000 are now (January, 1926) being made. The plans and specifications have already been pre- pared by Pfeiffenberger Bros., Archi- tects, of Alton, and work is expected to start in the early summer. The Spalding Club Building A meeting of the young men of the Cathedral parish was called and held March 18, 1894, for the purpose of establishing a Young Men's Club for social activities, and especially ath- letics. A goodly number met on that day in the school building, and "The Young Men's Catholic Club of Alton, Illinois ' ' was formed. Mr. Edward J. Morrissey was elected its first presi- dent, and its functions began at once. In September, 1895, the privilege of membership was extended to both the married and unmarried Catholic men of the city, and its name was changed to "The Alton Catholic Club." The Alton Catholic Club was the fore- runner of the Knights of Columbus in Alton, and it accomplished much good in the parish and the city. It con- tinued its activities until 1913, four- teen years after the Knights of Col- umbus Council No. 460 had been es- tablished in Alton. The Club was finally absorbed by the Knights of Columbus in 1913. In April, 1894, shortly after the Young Men's Club was founded, sev- eral meetings of the parishioners of the Cathedral were held and the proj- ect to build a Club House or Parish Hall was launched. It was finally de- cided to organize a stock company and to erect a three story Club Building on Belle Street, between Fourth and Fifth Streets, to be known as the Spalding Club Building, containing Club Rooms, a gymnasium, an audi- torium seating about six hundred persons, with three store rooms and office rooms to let. Four hundred shares of stock at a par value of $50.00 each were sold to eighty-four members of the parish. The site on Belle Street was purchased August 4, 1894 for $2,500.00 from Charles L. Wright. Matthews and Clarke, archi- tects of St. Louis, were employed to draw plans and specifications, for a consideration of $700.00. The con- tract for erecting the building was awarded to Charles Bowman of Al- ton. The building cost about $28,- 000.00 and was completed early in the fall of 1895. The formal opening and dedication took place October 4, 1895. When Council 460 Knights of Col- umbus was organized October 29, 1899, it held its meetings in the rooms on the third floor of the Spald- ing Club Building, jointly with the Alton Catholic Club. In 1902 an agreement was made between the Spalding Club Building and the Knights of Columbus for the building of a fourth floor on the Club Build- ing, and a lease to run twenty years at a monthly rental of $35.00 was signed by both parties October 10, 1902. The Spalding Club Building erected the fourth floor at a cost of $5,000.00 in the year 1903. On the tenth day of December, 1919, the Knights of Columbus bought the stock and assumed the indebtedness of the Spalding Club Building, by issuing bonds and exchanging them for an equal face value of stock. They are now owners of the Spalding Club Building. Pastors in Alton Reverend George Hamilton was ap- pointed by the Bishop of St. Louis the first pastor of St. Matthews' Church in Upper Alton in pioneer days about the year 1839. A History of Madison County gives the date 1838, but it seems that Father Hamil- ton was not ordained until 1839. He remained in Upper Alton until 1841. Reverend Michael Carroll was the second pastor in Alton, succeeding Father Hamilton in 1841. The loca- tion of St. Matthew's Church was changed from Upper Alton to East Third Street. All the records of the parish burned, when this second 253 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS church of St. Matthew was damaged by fire in 1852. Father Carroll then built the church of SS. Peter and Paul on State Street, and remained its pastor until the coming of Bishop Juncker in 1857, when he returned to his Bishop in Chicago. Shortly after- wards he was appointed pastor of St. Mary's Church, Elgin, Illinois, where he died and was buried within the walls of the church. "Father Carroll was born in Coun- ty Limerick, Ireland. He was a man of tall stature and iron frame, pos- sessing a commanding appearance. When building SS. Peter and Paul's Church, he is known to have per- formed hard manual labor, like a common workman. After Mass, which was said in a hall over a livery stable on State Street, he would slip into his overalls and begin mixing mortar or wheeling building stone to the masons. Few of the towns now in Madison, Jersey and Macoupin Counties are there which in their incipiency did not enjoy the visits of Father Carroll. The third pastor of SS. Peter and Paul Church was Reverend J. Menge who came with Bishop Juncker from Cincinnati in 1857. He was pastor of the Cathedral and Chancellor of the Diocese until October 6, 1862, when he returned to Cincinnati at the call of his Bishop. Then came the following pastors of the Cathedral : Reverend Thomas M. Mangan, 1862-1865 ; Very Reverend James Harty, 1865-1868; Reverend Patrick Dee, 1868-1869; Very Reverend John F. Mohr, 1870-1873; Reverend Ter- rence J. M. Cowley, 1873-1875 ; Rev- erend Manasses Kane, 1875-1876. Father Kane was succeeded by Reverend Charles J. Zwiesler, who held the Rectorship until April 19, 1888. Father Zwiesler accompanied Bishop Janssen to his new see of Belleville as pastor of the Cathedral there. Father Zwiesler died in a hos- pital in Milwaukee on the fourth day of May 1894, and was buried in the cemetery at Fayetteville, Illinois. Reverend Edward L. Spalding suc- ceeded Father Zwiesler as Rector of the Cathedral, April 23, 1888 ; and at this date (1927) is still pastor. The record of this parish would not be complete without special mention of Right Reverend John Janssen. When Bishop Juncker went to Europe in 1858, he brought home with him Mr. John Janssen, and or- dained him in November of that same year. Although never appointed pas- tor of the Cathedral, his whole sacer- dotal career up to his appointment as Bishop, with the exception of about two years, was spent in Alton, first as Secretary to the Bishop, then as Chancellor and Vicar General. At the death of Bishop Baltes, he was made the administrator of the Diocese. He took a deep interest and an active part in the affairs of the parish as is evi- denced by the records on the Bap- tismal and Marriage Registers. He was a true priest of God, pious, sin- cere and conscientious, held in the highest esteem by the people, and en- joyed the full and constant confi- dence of his superiors. Pioneer Members of the Parish The following are the names of some of the parishioners, as gathered from fragmentary marriage records of the years 1852-1856 inclusive. These years comprise the period be- tween the burning of the second St. Matthew's Church and the establish- ment of the Episcopal See in Alton : Peter Byrne, Timothy Ryan, Thomas McCarthy, Rodger Hinder- han, John Carmody, James Thornton, Owen Moore, George Whealan, Pat- rick Mooney, Patrick Conolan, Thomas Smith, Thomas Howard, Michael Maloney, James Gallagher, Patrick Burns, John Carroll, Louis Champonze, Patrick Dolan, Patrick Lynch, Patrick Flanagan, Martin 254 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO Walsh, Michael Daly, Andrew Hig- gins, Thomas Murphy, Patrick Mas- terson, Patrick McKenna, Martin Burke, William Rogers, Charles Mc- Bride, John Monaghan, James O 'Neil, James Morrissey, Henry Graesler, John Toohey, Patrick O'Loughlin, David Tierney, John Dunn, Martin Fleming, Michael Dooley, Michael Duffy, Richard Knight, Conrad Reiser, Patrick Devlin, Michael Leahy, David Shanahan, Thomas Mc- Ginnis, Joseph Lapp, John Hartnett, John Ryan, Patrick Dugan, William Meehan, John Cunningham, Patrick Conway, Richard Shea, Thomas Mc- Guire, James Coyne, James McNulty, Thomas Sharkey, Stephan Bell, John Shahan, James Rierdon, Richard Fitz- gerald, Michael Powers, Archibald Diamond, William Madden, Robert Grace, Daniel Sweeney, Martin Bos- sart, John Degenhardt, Michael Zuigley, Stephan Glaeschulte, Patrick Coon, Thomas Carroll, Patrick O'Donnell, Timothy Buckley, Simon Slavin, Cornelius Carmody, Jeremiah Williams, James Noonan. It is interesting to note the Celtic names of nearly all these parishioners, but it should not be surprising, as Father Menge, several years later, could hardly find twenty-five families of German origin in starting St. Mary's Church on Henry Street. It was after the appointment of Bishop Juncker that the Germans came in larger numbers. A local tradition tells us that then a healthy rivalry arose between these two nationalities, and that it continued down through the years, becoming strained even in the ranks of the clergy, when Bishop Ryan was appointed to the episcopal see of Alton in 1888. The following are the names of some of the substantial members of the parish in the first years of its episcopal career : Henry Weaver, Peter Wise, Sebas- tian Wise, Patrick Sullivan, Joseph Wills, Thomas Biggins, Thomas Clif- ford, John Mulady, Patrick Ward, A. L. Chouteau, Christian Walter, Mrs. Julia Cabrilliac, L. Fahrig, John M. Althoff, Louis Sneeringer, Patrick Burns, Joseph W. Wise, F. Wendt, Patrick Doyle, Peter Byrne, Michael Steiner, Ferd. Hoffmeir, Henry Hell- rung, John Collins, M. Maguire, J. Hutton, Daniel Sullivan, D. F. Ow- ings, Ulrich Whitfield, Henry Budde, Xavier Brennan, James Gilhouly, Michael Walsh, John Dignan, John Ford, Frank Weitkamp, Maurice Scully, Thomas Faircloth, Richard O 'Regan, John Tonsor, Timothy Car- roll, Patrick Ryan, James Redmond, Murty Galvin, Patrick Mulcahey, Pat- rick Cunningham, Titus Wanamaker, Joseph Schwartz, John Keefe, John Quirk, Maurice Hartnett, Michael Jennings, Henry Schaefer, Michael Power, Thomas McGinnis, Patrick Higgins, Michael Schneider, William Walsh, William Flynn, James Klein- peter, Henry Ernst, James Ryan, John Carroll, Peter Henry, Daniel Maher, Henry Weber, James Barrett, Casimir Fleig, John Baps, Michael Dooney, William Ziegenfuss, Martin Fishbach, Joseph Gottlob, William Stanton, William Divine, Frank Duffy, John Fishbach, John Denen- hardt, Patrick Moriarty, Benjamin Garde, James Morrissey, James Mc- Nulty, Edward Grady, Dennis Noon- an, Arnold Kleinschnittger, Michael Brennan, Andrew Clifford, and many others. List of Lay Trustees of SS. Peter and Paul's "Cathedral, from 1869 when the special Act of the Legis- lature was passed for the Holding of Church Property to the present date : Charles P. Wise, 1870-1875 ; Thomas Biggins, 1870-1875; Geo. S. Wise, 1875-1877; John Healey, 1875-1878; Patrick Ward, 1877-1899; Lewis I. Ginter, 1878-1904 ; M. Mahoney, 1899- 1924; John F. McGinnis, 1904 to date ; M. G. Ryan, 1924 to date. 255 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Church of the Annunciation, Bunker Hill, Macoupin County, Illinois. Established in 1854. Present Pastor : Reverend Clement C. Stolze, D.C.L. Before the building of railroads, at a point about eleven miles north of Edwardsville, and seven miles south of Bunker Hill, Macoupin County, there was a gathering of farmers variously called "Carroll Settle- ment, " " Ridgeville, " and ' ' Ridgely. ' ' Old records go to show that in 1844 Reverend Michael Carroll, rector of St. Matthew's church, Upper Alton, visited the settlement called after him, and in which his brother Ed- ward and four nephews had bought farms. The spiritual wants of these early Catholic settlers were served by various priests from Alton up to the year 1854, when a brick church 45 by 24 feet was built on a lot adjoining the road leading from the Springfield road to Prairie Town. Up to 1859 this small mission church was attend- ed from Alton, and old settlers still remember that Father M. Prender- gast, assistant to Father Carroll in 1853, was one of the priests who held services at Ridgely. Now came the building of the St. Louis & Terre Haute Railroad through Bunker Hill, and with the advent of this railroad came to Bunker Hill the first Catholic settlers and gradually their numbers increased. Previous to this, though the town was in existence, nothing much can be said of Catho- lics. However, local tradition has it that Reverend George A. Hamilton, when on his way from St. Louis, or Alton, to Springfield, used to stay at the public tavern over night, and there delight the natives with the charm of his conversation. There is no recollection of his having held any services in the locality, probably from the fact that no Catholic could be found there. Soon after the appoint- ment of the Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker as first Bishop of Alton, Bunker Hill began to be vis- ited from Alton more or less regular- ly, as the supply of priests would af- ford. Services were held in various private houses, in the public school building, the city hall, even in a Methodist church on the ground later occupied by a mammoth livery stable. Priests also visited from Litchfield and even from Paris. The state of things became fatal to Ridgely, situ- ated as it was far away from the rail- road. The people were too few, and the priests too scarce to allow for two distinct congregations. Bishop Junck- er decided that the church in Ridgely should be given up and a new one built in Bunker Hill. Accordingly in 1864 Reverend A. B. Rinker was sent to make a begin- ning. He went to work with his wonted enthusiasm. On Christmas day of the same year, he said Mass for the first time in the church of the Annunciation of the B. V. M. He remained until July, 1865, and was replaced the following November by Reverend Patrick J. 'Halloran. Late in the fall of 1869 Father 'Halloran was replaced by Reverend Michael Clifford, one of the most successful of all the Bunker Hill rectors. During his short stay, from 1869 till the later part of July 1872, he started a school, built a sanctuary as an addition to the church, erected a school house and a commodious parsonage. He was succeeded by Reverend H. Cluever, Ph.D., who began the building of an addition to the front of the church with a steeple, which work was com- pleted by the Reverend M. Neu, who arrived at Bunker Hill towards the middle of May, 1874. The new rector, Father Neu, was a born pedagogue, and his best exertions were used in this direction. He also embellished the church and reformed the choir according to the Cecelian idea. He left in July, 1879. In the interval between the rectorship of Father Neu and his successor, Dr. Zabel, Reverend Francis Celius Hoff- 256 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO man had charge. During Dr. Zabel's administration, many of the town people left to seek work elsewhere, making it impossible to continue the school, and the country people to a great extent left for the cities in search of that prosperity which the country had denied them for many years. His administration was al- most an exclusively spiritual one as the records do not show any material improvements about the premises. His deeply rooted spiritual zeal has an indelible imprint upon the Catho- lics of this neighborhood. He was a ritualist and every religious ceremony was carried out to the very letter and spirit of the law. Having remained thirty-five years, he resigned pastoral duties owing to his advanced years and ill health, and took up his abode in Alton at the Novitiate of the Ursu- line Sisters, teaching them the music of the Gregorian Chant. After his departure, October, 1914, he was succeeded by Reverend D. J. Higgins of Springfield, who took up his duties earnestly. During the five years that he was stationed at Bunker Hill he made many and much needed improvements in the church and par- sonage. Being of pleasing personal- ity and industrious habits he so en- deared himself to all that his depar- ture was very much regretted by the people of Bunker Hill. July 1, 1919, the present pastor, Reverend C. T. Stolze, J.C.D., took over the administration of the An- nunciation parish. His predecessor had made a start in renovating the church and rectory, but it was little more than a start, and much re- mained to be done in the coming years. Two months after taking over the work at Bunker Hill, Father Stolze had the basement of the par- sonage excavated for the installation of the newest type of modern vapor furnace. Up to this time stoves served to heat the parsonage. Next the par- sonage was refurnished almost from top to bottom so that today one finds in it every modern convenience and equipment. The following years saw an up-to-date steam furnace installed in the church, two large stoves having previously served this purpose. Many other improvements were made, the most noteworthy of which was the in- terior decoration of the church. The scheme of decoration merits a special word in that the life of the Blessed Virgin to whom the church is dedi- cated is depicted on the walls of the church by four large oil paintings, two of which measure seven by twelve feet. The pictures represent the principal events in the life of the Child Jesus and Mary, as set forth in : " The Annunciation ' ' by Leonardo Da Vinci; "The Nativity" by Correg- gio; "The Flight Into Egypt" by Jannsen, and "The Assumption" by Titian — all standard masterpieces and acknowledged among the world's best paintings. The execution of this work is admired by all who see it. Particularly arresting is the artist's execution of the draperies painted be- hind and around the high altar. The design of the draperies is also in keep- ing with the name of the church. One sees a figurative Cross representing Christianity, a large "M," the first initial letter of the name of Mary, a lily symbolical of virtue, and a heart pierced with a sword, indicative of the prophecy of Simeon where he pre- dicted that a sword would pierce the heart of the Virgin Mary, meaning thereby the sorrowful life which she was to lead because of her association with Christ. Around this latter de- sign is woven a wreath of roses typi- fying the rosary, so dear to the Mother of Christ and Catholics. All this is blended artistically into one grand whole. On the front of the arch are seen two life-size angels beautifully executed, one carrying the chalice and the other the bread. Above is seen the All-seeing Eye of God, the symbol of God the Father. Recently the church and parsonage were painted on the outside and over four hundred feet of concrete walks laid. These improvements have add- 257 Diocese of springfield in Illinois ed greatly to the appearance of the church, so that today the parish plant stands as a credit to the com- munity. Finally, this little parish of the Annunciation with only thirty-five families is in a flourishing condition and bids fair to hold its own with the most progressive rural churches of the diocese. Church of the Immaculate Conception, Mattoon, Coles County, Illinois Established in 1856. Present Pastor : Reverend Thomas E. Cusack. Mattoon now known as one of the leading cities of central Illinois, owes its existence to two great railroads: the Illinois Central and the Big Four which cross each other at this point. The Catholic history of Mattoon had its inception in 1856, at which time it was organized as a station, be- ing visited by Reverend Thomas Ryan, pastor of North Arm. For sev- eral years services were held in the homes of the eight Catholic families who lived in Mattoon and vicinity. A church building begun in 1856 was completed the following year, and was dedicated by Bishop Juncker. Burdened with the spiritual cares of nine counties, Father Ryan's visits to the Mattoon parish were somewhat infrequent until 1861 when he settled in Mattoon. Father Ryan was a true apostle ; an ideal priest; a cultured gentleman; a friend of everyone and everyone was his friend. A few years following his retirement from pastoral duties he died and was buried in the cemetery of St. Mary of the Woods, Indiana. Reverend Thomas F. Mangan as- sumed Father Ryan's mantle. Being a young energetic man, he infused new life into the Mattoon congrega- tion, erected a parish house and made some needed improvements on the church. He also built a schoolroom for boys in the rear of the church. The lot where the present school stands was purchased by Father Mangan. On this lot he built a school at his own expense. After some time it was ac- quired by the congregation. Father Mangan was an educator, a social worker, as well as an ardent friend of total abstinence in behalf of which his efforts were crowned with remarkable success. He procured the Ursuline Sisters to teach in his school. Even- tually he became attached to the dio- cese of Chicago, in which he labored with distinction until his death. Reverend James Strembler, D.D., succeeded Father Mangan in Mat- toon. The congregation had by this time increased to such an extent that Doctor Strembler found it necessary to enlarge the church. Poor health ended the doctors labors, and he was succeeded by Father Butler, who re- linquished his duties after a brief space of time. Reverend Ferdinand Stick was the next priest to assume control. He re- mained until 1878. Difficulties of various kinds beset the paths of Fathers Mangan and Stick. A some- what rebellious modernistic spirit characterized the growing congrega- tion, and their spiritual superiors had no little difficulty in getting them to conform to their religious duties. Reverend John W. Crowe succeed- ed. He was an organizer and a build- er as well as a man of great foresight. He secured the block of property, re- puted to be one of the finest in the diocese, upon which the present church and house stand. That was in 1878 the year of Father Crowe's ad- vent to Mattoon. The priest's resi- dence was erected the following year, and the energetic pastor immediately undertook the building of one of the finest churches in Central Illinois. The cornerstone was laid in 1884 by Bishop Baltes, and the building was completed and ready for the dedica- tion by 1887. In that year on Decem- ber 11th, the dedication took place 258 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO and was accompanied by impressive ceremonies. Bishop Spalding of Peoria preached an eloquent sermon. One of the pastor's next acts was to purchase a site for a cemetery. Father Crowe's hopes were unfor- tunately dashed to the ground when on the night of October 22, 1890, the new church was burned down. Un- daunted by this catastrophe, however, he set to work and rebuilt the edi- fice. In this new effort he received the greatest encouragement from the whole community, non- Catholic as as well as Catholic, and the recon- structed building was re-dedicated by Bishop Ryan June 7, 1891, the ser- mon again being preached by Bishop Spalding of Peoria. In the following year Father Crowe was promoted to the irremovable rec- torship of Jacksonville, Illinois. Dur- ing his stay in Mattoon he had raised and judiciously spent the huge sum of $100,000.00 without in any way neglecting the spiritual needs of his people. A few more years of his ad- ministration would have seen a Cath- olic hospital erected across the street from the church property. Reverend Jeremiah Murphy, now of Decatur, was the next pastor of the Mattoon congregation. He materially improved the church property, built a splendid school and convent, and did much to advance the spiritual welfare of the people. He remained but a few years and was succeeded by the late lamented Father Higgms in the year 1898. Mattoon 's population depends al- most exclusively for its support on the two great railroads aforemen- tioned. Railroading is the principal industry, especially since the large shops were moved here from Litch- field, Illinois. With their advent came a big contingent of Catholics who helped to swell very appreciably the local congregation. In addition to the railroads there are a few factories of minor impor- tance including the engine works and the broom factory. It must not be forgotten that Mattoon calls itself the ' ' Buckle of the corn belt. ' ' The land within the business radius is very valuable and productive, being es- pecially adapted to broom corn rais- ing. Mattoon is known as a progressive city and the Catholic element has played no small part in its upbuild- ing. Catholics have shown in the dif- ferent professions as well as in other fields. In law and medicine there have been shining lights, and in a business way they keep up with the times. Some of them are connected with the financial institutions of Mattoon. Among the events of special im- portance in the history of the parish was the dedication of the fine organ purchased by Father Higgins. Under the capable leadership of the organist, Mr. Bryan Tivnin, who, besides being one of Mattoon 's most prominent law- yers, is also one of its master musi- cians, the choir, augmented for the occasion by importations from Chi- cago and other cities, gave a splendid account of itself, and was in wide- spread demand thereafter for im- portant functions throughout the length and breadth of Central Illi- nois. Irish, German and French names figure prominently in the Catholic directory of Mattoon. Among the names of early settlers were Hennes- sey, Curran, Fields, Fitzgerald, Dooley, Tivnen, Mulhatten, Beall, Spitz, Shea, Gover, Erler, McAvoy, Walsh, Feree, Murphy, to mention but a few. Quite a number of the original members are still living; all are loyal to the Church, and their families give splendid promise of a bright future for the Immaculate Conception parish under the efficient leadership of the new pastor, the Reverend Thomas Edward Cusack. 259 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Church of SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville, Madison County, Illinois Established in 1856. Present Pastor : Reverend Francis A. Marks. In the early fifties of the last cen- tury the Catholics who had settled in Collinsville, although few in number, resolved to build a church and have regular services. Octavius Lumaghi, who had opened a coal mine and was quite successful in business, took the lead. About 1856 they built a frame church on the site now occupied by the present large church and school. Priests came from East St. Louis from time to time to conduct services until November, 1851, when Reverend W. Repia took charge and remained until August of the following year. Reverend J. Reiss came to Collinsville in September, 1858, but remained only until the end of the year. In 1859 Bishop Juncker and Father F. A. Ostrop attended Collinsville oc- casionally until in the Fall, when the Reverend J. G. Allemann took charge for one year. On account of failing health he retired to St. Louis where he died. In September, 1860, Reverend Louis Hinssen attended Collinsville from Edwardsville and set to work to put the church records in order. His administration lasted until May, 1861. Fathers V. Benys, S.J., J. J. Brennan and H. Hoffmann then occasionally visited Collinsville un- til Reverend J. N. Petit took charge in February, 1862 and re- mained until October, 1862. He was succeeded by Father F. J. Fischer, during whose administration the first two bells were blessed. In June, 1863, Father Fischer left and the parish was again attended occasionally by Reverend J. B. Brennan, Father Petit and Father George Tuerk. After these, Father C. G. Magnien came, and remained about a year, until the end of February, 1865. In May, 1865, Father A. Rustige took charge of the parish until November, 1865. Ground was bought for a new cemetery. During the winter of 1865-66 Fathers F. II. Zabel and F. Lohmann came occasionally to Collinsville. In May, 1866 Father A. B. Rinckes was appointed rector and stayed un- til the spring of 1867. During his in- cumbency in March, 1867, lots belong- ing to D. D. Collins and adjoining the church property were bought for about $3,600.00. Reverend S. Weg- ener was his successor in April, 1867 who remained until the summer of 1870. During his administration a school was established. In August, 1870, Reverend G. H. Hesse took charge of the parish. Be- ing in poor health, he left in Febru- ary, 1872, and Father Rustige was appointed in his place and remained until September of that year. Father Francis Trojan was then given charge of the parish. He remained until the end of August, 1879. His successor was Reverend H. B. Degenhardt, then a newly ordained young priest. He at once set to work and by economy and zeal soon accumulated a fund to build a larger church. At first only the Sanctuary and Transcept were erect- ed in 1880 and the Nave with a state- ly steeple was added in 1890. He then built a larger school to accommodate the ever increasing number of pupils. The school was completed in 1895. When all this had been done and the debts paid Reverend H. B. Degen- hardt was appointed to St. Boniface's Church in Quincy, Illinois. He left a considerable fund to his successor, Father F. Marks to build a new par- ish residence. There are 350 pupils in the school taught by eight Ursuline Sisters from the Motherhouse in Alton. The Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., conferred the Sacra- ment of Confirmation in 1926, upon a class of 180. The sodality of the Immaculate Conception of St. Peter and Paul's 260 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO Church of Collinsville, Illinois, was established on June 9th, 1866, under the secondary patronage of St. Joseph. It consisted of nineteen char- ter members. Father Rinckes was the first Spiritual Director. On October 5, 1879, the Sodality was reorganized under the same title by Father Henry B. Degenhardt. During the next thirty years the So- dality played an important role in the history of St. Peter and Paul's for those were the years in which the church was enlarged and the magnifi- cent school was built. A great amount of the funds necessary to defray the cost of the building was raised by various parish activities such as bazaars, etc., in which the members of the Sodality always worked faithfully and zealously. On June 9, 1916, the Golden Jubilee of the Sodality was celebrated on an elaborate scale. A Solemn High Mass began the celebra- tion of the happy event, at which Father Marks was Celebrant, Father S. Pierotti, Deacon, and a Jesuit from St. Louis University, St. Louis, Mis- souri, Sub-Deacon. Through the fifty years, from the organization of the Sodality to the celebration of its Golden Jubilee, the name and memory of Nellie Eck was held enshrined in the hearts of her companions. It was she who assisted Father Rinckes to instruct them for their First Holy Communion and who instilled in their youthful hearts de- votion to the Mother of God. Nellie Eck is to be given the honor for the first May devotions ever held in St. Peter and Paul's Church. Apparently, there was no resident priest in Col- linsville in the year 1866 and it was due to the zeal and devotion that she and her young companions had for the Mother of God, tbat the Bishop decided to send a resident priest to Collinsville. Each day during the month of May they would go to the Church for May Devotions. The de- scription of the May Altar resembles to a great extent the improvised al- tars in Mission Churches of the pres- ent day. A bee hive served as the Tabernacle. The statue of the Blessed Virgin, the bases, candlesticks and the coverings for the altar were brought from the homes of the future young Sodalists. As there was great poverty and privation in those days, it can be imagined that that particular altar did not make a very imposing ap- pearance; materially, no, but spir- itually, it was the means of the Bishop sending a resident Priest to Collinsville, for when he saw that altar he remarked to the priest who visited Collinsville at that time, that he must send a priest to people who had devotion to the Blessed Virgin. During the sixty years of its exist- ence, the Sodality has given many articles to the church. In 1924, two beautiful stained glass transept win- dows, designed by the present zealous pastor, Father Marks, were donated to the Church by the Sodality. SS. Peter and Paul's Parochial School, Collinsville, Illinois The School was established shortly after the arrival of Reverend H. B. Degenhardt in 1879. Within its class-rooms many of Collinsville 's leading men and women received their early education. During the first years, secular teachers were employed; but on Aug- ust 29, 1884, three Ursuline Nuns from Alton arrived to take charge of the school and, from that day to this, the Daughters of St. Angela Merici have been carrying on the work ef- ficiently. In the beginning, the pupils num- bered about one hundred and could be easily accommodated in the two large rooms of the house which served as a school; but as time went on the enrollment increased year after year, so that it soon became imperative to furnish ampler accommodations. Ac- cordingly, in the fall of 1894, ground was broken for a "New School," the erection of which began at once and was carried on so energetically that the building was completed in the early Spring, and on Easter Monday, 261 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS 1895, it was solemnly ledicated by His Lordship, Right Reverend J. Ryan, D.D., Bishop of Alton. Owing to the crowded conditions of the old building, it was deemed ad- visable to move into the new school at once, even though the session was nearing its close. Therefore, on the Monday following the Dedication, classes were taught in the new build- ing. Some years later, three large apartments and an auditorium were added, thus affording more room to the ever increasing number of pupils. At present, there are eleven Ursu- line Nuns in charge, and the school has an enrollment of 350 children. First Ursulincs to go to Collins- ville : August 29, 1884— Mother Clara Spang (now deceased) ; Sister Hel- ena Madden (now deceased) ; Sister Evangelista Griffin (left Collinsville in August, 1927). One year later, August 22, 1885— Sister Bridgetta O'Rourke (left in June, 1927 ; died on November 15, 1927). Church of St. Elizabeth, Marine, Madison County, Illinois. Established in 1856. Present Pastor : Reverend Anton J. Wieneke. In the year 1856, while yet the state of Illinois was under the juris- diction of the Bishop of Chicago, the few Catholics in Marine and the im- mediate neighborhood united for the purpose of building a church. To this end a subscription started under the leadership of James Brockhaus, Patrick Carroll and August Versen, netted $1,500. Eight lots had already been donated in the Versen addition and in the year 1857 the same year when Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker was consecrated bishop of the newly established diocese of Al- ton, the foundation of the new church a structure 50x34 feet — was laid, and the following year a rough building was completed in the face of very trying circumstances. On Easter Monday, April 25, 1859, Mass was said for the first time in the new church by Reverend Paul Lim- acher of Highland. Every third Sun- day he held services, and in the two and one-half years of his ministra- tion, succeeded in finishing the church. Father Limacher left the par- ish in 1861 and during the following two years Marine was taken care of by Reverend P. Peters who was sta- tioned at Edwardsville. The parish, after being served for a short time by Reverend John Vollmeyer, reverted again to the charge of Father Peters who was then the pastor of Highland. In 1864 money was subscribed for the new church bell, costing $383.00. A reed organ was bought for the sum of $160.00 and a church choir organ- ized. In July, 1866, ten acres of land were purchased for a cemetery for the small sum of $80.00. For nine years the Marine parish had been a mission attended in turn from Edwardsville and Highland. Then in 1868, it was made a separate parish, Father Louis Hinssen be- coming its first resident pastor. A priest's residence had been previously built at a cost of $3,000.00. During his term of office a gallery was built in the rear of the church and so ar- ranged that during the week days it could be used as a school room. In October, 1868 school opened with Mr. P. Nolle as teacher who had for his immediate successors, Mr. Stettner and Joseph Schmidt. Father Hinssen left Marine Janu- ary 6, 1817, to become pastor of Belle- ville which had just become vacant by the promotion of Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes to the See of Alton. Reverend Michael Weiss, the next pastor, remained in charge a year. During his time here, Bishop Baltes visited the parish and confirmed eighty-four persons — this was the first time that Confirmation had been 262 IN THE DIOCP:SE OF CHICAGO administered in the history of Marine. In his sermon on that occasion, Father Weis threw much light on the conditions existing in the parish. On the transference of Father Weis to Effingham, Reverend Francis Trojan, a Moravian by birth, became pastor for thirteen months. During his stay here, he reduced the debt of the parish considerably. In September, 1872, he became pastor of Collinsville and for about six months the parish was without a priest until on March 18, 1873, Father Albert Busch ar- rived from Beardstown. On account of the scarcity of priests, the latter had to attend also the parishes of Douglas and Staunton. Father Busch 's immediate succes- sors were Fathers J. Gerhard Jouyen, 1874-1875; Bernard liossmoeller, for six weeks; and Gerhard Hope, 1857- 1877. During Father Hope's admini- stration the Jesuit Fathers Karl- staedter and Haag gave a very suc- cessful parish mission. An unnamed benefactor donated $1,500, which enabled the pastor to start the building of the parochial school, a brick structure 46x25 feet, with rooms for teachers. Before the school was completed, however, Father Hope was transferred to Breese, and Father Henry Eggenstein succeeded him, remaining in charge until October 1, 1913. In the begin- ning of November, 1877, the new school was dedicated and on St. Elizabeth's Feast Day (November 19) of the same year the first solemn High Ma^s was celebrated in the parish. A census, taken at this time, shows that the parish consisted of ten Catholic families in the village and twenty-six families living in the country, who contributed to the sup- port of the church. There were a num- ber of so called Catholic families, but they were so careless in the discharge of their religious duties, as to deserve no mention here. About this time three new church bells, valued for $479.25, were donated by Mrs. Weber. In 1880, encouraged by a plentiful harvest, the pastor began collecting funds for a new church to replace the old one which was showing dangerous cracks. Over $2,000 was subscribed on that occasion. As the harvest in the following year was a failure on account of drought, additional funds could not be collected but the ever increasing decay of the old church impressed upon the people the im- perative need of a new one. The cor- ner-stone of the new church was laid in 1883 and the building was ready for divine services on November 19 of that same year. On May 6, 1884 Right Reverend P. J. Baltes solemnly blessed the new church. In the year 1886 the teachers' liv- ing quarters adjoining the school were enlarged to make room for the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood, of Ruma, who took charge of the school in 1886. Sisters Paulina and Rosa were the first religious to make their abode at Marine. The standing debts of the parish amounting to $1,100 were paid off in 1890 as a result of a legacy left for that purpose by Mrs. Elizabeth Brock - haus. On Easter Day, 1891, the church was enriched by a pipe organ, donated by Mrs. Weber. The organ was built by John T. Pfeffer & Sons, St. Louis. That same year a branch of the Catholic Knights of Illinois was organized in the parish with fif- teen charter members. During the summer, 1894, a steam heating plant was installed in the church and four lots adjoining the school were purchased for $275. Mrs. Catharina Weber, a great benefactor of the parish, at her death on Janu- ary 31, 1894, left to the church $2,050 to be a school fund for the parish. In 1913 Father Eggenstein, who had for thirty years successfully guided the destiny of St. Elizabeth's parish, retired to St. Vincent's Hos- pital, Taylorville, Illinois, and was succeeded by Father Joseph Maurer who after nine months of labor in untold suffering (he had cancer of the 263 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS throat) was forced to leave his charge and seek a more congenial climate. The present pastor, Father Anton Wieneke, entered npon his pastoral duties, September 1, 1914. Since his coming, the necessary repairs in the parsonage and church were under- taken and electric lighting fixtures in- stalled. In 1921 the interior of the church was renovated and frescoed, altars varnished, statues retouched, and all woodwork painted, at a cost of $2,300. Stained glass windows were also installed which greatly en- hance the beauty of the church. In September, 1924, work was be- gun on the erection of a parish com- Church of St. Raymond, Raymond, Established Present Pastor : Reverend The first Catholic family to move for the organization of St. Ray- mond's was that of Frank Poggen- pohl who settled in Harvel Township, five miles north of Raymond on the Springfield Road in 1853. Prior to this time the surrounding broad acres belonged to the public domain of the United States; settlers and homestead claimants were few and far distant from one another. Early in the 50 's the tide of immigration to the United States assumed great and vast proportions. Political dis- turbances in European countries, famine in Ireland, and the gold fields of California, may be assigned as partial reasons for this phenom- enal stampede of emigrants to Amer- ica. At any rate in this northern part of Montgomery County where the soil is of superior quality, nu- merous settlers and colonists arrived and located, among whom we meet with a certain ratio of Catholics, such as A. Munsterman, J. Todt, J. Jung, and others. For this increas- ing Catholic community to comply with its religious duties was, how- ever, hardly possible, for the next and nearest churches and priests were at Carlinville and Alton. In the meantime these sturdy men with 264 munity center and continued in 1925 when the building was ready for its purpose. So far, it has cost $9,350. Some work still remains to be done on the exterior but this improvement must be postponed until more money is available. The parish, at the present time has fifty-nine families, forty-three with father and mother Catholic, and six- teen mixed. Practically all the mem- bers of the congregation follow agri- culture as a means of livelihood. Two societies, Holy Name and Al- tar Societies, are of great help to the pastor in all parish activities. Montgomery County, Illinois. in 1857. Charles "W. Oppenheim. their families betook themselves on Sunday mornings to home devotions, alternately meeting at different Catholic houses; these devotions would consist in the recitation of the rosary, the litany and the read- ing of the epistles and gospels. Thus it continued until the year 1857 when upon their urgent and repeated in- vitation Reverend Father Schreib- er, then pastor of St. Mary's Church at Carlinville, came to the young, striving and struggling Catholic community and said Holy Mass in the neighboring little district school house, then known as the "Mt. Ver- non School", situated immediately south of Mr. Todt's house. Highly satisfied with the good results of his first visit, Father Schreiber arranged that from then on he would come to them once a month, which appoint- ment he kept regularly until 1866. Divine services then being held at stipulated intervals, the attendance increased as time passed. From long distances the faithful flocked thither ; those rugged old pioneer settlers who afterwards belonged to the parishes of Morrisonville, Brown Settlement and Raymond ; here they monthly gathered to worship at the improvised little altar in the school Marine — St. Elizabeth's Church, Rectory, Sister's Residence, School . . . Raymond St. Raymond's Church, Rev. C. W. Oppenheim, Pastor . . . Collinsville SS. Peter and Paul Church, Rectory, School. IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO house ; here Baptism and Holy Com- munion were administered, mar- riages solemnized and the children catechised. Then, in 1867, St. Cath- erine's Parish of Virden received its first resident rector. Father Schreib- er ceased his monthly ministrations to the promising Raymond commu- nity, and henceforth, until 1878, it was looked after by the priests of Virden, Father Richard Grant, Michael Clifford, Dennis Tierney, Timothy Hickey, (later Vicar Gen- eral) and Lawrence Ryan, while the German-speaking members, who were unable to understand the Eng- lish language, were ministered to by Reverend Francis Ostrop, then pas- tor of St. Mary's Church, Alton, Illi- nois. The Catholics from the vicinity of Morrisonville who attended Divine Services in the little school house until 1871, felt themselves in that year numerically and sufficient- ly strong to form into a separate congregation under the leadership of Reverend Francis Lohmann, then the resident pastor of St. Agnes' Church, Hillsboro. The example of the Morrisonville people was fol- lowed two years later, 1873, by those now constituting St. Isidor's parish of Brown's settlement near Farmers- ville. They were encouraged in their actions by Father Timothy Hickey, of Virden, who attended that mission until 1877 when it was assigned to Morrisonville and so re- mained until 1883, Reverend Alois Teppe being the pastor. It was many years before the "secession" of the Morrisonville farmers from "Mt. Vernon Parish" that it had been agreed upon to purchase five acres of land from Mr. Tony Muenstermann "off the South- east corner of the North half of the Northeast quarter of Section Nine- teen (19), Township Eleven (11), North of Range Four (4), West, ly- ing in a square in said corner in the County of Montgomery and State of Illinois," for the consideration of $90.00. Pursuant to unanimous agreement the land was purchased and the deed thereof executed in favor of the Most Reverend Arch- bishop Peter R. Kenrick of St. Louis, who in due turn re-deeded the same, October 10, 1871, to the Right Rev- erend Peter J. Baltes, Bishop of Alton. Never having been used for its originally intended purpose, it was sold to the late John Todt. Undaunted by these reverses of double secession which had alarming- ly decreased the ranks of the faithful worshippers, they nevertheless con- tinued, with buoyant hope and im- plicit confidence in ultimate success, to assemble as they were wont to do twenty years ago, not, however any longer in the little school house but from hence at the home of Mr. B. Beiermann, one-half mile south of Raymond. Here it was that from 1874 to 1877 Father Lohmann conducted Divine Services. His encouraging and inspiring words soon resulted in the purchase of the present St. Ray- mond's Cemetery from J. Lee for $150.00, and a piece of property (one acre) designed as a site for a church, situated immediately north of the Free Methodist Church, which purchase, however, the good people forfeited together with the money paid for it, $240.00, as certain un- scrupulous parties who had sold and accepted the price, well knew that on account of an overhanging mortgage no clear title or release could be given. And yet the striving and struggling founders of St. Raymond's Parish did not lose heart; they possessed themselves in 1879 of the present property and God be thanked they form today as good and substantial, though small country parish as ever was started in this Diocese. For the initiative of building, our congrega- tion is mainly indebted to the valu- able and disinterested services of Fathers Francis Lohmann and Peter J. Virnich (the latter succeeded Father Lohmann at Hillsboro in 1877) for what the former had in- augurated the latter completed. To them is due the credit for the exist- ence and independence of the parish. 265 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS With the construction of the Wa- bash Railroad in 1871, dates simul- taneously the founding of Raymond ; the name of this rising and prosper- ous town was imposed by the Railroad Company while the postoffice proper went for many years afterward by the name of "Lula," so-called after Raymond's first postmaster, Davis' daughter. Even today mail matter addressed to old settlers will read : "Raymond, Lula P. 0." Before the advent of the Wabash Railroad, how- ever, when the present postal facili- ties were not yet known, the nearest postoffice was that of "Herndon," located at the home of Mr. J. Todt, five miles north of Raymond, of which Mr. Todt acted as postmaster under Johnson's and Grant's administra- tion until 1871 when "Lula" was born. At that time there arose a question of building and permanently locating the church. The views and claims of the parishioners seemed somewhat di- vided on this point, some and prin- cipally those living north advocated the town of Harvel while others re- garded Raymond as the more advan- tageous site. Committees and coun- ter-committees journeyed to Alton to plead their cause before the Bishop who finally decided in favor of Ray- mond. "Roma locuta, res finita." Unitedly and harmoniously the work of building was begun, subscription lists circulated and the contract let to W. H. Flowers, of Shelbyville, Illinois. A. Druiding of St. Louis, drew the plans. This was in the fall of 1880. The three lots upon which the church was to be erected were purchased, one of Richard Wm. O'Bannon for $35.00 and the two others of Jacob E. Houtz & Co., for $50.00. The total cost of contract can not be learned from the church records, but suffice it to state that when the sacred edifice was ready for its dedication on August 31, 1881, the sum of $3,220.00 had been expended by the young but virile congregation, leaving an indebtedness of $1,100.00, which money was borrowed that day from Mr. Conrad Wellar at 6 per cent interest. St. Raymond 's Parish was now an accomplished fact. The number of Catholic families then constituting the congregation was twenty-six. Having seen his work accomplished, Reverend Peter J. Virnich was re- placed as pastor of Hillsboro by Rev- erend John Storp, who, after a short incumbency, was succeeded by Father Hermann Gesenhues. This priest continued his ministrations until about December 15, 1883 when he, in turn, was superseded by Reverend Alois Teppe of Morrisonville. In the annual statement for this year we notice that the indebtedness had been reduced to $650.00 whilst the membership showed a slight in- crease, now numbering 36. The next incumbent during the summer of '84 was Reverend Gerhard Hoppe of Edwardsville, when in November, 1884, Reverend Bernerd Hasse was appointed first resident pastor of Raymond. He purchased a one-story frame house north of the church for $800.00 (borrowing the money from Conrad Wellar) which remained the parochial residence un- til the fall of 1900 when the present beautiful and well appointed house was constructed by Reverend A. Zur- bonsen, who, that same year, had dis- posed of the old property by selling it to Mr. Francis Brandis for $1,000.00. During Reverend Bernerd Hasse 's administration the bell for the church spire was purchased, costing $171.00. It was cast by H. Stuckstede of St. Louis. From April, 1884, to May, 1890, Reverend John Dietrich had charge of St. Raymond 's Congregation ; he, like his predecessors caused several notable changes and improvements to be made. How well the parish now flourished may be inferred from the fact that every seat in the church was rented and the number of families had increased to some forty -five. After Father Dietrich's leave-tak- ing we meet in rapid succession with 266 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO Fathers Joseph Dechene, O'Con- nell, John Gratza, George Pesch and James Dougherty, when in February, 1895, Reverend Ferdinand Stick, who was removed from Pana and assigned to Raymond, took charge of the congregation. His coming was welcomed with delight as Father Stick was known to be a man of abil- ity and unblemished and spotless character. True loyalty to church and pastor again manifested itself in our little congregation ; as evidence of this assertion I mention the readi- ness with which all cheerfully entered upon the project of enlarging and frescoing the church, putting in new stained windows and purchasing the present beautiful High Altar from St. Joseph's College, Teutopolis, Illi- nois. From the account of 1895 we glean the following items which well be- speak the free-heartedness and prompt generosity of the people : For addition to church, $1,031.00; dona- tion for church windows, $345.00 ; frescoing, $200.00, and carpet, $50.00. The numerical strength of the fam- ilies was steadily increasing, the rec- ords for this year speak of sixty families. Surprisingly brief and short was Father Stick's stay with the peo- ple of St. Raymond's; he left regret- ted by many, October 15, 1897, for the seemingly greener pastures of St. Maurice's congregation, Morrison- ville. The next incumbent of St. Ray- mond's came from the small, strug- gling parish of Virginia, Illinois, Reverend James Maskell, who at the Bishop's solicitation, on November 15, 1899, exchanged places with the pastor of St. Augustine's church of Ashland, Illinois, Reverend Anthony Zurbonsen. A great task presented itself to the new pastor upon his arrival. Un- fortunately the parish was not united. Factionalism was strong and this in spite of the zeal and piety of the former pastor, the spir- it of indifferentism was quite prev- alent among the warring factions. Had Father Zurbonsen done noth- ing more during his six and one-half years in Raymond than produce the happy result of uniting his people, he would have accomplished much. Not only did he succeed in this but having united the people and having gained their love, he set about to better the spiritual and temporal interests of the people. Shortly after his arrival he pur- chased the two lots opposite the present parochial residence. In less than a year's time he erected the new home for the pastor, of which the parishioners have every reason to be proud, for they can boast of having the most stately building in Raymond. In 1904, Father Zurbon- sen purchased three lots south of the new residence from Frank Lange at a cost of $625.00, upon which the present church has been erected. Through his efforts the statue of the Pieta, which now occupies the niche in the Sorrowful Mother chapel, carved in wood by Moroder of Groe- den, Tyrol, Austria, a real work of art, was donated by Conrad Weller and his estimable wife, Mary. The altar of St. Joseph and its statue, donated by the late John Todt and his devoted wife, are the main fea- tures of St. Joseph's chapel. These, together with the magnificent Cal- vary group in the cemetery, donated by Joseph Burri and wife, were se- cured through his efforts. Space will not permit the mention of many other donations obtained by him, but suffice to say that when in May 1906, the good Bishop trans- ferred Raymond's zealous pastor to a greater field of labor, he could have said, if modesty had not pre- vented, "I have done well"; but what he failed to say, his former people, or better still, his works say for him. The Reverend Joseph Mauer suc- ceeded him. He remained but eight months in Raymond, but left a rec- ord of piety and zeal, which time will not efface. The Reverend Henry Joseph Hoven was his successor. 267 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS On the first day of July, 1907, Reverend Charles W. Oppenheim succeeded Reverend Henry J. Hoven, who had resigned. The parish had at that time a debt of $300.00 and this together with an assessment of $100.00 levied for the orphans was paid within two months. The parish numbered 96 families. It was deemed expedient to enhance the spiritual interest of the people and to this end two Masses and an even- ing service were announced. The Altar Society reorganized, and a Young Ladies Sodality and a Holy Name Society organized. During the month of October a Mission was given by Father Simon, C.P., for none had been held since 1892. It was further decided to have an an- nual Forty Hours' Adoration. A heating, lighting and water plant were installed in the parochial res- idence, furniture and church req- uisites purchased, entailing an ex- pense of over $2,000.00 which sum was liquidated before the close of 1908. In January 1909, a movement was launched for the erection of a new church. On the 20th of February, 1917, the contracts for the new building, designed by Frank Lude- wig of St. Louis, were let to Henry Wardein of Alton, and the heating contract to George Haarstick and George A. Miller. According to the plans, the church was to have a length of 108 feet, a width of 45 and a height of 42 feet, with a campanile rising to the tip of the Celtic cross, which surmounted it, of 96 feet. The interior was to be 26 feet high and was to seat between 300 and 350 people. On the sixth day of June, 1917, the corner stone was laid by the Very Reverend Dean Patrick F. Carroll of Litchfield. This ceremony was to have been performed by Very Rever- end Monsignor Timothy Hickey,V.G., who, however, was delayed because of floods, but later arrived with Very Reverend Dean Riesen and Father Patrick O'Reilly of Springfield. In the presence of a large concourse of the laity, Reverend Denis J. Ryan of Granite City delivered an inspiring address. Nearly $15,000 were collected this year and all looked bright. Contracts were made with Emil Frei of St. Louis, for the windows, the Hornet Mantel Company, St. Louis, for tiling the floors, F. Fuchs of St. Louis, for frescoing and Stations, Henry Dreisoerner, St. Louis, for altars, pews and other church fur- niture, Gross Chandelier Co., of St. Louis for chandeliers, S. I. L. & P. Co., for electrical work, Wicks Organ Company, Highland, for pipe organ, Hoffman-Pollhans Clock Company, for tower clock, and Daprato Statu- ary Company for six marble statues. On the second of June, 1918, the church was blessed by the Right Rev- erend James Ryan, D.D., Bishop of Alton. Following the blessing a solemn High Mass in the presence of the Right Reverend Bishop in mitre and cope was celebrated by Very Reverend Dean L. Riesen of Spring- field, assisted by Reverends Anthony Zurbonsen, Quincy, and Francis J. Ostendorf, Decatur. During the year $7,500 were col- lected for the building fund. On the third of September the tower clock was dedicated by Reverend Thomas Masterson. The six marble statues arrived in December and were dedi- cated by Dean Carroll on the seventh of January, 1919. The Silver Jubilee of Father Op- penheim was celebrated November 10, 1920. An event of unusual interest was the dedication of a Calvary group carved by the well known artist, Al- phonse Moroder of Groeden in Tyrol and Milwaukee. This group was pre- sented to the church by the Beier- mann family in memory of their son and brother, Frank H. Beiermann, who had laid down his young life for the welfare of his country. The cere- mony was attended by the local branch of the American Legion. Rev- erend John B. Franz officiated at the dedication, being assisted by Rever- 268 IN THE DIOCESE OF CHICAGO end Clement Johannes and Reverend Thomas E. Cusack. Reverend Louis Hufker delivered a sermon that will live long in the memories of St. Ray- mond's people. This ceremony was performed on Sunday evening, June 27, 1920. In 1922, $3,000 were expended for repairs and alterations to the par- ochial residence. The congregation has had a few "mishaps," though of no serious na- ture. On Sunday, the ninth of Janu- ary, 1921, shortly after the High Mass, fire was discovered coming from the roof of the parochial resi- dence. What might have been a dan- gerous conflagration was averted through the help of the town people, who turned out in great numbers and proved themselves able firemen. Again in August of 1923 the campanile was struck by lightning, entailing a small damage. Yet it might have been great had not the town people given their prompt assistance. The Golden Jubilee of the Parish was celebrated October 21-22, 1924. The celebration was opened with a re- ception tendered the Right Reverend Bishop of Springfield — James A. Griffin. The Bishop was met at Har- vel by a delegation of over 200 per- sons and escorted to Raymond. At the confines of the village the chil- dren bearing an immense American flag joined the procession and escort- ed the Head of the Diocese to the Community Theatre, where a rousing welcome was given him. Never before in the history of Raymond has any stranger been accorded such a recep- tion. The Mayor, Mr. J. Emmet Mc- David, (now president of the First National Bank), in an address called upon all Raymond's citizens to show honor to her distinguished guest and presented to the Bishop the "Keys of the city. ' ' Catholics and Protestants alike filled the spacious Hall and blocked the street facing the Hall. On the following day the Religious Cere- mony was held in St. Raymond's Church. Surrounded by fifty priests, the Bishop celebrated a Pontifical High Mass, the first ever celebrated in Raymond, and offered his felicitations to Pastor and people. It was a cele- bration that left a deep impression upon all — whether Catholic or Prot- estant. The year 1926 was uneventful ex- cept for a mission held in March and given by the Conventual Fathers, Anthony and Hubert. In addition to erecting and paying for its new church and improvements to its parish residence, the congrega- tion contributed $3,700.00 to the Diocesan Orphan Asylum and has subscribed $6,700.00 to the new Cathe- dral. The total value of Church Prop- erty may conservatively be placed at $150,000 and the congregation can boast that it has no debt. From the foregoing, it might ap- pear that the material welfare of the parish was uppermost in the minds of both pastor and people. Such how- ever, was not the fact for the spiritual interest was zealously fostered. A two weeks' Mission in 1912, given by the Diocesan Missionaries, Fathei'S Den- nis J. Ryan and J. J. Driscoll, and a week's renewal of this Mission the following year by Father Ryan, re- newed the Faith well founded. In 1918 Fathers Fridolin and Richard of the Friars Minor Conventuals, con- ducted a successful Mission, which was renewed the following year by Father Fridolin. Retreats, "Forty Hours" and novenas for the prin- cipal feasts were also held. Two Masses have been celebrated on Sun- days and Feast days and an evening service, consisting of rosary, prayers, instruction and benediction, have been observed on all Sundays, except those of January and February. In unison with the Pastors the fol- lowing gentlemen have acted as Church Trustees since the formation of the Parish : Fred Schnidt and Thomas Fahey, Fred Schnidt and Bernard Beiermann, Bernard Beier- mann and Joseph Lessman, Jacob 269 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Held and Anthony Gees, Anthony Gees and Dennis 'Sullivan, Con- rad Weller and John Jung, John Whealon and John H. Poggenpohl, John H. Poggenpohl and Philip Maher, Philip Maher and Vincent Meisner, John Weitekamp and John Kelly, Charles Kelmel and Patrick Kelly, Charles Kelmel and Anthony R. Gorman, Charles Kelmel and John Poggenpohl, John H. Poggenpohl and James M. Lyons. St. Raymond 's Cemetery Association was hrought into being on the first Sunday of March, 1920. Prior to this time Father Oppenheim had fre- quently urged the congregation to or- ganize a society for the upkeep of the cemetery. It had been the custom for years to call upon the men of the par- ish to clean the cemetery in the Spring and Fall of the year, and al- though a large number always re- sponded to this call, the cemetery dur- ing the summer months bore any- thing but a presentable appearance. All this has been changed since this organization. Credit for the great transformation is due mainly to the efficient work of the superintendent, Charles Kelmel. Great credit must also be given the board of trustees, es- pecially its secretary-treasurer, Frank A. Todt. The Association has an endowment fund of $1,550.00 and a fund from the sale of lots of $171.50. All adult members of the parish are eligible to membership in the As- sociation. The annual dues are $1.00. From this source and from the an- nual assessment levied upon lot own- ers the Association has met all ex- penses for the proper care of the cemetery. The trustees of the Cemetery As- sociation are : Chas. Kelmel, Frank A. Todt, Philip Maher, Henry W. Weite- kamp, John Beiermann, and Henry B. Bergschneider. Memorials and Donations and Their Donors Main Altar — The Altar Society. B. V. M. Altar— The Y. L. S. St. Joseph's Altar— The II. N. S. The Stations— The Eureka Club. Marble Statues — Rev. Charles W. Oppenheim, John Langen, John Ly- ons, Frank A. Todt, Frank J. Poggen- pohl, Frank Reisch of Springfield. The Confessional — Mrs. Mary Cur- ran. The Altar Rail— Mrs. John Kelly. The Large Windows — Valentine Beeler (deceased), the Biermann Fam- ily, Charles Kelmel, the John Lyons Family, the Maher Family, Vincent Meissner (deceased) , John H. Poggen- pohl, Mrs. Rose Sullivan (deceased), Mrs. C. Weitekamp and Family, Mrs. M. E. Weller (deceased). The Choir Windows — Wm. Holmer and wife, Mrs. Mary Convery, Mrs. Annette Sauer. The Sanctuary Windows — John Bergschneider, the Krager Brothers, Joseph Weller, Miss Petronilla Stoeve- ner. Smaller Windows — -Nicholas Boeh- ler (deceased), Mrs. Fred Waggahoff, Geo. J. Back, Mrs. Anna Haarstick, R. M. Hough, Frank Lange, Sr., A. Oberle, John Yunker, Mrs. Sarah Whealon, Mrs. Dora Hermann, J. Theo. Stoevener, Jr., (deceased), Raymond Stoevener, (deceased), Hilda Haarstick, Sarah A. Abbott. Kneeling Bench — Joseph and Ed- ward Eck, of Springfield. Candelabra — Mrs. C. Weitekamp and a Friend. Paschal Candlestick— Mrs. Regina Poggenpohl. Processional Cross — The Schwende- mann Family. 270 CHAPTER VIII Early Days of the Diocese — Quincy — Alton 1852 to 1868 The State of Illinois was too vast a territory for a single Bishop to serve, especially with conditions of travel and communication as they then were. These facts were patent to everyone and were especially urged by Right Rev- erend James Oliver Vandeveld, Bishop of Chicago, and accordingly in 1852 a division of the great area was made by which the State was practically cut in twain, east and west. Right Reverend Joseph Melcher, D.D. Bishop-Elect of the Diocese of Quincy, 1853 Bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin, 1868-1873 Whilst the first Plenary Council of Baltimore was in session (1852) it was unanimously decided by the prelates assembled that the great diocese of Chi- cago, which comprised within its jurisdiction the whole state of Illinois, be partitioned and a second diocese created. A petition to this effect was at once forwarded to Rome. Pope Pius IX acquiesced in the wishes thus expressed, and under date of July 29, 1853, formally and officially approved of the es- tablishment of the new diocese of Quincy. The document which announced this important decision was signed by Cardinal Lambruschini. The territory set apart for the Diocese of Quincy comprised the counties of Adams, Brown, Cass, Menard, Sangamon, Macon, Moultrie, Douglas, Clark, Cumberland, Shelby, Christian, Morgan, Pike, Scott, Calhoun, Greene, Macoupin, Montgomery, Jer- sey, Fayette, Effingham, Jasper, Crawford, Bond, Madison, (all the counties now in the Diocese of Springfield) and besides St. Clair, Clinton, Marion, Clay, Richland, Lawrence, Wabash, Edwards, Wayne, Jefferson, Washington, Mon- roe, Randolph, Perry, Franklin, Hamilton, White, Gallatin, Saline, William- son, Jackson, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Massac, Pulaski and Alexander, now in the Diocese of Belleville. It was to be a suffragan bishopric of the arch- diocese of St. Louis. The new diocese had at the time of its erection (rather at the end of 1853) 51 churches, 34 missions, 23 priests and 42,000 members. Bishop Vandevelde had always manifested a great interest in Quincy. Even previous to the re- ceipt of the papal bull he had selected a convenient site for a future cathedral and episcopal residence there, in June, 1852. Had his ailments and adverse local conditions not influenced him to abdicate and move south to Natchez, Quincy would have had its bishop then and there. Rome's selection for the first Bishop of the new diocese fell upon the Very Reverend Joseph Melcher, priest and Vicar General of the Archdiocese of 271 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS St. Louis. However, Father Melcher declined the honor and refused to accept. Foreseeing the difficult task which awaited him as Administrator of Chicago, which duty had been discharged by him since the resignation of Bishop Vandeveld had been acceded to by Rome, he became timorous. The Quincy diocese — sede vacante — was then placed under the administratorship of Arch- bishop Kenrick of St. Louis and that of Chicago under the Bishop of Milwaukee until the appointment of Bishop Anthony 'Regan to the vacancy of Chicago, who was consecrated in St. Mary's Cathedral of that city on September 3, 1854. Remonstrances against the continuance of Quincy as the See City were sent to Rome based on allegations that Quincy as a seat of a Bishop was too far removed from the center of the diocese, being located almost in its extreme northwestern corner ; prevailing adverse local conditions, moreover, aggravated such opposition. At the Provincial Council held in St. Louis, October, 1855, the opponents to Quincy were in the majority and resolutions were adopted by which the transfer of the See from Quincy to Alton was urgently suggested to the Roman Propaganda. Rome acted favorably upon this suggestion and the Diocese of Alton was established January 9, 1857, with the appointment of Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, of Dayton, Ohio, as its first Bishop. The Diocese of Quincy became absorbed by that of Alton. Bishop-elect Melcher continued his duties as priest and "Vicar General in St. Louis until his elevation to the bishopric of Green Bay, Wisconsin, July, 1868. He died in 1873. A native of Vienna, he was born in the Austrian capital March 19, 1806, ordained a priest March 27, 1830, and arrived in America in 1843, when he at once set out for St. Louis, Missouri. THE CTTY OF ALTON Alton is a picturesque city on the bluffs about twenty miles north of St. Louis. Few cities enjoy the natural advantages that have fallen to its lot. Situated on the east bank of the Mississippi, with the waters of the Missouri and Illinois emptying almost at its feet, it possesses the very best river facili- ties. Its railroad accommodations are equally excellent, The "Big Four," the Chicago & Alton, the Wabash, the Burlington, the "Bluff Line" and the Illinois Terminal enter its limits and aid its progress. It is a fast growing in- dustrial center. The largest bottle works in the world is here, and one of the largest lead smelters, the Laclede Steel Company, and many and various other factories. It has cheap fuel, with rich coal fields in close proximity, and an abundance of oil and oil refineries. High tension electric wires from Keokuk are at its doors with an exhaustless supply of light and power. It claims the very best class of people, high-minded, educated and progressive, the builders of churches and schools and charitable institutions. Its altitude, its beautiful bluffs, rivaling the rich scenery of the Hudson, and its health giving climate are known far and wide. The first white men to gaze upon the natural beauty and attractions of Alton were Father James Marquette, Louis Joliet and five French companions, 272 Right Revekend Henry Damian Juncker, D.D. (Dec'd) Bishop of Alton 1851— 1S68 M LIBRARY GF THE UNIVERSITY OF HUMOIS EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON who descended the Mississippi in the year 1673. Father Marquette kept a diary of his voyage, which is one of the most important and interesting documents of American history. In it he refers to the bluffs of Alton, and to the familiar Indian legend of the Piasa Bird, handed down to us in poetry and prose. The original painting in red, green and black of this hideous monster was faintly visible on a huge rock of the Alton Bluffs as late as the year 1840. The face of the bluffs has been quarried away, and the picture destroyed ; but a reproduc- tion of the Piasa Bird was painted by a modern artist in October, 1924, farther back on the chiseled rocks, and is gazed upon with curiosity by passengers on the boats passing up and down the Mississippi. The earliest settler of Alton seems to have been Jean Baptiste Cardinal, a Frenchman, who came about the year 1783. He was taken a prisoner by the Indians, and his family were obliged to leave their home and return to Cahokia. In 1807 one small stone building marked the site of Alton. It was erected on the bank of the river where the Union Station now stands, and was used by the French as a place for trading with the Indians. None of the early settlors could tell how old it was, and it is at least probable that it was built by .ean Baptiste Cardinal twenty-five years previously. In 1817 Colonel Rufus Easton obtained land and laid out a town which he nared Alton, after his son, Alton R. Easton. Easton, George, Alby and Lang- doi streets were named after other members of his family. The old town plot of ilton, laid out by Colonel Easton, extended from Market Street to Henry Stiet and from the river to Ninth Street. The "Town of Alton" was incor- poated in 1833 and in 1837 under an act of the legislature it was incorporated a«a city, and John M. Krum became the first mayor. Among the pioneer cozens of Alton were the following : Jean Baptiste Cardinal, Alton R. Easton, Ji Langford, Michael Squire, James Shiels, James Pruit, James Stockden, "illiam G. Pinckard, William Heath, Daniel Crume, Charles W. Hunter, homas G. Hawley, Joel Finch, Dr. William S. Emerson, Alton's first physi- mn, Jonothan T. Hudson, Alton's first lawyer, Samuel Avis, Elijah Hayden, William Manning and others. The state legislature in session at Vandalia on February 15, 1827, ap- pointed a commission to select a suitable site for a state penitentiary at or near Alton. During the summer of 1829 a tract of seven acres was purchased, situ- ated within the city between West Fourth Street, West Broadway, William and Mill Streets. The erection of a penitentiary was begun late in the year 1830. During the Civil War rebel prisoners, sometimes as many as sixteen hundred were confined within its walls. About two hundred of them died dur- ing the war and were buried near North Alton, where a granite shaft has been erected to their memory. About the year 1846 a charter was obtained for the construction of the "Chicago and Mississippi Railroad," seventy-two miles long between Alton and Springfield. This was the first link in the Chicago and Alton Railroad. For several years, until 1861, Alton was the terminus of this road, and passen- gers and freight were transferred by boat from Alton to St. Louis. 273 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Probably the most tragic event that ever occurred in Alton was the brutal murder of Elijah P. Lovejoy the abolitionist. This ardent advocate of the emancipation of the negro from slavery was born in Maine in 1802. When a young man he moved to St. Louis, where he became the editor of a Whig news- paper, the St. Louis Times. His father was a Congregational minister and he himself became a Presbyterian, and entered Princeton Theological Semin- ary, and was licensed to preach in 1833. He returned to St. Louis and became editor of the St. Louis Observer, a Presbyterian paper. He incurred the ill will of Catholics in St. Louis "by his strictures on the doctrines and practices of their church." This and his bitter articles against slavery excited such in- tense opposition that he was forced to leave St. Louis and move to Alton. On July 21, 1833, he reached Alton, where already on account of his anti-slavery propaganda an intense opposition had formed against him. On the following day his printing press was broken to pieces and cast into the Mississippi. An indignation meeting was held in the Presbyterian Church, the action of the mob condemned, and money was contributed for the purchase of a new press. This second press and also a third and a fourth were likewise destroyed and cast into the river. Finally Lovejoy himself was murdered on November 7, 1837, a martyr to the noble cause he had espoused in behalf of the negro, beautiful monument, erected partly by an Illinois state appropriation partly by contribution from the citizens of Alton now marks his grave in Alton Cemetery where his body reposes. It was in the above described city that the second Catholic Diocese (>f Illinois was seated and in which it developed for a period of nearly seveiy years. THE CHURCH IN ALTON In the year 1840, about fourteen families lived in Alton and its vicinit} Reverend George Hamilton was pastor. Services were held in a small framt building in Upper Alton. This frame building was more properly a hall than a church. It did not belong to the parish, but was the private property of An- drew Clifford, one of the prominent parishioners. Father Hamilton, during his pastorate, lived at the home of Mr. Clifford. In 1841, Reverend Michael Carroll succeeded Father Hamilton as pastor of Alton. Father Carroll at once recognized the need of a church in a new loca- tion, as the site in Upper Alton was too far away from the greater number of his scattered families. Accordingly a plot of ground was purchased at 110 East Third Street, and a modest stone church was erected there. Work on this build- ing began in 1842, and was completed in 1843. Services in Upper Alton were then discontinued. Ten years later, in 1853, this new church was partially de- stroyed by fire. It was subsequently sold to the Unitarians, who restored the walls and rebuilt it, and made it the Unitai-ian Church of Alton. Father Carroll then obtained permission from Bishop O 'Regan, of Chicago, to build a new church on State Street, in a more desirable location ; and ground was purchased at 721 State Street, where the present church of SS. Peter and Paul now stands. The deed to this property was executed April 7. 1854. At this 274 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON time, if not earlier, the name of the Church in Alton was changed from St. Matthew to SS. Peter and Paul. Work on the new church was hegun in 1855, and it was sufficiently advanced for services held by Father Carroll in 1856. The following year, Bishop Juncker was appointed the first Bishop of Alton, and the new church was completed by him and made his Cathedral. It was solemnly consecrated by Archbishop Kenrick of St. Louis, May 15, 1859. The next church in Alton in chronological order, and the socond parish to be erected, was St. Mary, at the corner of Third and Henry Streets. It was built under the direction of Reverend John J. Menge, pastor of SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral. It was a brick building. A beautiful stone church was erected on an adjoining lot, by Reverend Peter Peters in 1893-1894. The third and last parish erected in Alton was St. Patrick. It was built by Reverend J. Cassidy, for the Catholics in the Eastern part of the city. It was organized January 1st, 1883. The corner stone was laid April 15, 1883 and the church was dedicated November 25th, that same year. Monsignor E. L. Spalding. The first Bishop was Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, the subject of the following sketch : Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, D.D. First Bishop of Alton, 1857-1868 Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, the prelate chosen to preside as first Bishop over the destinies of the infant diocese of Alton, was a man dis- tinguished for the sanctity of his life and the devotedness to his missionary labors. He was a native of Fenetrange, Diocese of Nancy, Lorraine, born August 22, 1809. He came to this country when young, attached himself to the Diocese of Cincinnati, made his ecclesiastical studies in that city and was raised to the priesthood by Bishop John Baptist Purcell on Passion Sunday, March 16, 1834. at Cincinnati, being the first priest ordained by that Prelate. He was appointed to Holy Trinity, the first German church in Cincinnati, and in 1836 became rector of St. Mary's, Canton, attending it with its numer- ous missions for ten years, when he was transferred to Urbana, also a position of no little labor. In 1845, he was made pastor of the Church of Emmanuel at Dayton, Father Juncker had spent twenty-three years in onerous mission- ary labor until 1857, when he became Bishop of Alton. The consecration ceremonies were performed by Bishop Purcell on Sunday, April 26, 1857, in St. Peter's Cathedral, Cincinnati. The assistant Prelates were Bishop Henni. of Milwaukee, and Bishop Young, of Erie. There were also present Bishops Miles, Lefevre, Spalding, De St. Palais and Carrell. The work to be accomplished by Bishop Juncker in a now and rapidly growing country, then but imperfectly supplied with priests, churches and schools, was arduous and difficult. He spared no efforts to build up the church around him, and to supply his flock with the blessings of religion and education. His visitations of the diocese were long and severe journeys, and laborious mis- sions among the people, in which the Bishop performed every office of the priesthood. 275 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS At his arrival the Diocese of Alton was supplied with 58 churches, 30 sta- tions, 28 priests and a population of about 50,000. The Bishop soon became con- vinced that his diocese was suffering for want of priests. Unable to satisfy him- self in the country, he turned his eyes towards older lands in the hope of re- cruiting available subjects. Accordingly he left late in the fall of 1857 for France, Italy, Germany and Ireland. In all these countries his efforts were crowned with success. Accompanied by many of his recruits he sailed for Havre in June, 1858, eager to repair to his diocese. On his return home he lost no time to prepare his students for ordination. To the Franciscans he gave charge of the important mission of Teutopolis in Effingham county. The statistics of the Diocese of Alton in 1868, the year of the Bishop's death, contain the highest eulogy on Bishop Juncker and his work. The number of priests were increased to one hundred, besides twenty-five clerical students, the churches to one hundred twenty-three, the parochial schools to fifty-six. He be- queathed to his diocese also two colleges for boys, six academies for girls, two hospitals and an orphan asylum. He also erected the former fine episcopal residence, designed at the same time to serve as his Ecclesiastical Seminary. After a long and severe illness, Bishop Juncker died at his residence in Alton on the Feast of the Guardian Angels, October 2, 1868. PARISHES ESTABLISHED BY BISHOP JUNCKER Church of the Assumption, Assumption, Christian County, Illinois Established in 1857 Present Pastor : Reverend Daniel J. Higgins In the year 1857, about thirty-five French Canadian families under the leadership of Colonel Malhoit came to Tecusah, as Assumption was then named. About the same time, several families of French settlers came from Louisiana. They settled on the land which had been obtained by Colonel Malhoit from the Illinois Central Railroad for a nominal consideration. The land was then virgin prairie and almost entirely submerged in swamp and the principal crop was so many rattlesnakes to the acre. The settlers were distressingly poor and did not have the necessary farm implements to work the little dry spots which were all too sparse on their newly ac- quired farms. Many of them gave up in despair and returned to their be- loved Canada or Louisiana. Others, however, of more tenacious mold, per- sisted in their heroic efforts to hew for themselves and their families a home out of the wilderness. We have still with us a few of those pioneers of al- most seventy years ago, and the stories they tell of their early struggles are more romantic than any fiction. Those men and their families, all Catholic, naturally desired the con- solations of their Religion in their trials, and thus it was that this par- ish came into existence. Colonel Mal- hoit donated the land on which they built a little log church which they named for the beloved Mother of God —the Assumption of the Blessed Vir- gin Mary. From 1857 to 1868, all their priests were natives of France, coming, how- ever, from Louisiana. The first priest who was pastor of the newly formed congregation was Father Venissa, a native of France. In quick succession came Fathers Gonant, Dutour, Magne, Vogt, Bedard, Recouvreur and Jaque, all natives of France. Father Jaque came in 1868, and re- 276 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON mained until 1875. It was under his leadership that the present church was built in 1870. Colonel Malhoit donated the site of about five acres. After Father Jaque came Fathers Withoff, Kempen, Dechene, and Leuf- gen. In 1881, Father Pennartz was appointed pastor and remained until 1888. He was succeeded by Father Ader who remained until June, 1895. Father Mahoney then took charge for the space of two years and was suc- ceeded by Father Thomas Carroll who remained only a short time. Father Carroll was succeeded by Father Joseph Dechene in the autumn of 1897. Father Dechene 's pastorate was the longest of all, continuing for the space of twenty-two years. It was under Father Dechene 's leadership that the present school and convent were built in 1903. He invited the Dominican Sisters from Springfield to take charge of the school, and, as has happened in all other communi- ties, the saintly daughters of St. Dominic have brought great blessings in their train. The school has a pres- ent enrollment of 106 children with the Sisters of St. Dominic in charge. The parish has the following, so- cieties : Altar Society, Young Ladies Sodality, Holy Name Society, Chil- dren of Mary, and Sacred Heart So- dality. Nine of its daughters have, at this writing, embraced the religious life in various orders. Under the administration of Father Daniel J. Higgins, who has been pas- tor since July 1, 1919, many parish improvements have succeeded. Church of St. Isidore, Faruersville, Montgomery County, Illinois Established in 1857 Present Pastor : Reverend John B. Franz St. Isidore Parish, located in the northern part of Montgomery County in what is known as the Pan Handle, has within its borders the township of Bois D'Arc and parts of Harvel and Pitman townships. The parish takes its name from the great Saint Isidore of Spain, the pa- tron saint of the farmer. Placing the parish under the protection of St. Isidore was very appropriate on ac- count of the many virtues of this noble son of Holy Mother Church, and because like the people of St. Isidore's, he, too, depended upon ag- riculture as a means of livelihood. For years there was a painting on the ceiling of the church named for him in the country part of the parish show- ing him at prayer while the angels drove his oxen hitched to a plow. The parish was established by splendid sons and daughters of the Celtic race who came from the beauti- ful Emerald Isle to find a haven of liberty in America and to give their all for their adopted land. It has been said by one who was raised in the parish and who knew intimately nearly all the old pioneer men and women that : "A careful census of the settlers of Irish extraction who settled upon the prairies of the Pan Handle of Mont- gomery County, Illinois, fifty or sixty years ago will show that only a few survive of that brave band of stout hearts. And yet it seems but yester- day since most of them were active participants in the life of the com- munity they loved so well. "The history of Montgomery County can never be accurately writ- ten without a correct appreciation of the work of the Irish settlers of the Pan Handle. "It must be first said of them that they loved and cherished the home of their adoption. As believers in and upholders of the Constitution and laws of the land they were surpassed by none and equaled by few. No heart beat with more patriotic pride than that of the Irish settler at the sight of Old Glory. And in his children he instilled the love of country and re- spect and devotion to her institutions. "When the men and women of 277 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Irish birth settled upon the prairies of the Pan Handle they brought with them the best characteristics of their race, namely, character, honor, thrift, a deep religious fervor and splendid physique. These things made them a valuable addition to the brain and brawn of the nation. Their sunny dispositions, their keen wit, and wholesome humor, combined with a sense of fairness and justice made them respected by all. "What a spirit was manifested by those good old Irish men and women ! God bless them, every one ! They were firm believers in toleration and prac- ticed the virtues of faith, hope and charity. No stranger was ever sent hungry from the door of any of them, and the latch string always hung on the outside. "Kind-hearted, courageous and generous, they made all who came in contact with them feel the fullness of those virtues. "They laid broad and deep the foundation of good citizenship. Side by side they erected the church and school. In the development of true citizenship they realized that religion and education go hand in hand. ' ' In the technique of mathematics and rhetoric they did not excel, but in natural ability, keen perception and genuine honesty they were unsur- passed. America needed them, as she does today men and women possessed of the latter qualities more than of the first two mentioned. "The Irish settlers of the Pan Handle were scoffed at because of their rough appearance and lack of education, but those who scoffed were ignorant of the character of those people. Little did they know about the Irish, and they took no trouble to find out anything of their past. But character will always tell, and those who scoffed soon found out how foolish they were, for the Irish people from the beginning showed themselves thoroughly adapted to their new con- dition. "Those men and women had suf- fered for liberty and justice as their fathers before them. They had come to America to enjoy those natural rights which God ordained that all men should enjoy, and which are so clearly annunciated in the Declara- tion of Independence. They found in the Pan Handle that haven where under the Stars and Stripes they could practice and enjoy true liberty and contribute their share in the up- building of the state and nation. "Who of our generation can ac- curately portray the sufferings en- dured by the Irish settlers? Yea, to do that, one must have suffered with them. They endured hardships and suffered privations because they loved liberty and justice. No poor words of mine can pay those men and women a higher tribute than to say that they were honest, generous, industrious, God-fearing, liberty-loving Ameri- cans." Many of the pioneers came from Ireland by way of the port of New Orleans on sailing vessels and by steamboat up the Mississippi to St. Louis, Missouri. Others came through Castle Garden at the port of New York. Martin Brown was one of the first, if not the first, to locate within the present boundaries of the parish. He purchased eighty acres from the Gov- ernment at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, in 1855, and at the time of his death he was the largest land owner in the parish, having ac- cumulated one thousand acres of the Pan Handle's fertile soil. With Mr. Brown came several of his brothers who located near him, and their com- munity was known as the Brown Set- tlement. The beginnings of St. Isidore 's par- ish are interwoven with that of St. Raymond parish at Raymond and St. Maurice parish at Morrisonville. The first Catholics of the parish wor- shipped in the "Mt, Vernon School" in Harvel township about four miles south of the present St. Isidore church in the country part of the parish. In the first families of the parish 278 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE QUINCY — ALTON we find most of the ancestors of the present generation. There were the Browns, Clarks, Commerfords, Jor- dans, Aherins, Burkes, Abbots, Car- modys, Doodys, Quinlans, Careys, Murphys, Sedentops, McLeans, Lea- hans, Leonards, Gauls, Whealons, Firemans, Converys, Wilsons, Mor- risseys, McAnarneys, Lewises, Ma- hons, O'Shaughnessys, Bensons, Coens, Graces, Floods, Barrys, Duns- worths, McCormicks, and McGraws. Father Timothy Hickey is the out- standing pioneer priest of St. Isidore parish. A noble, sterling priest of God, he tended his little flock and ad- ministered to them the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church. Riding on horse-back from Virden, a distance of eighteen to twenty miles, he said Mass in the Mt. Vernon school house, ad- ministered the Sacraments of Pen- ance and Holy Eucharist, baptised the children, married the fair col- leen to her sweetheart and encouraged them in the ways of Almighty God. Father Hickey 's name is written for- ever in the annals of the parish as a true servant of Jesus Christ of whom it can be well said: "Well done thou good and faithful servant." In 1876 the church in the country part of the parish named for St. Isi- dore, a very substantial building, was erected by Reverend L. Ryan, pastor of Virden. The people were very poor in the goods of the world, but rich in splendid Catholic Faith, and there was great joy among them over the building of the church. A fine bell was installed in the steeple and its chimes may still be heard for miles, calling the people to worship. St. Isidore in the country, as it is called, is affectionately regarded by the people. There were carried the babes to be baptized who are now the elderly men and women of the parish ; First Holy Communion was received there by hundreds of those raised within the shadow of her Cross ; mar- riages were solemnized and loved ones were carried there for the last time for the Mass of requiem for the re- pose of their souls. St. Isidore's church is a sacred and holy place that has been sanctified by the prayers and pure love of her children for the King of Kings who dwells in her tabernacle. Succeeding Father Ryan came Father Teppe who did so much in the building up of the Faith, not alone in St. Isidore, but in other parishes of the Diocese as well. In succession to Father Teppe came Father Kerr, who did much to further the interests of the parish, and it flourished under his administra- tion. After Father Kerr came Father Boyle, who remained only a short time and who was succeeded by Father Hoey. Father Hoey is remembered by many of the present generation. He was a zealous priest of God, richly endowed with splendid ability. Under his administration the parish flour- ished and he will long be remembered by those of the parish who knew him. His splendid priestly life was brought to a close by his death while in the discharge of his duties as pastor of the flock he loved. Father Hoey was succeeded by Father O 'Boyle, another noble priest of God, but he remained only a short time being sent only temporarily to St. Isidore. After Father 'Boyle came Father Carroll who remained several years, and largely on account of his failing health, he was sent to another parish where his duties were less arduous. He was a splendid priest and did ex- cellent work. Subsequently he died at Mt. Sterling. Father O'Rourke succeeded Father Carroll. For twenty years Father 'Rourke ministered to the people of St. Isidore's. Under his administra- tion, St. Mary's church in Farmers- ville, in the town part of the parish, was built and a rectory acquired. St. Mary's is a beautifid frame structure, nicely furnished throughout. There is abundant need for both churches in the parish as the large congregations attest. Father O'Rourke endeared himself 279 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS to the people by his unselfish work in their behalf. His splendid ability and his qualities of mind and heart ex- emplify the fine calling of a true priest of God. Father 'Rourke will be forever tied to the heartstrings of the people of St. Isidore's for he is the connecting link between the pioneer generation and the present. His service has been a large one, and he was true to his trust in the highest sense as shepherd of the flock. When Father 'Rourke took up his new duties at Mt. Sterling, he was succeeded by Father Ryan. During his pastorate, a grade school, high school and convent were built. At the present time the school has an enroll- ment of 92 pupils in the grade and 62 in the high department. The high- school is accredited to the Illinois State University, St. Louis, Loyola and DePaul Universities, and is sec- ond to none in the character of its equipment and teachers. The parish numbers 125 families, 119 with father and mother Catholic, and the remainder mixed. Most of them are substantial land owners. Reverend J. B. Franz is at this writing administrator of St. Isidore in the absence of Father Ryan who is away on sick leave. Church of St. Anthony, Antonius, Adams County, Illinois Established in 1858 Present Pastor : Reverend Cyrinus Schneider, O.F.M. The parish of St. Anthony was or- ganized in 1858 by the Reverend Henry Schaefermeyer, who was at that time located at St. Boniface Church, Quincy. Later on Father Schaefermeyer joined the Franciscan Order and was known as Father Liborius Schaefermeyer, O.F.M. It was on December 6, 1859, that he said the first Mass at St. Anthony. Since then seven Franciscan Fath- ers were in charge of the parish. Most of them remained only a short time. The following is a list of the pastors (1860-1925), all of whom were Franciscans : Fathers Maur- itius Klostermann, 1860-61 ; Ferdinand Bergmeyer, 1861-62 ; Raynerius Dick- neite, 1862; Bernardine Hermann, 1863-64; Anselm Mueller, 1864; Aloys Wiever, 1864-68 ; Chryspstpm Bienecke, 1868-69; Menonolphus Schmitz, 1869-70; Eustace Bruegge- mann, 1870-72; Michael Richardt, 1872-73; Ambrose Janssen, 1873-77; Clementine Lohrbacher, 1877-78 ; Paulinus Weiss, 1878-79; Paul Ter- oerde, 1879-80 ; James Nolte, 1880-81 ; Cyprian Banscheid, 1881-83; Ful- gence Hansen, 1883 ; Suitbert Albers- mann, 1884-88 ; Anthony Moll, 1888- 94; Stanislaus Riemann, 1894-1900; Symphorian Forstmann, 1900-10 ; Ed- mund Roediger and Columban Valen- tin, 1910; Lambert Brinkmoeller, 1911-12; Eugene Hagedorn, 1912; Adjute Budde, 1914; Anastasius Rhode, 1915; Albert Bruesermann, 1915-24; and Cyrinus Schneider, 1924 . The ten acres which now constitute the church property were donated by Mr. Anton Bordewick, Sr. The first church was a frame building, 36x24. Shortly after, a small school building was erected, 16-24, and a lay teacher employed. In 1863, a teacher's resi- dence was built, which later was used as a rectory. As the parish grew rapidly, it became necessary to have a larger building for school purposes.. Accordingly, a house was moved from Quincy to be used as a school, and an addition was added to the old school and that building became the pastor's residence. The lay teachers employed from the time of the organization of the parish until religious teachers ar- rived were : Ignatius Lier, J. Heller and Gottlieb Jakobi. Mr. Lier was teacher for ten years, while Mr. Jakobi held that position for thir- teen years. After the lay teacher, Mr. Jakobi, resigned in 1884, the school Sisters of Notre Dame took charge of the par- 280 Assumption Rectory, Rev. I). J. Him/ins. Pastor, dun. h of the Assumption, Rectory . . . Springfield 88. Peter and Paul Church and School, Rev. /.. Riesen, Pastor . . . Antonius—Rev. ('minus Schneider, O.F.M., Pastor, St. Anthony's School and Church. Farmersville — School, Rev. J. B. Franz, Ad., St. Mary's Church . . . West Woods- St. Mary's Church. Teacher's House, School . . . Waverly — St. Sebastian's Church. EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE; — QUINCY — ALTON ochial school until 1892. From that year until 1912, the Franciscan Sis- ters of Alverno, Wisconsin, taught. In 1912, the Sisters of Notre Dame again supplied the teachers. Eight grades are taught. The enrollment at present is 80 pupils. After the new brick church was completed, the frame building was converted into a school. In 1891, the building which at the present day serves as a school was erected. In 1904, another building was built which serves as a meeting place for the societies, and as a kitchen on the occasion of the annual church bazaar. The cemetery is located at one end of the ten-acre plot already men- tioned. It was blessed in 1861. A new addition to the cemetery was blessed in 1904. In 1913, a little chapel in honor of the Sorrowful Mother was constructed near the cemetery. The congregation of St. Anthony at the time of organization numbered twenty-six families of German extrac- tion. This number has grown in the course of years so that at the present time the parish numbers seventy-five families. The parish societies are : St. Peter's Men's Society, St. Aloysius Young Men's Sodality, Married Ladies' So- ciety under the patronage of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Clare Young Ladies' Sodality, St. An- thony 's branch of the Western Catho- lic Union, and the Third Order of St. Francis. Since the parish has been in exist- ence, thirteen young ladies have en- tered the convent. One young man from the congregation followed the call to the holy priesthood. This privi- leged one is Father Lawrence Wand who celebrated his first holy Mass on June 25, 1916. The Golden Jubilee of the parish was duly celebrated on October 24, 1909. Missions were conducted in 1863, 1879, 1912, and 1925. The assessed quota of $5,000.00 was raised by the parishioners to help defray the expenses of the new orphan home of the Diocese. In 1922, a new rectory was built for the pas- tor, Father Albert Bruesermann, O.F. M., who soon after observed his Silver Sacerdotal Jubilee. Church of SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois Established in 1858 Present Pastor : Reverend Lubertus Riesen The first German Catholic in Springfield of whom there is any rec- ord was Philipp Mischler who came there in September, 1840. There was no Catholic church in the town, and he had to go to Glenarm to hear Mass when a priest would come occasional- ly. During the fifties other German Catholics came, and they found here on East Adams street a small frame church, St. John the Baptist, which had in the meantime been built by English speaking Catholics. The new- comers attended Divine Service in this church for some years, but not knowing the English language, in 1858 they sent a petition to the Bishop of Alton, Right Reverend Henry Damien Juncker, D.D., to send them a priest who knew the German language. The Bishop sent a young priest, Reverend John Janssen. This must have taken place not later than the fall of 1858, as we find in the Records of Baptism, the first one con- ferred by Father Janssen was that of "HemV J. Klaholt, December 12, 1858."* An item appearing in the January 9, 1888 issue of the Springfield Mon- itor, an early Springfield paper, reads in part as follows : SS. Peter and Paul German Catholic Church. As early as 1842 German Catholics settled in and around Springfield, but their number being very small, they were for a long time without a 281 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS pastor of their own nationality, and used to worship at the same altar with the English speaking Catholics of Springfield, in the old frame church on Adams street. In the year 1858, the then bishop of Alton, Hen- ry Damian Jimcker, sent them a Ger- man pastor in the person of the present administrator of the diocese of Alton, the Very Reverend J. Jans- sen. By his great piety, zeal and amiability of character, he soon won the esteem and love of his flock, and when five years later he was pro- moted by the bishop to the office of chancellor of the diocese, his depart- ure from here was universally re- gretted. Even now, after more than twenty-five years separation, the old members are attached to him, their first pastor. His successor was Rev- verend Busch, who had just arrived from Westphalia, in Germany. Mean- while the number of German Cath- olics had increased so much in and around Springfield, that the little frame church on Adams street was altogether inadequate for their ac- commodation and the zealous Father Busch resolved to build a new church. He selected part of the Convent block as the place for it and sat to work at once by taking up subscrip- tions and arranging a fair, the result of which was so favorable that the bishop allowed him to erect the pres- ent SS. Peter and Paul church. The cornerstone was laid September 27, 1865, by the Very Reverend Schaef- ermeier, vicar general of the diocese, in the presence of a large concourse of people and priests. September 30, 1866, it was completed and the first Mass said in it. Soon after, to the universal regret of the congregation, the zealous pastor, Father Busch, was suddenly taken ill and died on the 13th of July, 1867. His succes- sor was Reverend J. Lukens, who took charge of the congregation Sep- tember 8, 1867, and remained until October the 4th, 1875, when Father Leve, heretofore pastor of Mascou- tah, was appointed his successor. Father Leve was a man of great zeal and piety, and for seven years worked faithfully and also success- fully, until June 3, 1882, sickness forced hm to leave the flock to which he so strongly had endeared himself, and to return to Germany to improve his broken health. Reverend Father Weis, formerly pastor of Marine, Saline, Litchfield and Effingham was sent by the bishop to take his place. Among many other useful undertak- ings in behalf of his congregation, Father Weis bought the whole plat of ground belonging to the Ursuline Sisters, and erected on it a residence for the religious order that had charge of the girls' schools of the congregation. Having been appoint- ed pastor of St. Boniface church, in Quincy, Illinois, he left Springfield, November 10, 1887, and his place was filled by Reverend Louis Hinsen, director of St. John's hospital, and formerly pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception of this city, from 1865 till August, 1868. From the year 1859 Father Janssen has left us two lists of names of Ger- man Catholics who belonged to his flock. These must be considered the first members of the German congre- gation. The names are (we spell them as they were written) : Klaholt, Mischler, Spaeth, Hippler, Ringel- stein, Gilles, Welkenbach, Ens, Mid- den, Rauth, Bretz, Schick, Steiger, Frener, Dirksen, Stelte, Fabry, Hulk- enberg, Segin, Dunschen, Minder, Schuessler, Lump, Mindnich, Wach- ter, Walter, Vetter, Harbauer, Merk- lin, Reisch, Wochner, Wilhelmi, Rabenstein, Lettmeyer, Teiser, Kohl- bacher, Juler, Wall, Burger, Rip- stein, Gadert, Wetterer, Mohr, Roms- tetter, Christmann, Gneppel, Bleser, Duginger, Molthoup, Broeckel, Maurer, Westenberger, Kloppenburg, Eck, Schneider, Heitzmann, Sauer, Bii-k, Kuhn, Matheis, Fuhrmann, Schafer, Spies. In the same year Father Janssen founded the Altar Society with 72 282 EARLY DAYS OF TIIE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON members, and Mrs. Anna Spaeth was appointed President. In 1861 the first Mission was given by the well remembered Apostolic Missionary, Father Weninger, S.J. In a short time St. John's little church became rather crowded on Sundays and Holy days, and there- fore the English speaking congrega- tion resolved to move and build a larger church of brick at the corner of Monroe and Seventh Streets. The German speaking congregation was left in possession of old St. John's as the following letter of Right Rever- end Henry Damien Juncker shows : After considering and having the opinions of the pastors, Reverend James Fitzgibbons of the English con- gregation, and Reverend John Jans- sen of the German congregation, I de- cided : two-thirds of the church prop- erty (St. John's) in Springfield, to belong to the English speaking con- gregation and one-third to the Ger- man congregation. The German con- gregation has to pay $1,800 towards the building of the new English church. The Germans will own and hold the old (St. John's) church property, with that portion of the Catholic Grave-yard already set apart for their use. Given under my hand and seal at Springfield, Illinois, this 6th day of April, 1863. Henry Damien Juncker, Bishop of Alton. The same day the $1,800 were paid to the English speaking congregation as the receipt shows. "This is to cer- tify that I have this day received from the German congregation of Springfield, Illinois, $1,800, according to agreement." James Fitzgibbons, Pastor. Springfield, Illinois. In June, 1863, Father Janssen was called back to Alton to act as Secre- tary (and later as Vicar General) to the Bishop, who sent the same month Father William Busch as successor to Father Janssen. By this time the German congregation had increased to 79 pew-holders, most of them heads of families. Father Busch therefore bought from the Ursuline Sisters of St. Joseph's convent, this city, one lot and a half (120 feet) at the corner of Sixth and Reynolds Streets, for $4,- 800 and then commenced to collect the necessary funds. He collected by subscription $9,646.10 and by three fairs and suppers, and concerts and by borrowing, $2,500, a total of $18,- 031.41. In April, 1865, the building began. Mr. Schwartz was the architect. The principal contracts were given out as follows : the carpenter work and lum- ber were given to Charles Diehr for $5,650 ; the brick work to Fred Rauth for $4,345.95; the windows to Coole of Chicago for $1,250; the pews were $520. The total expenditures so far on the new church amounted to $18,- 045.64. The corner-stone was laid September 27, 1865 by the Reverend Herman Joseph Schaefermeyer, pas- tor of St. Boniface Church, Quincy, Illinois. The congregation began the use of the new church on September 30, 1866. As the English speaking congrega- tion had chosen as patron for their new church the ' ' Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate," so now the new Ger- man speaking congregation was dedi- cated to the care of SS. Peter and Paul the Apostles, and St. John the Baptist was deserted onlv to be re- membered as "Old St. John's." In 1866 Father Busch opened a school in a small frame house where his own sister Antonia instructed 34 boys and 45 girls. This is the first mention made in SS. Peter and Paul records of the existence of a Catholic school in Springfield. Father Busch also founded the St. Vincent de Paul Society, on August 1, 1866, when twelve men of SS. Peter and Paul congregation met at his residence and constituted them- selves as the St. Vincent Verein for the care of the poor and the orphans. With Father Busch as the Spiritual 283 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Director, the following: officers were chosen : M. Hagen, President ; H. Segin, Vice President; J. Buselmeier, Secretary; Max Philipp, Librarian. Father Busch did not long enjoy the fruits of his many labors for after a protracted illness he died July 13, 1867. After the funeral, the Bishop ap- pointed Father Ferdinand Stick of Mount Sterling to the care of SS. Peter and Paul's congregation. Fathers John A. Mark, Louis Hinssen and G. Mitchell also came occasional- ly to Springfield and officiated in the new church. In May, 1867 a Mission was held but no particulars are given as to the priests who gave the mission. On September 8, the new pastor came, Father G. Lueken. He ap- pointed Mr. Joseph Bergschneider as teacher for the school of 125 children, Miss Busch having resigned. Then his attention was given to the decorating of the church. The two-story school was built in the rear of the church in 1869 and a bell of l,088y 2 pounds for the church was purchased for $455.63. In 1870 confirmation was adminis- tered by the new Bishop, Right Rev- erend Peter J. Baltes to a class of 82 children. In the fall of the same year a new priest's house was built. So far the pastor had lived in a small one story frame house that stood south of the new church. In February, 1871, the Altar So- ciety gave a statue of the Blessed Vir- gin ($87.00), and the St. Vincent Society donated a statue of St. Joseph ($114.25). Both statues still adorn the two side altars. H. Bolte painted the side altars before the new statues were placed on them. He worked six- teen days and received $91.65, in- cluding all material used. This may be of interest to the p&inters of our day. On Easter-day, 1872, a week's Mis- sion (tbe third) was begun by three Jesuit Fathers, Carlstaeter, Kamp and Boerling. About 800 persons re- ceived Holy Communion and the so- dality was organized for young men and young ladies. In the same year the congregation bought the half lot adjoining the church property (40 feet) with a two-story frame house, for $2,500, from August Kloppen- burg. The house was to be the resi- dence for the two Precious Blood Sis- ters from Ruma, who since the fall of 1871 taught the younger children, while a Mr. Fred Jasper ruled over the older ones. In the fall of 1872 Mr. Jasper retired and a new teacher was engaged, Mr. J. W. Freund. At this time the number of children in school was 185. Just before Christmas the marble Baptismal Font was installed, made by Mr. Baum, for $150.00. In 1874 a new organ, made by Gratian of Alton, was placed in the gallery at a cost of $1,700.00. In 1875 a Mission was given and shortly thereafter the Bishop, Right Reverend Peter J. Baltes, D.D., sent a new pastor, Father G. Leve. The first thing, he did was to have the in- terior of the church painted for $143.00 and by the Bishop's orders the revolving tabernacle was replaced by a fixed one. On May 13, 1877, one hundred and fifteen children were confirmed and on the 22nd of June, 1879 another class of 60 children. Mr. J. W. Freund quit teaching in 1877, and in his place Mr. Fred Bernard was appointed to teach the upper grades. In 1880 the Sisters of the Precious Blood left Springfield and another teacher, Mr. Anton Spaeth, was engaged for the lower grades. During the year 1881 the two side altars that are in the church today were bought by Father Leve for the sum of $800.00, given by the Altar Society, the Sodality, the St. Vincent and St. Boniface Societies. This is the first time that the St. Boniface So- ciety appears on the Records, but not a word is found telling when and by whom the society was established. The same year Father Weninger, S.J., gave a mission. He was now 76 years old, but just as active as in 1861 when he conducted his first mission here. 284 EARLY DAYS OP THE DIOCESE: — QUINCY — ALTON On June 11, 1882, Bishop Baltes confirmed 116 children. Father Leve resigned his pastorate and returned to Germany and later on went to Nor- way for some years, until the cold climate of that country forced him to go back to take a chaplaincy at a con- vent in Holland. He died in 1922, over 90 years of age. Father Leve was a man always in good health, of a friendly disposition to every one, and had "hard times" in Springfield, yet he always regretted having left America. The day Father Leve left, the new pastor arrived, Father Michael Weiss. As the number of children gradually became greater, a third teacher, Mr. George Willhauch, was engaged. The same year SS. Peter and Paul's congregation bought the two large lots (160 feet along Sixth St.) on which the Ursuline Sisters of St. Joseph's had their convent and school until it burned down. For these two lots the Sisters asked and received $4,000.00. Now SS. Peter and Paul's owned half a block. In May Mr. Fred Bernard resigned as teacher and Mr. Frank Willhauch (brother of Geo. W.) took his place. In 1882 Reverend Charles Krecken- berg, a newly ordained priest, was sent to Father Weiss as assistant, but in February, 1884, he left and soon after became founder and first pastor of the new Sacred Heart congregation in Springfield. On May 11, 1884, Bishop Baltes gave his consent to enlarge and reno- vate the church. For the school open- ing, September, 1884, Mr. George Willhauch was appointed teacher of the older boys. For the girls and younger boys the Ursuline Sisters, whose Mother-house is in Alton, Illi- nois were engaged. The first Ursu- lines were : Mother M. Agnes, Mother M. Xavier and Sisters Aloysia and Mechtildis. They occupied the little frame house near the priest's resi- dence. The two sisters taught. The same year two more bells were bought. One of 2,586 pounds and the other of 775 pounds, for $642.00 and $200.00 respectively. On May 31, 1885, the Feast of the Blessed Trinity, Bishop Baltes solemn- ly blessed the church. Father Michael Richard, O.F.M., from Teutopolis, preached the German sermon, and Father Diepenbrock the English ser- mon. During the spring and fall a five room brick house (two stories) was erected as a dwelling for the sisters in place of the little structure which they had occupied so far. The entire cost was $1,823.19. In 1886 a new high altar was order- ed to harmonize with the two side al- tars. It is larger and richer ; the crucifixion group on it and the statues of SS. Peter and Paul are from Munich, carved out of wood and decorated. The three altars are made of hard wood (butter nut) and are an artistic, beautiful ornament for the church. For the high altar the congregation paid $1,270.00, which sum was raised by a fair. On February 15, 1886 Bishop Bal- tes died. After his funeral Arch- bishop Feehan of Chicago appointed Father John Janssen administrator of the Diocese. On Pentecost, an eight day Mission commenced by the Franciscan Fathers of St. Louis Province, Fathers Vincent and Felix. Father Weis says in the Records, the two fathers did their work very well but the people did not respond ac- cordingly. The church so far had been heated by two stoves which gave a great deal of smoke but little heat. To get rid of the nuisance an air furnace was put under the church for $750.00. In May, 1887, Father M. Ader came to be assistant to Father Michael Weis. On August 15, the Third Or- der of St. Francis was established. On September 1, Mr. George Will- hauck resigned as teacher, and the whole school was entrusted to the Ur- suline Sisters. At the end of vaca- tion five sisters returned from Alton. Mother M. Agnes, Mother M. Clara and Sisters Anastasia, Donata and 285 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Patrick. All are dead except Sister Anastasia who still teaches the young- est children in grade one. On November 9, Father Weis was transferred to St. Boniface Church at Quincy, and Father L. Hinssen be- came rector, but left February 15, 1888 to be Director of St. John's Hos- pital in Springfield, and his successor, Father A. J. Pennartz, to whose par- ish in Assumption Father Ader, the assistant, was sent. After a lapse of a little more than two years since the death of Bishop Baltes on May 1, 1888, the Diocese of Alton received a new Bishop, Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D. The diocese however, was now smaller. The whole southern part of it had been taken away to form the new Diocese of Belleville, and the former pastor of "Old St. John's", Father J. Janssen was made the first new Bishop of Belleville, Illinois. On June 24, the new bishop, Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., confirmed 111 children in SS. Peter and Paul's church. On September 2nd, the new assistant arrived, Father Joseph Jehle. February 27, 1889, the first Synod was held at the Cathedral in Alton, Illinois, at which the Bishop made (among others) the Rectorship of SS. Peter and Paul an irremovable one. During the same year the new, long desired school was built. In January the Rector visited the families to ob- tain subscriptions. They amounted to almost $4,000.00. The balance needed was raised by borrowing from various members of the congregation. The cost of the school was $12,817.78 including sewers, walks, and furni- ture, but leaving the basement un- finished. On October 1, 1889 the chil- dren moved into the four well lighted and spacious rooms. The upper story contains a large hall. On April 26, 1890, Father Jehle died of pneumonia, and was buried at the foot of the Cemetery Crucifix by the side (west) of Father Busch, who lies exactly south of the cross. East of Father Busch 's grave lies Father Vignonet, who died in the hospital. On July 10, Father William Michael was appointed assistant. On August 29, a new communion rail was set up harmonizing with the al- tars, a gift of the Sodality, costing $261.65. May 1, 1891, the congregation bought 11 4-7 acres of land of the Ursulines at St. Joseph's Convent. The amount paid was $1,600 and the land was to be used for an addition to the German Catholic Cemetery. On August 16, the St. Vincent Society celebrated its Silver Jubilee, the num- ber of members being over 200. Father Michael left for Europe De- cember 6, to recuperate, and Father Joseph Foerster was appointed his successor. On the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., confirmed 147 persons in SS. Peter and Paul church. September 15, 1893 Father Foerster was removed to St. Mary's church in Alton, and Father F. X. Schoenlau succeeded him the same month. In October, 1894 a week's Mission was held by two Franciscan Fathers of the St. Louis Province, Fathers Servatius and Francis. On June 30, Father Schoenlau left to be pastor of St. Aloysius church in Litchfield, and Father Francis Xavier Sturm took his place as assistant. In the same year a Dramatic Club was organized and a stage built in the school hall for $500.00. In May, 1895, a Social Club was started (St. Leo Club). During the months of July and August a steam heating plant was put in the basement of the school to give more heat to all parts of the building. On September 18, the Sacrament of Confirmation was given by Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., to 113 persons. On De- cember 30, Father Sturm became as- sistant at St. John Church, Quincy, and his place was taken by Father B. J. Wand. In May, 1896 an addition to the Sis- 286 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON ters' house was built, costing $718.22. This was the second addition to the Sisters' house. On September 3rd, Father A. J. Pennartz resigned his pastorate at SS. Peter and Paul, and left Springfield, October 15, to be Rec- tor of St. Michael Church at Sigel, Illinois. On the same day, October 15, Father L. Riesen the new pastor arrived. The Trustees were : Mr. Louis Sommer and Mr. Max Philipp, who held their office until death. The following sisters taught in the school : Mothers Agnes and Augus- tine, Sisters Anastasia, Genevieve, Constance, Regina and Christiana. As it was expected to entertain the Con- vention of the Catholic Verein's band May 30, 31 and June 1, 1897, the school hall was put in proper order. On October 9, 1898, Right Rever- end James Ryan confirmed 94 chil- dren, Mr. Adam Stein and Mrs. Adam Kunz being sponsors. During the summer of this year the church was frescoed by William Klowe for which he received $1,045.00. Some fami- lies and St. Vincent's Society donated new windows for the church, each costing $55.00 and the two with fig- ures of saints in them $95.00 each. In April, 1898, Father B. J. Wand was moved to St. Mary's Church, Al- ton, Illinois, and Father Sturm took his place here as assistant, but left in August, 1899, to be pastor in Saline, Illinois. On the same day the new as- sistant, Father Joseph C. Straub ar- rived. The same year the new pulpit was donated. In the spring of 1900 the German Catholic Cemetery Association was founded by Henry Becker, John Ochs, Frank Thoma, Vincent Hem- berger and Charles Metzger of SS. Peter and Paul congregation, and Charles Groesch, Peter Lofy and X. B. Christman of the Sacred Heart Congregation. For 24 years this as- sociation has done good work. The first superintendent was Henry Becker, who took great interest in the Cemetery until his death in Feb- ruary, 1905. In his place the board elected Frank Thoma, who acted as superintendent for about two years, when he resigned on account of ill health. He was succeeded by Adam Frey, who for about 15 years held the office. He was also very active in all cemetery affairs, until age and infirmity forced him to resign. Charles Aschauer succeeded him and functioned until his death in June, 1925. As the income of the German Ceme- tery Association was rather limited during the first years, Henry Becker and Frank Thoma did all their work gratis. On the first three days of May, 1900, a fair was held for the benefit of the church, which netted $3,579.50. For the first time in the annals of the congregation a newly ordained priest celebrated his first Mass on the 8th day of July in the church. It was Father Max Philipp, an Alumnus of St. Joseph Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, the son of Max Philipp, Sr. In March, 1901 a two weeks' mis- sion was given by two Redemptorist Fathers of St. Louis: Fathers Staub- inger and Troistorff, who scored a great success. Over one thousand at- tendants approached the sacraments. Early in May, 1901, the building of a central heating plant was begun. By October 15 there was steam in all the buildings. On three days of May, 1904, the Convention of the German Catholic Central Verein was held in the Church and school. Right Reverend John Janssen, D.D., of Belleville, sang the Pontifical High Mass, and Reverend Rector of Quincy College, Father Anselm, O.F.M., preached the sermon. The general meeting took place Sunday afternoon in the State Armory, which was crowded from end to end. Father Straub delivered the principal address. In 1905, Father Straub was ap- pointed assistant to Father Louis Hinssen, Director of St. John's Hos- pital of this city, who was failing in 287 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS health. During the summer Father Hinssen died, and Father Straub be- came his successor. The new assistant. Father Charles Oppenheim, arrived on the eve of Pentecost, 1905. On Pentecost, Bish- op James Ryan, D.D., administered Confirmation to 158 persons in our church ; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Thoma being sponsors. On the first Sunday in Advent the sermon in the first Mass was preached in English, which has been the custom ever since, and the people were quite satisfied with the change. In September, 1906, the Central Verein again held its State Conven- tion in the church. During Novem- ber of the same year Father Oppen- heim had the pleasure to Day the entire balance of the congregation's debts, ($1,900.00), and for the first time in its history the congregation was without any indebtedness. In May, 1907, the assistant pastor took up a house to house collection for the benefit of the orphanage at Alton, and realized $601.35. On July 5, Father Oppenheim was ap- pointed pastor for Raymond, Illinois. In his place Father Oscar J. Wernet came to assist the pastor, but re- mained only until July of the next year. In his place on July 1, 1908 the Bishop sent a newly ordained priest, Father Hufker, who stayed until July 1, 1927. In Lent, 1909, a two-weeks Mission was given by two Jesuit Fathers, H. Elskamp and Joseph Jordans, who did their work well. On May 16, Right Reverend J. Ryan confirmed in the church 158 people ; Mr. Adam Stein and Mrs. Anastasia Bogen- schutz being sponsors. At the end of the school year all the 8th grade pupils (26) passed the examination for High School, and this efficiency of the school has been kept up ever since, thanks to St. Joseph and the Sisters. In 1913, the addition was built to the school. The plans were approved by the Right Reverend Bishop James Ryan, D.D., when he came to con- firm in the parish. "Work for a much- needed chapel for the sisters was commenced on the 19th of March, 1916, and on the Feast of the Patron- age of St. Joseph it was dedicated. On April 29, 1917, Right Reverend Bishop James Ryan confirmed 165 persons. The end of this year wit- nessed also the installation of a new electric organ, costing $2,112.00. During the summer of 1918 the slate covered steeple of our church was taken down to be replaced by a lower one. In the same year a mis- sion was given by the Franciscan Fathers Conventual: Fathers Frid- olin, Stauble and Richard Murphy. All the sermons and conferences were in English. "When the war was declared in 1917, seventy of the young men were drafted for the army and five for the navy. Seventeen went overseas, and nine were in action, viz: Paul Theilkin, Otto Bansbach, Louis Reisch, Carl Shea, Henry Midden, Albert Nisius, Edward Reisch, Jo- seph Schmitt and Norman Midden. There were no "slackers" and all returned. During the war a sewing unit worked in the school, consist- ing of women of the congregation. They did a great deal of good for th<> soldiers, especially for two Army Chaplains, furnishing each with a complete Mass-kit. The school chil- dren received a United States flag from the Red Cross and they were given a blue silk banner with gold lettering by the committee that had charge of the sale of Liberty Bonds. In the fall of 1919 the "drive" ordered by the Bishop for the ben- efit of the orphanage was finished and SS. Peter and Paul's contrib- uated $24,180.00. On the 20th of June, 1920, there was a great and rare solemnity, the second in the history of this con- gregation. On that day Reverend John B. Franz, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Franz, Sr., celebrated his first Holy Mass in SS. Peter and Paul. The last public act of Right Rev- 288 EARLY DAYS OP THE DIOCESE QUINCY — ALTON erend Bishop James Ryan occurred when he confirmed 1,356 persons in SS. Peter and Paul church May 8, 1921. This great throng came from congregations of the city and neigh- borhood. In April, 1924, Right Reverend Bishop James A. Griffin, D.D., called upon the Board of the German Catholic Cemetery Association, to explain to them the feasibility of combining the two associations of St. Mary and the German Catholic Society to form one association : "Calvary Cemetery". The union was brought about by the unanimous vote of the two Boards on July 15, 1924. On Palm Sunday, 1925 (April), a Holy Name Society was established in SS. Peter and Paul church. Sev- enty-eight men were enrolled and thirty-four boys, in senior and junior branches. On May 17th, the Right Rev- erend Bishop confirmed 166 children in the church. Mr. and Mrs. Nich- olas Kraus were sponsors for the children. In June, 1926, the Central Verein of America held its annual Conven- tion in Springfield, which was graced by the presence of many ecclesiastical dignitaries from home and abroad. His Eminence Michael Cardinal Faulhaber of Munich said Mass and preached in SS. Peter and Paul's. In the same month Father Edward Weisenberg, S.J., son of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Weisenberg, celebrated his First Solemn High Mass and Father L. Riesen, pastor of the parish, celebrated his Golden Sacerdotal Jubilee. The Societies of SS. Peter and Paul congregation have been of great bene- fit to the church. Of the St. Vincent Society mention was made in the year 1866. Later in 1869 the society was incorporated and the charter mem- bers were : Max Philipp, Joseph Philipp, Joseph Buselmayer, Lorenz Duginger, John Lutz and Joseph Claus. St. Peter's Court of the Catholic Order of Foresters was founded in 1892. In July of the year 1897 St. Elizabeth's Court of the Women's Catholic Order of Foresters came into existence. Eighteen years passed by and in 1915 St. Paul's Society was given an auxiliary: St. Catherine's Society of the Ladies Western Catho- lic Union. During the first ten years of this congregation's life there is once men- tioned a St. Mary's Society, and later on a Sodality of the Blessed Virgin which was established April 9, 1872. The society of the Holy Childhood has been in existence for many years. The Parish Club is a society of ladies, who since 1914 have helped in supporting the church and school. St. Aloysius Society of older boys and young men was established in April, 1906, from whose membership the ushers for Di- vine Service are furnished. In the year 1918 the St. Francis Xavier Mis- sion Society of women started to aid the missions. The Third Order of St. Francis Assisi has been in existence in this congregation since Father Weis' pastorate. A church choir was in existence from the beginning of the congregation and rendered faithful service and good church music. In the Spring of 1925 a Boys' Brigade was started under the leader- ship of Mr. Martin Maurer, and in 1927 the Boy Scouts were established under the leadership of Edward Groesch. St. Peter and Paul's sent three young men to the holy priesthood, one young man into a brotherhood, and 46 young ladies into various sis- terhoods. In 1927 Father Louis Hufker was replaced by Father Albert Wolf. 289 DIOCESE OF SPKINGPIELD IN ILLINOIS Church op the Presentation op the Blessed Virgin Mary, Westwoods, R. F. D. (Jerseyville) Illinois Established in 1857 Present Pastor : Reverend John Henry Gramke "Westwoods" is not a town, but the name applied to a German com- munity, who were immigrants from that section of Germany known as Westerwald (Westwoods). The name was appropriate, because, practically the entire western part of Jersey County was originally covered with virgin forest. The first Mass was celebrated in a house of a Mr. Goetten, about a half mile south of the present church. No written account of this event is avail- able, but some of the older parishion- ers say that the first members of the church often spoke of that Mass, and said that a priest from Alton was the celebrant. This was about the year 1857. In 1859 a church was erected on a two acre plot of land, donated by the Goetten and Becker families. There is neither record nor tradition that this church was ever formally dedi- cated but an historical sketch, ap- pearing in the New World, April 11, 1900, mentions that at this time the mission was attended from Alton. The first records (of burials) are signed by the Reverend B. Temmen, as pastor. This was at the beginning of 1861. The next records begin in 1866. In the meantime, old parishion- ers say that a Father Joseph Winters, assistant to Reverend James Harty, of St. Francis Xavier Church, Jer- seyville, had charge of Westwoods. However, with the year 1866, there begins a series of records, complete in all details, which have been faithfully kept to the present. From April, 1866, to April, 1868, Westwoods was attended from Car- rollton, by Fathers Henry- Joseph Hoven and T. S. Klein. From April, 1868, until September, 1869, Father John Janssen, who later became Bishop of Belleville, came from the Cathedral in Alton, once a month. Reverend Frederick Lohman, of Car- rollton, then attended the mission for one year, and was succeeded by Reverend Longinus Quitter, who left in the summer of 1873. Then Father Janssen again attended the mission until the Franciscan Fathers, of Quincy College, assumed charge in March, 1873. The Franciscan Fathers remained until October, 1878, making the tedi- ous trip over 125 miles, twice a month. Under their direction, the church was enlarged and remodeled, and a commodious house Avas erected, which served as a residence for the teacher, and school. The following Fathers' names ap- pear in the records : Reverends P. Nazarius, Ambrosius Janssen, P. Michael, Anselmus Mueller (the Founder of Quincy College, and its rector for almost forty years) ; Paul- inus Weiss, P. Desiderius, Victor Aertker, and Benedict Reinecke. Reverend Michael Weiss attended the mission during November and De- cember, 1878. Father Bernard Rossmoeller be- came first resident rector, January 1, 1879, and remained until Janu- ary, 1885, when he was succeeded by Reverend F. Reinhardt, who left in the autumn of 1886. Westwoods was then again reduced to a mission, being attended from the church of the Holy Ghost, Jersey- ville, and that condition exists today. Reverend Francis Marks attended Westwoods for twenty-four years, utilizing a buggy, or, when the roads were often as bad as only West- woods roads can be, a wagon, to make the trip from Jerseyville and back. His labors, however, were never more appreciated than when he was called to Collinsville, in Oc- tober, 1910. His rare visits to West- woods are days of real joy to the 290 EAELY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE QUINCY — ALTON people he served so well for almost a quarter of a century. At great personal sacrifice, Father Marks erected a pretty frame church, during the summer of 1897. Father William Pietsch attended the mission for two years, after the departure of Father Marks ; but serious illness handicapped his en- deavors. He was finally obliged to irive up his charge and retire to St. Vincent Home, Quincy. He now is pastor of the church at Areola. Reverend Ernest J. Eckhard came in October, 1912. On March 9th. 1914, fire destroyed the church. Father Eckhard started to talk a new church before the embers of the destroyed one were cold. The people were responsive — they needed a new church, building was com- paratively cheap and there was promise of good times, owing to the war. The new church was dedicated in the Autumn of 1914. The dimen- sions are 84 by 40 feet. A well lighted basement is a particularly useful adjunct to the church, be- cause it offers space for various parochial activities that mean so much in a country mission. The superstructure is of Paving brick, with white mortar joints. The tower is sixty feet high. The type of ar- chitecture adopted was Modern Romanesque. The interior is complete in every detail. All woodwork is finished in natural oak, with contrast obtained by use of trim in mahogany, holly and other colored woods. Only the high altar has carvings; and these are in the best of taste. Symbolism is the keynote of the decorative scheme of the entire interior of the church — in the furniture, the win- dows and the frescoing. The church is a credit to Father Eckhard, the pastor, Mr. Ludwig. the architect, and to the people, who paid for it. It is free of debt. Father Eckhard was succeeded by Reverend John H. Gramke, July 1st. 1919, who is still in charge. The outstanding events of the ad- ministration of the present rector are the First Holy Masses of Father Justin Schmieder,O.F.M., July 3,1924, and Father Bede Dahmus, June 6. 1926. Father Schmieder is a mis- sionary in China and Father Dahm- us is working in the diocese of Bis- mark, South Dakota. Two boys of the parish are studying for the sec- ular priesthood. The parish has 45 families and 25 children in school. The school is taught by Mr. Henry Dahmus, a graduate of the Teachers College. Milwaukee. Mr. Dahmus also directs the choir and plays the pipe organ. The propers of the Mass are in Plain Chant, sung by male voices — the ordinary is usually in mixed voices. The choir is of a very high order, for a country mission. Church of St. Sebastian, Waverly, Morgan County, Illinois Established in 1858 Present Pastor : Reverend Edmund Butler Waverly was first visited by a priest from Carlinville, Illinois, in 1857. In 1858 through the efforts of the leading members and the Bishop of Alton, a congregation was organ- ized, and they purchased the Metho- dist house of worship which was aft- erwards known as St. Sebastian Church of Waverly, Illinois. It then became an annex of New Berlin un- der charge of Reverend Francis X. Schreiber. In 1873 it was attached to Virden and in 1886 to Franklin. To Waverly once belonged most of the Catholics of Franklin district, and tnere most of the older members received instructions for First Holy Communion and Confirmation. It claims a long line of distinguished and now veteran members of the 291 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS priesthood of Springfield Diocese, among them : Very Reverend Tim- othy Hickey, late Vicar General of the Diocese ; Very Reverend Jeremiah Murphy, R.D., St. Patrick's, Decatur; Reverend Patrick Joseph O'Rielly, St. Joseph's, Springfield; Reverend Michael J. Davis, pastor of Athens and Cantrall ; later Reverend Thomas McGrath, Illiopolis; Reverend Fran- cis Bernard Kehoe, St. Patrick's, Al- ton; Reverend P. R. McCauley; Rev- erend Lawrence J. Ryan, Farmers- ville ; Reverend Amos Emil Giusti, D.C.L., Assistant Chancellor of the Diocese. Waverly as is evident is one of the older parishes of the Diocese, and has had what might be called a checkered career, having been attached at dif- ferent times to New Berlin, Frank- lin, Virginia, and Greenfield. In 1925, it was again attached to Franklin with Reverend E. D. But- ler in charge. The first resident pastor was Rev- erend P. J. O'Reilly, 1886. After- wards it became in turn a mission of Franklin, Virginia, and Greenfield. Later it became a parish with Father McCauley as the resident pastor from 1907 to 1912. At that time Hagaman, Illinois, became a mission of Waverly. In 1912, Father L. C. Ryan was sent as pastor to succeed Reverend P. R. McCauley. He found the Church in dire need of repairs and immediately set to work to make the necessary improvements. The congregation was small so it required a man of Reverend Law- rence Ryan's caliber to begin under such adverse circumstances. The church which was but a shell when he came, he left a nice brick veneer building, furnished and equipped, so that today it is one of the pret- tiest mission churches in the diocese. During his stay there he also mod- ernized the parochial residence and today Waverly has every reason to be proud of its church property. In 1919, the Reverend Amos Emil Giusti succeeded Father Ryan and carried on the work so ably begun by his predecessor. He paid off the debt that remained on the property, installed a new heating plant under the Church and made other neces- sary improvements, both in Church and Rectory. On December 8, 1922, the charge was taken by the Reverend Edmund D. Butler, who lived there until January, 1925, when he was ap- pointed to Franklin still retaining Waverly as a mission. The people of Waverly have Mass every Sunday and Holy Day throughout the year. Church of St. John the Evangelist, Carrollton, Greene County, Illinois Established in 1858 Present Pastor : Reverend Thomas Costello Among the earlier settlers in Greene County were many of Irish and a few of German birth, who true to the heritage of faith they brought from their native lands, attended the Catholic church at Alton some forty miles distant. As their numbers in- creased, they assembled as most of the pioneers were wont to do, in the home of one of the members, there to wor- ship God. Here it was the comfort- able log cabin of Mr. Thomas Butler that welcomed the faithful on the oc- casion of the priest's periodical visits. The first record of a regular at- tendance indicates that in 1858 the Reverend Thomas F. Mangan minis- tered to the growing flock in what was previously occupied as the Chris- tian church. Later followed Rever- end John B. Meil, coming from Jer- sey County in 1860-61. During the pastorate of Father Laurent, 1861-62, the first steps were taken to build a permanent church. This was ac- complished by the Reverend James Sheridan in 1862, with the aid of the strong, sturdy Irish and German people rapidly moving into the par- 292 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON ish. Reverend Timothy Clifford, a zealous, earnest young priest, took up the work established by his predeces- sor who was transferred to other fields in 1865. After serving the par- ish two years Father Clifford was called to his eternal home in 1867 and was buried in Alton. For a few months interval between pastors the Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, first Bishop of the Alton Diocese, ministered to the faith- ful of Carrollton, coming from Alton. Catholicity kept pace with the de- velopment of Greene County as an agricultural center, and during the regime of Reverend G. DeKlein, 1867-70 funds were secured for the building of a pastoral residence. Dur- ing the pastorate of Reverend Peter Joseph Mackin, 1870-72, late of De- catur, Illinois, the comfort of the fu- ture pastors was assured by the two- story frame residence, still occupied as the priest's home, built in 1872. Several of the clergy spent brief terms in charge of the rapidly grow- ing community. The long tenure of pastorship of Reverend August J. Sauer was fruit- ful of much of the zeal and devotion that still endures among the people of today. Looking to the future gen- erations and dangers to their Faith Father Sauer who assumed charge October 1, 1877, brought into success- ful working order the parish school started by Reverend Francis N. Re- couvreur in 1876. The difficulties at- tendant upon this new step were evi- dent, but the dauntless energy and zeal of the spirited Father Sauer brought to completion the first school building, and its occupancy by about 90 children under the tutelage of lay teachers. The usual attraction of the Catholic school for those looking to the interests of their children, brought additional families to Car- rollton by the purchase or lease of the productive land thereabout. As a consequence the next move was the securing of sisters for the school. The Dominican Sisters had but lately ar- rived from Kentucky and located in Jacksonville, the home of the first Mother-house in Illinois. Carrollton 's parish school was the second mission accepted and the Dominican Sisters have been in charge since 1882, aiding very materially in the spiritual tenor of the life of the parish. The church structure of 1862 soon proved too small for the growing con- gregation. In 1882 under the direc- tion of Father Sauer a spacious tran- sept was added to the church costing approximately $6,500.00, a consider- able sum of money in that day. Father Sauer remained in charge until 1892, having served the congregation dur- ing fifteen years of a trying period of its existence. He later affiliated with the Belleville Diocese and died in that See city in 1922. Reverend Henry Joseph Hoven, a saintly and scholarly priest of the older school of clergy was in charge eleven years, 1892-1903, to be suc- ceeded by one of the young energetic priests of that time, Reverend John Joseph Driscoll, now of St. Peter's church, Quincy, Illinois. During his short successful pastorate of four years, 1903-07, Father Driscoll aroused new life and interest in the community. To his credit there stands a modern brick school build- ing erected in 1904, made necessary by the increasing attendance of the children from country districts as well as the city. In 1907 Very Rev- erend David Joseph Moroney as- sumed charge, ministering to the faithful and accumulating funds for the future needs of the parish. Fol- lowing the death of Dean John W. Crowe of Jacksonville, Father David Joseph Moroney was appointed Dean of the Jacksonville district, which of- fice he held until his death in 1921. His remains rest in his native city, Jacksonville. In selecting a successor Bishop Ryan appointed Reverend Thomas E. Cusack, a nephew of one of the pioneer priests of the Alton Diocese, the Reverend Thomas Cusack, 1841- 29.", DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS 87. After serving the parish at Morrisonville, Illinois, fifteen years, Father Thomas E. Cusack came to Carrollton, November 1, 1921. He immediately set to work enlarging upon the labors of his predecessors. The need of the times was evident in the earnest desire of the younger people for an advanced course of schooling under Catholic auspices. The means of the parents would not permit a college or academy advan- tage, so a course was opened in Sep- tember, 1922. Its success was as- sured from the beginning. The Dominican Sisters in charge since 1882 were added to the staff. The old home of the sisters was sup- planted by a new modern brick building with accommodations for six sisters in 1922. The school build- ing and surroundings were remod- eled to suit the new condition. In 1924 three lots adjoining the church property in the south were purchased at a cost of $4,200. Old buildings on same were sold and re- moved with a view of making additional building improvements in the near future. That the first visit to the parish of our newly consecrated Bishop, James A. Griffin, D.D., might be marked with fitting solemnity, the church showing its age of 1862 and 1882 was repaired exteriorily and frescoed interiorily. It now presents a comfortable and devotional home for our Eucharistic Lord, as well as a historic monument to the zeal, energy and faith of the few early settlers, some of whom still remain. The parish has shown continual growth with the years, special ac- tivity being added thereto by the societies now existing, keeping pace with Catholic progress of the times and twentieth century requirements. The societies are: Ladies' Altar Society, Catholic Ladies' Cemetery Association, Catholic Daughters of America, Children of Mary, the Holy Name Society, the Catholic Order of Foresters, the Knights of Columbus and the Society of Propagation of Faith. Even though this be but a sketch history of the parish, yet we must find place for a mention of the fine community spirit for which Carroll- ton is so well known. Perhaps few small towns with so many religious denominations can boast of a like spirit of good fellowship and neigh- borliness. As illustrative of this fine spirit, we may cite the fact that Mayor Oscar Vivell closed by proclamation all the Carrollton bus- iness houses during the funeral of the Very Reverend David Joseph Moroney, which took place March 14, 1921. Surely a fine mark of civic broadmindedness and respect for Catholic feeling ! Besides, the Carrollton School Board, unsolicited, gives each year, the use of the school hall for parochial school en- tertainments. Long may this admir- able spirit survive. Aiding notably in the parish life of former years must be mentioned the younger clergy who served as assistant pastors. Among those on record are : Fathers C. Fanning, J. L. Murray, D. Doyle, P. J. Beary, T. M. Moloney, Michael Sheehy and Daniel 'Grady, all of whom except Rev- erend James L. Murray, who died a "Flu" victim in Springfield, are engaged in larger fields in the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois. N. B. Since the above sketch was written, Father Cusack was pro- moted to the important parish of Mattoon and his place in Carrollton was taken by the Reverend Thomas Costello, formerly pastor of St. John the Baptist church, Areola. Church of St. Anthony, Effingham, Effingham County, Illinois Established in 1858 Present Pastor: Right Reverend Ludavicus W. Lammert, R.D. The history of St. Anthony church 1854 the Catholics residing in Effing- begins with the year 1858. Prior to ham and its vicinity were obliged to 294 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE QUINCY — ALTON go to Teutopolis or Green Creek to worship, where, at an early date, as early as 1840 in Teutopolis, log churches had been erected and res- ident pastors were in charge. Many were the hardships which the pioneer Catholics of Effingham underwent in order to fulfill their religious duties. In 1854 a log house was built near Third and E. Jefferson streets, back of the present Chester Knitting Mill building. The logs were donated by Gerhard Osthoff and the carpenter work was done by Anton Schleper, Casper and Frederic Mindrup. On Sundays this building served as a church and on week days as a school-house. Reverend Thomas Frauenhofer, then stationed at Green Creek, occasionally said Mass here until 1858. Gradually the num- ber of Catholic families in this Ef- fingham vicinity increased until in 1856 the number had reached forty. Since from the beginning the log church had been too small, Father Frauenhofer immediately encour- aged the building of a substantial brick church and rectory. Accord- ingly, in 1856, the farmers set to work cutting the cord wood which would be needed the following year in the making of brick. Stone and sand were hauled by the farmers. Every one now took an active in- terest in the work. In the mean- time plans had been drawn up, sub- mitted to the Bishop, and on receiv- ing his approval, subscriptions were immediately taken up. Apparently J. Mette, H. Willenborg, Henry Haarmann and Gerhard H. Ostohoff composed the building committee. A building subscription, realizing $4,234, was taken up, forty families contributing almost $100 each. It is interesting to note that when the church and parsonage were com- pleted, the congregation had not one cent of indebtedness. The block, bounded by Second and Third streets, St. Louis and St. Paul streets, on which this first brick church was erected and which now is used as the parish hall, was donated by Messrs. David Alexander and Samuel Little. In the spring of 1858 Reverend B. Bartels, rector of the congregation at Teutopolis, laid the corner-stone of the new edifice, which progressed rapidly to com- pletion. In September, 1858, probbaly the 23rd of that month, the Franciscan Fathers took charge of the congre- gation at Teutopolis where a mon- astery was built. From this mon- astery the several Catholic congre- gations of the neighborhood were attended as missions by the Fathers. Among others also that of St. An- thony was given to their charge. At the suggestion of Gerhard H. Ost- hoff, who had donated a beautiful oil painting of St. Anthony to the church, the congregation chose this saint as their patron. On Christ- mas morning, 1868, Reverend P. Capistran, O.F.M., celebrated Mass for the first time in the new church and together with Reverend P. Servatius Altmicks, O.F.M., the first rector of St. Anthony's, opened a mission at which 120 received the sacraments. February 2nd, 1859, the first bap- tism was administered ; the recipient was Joseph, son of Ferdinand Braun and Angela Braun nee Steinke. T. Martineau and Mary Racicot were the first to be united in the holy bonds of matrimony, the wedding taking place July 11. 1859. On June 3, 1860, Trinity Sunday, the Bishop of Alton, Henry Damien Juncker, administered the sacra- ment of Confirmation to 33 children ; also the same day solemnly blessed the church and consecrated the one and only bell in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A large oak which stood near the church served as belfry or campanile. The following day, June 4, the Bishop consecrated the cemetery. William Althoff gave the ground for the cemetery and was the first to be buried therein. (Church Records p. 212-213.) In the sixties, during Father 295 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Ferdinand Bergmeyer's rectorship, the congregation purchased their first pipe organ. The following Franciscan Fathers served as rectors of St. Anthony's congregation : P. Servatius Altmicks, P. Ferdinand Bergmeyer, P. Killian Schloesser, P. Raynerius Dickneite, P. Heribert Hoffmans, and P. Alar- dus Andrescheck. In 1869 P. Alardus, O.F.M., bought the piece of property, half a block in depth, and a block in length, on the west side of Third street, and extend- ing from St. Louis to St. Paul Streets, the property on which the church and rectory now stand. The log house standing on this property served as the parochial residence until 1869, at which time a new parsonage was erected. Towards the end of the year, 1869, a residence was established at Effing- ham by the Franciscan Fathers. P. Servatius was the first superior of the house and at the same time pastor of St. Anthony. His assistant was P. Ambrosius Janssen, O.F.M., who also attended Sigel. This Franciscan house was of short duration, because the Fathers found it more advantageous to serve the various missions from Teutopolis, from whence they con- tinued to attend St. Anthony until September, 1871. In the meantime the congragation grew so rapidly, that by 1858, the church had become too small to accommodate the faithful. On May 17, 1870, Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, Bishop of Alton, was in Effingham for his first time and that day confirmed a class of 63 people. In September, 1871, the parish was placed in charge of secular priests, with Very Reverend Dean Michael Weis as first diocesan rector. Soon after his arrival, seeing that many were unable to assist at Mass on Sun- days, Father Weis began prepara- tions for the erection of a larger and more beautiful church. In the be- ginning he met with much opposition. The farmers had had poor crops for a number of vears and felt that they could not take upon themselves such a heavy burden. Realizing, however, the necessity of a larger church, and placing their trust in God, they, finally, went to work with a right good will. Subscriptions were again taken up and every one responded ac- cording to his or her means. A be- ginning being once made, work was hurriedly carried to completion. We quote the following from the History of Effingham, 1883 : "The magnificent building as it now stands, was finished in 1875. Solemn blessing of the new church took place on the 13th of June of the same year by the Right Reverend Peter J. Baltes, Bishop of Alton, to whose diocese St. Anthony belongs. The church is an ornament to the city and an honor to the Catholic inhabi- tants. Its cost was about $40,000 ; its size 66x165 feet; steeple 181 feet without cross or vane." The same day the Bishop confirmed fifty. On August 3rd, 1874, delegated by the Right Reverend Bishop, P. Mauritius Klostermann, O.F.M., con- secrated two more bells for St. An- thony ; the greater bell in honor of St. Gabriel and the lesser in honor of St. Aloysius. Father Weis, however, did not re- main long at St. Anthony to enjoy the fruits of his endeavors and the prac- tical co-operation of his parishioners, for on March 23, 1877, Very Rever- end Dean Herman J. Jungmann suc- ceeded him. Father Jungmann was a zealous, tireless worker. Under his pastorate in the year 1885, the frame parochial residence was replaced by a modern brick home. On October 21, 1888, Right Rever- end James Ryan, Bishop of Alton, made his initial appearance in Ef- fingham and confirmed 153 children. Father Jungmann, in 1893, built our present school building at a cost of approximately $8,500. Then in that same year, Death, the Grim Reaper, came and cut short his activities. Here we may cite an appreciatory passage which appeared in the Ef- 296 XII H l' : Hl ' V ft la K » A » k. . -■ft., m Carrollton—St. John's Church, Sisters Residence, School . . . Effingham— St. An- thony's Church, Interior, School, Sisters Residence. He, turn, Monsignor Lammert's Golden Jubilee. Green Creek — Rev. Frederick Neveling, Pastor, Lady of Help Church, Old School, Rectory, New District School . . . J erseyville — School, Rectory, Rev. J. J. Clancy, Pastor. st. Francis Church, Sisters' Residence. EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE QUINCY— ALTON fingham Democrat on the occasion of his death : "The members of St. Anthony's congregation are sensible of the great work done by Father Jungmann, their priest and pastor, whose min- istrations towards his flock were ever full of that holy fervor and zeal which characterized his life as a faithful and devoted priest and which earned and maintained the love and respect of all in the communities in which he labored. Father Jungmann will be long remembered in Effingham. The material monuments which speak of his eighteen years of labor in this community may crumble into dust, but the influence of his zealous, self- sacrificing work will endure. Fear- less in the pulpit, tireless in labor, he was the adviser, teacher and model of his flock. . . . Never in the history of this city has there been a more largely attended funeral, the con- course being estimated at 2,500. Father Jungmann had earned the love and respect of all classes." After the death of Father Jung- mann Right Reverend Bishop Ryan requested Reverend P. Hugoline Storff, O.F.M., at that time rector of St. Joseph's College, Teutopolis, to take charge of the congregation until a successor should be appointed. In June of the same year Reverend Frederick Metzger of Pittsfield, Illi- nois, was asked to take charge of the St. Anthony Congregation. Owing to his poor health he accepted on con- dition that he should have an assist- ant and receive a few months vaca- tion. His stay in Germany, however, whither he had gone to regain his health, did not benefit him, and he died there October 25, 1895. Father Wand who came in 1895 as assistant to Father Metzger, was succeeded that same year by Rev. Simon Peter Hoffman. On January 1, 1896, the present rec- tor, Right Reverend Dean Louis W. Lammert took charge of the congrega- tion. Father Hoffman assisted Father Lammert until 1898 — also attending Shumway and Stewardson, at this time missions of St. Anthony. From 1898 to 1899, Reverend Francis Fred- erick Formaz was assistant, followed by Reverend Francis J. Ostendorf who remained until 1903. On July 2, 1901, Father Lammert celebrated his silver sacredotal jubilee. After Father Ostendorf 's departure, Rever- end William L. Quatman assisted for several months, and then was relieved by Father Hoffman who had been here previously. In the year 1911 Reverend Charles Flori succeeded him. From November, 1913 to July 1, 1922, Reverend George Nell was Father Lammert 's assistant. Rever- end Francis Clement Schlepphorst is the present assistant. During Right Reverend Dean Lam- mert 's long and fruitful pastorate the following noteworthy events and improvements have taken place in the chronological order herein given. 1902— Church restated. 1904 — Heating plant installed in rectory and church ; parsonage con- nected up with the city sewer and water systems. Interior of the church decorated. The Mothers' Society furnished a fine carpet for the sanctuary. 1905 — Rectory and church equip- ped with all the electrical conven- iences of the time. Stage was added to the old St. Anthony church build- ing and made to serve as entertain- ment hall ; heating plant installed beneath the stage and system ex- tended so as to heat the school which adjoins. Two new side altars pre- sented the church by the Young Men's and Young Ladies' societies, and cement walks laid in front of the school property. 1906 — New pulpit purchased for the church and statues for the side altars. 1907 — State convention of the Catholic Union held at St. An- thony's. Right Reverend Bishop Janssen of Belleville attended and officiated at the opening of the con- vention. 1909 — Congregation celebrated golden jubilee, though one year late. 297 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IX ILLINOIS Right Reverend Bishop Ryan pontif- icated at the church services. The same year a mission was given by the Jesuit Fathers. 1911 — Crucifix set up in St. An- thony's Cemetery. 1912 — Beautiful stained glass art windows installed in the church. 1918 — New convent building for school Sisters at a cost of about $15,000. 1921 — Mission conducted by the Conventual Franciscans. Streets around the church property paved at a cost of $6,600. 1923 — New electric pipe organ purchased from the Wick Organ Co., of Highland, Illinois, and installed for $4,000. In this year a Christ- mas Crib was presented the congre- gation and a new sanctuary carpet purchased. In May, 1923, the state convention of the Catholic Union was held in Effingham. The Right Reverend Albert Scmuecker, O.F.M., Bishop of North Shantung, China, sung the High Mass which opened the con- vention. 1924 — Right Reverend James A. Griffin, Bishop of Springfield, in Illinois, on May 29, made his first episcopal visitation, and on this occasion administered the sacrament of Confirmation to a class of one hundred and fifty-two. On October 5th, the same year, the Right Reverend Bishop was again in St. Anthony's, the occasion being the celebration of the golden jubilee of the School Sisters of Notre Dame who had been teaching at St. An- thony's school uninterruptedly for the past half century. The Bishop officiated at the Solemn Pontifical High Mass and preached the sermon of the day. 1926 — The pastor, Dean Lammert, celebrated his 50th anniversary in the priesthood. Present on that oc- casion to show their respect and love for the Venerable Jubilarian, were the Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., many diocesan priests and a large concourse of the laity. And here we pause to insert a brief history of St. Anthony School. Until about 1868 St. Anthony had not, strictly speaking, its parochial school. The log house of 1854 on Third and East Jefferson streets served as a school for the Catholic children of the city. Here, howeA'er, children of other religious denom- inations also attended. In the order named the following men taught school in this log house : B. H. Wemsing, Joseph Masquelet, Henry Ackersman, Joseph Kabbes and Lorenz Holmes. In 1862 St. An- thony's congregation built a sub- stantial two story brick building just south of, and almost adjoining the present entertainment hall, and continued to teach children of all denominations until about 1868. During the summer months the school was parochial. From 1862- 1868 the following served as teach- ers : Lorenz Holmes, Jos. P. Schwer- man, Mr. Royer and Mr. Bonn. In 1868 St. Anthony's became a paro- chial school and was conducted by the Franciscan Sisters from Joliet until April, 1872. In this year Louis Reig, under the prineipalship of Father Weis, and assisted by Miss Barbara Weis, very ably and suc- cessfully conducted St. Anthony's School until July, 1874. As the new church was sufficiently finished by this time (1874) to con- duct services therein, the old church was converted into two large class- rooms. Prior to this date, in order to accommodate the number of pupils a third class had been held in one of the rooms of the priests' house, a frame building across the street from the church. On September 4, 1874, the services of the Venerable School Sisters of Notre Dame were secured for St. Anthony's. They were assisted by Joseph P. Greuel who taught the larger boys. The two Notre Dame Sisters, Josepha Leonissa and Sixta, taught the younger boys and all the girls. The number of pupils at this time was 160. In 1877 Joseph P. 298 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON Greuel resigned and the duty of teaching all the classes devolved upon the School Sisters. In 1879 the serv- ices of Joseph H. Probst were secured, and he taught the boys' higher class until 1912. In 1893 Very Reverend Dean Jung- mann, the pastor, built the large and substantial two story brick school building immediately north of the en- tertainment hall. This two-storied six room structure ,which is even to- dajr the St. Anthony School, was erected at a cost of approximately 18,500. This year (1926) St. Anthony's School, which is conducted on a free parochial basis, has 325 children en- rolled, and teaches a complete gram- mar school course ; also the first three years high school course, ac- ademic in character. Eight school Sisters of Notre Dame are in charge of the classes. The school also lias an extensive library, perhaps the best in the city. In St. Anthony congregation, the following parish societies are organ- ized: St. Anthony's Men's Society, St. Mary's Mother's Society, St. Aloysius' Young Men's Sodality, St. Clare's Young Ladies' Sodality, and St. Anthony's Dramatic Club. The Catholic Knights of America, and the Catholic Knights of Illinois are ben- evolent societies existing in the parish. The following priests are products of St. Anthony parish : Reverend Father Dominicus Mersmann, 0. M. Cap., Reverend P. Xavier Engbring, O.F.M. Missionary Apostolic in China, and Reverend (Armsted) Her- man Catterlin, C.S.S.R. And here is the roll call of conse- crated virgins from St. Anthony's parish serving God in various re- ligious orders : Sisters of Notre Dame — Bernadine Weis, Gwendolin Hoff- man, Seraphine Engbring, Fincella Flood, Scholastica Weiler, Sanktina Mussman, Magdala Overbeck, Bene- dicta Kreke, Ottilda Bussing, Del- phina Seitz. Franciscan — Sisters Evangelista Sanders (now laboring in the Chinese Missions), Severa Muss- man, Regina Kiefer, Benedicta May- haus, and Secundina Osthoff. Good Shepherd — Sister Margaret of the holy name Osthoff. St. Mary's — Sis- ter Clementia Osthoff. St. Francis of Joliet — Sisters Ambrose Osthoff, Franciska Feldhake and Stella Koester. We find the following priests buried in St. Anthony Cemetery : Very Reverend Dean Herman Jung- mann, Fathers Clemens A. Sommer, Joseph Maurer, Simon Peter Hoff- man, T. P. Cronin and Reverend Charles W. Becker. And these Venerable School Sis- ters of Notre Dame : Sisters Basilia, Frances Regis, Irene, and Sylvester. Sisters of St. Francis (Springfield) : Sisters Agnes, Antonia, Regina and Birina. It is not amiss to state here that the three Franciscan Sisters above men- tioned who died in 1918 were victims of the flu. Ministering to the wants of the many flu patients in their hos- pital at Effingham, taxed in those days to the limit of its capacity, these Sisters succumbed to the ravages of the epidemic and were truly martyrs to their duty. It is with justifiable pride that we submit this history of St. Anthony. The congregation has only increased the original membership of forty families to three hundred and fifty. Having read of the solid deep rooted faith that animated the breasts of the sturdy pioneer Catholics of Effing- ham, indicated by the difficulties they overcame and the sacrifices endured, we would expect a larger membership. However, it must be noted that many, especially of the younger generation by reason of local circumstances, were forced to move elsewhere to eke out an existence. Members of St. An- thony are found throughout the length and breadth of the land, and we know, God be praised, that their good example, their practical Chris- tian lives redound to the honor of the parish and the glory of God. On June 3, 1927, His Holiness, Pope Pius XI, on the recommenda- 299 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS tion of Right Reverend James A. Griffin, conferred upon Reverend Dean Lammert the high honor of Domestic Prelate. The investiture took place in St. Anthony Church, Effingham, August 16, the Right Reverend Bishop officiating in the presence of fifty-two diocesan priests and an overflow congregation of the laity. To be convinced of the great popularity of his appointment, one has only to recall the many con- gratulatory messages that poured in upon him from all quarters, and the joyous enthusiasm manifested by Bishop, priests and people on the occasion of his investiture. The Venerable Monsignor, who all his life has had a pleasant smile and a kind word for everybody, has now passed his fiftieth milestone in the priesthood. It is the sincere wish of all who know him that God, Whom he has so faithfully served in the ministry, may give him many more years to enjoy the new and richly deserved honor which makes him a member of the papal house- hold. Church of St. Mary of Help, Green Creek, Effingham County, Illinois Established in 1858. Present Pastor : Reverend Frederick Neveling Green Creek, originally laid out in town lots and named Marytown, is situated about one and one-fourth miles west of the Illinois Central Rail- road and the new State Road No. 25. It is seven miles north of Effingham and nine miles from Teutopolis. Its history an I early beginnings are interwoven well with that of both towns and parishes. The first settlers of these communities emigrated from Hanover and Oldenburg, Germany, about the year 1838, came to Cincin- nati, Ohio, and then followed the gen- eral trend of that time of "going west" finally settling in Effingham County. The spiritual needs of these sturdy Christians were served by various visiting priests. We must re- member that the strictly bounded Dio- ceses as we have them now were not in existence then, and the Ecclesiasti- cal authorities had to cover a wide territory. To come closer to the proper begin- ning of the new Green Creek parish the Right Reverend Bishop, Anthony 'Regan, of Chicago, then also Ad- ministrator of the newly formed Dio- cese of Quincy (later Alton and still later Springfield), sent Reverend Thomas Frauenhofer by a decree of January 9, 1857, to St. Mary (later Green Creek) and Broughton (later Effingham). So our Reverend Mis- sionary set out on horseback for a point 200 miles from Chicago straight south. For a time he seemed well sat- isfied to serve God and his faithful flocks in the gentleness of the woods and the quietness of the prairie. For six months he attended the different parishes alternately, Green Creek, Broughton and also Teutopolis. At this time the newly consecrated and first Bishop of Alton, Henry Damian Juneker, D.D., came to administer confirmation. After a lengthy dis- cussion Father Frauenhofer restrict- ed his efforts to the Green Creek com- munity. Soon he laid his plan before the congregation to build a new brick church. Up to that time an old block house had served as school and church for seventeen years. Forty-five fami- lies subscribed at once the sum of $3,685.00, but circumstances pre- vented the realization of the plans. Herman Henry Koors and Joseph Remme were appointed to collect this sum, while John Osterhaus had as far back as 1846 donated 40 acres for church purposes. Others to be men- tioned at this time were : Fred Johann Meyer, N. N. Nuxoll, Johann Henry Gerdes, Joseph Woerman, Katherine Woermann, Johann Paul Sangmeis- ter, Johann Henry Zumbahlen, Her- man Kettmann, Joseph Wente, Jo- 300 EARLY DAYS OP THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON hann Bernard Knobbe, "Wilhelm Kabbes, Herman Henry Strubbers, Bernard Gruenloh, Bernard Imming, Johann Gerhard Riemann, Clemens August Niemann, Jacob Doedtmann, Bernard Ahrens, Johann Uhlorn, Herman Henry Mette, Herman Henry Tegekamp, Ferdinand Kauf- man, Heinrich Bernard Sur, Ger- hard Henry Lohman, Johann Hein- rich Koelker, Bernard Henry San- ders, Henry Unkraut and Gerhard Woltes. As it sometimes happened in those days, the parish was effected by fac- tions. The south side wished to have the new church near them and offered to make a new donation of ground ; others held grievances, imaginary or otherwise, against the pastor and when they realized that he would con- tinue to carry out his plans, some of them went to extremes. It may be mentioned here that the pastor in a spirit of self-sacrifice, taught school himself. However, he found the opposition distasteful and finally re- signed his charge. At a later date he died in a hospital in St. Louis. Father Frauerhofer himself relates that during his pastorate the Right Reverend Bishop entrusted Teutopolis to the newcoming Franciscan Fathers. These Fathers began a convent and college there. It was but natural that the same Fathers, in the course of time, attended the surrounding places. Thus Green Creek parish was in their charge between the vears 1860 and 1893. The first pastor of Green Creek un- der the Franciscans was Reverend Capistran Zwings. He labored there during the years from 1858 to 1862, and zealous as his predecessor, he soon organized the four societies in the parish. These four societies were for the young men, the young ladies, the married men and the married ladies. Now began a period of holy zeal and the building of the new church progressed rapidly. Its prog- ress was so rapid that the Bishop, coming for Confirmation, could lay the Corner-stone in 1860. The next pastor, Father Damian Hennewig, who was there from 1862 to 1864, saw the tower finished. Father Rayner- ious Dickneite, who succeeded Father Damien as pastor from 1864 to 1865 witnessed the completion and conse- cration of the new edifice ; a grand oc- casion and one of great solemnity to the whole Diocese. On this occasion Father Commissar Kilian served as archpriest, and Fathers Raynerius and Reinhards as deacon and sub- deacon respectively. The seminarians of the college enhanced the pontifical celebration by rendering a beautiful Mass. The year 1865 saw the church frescoed. It was also in this year that the celebrated Jesuit missionary, Father Weninger, gave a mission. To continue the line of pastors : Father Kilian Schlosser served in 1865, Father Eugenius Puers in 1866, and Father Nazarius Kommerscheid, who purchased a second 882 pound bell, which was named Mary of Per- petual Help. From 1869-1873 we see Father Francis Albers acting as pas- tor of Green Creek parish. He took a great interest in his charge. To him is due the elegant brick schoolhouse. He also had the church roof renewed. Forty Hours ' Devotion, which lapsed for a time but was taken up again in the year 1912, was first introduced by him. After Father Albers the following served in succession : Fathers John Rings, 1873-75 ; Anselm Puz, 1875-77 ; Paul Teroerde, 1877-78; Andrew Butzkeuben, 1878-79 ; Symphorian Fortsmann, 1879-84; Sebastian Ce- bulla, 1884-85; Mark Thienel, Poly- carp Rhode and finally Reverend Aloysius Wiewer, under whom, at the end of November, the parish was given back to the Bishop, who there- upon appointed Father Storp the first resident pastor. Father Storp at once proceeded with the construction of a splendid commodious two-story brick residence, and the good farmers, equally proud of their new pastor, helped him in every way to accomplish his purpose. He had but to express his wish and 301 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS they cheerfully complied with its ex- ecution, for they soon had learned to love and respect their good pastor, whose demands never exceeded the bounds of reasonable necessity. At the same time he proved to have a wise foresight. As he expressed it himself: "In order to make my suc- cessors feel at home in this far off place" — he built a fine vineyard around a little lake. The Franciscan Fathers had, at the same time, re- linquished Lillyville, a parish five miles distant, and this place was also attended by Father Storp, not only on Sundays but often during the week. Not wishing to inconvenience the farmers especially when the busy season was on, he would walk the dis- tance. On warm summer mornings when the dewdrops still sparkled on ferns and grasses, he would pull off his boots and socks, sling them over his shoulders on a hickory sapling and make for Lillyville saying his prayers and meditations on the way. In the course of time Lillyville re- ceived its own pastor. Father Storp 's tasks came to a close. A violent attack of pneumonia, which he had contract- ed on a visit to St. Marie, ended the life and useful career of this pioneer pastor of Green Creek. He died February 8, 1902, and rests within the shadow of the same cross which he, himself, acquired for the little cemetery adjoining the church. He was succeeded by the young and enthusiastic Reverend F. J. Osten- dorf, who followed in the footsteps of his predecessor and did much to con- tinue his work. He beautified the in- terior of the church by purchasing new stations, and procured new vest- ments for the altar. In September, 1911 Father Ostendorf was called away by the Bishop and the Reverend Neveling, the present incumbent, had to continue the work of the pioneers. What queer situations a parish priest has to master at times may be learned from this. The writer re- members well how, when he first visit- ed the parish, the people were little inclined to put an adequate heating system into the church. It is true, the pioneers of our parish set up a nice large brick structure 100x40 feet, but without any real chimney. For years money was being gathered, and after all preparations were made, work was finally begun. Chimney and boiler-shed were both erected and in due time heating systems were in- stalled in the church, parsonage and even school, according to the new law concerning heat and light. An agree- able surprise came at the same time, in the shape of an electric light sys- tem installed for church, house and bowling alley. In spite of all these improvements repairs were also found necessary. So, after the large chim- ney was in place, a new church roof was provided and then the interior of the church was newly plastered and frescoed in oil. Let us turn from the external ma- terial progress of the parish to the school and then to the spiritual im- provement. Mention was made above that originally a log-house served as church and school ; likewise that the pioneer pastor taught school for a time himself. Later, however, laymen were employed in this task to help the community. This parish has the unique distinction of operating a school, which, while being a public school, is at the same time a Catholic one. This system for Catholic parishes has its great blessings, which cannot be denied, but at the same time there are disadvantages which sometimes far surpass the blessings. Since the organization of the parish the fol- lowing were employed as teachers : H. Koelker, H. H. Mette, H. H. Nuxoll, John Kroes, Baltenwick, Stilke, Frank Hoene, J. Masquelet, B. Hues- mann, Jos. Kaufmann, Henry Schlem- mer, Jacob Karlin, Henry Weirich, William Duerr, Henry Koch, Peter Schneider, Ferdinand Vincke and J. M. Hunkler, who is at present in charge of the school. Our people themselves know best the teachers who were employed in training of the youth. Some of them acquired prominence as musicians, 302 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON among them, B. Huesmann, Jos. Kaufman and especially Henry Schlemmer who composed and ac- quired a patent on an instrument made of violins. One feature, a boon for coming generations, is the train- ing of the boys in reading the Latin Psalms. This knowledge is due to the efforts of the teachers and the Rever- end Pastor. Since the growing gener- ation can now read Latin fluently, a good choir enhances the solemnities by many fine selections. When we consider the spiritual side of the parish, there is no doubt but that Green Creek has had special blessing in having priests who were an inspiration to their flock and a flock that loved and obeyed their priests. Again the Record shows that the Franciscan Fathers were not less zealous in upbuilding the parish and the spiritual life of the same. In fact some of the good customs and habits of the people can be traced directly back to them. The following ladies from the par- ish have consecrated their lives to God, in various religious orders: Anna Kaufman, Helene Grimmig, Cecelia Grimmig, Therese Grimmig, Catherine Niemann, Mary Aulen- brock, Anna Ruholl, Magdalen Nie- man, Bertha Grimmig, Edith Powers. Reverend Joseph A. Jansen, the only priest from this parish, was or- dained in 1924, and now labors in the mission fields in China. Church of St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville, Jersey County, Illinois Established in 1858 Present Pastor: Reverend John Joseph Clancy The first Catholic service ever held in Jerseyville, and perhaps in the County, was in the home of Mr. William Shepard in the fall of 1841, Reverend George A. Hamilton offi- ciating. Previous to 1839, Thomas Carroll, Mrs. Mary Cummings and the Carroll family, who resided at Otter Creek, were the only Cath- olic families in this county. The number was increased that year by the arrival of William Shepherd, James Flannigan and William Kelly, the latter being the first man ever married by a priest in Jersey Coun- ty. This marriage was solemnized by Father Hamilton. After Father Hamilton, Father Michael Carroll of Alton occasion- ally visited Jerseyville and held services in private houses and in the court house. In 1848-49 William Shephard, Fred Bertman and William Kelly purchased from J. A. and J. C. Barr, a lot upon which to erect a church, but it was not until 1857 that the building of a small frame church was commenced, and in the latter part of July, 1858, it was dedicated by Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, Bishop of Alton. Reverend Thomas F. Mangan, the first priest permanently located in Jerseyville, came here in August, 1858, and re- mained until April, 1860, in which year he was succeeded by Father Marrill. The latter served the con- gregation until February 1, 1861. Father Laurent, Father Marril] 's successor, built a comfortable par- sonage and purchased a suitable piece of ground for a cemetery. He remained in charge until February, 1865. Then came Father Hoven to be succeeded shortly by Reverend John Sullivan. During Father Sul- livan's time, the old frame church which had been in use for the past ten years had grown too small for the congregation and so was re- moved to another part of the city where it served the purpose of a school and a parish meeting house. The energetic Father Sullivan, with the hearty co-operation of his people, began the building of a now church, the corner stone of which was laid in May, 1868, with appro- priate ceremonies by the Right Rev- 303 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS erend Henry Damian Juncker, the then Bishop of Alton. On July 4, 1871, the new church was solemnly dedicated. Bishop Jnncker officiated in the presence of a large gathering of the faithful and many priests from among whom we may mention: Very Reverend John J. Janssen, Al- ton, Illinois; Fathers P. Brady, Springfield; T. Hickey, Virden ; Peter Mackin, Carrollton; Clement, Kaskaskia ; John Moher, Alton ; David Phalen, St. Louis, Missouri ; Michael Clifford, Bunker Hill; L. Omster, Westwoods; John 'Sul- livan, Springfield ; and the pastor, Reverend James Harty. The sermon on the occasion was preached by the Reverend David Phalen of St. Louis, Missouri. The main body of the church is 55x110 feet and it is built in the early English style. The height of the tower from the pavement is 140 feet. It has the most imposing loca- tion of any building in the city. It seems to be standing in the middle of the four principal thoroughfares coming into the city from the four points of the compass. The church has a seating capacity of 800 on the main floor, and 250 in the gallery, making a maximum seating capacity of 1,050 persons. The structure was planned by William Cumbly of this city, and erected in the best manner of workmanship at a cost of $25,000.00. On December 1, 1868, Reverend James Harty succeeded Father Sul- livan and remained here for the long space of thirty-two years, and until his death, July 19, 1899. Father Bernard Lee, one of the greatest church builders this Di- ocese has ever known, accomplished a great work during his life in Jer- soyville. The credit for the erection of the new parish school and house belongs to him. He remained in charge of the parish until July 1, 1907, when he was succeeded by Reverend John Joseph Driscoll, M.R., who, in 1914, was succeeded by the present pastor, Reverend John J. Clancy. Father Clancy was born in Ire- land on June 24, 1866. He made his preparatory studies in Ireland. He entered the Seminary of Our Lady of Angels at Niagara Falls, New York, in 1899. Two years after, he was ordained priest at the Cathedral of Alton by the Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese. After his ordination he was sent by Bishop Ryan to the Cath- olic University at Washington, D. C, and remained there until he was ap- pointed the first resident pastor of the Sacred Heart Church at Dalton City, Illinois. Previous to his ap- pointment to Jerseyville, Father Clancy served as pastor of St. Cath- erine Church, Virden, and of St. James Church, Riverton. Since tak- ing charge of his present parish he has met with much success due in great measure to the loyal and gen- erous co-operation of his people. The following priests served as as- sistants: Fathers J. F. Murphy, T. M. Grast, Lucas Var Ree, P. H. Masterson, P. D. Curran, M. J. Mee, F. Shiels, and Francis Lawler, who is assistant at the present time. St. Francis Xavier's parish has 122 families and is in a flourishing condition. There are 127 children in school taught by the Dominican Sisters. The following named so- cieties help to quicken parish life : Sacred Heai't League, Young Ladies' Sodality, Children of Mary, and the Holy Name and Altar Societies. Reverend Francis Lawler now as- sists Father Clancy in the administra- tion of the parish. Church of St. Patrick, Pana, Christian County, Illinois Established in 1858 Present Pastor : Reverend John P. Moroney To write the full story of St. Pat- rick Parish, Pana, would require a large volume. Here, however, being limited to a mere historical sketch, 304 Pana — St. Patrick's church. Rev. J. P. Moroney, Pastor. School . . . Paris — St. Mary's Church, Rectory, School, Rev. J. Cronin, Pastor . . . Whitehall — All Saints Church . . . Arenzville — St. Fidelis Church. EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON we can do no more than touch briefly on the principal aspects of the Par- ish from its organization to the present day. But even' the brief outline of a congregation that has grown from the few to the many, and from poverty to a comparative opulence grandly exemplified in a splendid group of buildings probably without rival of its kind in Illinois, will doubtless prove both interesting and inspiring to the reader. Away back in 1858, the year after the creation of Alton as a Diocese, Father Thomas Cusack, that pioneer priest of blessed memory, organized the St. Patrick Parish of Pana. Two years later he erected a modest frame church which was to serve the faithful as a house of worship until the building of a new one by Father Ferdinand Stick in 1883. During the early part of his administration, Father Cusack was assisted by Rev- erend Adolphus Jacque. Both la- bored indefatigably in the spiritual and material upbuilding of the new Parish in the face of privations characteristic of pioneer missionary days. Once organized, the parish grew rapidly. It began in 1858 with twelve families; seven years later, it numbered one hundred families. That practically all the early mem- bers were of Irish nationality is con- spicuously evident from the Baptis- mal register of the time which shows that out of sixty-five persons bap- tized between the years 1863 and 1865, sixty-three bore distinctively Irish names, the other two going to the German and French national- ities. The proportion no longer holds good. Those of Irish extrac- tion are today comparatively few. The Slovaks are perhaps the strong- est single unit now attending church at St. Patrick. After seven years of work abun- dantly crowned with success, Father Cusack bade farewell to Pana and began the organization of a new Parish at Vandalia. Reverend Julian Turmel then took charge of St. Patrick's, and it was during his incumbency (1865-73) that the first parochial school was started. His immediate successor, Reverend Fred- erick Lohman, served the Parish for a little more than a year to be then followed by Reverend J. Jacque who remained only eight months. On October 24, 1875, Father John Storp entered office and remained in charge until December 26, 1880. The church records show that during his five-year pastorate two hundred persons were baptized, many of whom are today the pillars of St. Patrick's congregation. Reverend Henry Joseph Hoven was the next Pastor to take charge. His stay was short; from January, 1881, to October of the same year. Yet during these ten months he edu- cated the people to the necessity of a new church to replace the old one which had already outlived its use- fulness. He was the first to solicit funds for this worthy project. This good Father visioned a great future for the Catholics of Pana. Were he alive today, he could see that vision actually realized. The succeeding incumbent, Rev- erend Ferdinand Stick, sheparded the Pana flock from 1881-1894. His great work was the building of the new church projected by his pred- ecessor. The corner stone of that edifice was laid August 5, 1883, by Bishop Baltes. The dedication took place May 2 of the following year, the same prelate officiating. In both instances large and enthusiastic crowds were present to witness the inspiring ceremonies. The solemnity of the dedication was greatly en- hanced by the fact that the Bishop on that occasion confirmed a class of seventy-five persons. The new church stood complete at a cost of $16,000.00. Mention must be here made of a large, wonderfully clear and deep- toned bell, which was blessed and placed in the tower of the church in 1886. This bell now stands on a belfry erected on the church lawn 305 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS and still continues to proclaim to the faithful, as in days gone by, its thrice daily message of joy. Father Stick was also instrumen- tal in building the four-room Sacred Heart School which has been con- siderably enlarged within recent years. As illustrative of the size of the Parish at this time may be men- tioned the fact that during the thir- teen years of Father Stick's pas- torate, there were 950 baptisms, 150 marriages and 130 funerals. When Father Stick was trans- ferred to Highland in 1894, Rev- erend William Weigand was given charge of Pana. His term (1895- 1908) was marked by moderate suc- cess. He made a number of improve- ments on the church property, and was earnest in the discharge of the work entrusted to his care. In 1908 he was relieved of his Parish and assigned the less onerous position of Chaplain to a hospital. He died in 1925, and was buried in the Cal- vary Cemetery of his home town. Mt. Sterling. The pastors of St. Patrick Parish from Father Cusack to and includ- ing Father Weigand were assisted successively by Fathers Paul Sims, John Kelly, Antony Hockmiller. George Hensey, W. L. Quatman, A. Schokaert and A. P. Podgoresk. July 1, 1908, a successor to Father Weigand was named in the person of Reverend John P. Moroney, who, during the ten preceding years, was Pastor of the Mother of Sorrows Church, Vandalia. On assuming charge, the new Pastor found many difficulties to be overcome. Dis- sensions had arisen within the con- gregation during the reign of his predecessor and were now assuming serious proportions. Father Mor- oney, however, was eminently suited (none more so) to meet and solve the delicate situation. He was young, full of priestly enthusiasm, endowed with a pleasing personal- ity, and a spiritual and financial diplomat to his finger tips. The result was that in a very short time he had wiped out all trace of trouble, and had the congregation working harmoniously and ready to obey his slightest behest. With his people united and whole- heartedly behind his projects, Father Moroney began a series of buildings — Parish House, Huber Memorial Hospital, Villa St. John (Nurses' Home), Community House. a large addition to Sacred Heart School, and the new St. Patrick Church — which, taken in the group, have as yet no rival in this Diocese. These buildings are the outcome of the trinity, vision, generosity, and sacrifice, the story of which would inspire to relate in detail. But here the reader must be content with a mere mention of the outstanding facts explanatory of each. The parsonage, the first of the group in order of time, was erected and ready for occupancy in 1911. It is a large handsome home, standing on a lot formerly owned by the Dowlings. The following year, the Huber Mem- orial Hospital was erected on a spacious site, five blocks south of the church. This hospital, thorough- ly modern in design and equipment, is state accredited and can easily ac- commodate sixty patients. The Soeurs Miserecordes from Montreal are in charge. Next came the sub- stantial addition to the parochial school effecting an almost complete transformation by giving it four times its original capacity. The school is in the capable hands of eight Dominican Sisters from Sacred Heart Convent, Springfield, Illinois. Villa St. John, a beautiful combina- tion home for the Hospital Sisters and Nurses, and a large Parish Com- munity House, one of the first and finest of its kind in the state, were the next to take rise under the in- spiration of Father Moroney. All these buildings are imposing in design and substantially con- structed of brick. One would suppose that after so much work, Father Moroney would 306 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE QUINCY — ALTON now rest a little. But not so, for it was then he began the crowning work of his material accomplish- ments, the building of the new St. Patrick Church. This splendid Romanesque edifice is constructed of steel, cement and brick with Bed- ford Stone trimmings. The corner stone was laid August 21, 1924, and quite appropriately on March 17, 1926, the new St. Patrick Church— the vision splendid realized — was solemnly dedicated by Right Rev- erend James A. Griffin, Ordinary of the Diocese, in the presence of a large outpouring of clergy and laity. It is a very graceful and imposing structure ; the writer has seen few such in the Middle West. Its crown- ing glory is its magnificent dome — the sight of all sights worth seeing in Pana. High above the union of the transverse lines of the cruciform church this wonderful half sphere rests beautiful and calm as if held in place by some mighty invisible hand. Let me summarize by saying that this new church, together with its five auxiliary buildings, is just cause for pride among the Catholics of Pana. In addition it is a great civic asset and is so regarded by the cit- izens in general irrespective of reli- gious affiliation. Father Moroney's material accom- plishments, great though they be, are yet but the compliment to his spiritual labors in the Parish. Dur- ing his administration over one thousand persons have been bap- tized, more than 1,600 confirmed, over 400 couples joined in holy wed- lock, and the last rites of Holy Church pronounced over numerous dying and dead. Since 1924 Bishop Griffin has visited the Parish three times and on each occasion con- firmed a large class. In his pastoral work, material and spiritual, Father Moroney has re- ceived able assistance from the fol- lowing named priests in the order herein given : Father Francis Shiels, Michael Joseph Mee, Patrick Fox, Andrew E. Robinson, William Whal- en, Edmund A. Carey, and Joseph E. Drackert, the present assistant. The Parish Societies too — Holy Name, B. V. M. Sodality, Altar and St. Ann So- cieties, etc., have ever been ready to lend a helping hand. A notable event which must be here recorded is the celebration of Father Moroney 's twenty-fifth anniversary in the priesthood which took place June 8, 1920. On that occasion, the Reverend Jubilarian 's popularity was made plainly evident by the number of priests and people who attended the festivities. Very Reverend Dean Carroll sang the Solemn High Mass, and Doctor W. P. Barr, CM., of Ken- rick Seminary, St. Louis, preached the sermon. Pana has given three sons to the priesthood, Fathers Edmund A. Brodmann, James O'Connor, and Leo Phillips, and many consecrated daughters now serving God in re- ligious communities throughout the country claim it as their home parish. Three hundred six families of various nationalities totaling more than twelve hundred persons in all make up the congregation at the pres- ent writing. The school has a float- ing average of three hundred pupils. Reviewing the active pastorate of Father Moroney we wonder not that he should break under the strain necessitated by so many arduous la- bors, spiritual and material. In 1926, immediately following the dedication of the new church, his health gave way thus compelling him to take a year's vacation to restore it. During his absence Fathers Dominic F. Lydon and William Sullivan were in charge of the parish the former for the first four months until his going to the St. Louis University, and the latter the remaining eight months until his ap- pointment to the pastorate of Ston- ington. Father Moroney is now re- 307 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS newed in health to the great joy of all who know him and is again in pas- toral harness, guiding with undi- minished devotion the destinies of the people of Pana whom he has so long and faithfully served. Church of St. Mary, Paris, Edgar County, Illinois Established in 1858 Present Pastor : Reverend Jeremiah Cronin The construction of what is now known as the Big Four Railroad, be- tween Terre Haute and St. Louis, brought so many Catholics to Paris, through which the road passes, that Reverend Thomas Ryan changed his residence from North Arm to Paris in 1858. In 1861, Reverend James Dempsey succeeded Father Ryan, re- mained only a few months and was re- placed in Paris by Reverend Joseph Vahey, who had a small frame church and rectory constructed in the west part of town. Up to this time, Mass was offered and other services held in structures erected originally for other purposes in different parts of the new town. Reverend Henry Joseph Hoven succeeded Father Vahey toward the close of 1862, and in November, 1864, Father Zingshein took Father Hoven 's place. Father Laurent was put in charge in 1865, and Reverend John A. Sullivan resided here from 1866 to 1869. Reverend Longinus Quitter seems to have ministered here for a short time before the incumbency of Reverend Thomas F. Mangan in 1869 and 1870. Reverend Sylvester Wege- ner was in charge from 1870 to 1873, and Reverend Adam J. Pennartz in 1873 and 1874, then came Father Wegener again for a few months to be succeeded in 1874 by Father Bar- nard Hasse who remained until 1880. Reverend Philip Joseph Becker had charge for a short time in 1880 and the Reverend Patrick Francis Car- roll from 1880 to 1882; then came Reverend Thomas Masterson from 1882 to 1884, and Father Joseph Post- ner from 1885 to 1898. Father Post- ner labored for the construction of a new church and raised some fifteen thousand dollars for this purpose. Reverend Bernard Lee succeeded Father Joseph Anthony Postner in 1898. Under his leadership, the pres- ent church was erected on North Main Street, a splendid Gothic building of brick with Bedford stone veneer, hav- ing a seating capacity of six hundred and worth at least $150,000. Father Lee also built a substantial brick school, having an auditorium large enough to seat more than four hun- dred. A spacious parsonage, modern and comfortable also stands to his credit. These two buildings are worth not less than $50,000. Reverend Michael J. Minehan as- sisted Father Lee from 1898 until 1902, taking care principally of the Catholics resident at North Arm, for whom Father Lee had erected, during the time of his residence in Paris, a good brick church, worth today not less than $20,000. Reverend John Crosson succeeded Father Minehan and remained assistant in Paris un- til 1905. Reverend Patrick Fallon took charge as pastor in 1904, and died in October, 1921. During this period, besides Father Crosson, he was assisted by Father Peter Masterson, 1905 to 1908 ; by Father John Enright, 1908 to 1910; by Father James McCarthy from 1910 until his death in an auto- mobile accident, together with John Dugan, a prominent parishioner, in September, 1915. Reverend Michael Donahoe suc- ceeded Father James McCarthy and remained until Reverend Patrick A. Lvons took Father Fallon's place in 1921. Reverend Philip O 'Reilly suc- ceeded Father Donahoe in November, 1921, and remained until June, 1924, when Father Daniel O 'Grady took his place, remaining until Januarj', 1925. After the death of Father Lyons in January, 1925, Reverend Jeremiah 308 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY ALTON Cronin was appointed to his place with Reverend William J. Wozniak assisting. Father John Sullivan who recently came from Ireland, is now assistant. The parish school at St. Mary's has a present enrollment of sixty-three pupils. The Sisters of St. Dominic of Springfield, Illinois, are in charge of the school. The building which the Sisters now occupy was erected dur- ing the pastorate of Father Fallon. At the present writing, the parish has 180 families, and the following active societies: Young Ladies' So- dality, Altar Society, Holy Name So- ciety, Holy Childhood, Propagation of Faith, League of the Sacred Heart. Church of St. Louis, Nokomis, Montgomery County, Illinois Established in 1859 Present Pastor : Reverend Clement Johannes The history of St. Louis Church of Nokomis dates back to the year 1859, when Father Colton of Litch- field attended this place as a station, coming about once a year to give the few Catholics in this vicinity an op- portunity of performing their Eas- ter', duties. This was three years after the first post office had been established here upon the completion of the Alton and Terre Haute, now the Big Four Railroad. Until 1867 irregular services were held in private houses, most frequently at the home of Thomas Tuohy, who was then foreman of the section and kept a boarding house for the section men in a building which stood just north of the railroad and just east of Spruce street. Beginning with 1867 Father Thomas Cusack attended No- komis regularly once a month, and services were held in what was known as Blue's Hall at the corner- of State and Spruce streets. Father Cusack was succeeded by Father Edward Welch, and he by Father Julian Turmell, under whom on July 4, 1870, the congregation was organized with the incorporated title "St. Louis' Roman Catholic Church of Nokomis, Montgomery County, Illinois." A little later on, an effort was made to change the name of St. Louis to St. Patrick, but permission to do so would not be granted. There are now in 1925 only two members of that time still living: Mrs. Mary A. Singer, who came to Nokomis in 1859, and Mrs. Anna Monaghan, who came about the year 1867. In 1871 it was decided to build a frame church 34x54 feet and 20 feet to the ceiling. At the time the con- gregation numbered but 25 families, about half of them Irish and half German, and it was found a difficult task to raise the $2,300 needed to pay for the church; but with the generous aid of Nokomis merchants and other outsiders it was finally accomplished. In 1873 Father Frederic Lohmann, located at Hillsboro, bcame the at- tending priest until March, 1876, when he was succeeded by Reverend Peter Joseph Virnich, who remained in charge until October, 1881. In the meantime the congregation had grown until the capacity of the church was taxed, and in 1879 an addition was built large enough to give the needed room. Shortly before Father Virnich left, a tract of land containing three acres was purchased for a cemetery, which in due time was consecrated. Reverend John Storp became pas- tor in 1881, and in the following year bought a small frame building situ- ated on the present church property for the sum of $924.00, the same to be used as a rectory. In 1883 an ad- dition was built and in 1884 Father Strop took up his residence there, thus becoming the first resident pas- tor. From now on the pastor's time was entirely devoted to this congrega- tion, whereas before it had been at- tended from Hillsboro only twice a 309 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS month. There were at this time a little more than a hundred families. Reverend Patrick A. Lyons re- placed Father Strop in November, 1893 and remained until July, 1897, when Reverend Clement Johannes was appointed pastor. For some years the necessity of a new church had been recognized, and the new pastor was urged by his superior to make every effort in his power towards the attainment of that end. On May 1, 1898, a meeting was called to consider the matter. At this meeting the pastor offered to con- tribute $1,000 towards the erection of a new and handsome church, and this aroused the enthusiasm of those pres- ent to such a degree that it was de- cided to make the effort. Father Johannes immediately began an ac- tive canvass for funds and met with such success that the erection of a structure of which the congregation might be proud was soon assured. Plans were secured, and under the supervision of M. Ohlman, II. J. Ben- der and William Oberle, directors, and David Herlihy and Frank Yackle, trustees, the contract was let to H. Bergefeldt of Effingham, and the work of building began. On July 4, 1899, the corner stone was laid with impressive ceremonies by the Very Reverend Vicar General, Timothy Hickey, in the presence of a great throng, notwithstanding the rain which was almost incessant through- out the day. Work continued from that time until completion was reached, and on May 24, 1900, Ascen- sion Day, the finest church in Mont- gomery County was dedicated, a last- ing and magnificent monument to the Catholics of Nokomis. The building is constructed of lime- stone and pressed brick in Roman- esque style, with trimmings of Bed- ford stone and a slate roof, and cov- ers a ground space of 55x120 feet. The auditorium is 84 feet deep and 40 feet from floor to ceiling, with beautiful stained windows letting in plenty of light. A tower 130 feet high and surmounted by a large gilded cross rises from the southwest corner of the building, and contains a peal of three bells. A practical organ cost- ing $1,650.00 and built especially to fit the surroundings adorns the gal- lery, and the main altar at the op- posite end was erected at a cost of $1,000.00. The ceiling and side walls are beautifully frescoed. It is heated by steam and lighted with 236 incan- descent lights. The cost of the church complete was $27,000. On the day of the dedication Bishop Ryan of Alton celebrated Mass at 7 o'clock in the old church and gave Holy Communion to the Confirma- tion class. At 10 o'clock the dedica- tion of the new church began. Bishop Ryan, preceded by a number of priests, proceeded from the rectory to the main entrance of the new church and there began the blessing of the structure. When the doors had been thrown open for admission and the building was well crowded, the Rev- erend Andrew Btuzkueben, O.F.M., of Quincy delivered an impressive sermon in German. Solemn High Mass was then celebrated, with Rev- erend John Storp as celebrant, Rev- erend Thomas Masterson as deacon and Very Reverend Patrick J. Car- roll as sub-deacon ; Very Reverend F. II. Zabel, D.D., and Very Reverend Ferdinand Stik assisting at the throne. After the gospel, Bishop Ryan addressed the congregation in English. In the afternoon a class of 39 males and 27 females was confirmed by Bishop Ryan, and in the evening Father William Heffernan of Shel- byville delivered a lecture, taking for his subject "The Church," which was treated in an able manner. At each service the new church was filled to its capacity, and at the dedicatory service not all who wished to attend could get in. On August 25th, St. Louis' Day of the same year, a peal of three bells was blessed by the Very Reverend Ferdinand Stick, D.D., after a Solemn High Mass celebrated by the Very Reverend Francis H. Zabel, D.D., as- 310 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON sisted by Fathers William Weigand and Henry Eggenstein as deacon and sub-deacon respectively. The largest bell, weighing 1,100 pounds, was blessed in honor of St. Louis ; the sec- ond, weight 600 pounds, in honor of St. Patrick, and the smallest, weigh- ing 350 pounds, in honor of St. Boni- face. On Sunday, August 24, 1902, our beautiful stations were blessed and erected by Reverend Andrew Butz- kueben, O.F.M., then pastor of St. Francis Church, Quincy, Illinois. In the afternoon of the same day the same Father blessed a large iron crucifix in the cemetery. On both oc- casions he also delivered the sermon. During the course of the year 1904, the old church was torn down and re- built at Witt, where it was given the name St. Barbara. On August 6, 1907, a cyclone struck Nokomis and tore away the steeple of the church as also a part of the main roof ; but the damage was fully covered by insurance, and soon a more beautiful and more substantial steeple replaced the old one. To- gether with the erection of a new steeple was also begun the building of a new rectory for which plans had al- ready been accepted. It was com- pleted towards the end of 1908 at a cost of $10,000.00, exclusive of con- tents. As a result of the sinking of two mines in the neighborhood of No- komis, one in 1906, and the other in 1912, the congregation, and especial- ly the number of children, had grown to such an extent that a school became imperative. Plans for a school and Sisters' residence combined were submitted by the architect, F. A. Ludewig of St. Louis, with the un- derstanding that the building was not to be much in excess of $25,000. The contract was let to Mr. H. Wardein of Alton for some $26,000.00. Work was begun in the Spring of 1916 with the intention of having the school ready for September, but it was soon evident that this could not be done. The opening of the school did not take place until September, 1917, in which year the School Sisters of Notre Dame took charge. The present school en- rollment is 161. On August 20, 1918, it was 25 years since Sister Superioress had made her profession. In order to celebrate the day of her Silver Jubilee in a worthy manner, Miss Bertha J. Sing- er and the pastor had the chapel of the convent, which was still bare, fur- nished with a beautiful little altar and the necessary pews. On the day itself the first Mass — a High Mass- was celebrated there by the pastor who also congratulated the jubilarian in a short address delivered after the Mass. On May 30, 1920, the Golden Jubilee of the parish was celebrated with Solemn High Mass. A grand sermon was delivered on the occasion by Father Fridolin, O.M.C., and a splendid entertainment given in the afternoon and the next day in the school hall. On September 19, of the same year, the institution of Nokomis Council No. 2189, Knights of Columbus, took place with a big initiation. This was followed by a banquet under a tent put up on the lawn back of the church. On May 26, 1922, a surprise was sprung on the pastor. It being twenty-five years since his appoint- ment to Nokomis, a Solemn High Mass was celebrated to commemorate the occasion and Reverend John P. Moroney preached an appropriate sermon. On the same day an enter- tainment was given in the school hall at which a purse of about $3,000.00 was presented to the Reverend Jubi- larian who at once placed it to the church account. On the following June 15, Corpus Christi Day, Reverend Jerome L. Marley, a child of the congregation, celebrated his first Solemn High Mass, Father O'Malley of the Ken- rick Seminary preaching an eloquent sermon on the occasion. Dinner for the visiting clergy and the relatives was served in the school hall. 311 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Church of the Immaculate Conception, Carlinville, Macoupin County, Illinois Established in 1859 Present Pastor : Reverend George P. Hensey The marshes of this part of the State were drained and cultivated by emigrants from Ireland, England, and Germany, coming here as early as 1820. A small struggling village was started in the midst of these swamps, and took the proud name of Carlinville in honor of Thomas Car- lin, then Governor of Illinois. There were about fifteen Catholic families in and around this village without a church or the consolations of religion. The exiles from Erin yearned for a temple of God, be it ever so humble, where they might feel at home even in the midst of poverty and trackless prairies. Mr. John Dohony, a pious pioneer, opened his doors and fitted up a room in his log cabin for the missionary to offer the Holy Sacrifice of Mass and to admin- ister the Sacraments. Thus, in 1857- 58, the few children of the Church would assemble at the home of Mr. Dohony before a rude altar, in a home of poverty, to honor and thank God, and to keep the Faith they received on the hallowed soil of Ireland. The Reverend Patrick Kerren col- lected four hundred dollars after many heartaches and weeks of pa- tient toil ,and in the summer of 1859 a small brick building planned under the fostering care of Fathers Kerren and Schreiber was completed in a month. This building, though small and bearing the evidence of time, still stands on the west part of the parish property as a silent memorial of the piety and apostolic zeal of pioneer priests and people. This was the first Temple of God in the village of Car- linville. Soon the scattered children of the Church assembled in larger numbers and invited the exiles of Germany to enjoy the blessings of religion. In a few years, the congregation in- creased to thirty families and chil- dren were in evidence everywhere. Reverend John Janssen, after- wards Bishop of Belleville, saw the necessity of a larger and more elab- orate structure. In November, 1867, Father Janssen planned and col- lected funds for the magnificent building of today. March 5, 1868, Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, D.D., then Bishop of Alton, laid the corner stone of St. Mary's before the largest throng ever as- sembled in the history of the village. It is a historical fact that many of the faithful in spite of their poor facilities of transportation came a distance of 50 miles to be present at the ceremony. In the summer of 1869, a cyclone passed over Carlinville, and tested the faith of the pious people by leveling the Church to the ground. After this catastrophe, that might shake the faith in any heart, we find the exiles of Erin with the patience of Job and the faith of St. Peter gathering the fragments to- gether and rebuilding their Temple of God. The Catholics of German descent, however, decided to separate from the Parish and to build a church of their own. Bishop Baltes, gave ap- proval, and soon the church of St. Joseph was erected, and still claims the children of those that aban- doned St. Mary's in 1859. The present magnificent structure was ready for divine worship in a few months, and the saintly Father Hoven offered the first Mass, Au- gust 15, 1860. The Church of St. Mary is indeed a beautiful specimen of the Gothic Architecture with harmony all around. The interior is devotional and beautified by masterpieces of art. The three altars are in keeping 312 Nokomis si. Louis Church, Rev. C. Johannes, Pastor, Old Church, School . . . Lit* h- field Interior of si. Main's Church, si. Muni's School, Rectory . . . New Berlin Sacred Heart of Mary Church, School, Rectory . . . Winchestei si Mark's Church, Re\ M.J. O'Mullane, Pastor. Tk£ LIBRAKY Of Thfc HRIYERSmf OF SLU«0»S EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE QUINCY ALTON with the Gothic taste, and the sanc- tuary, gorgeous and spacious, will accommodate one hundred people. The large pipe organ is the latest in organ building and one of the finest in the diocese. At present the parish has 85 fam- ilies and the following societies which contribute much to its social life: Altar Society, Young Ladies' Sodality, Knights of Columbus, Catholic Daughters of America, Catholic Boys Brigade, and Holy Name Society. The following is a list of priests who, from the earliest records, la- bored in St. Mary's Parish: Rev- erend Patrick Kerren, 1858-59 ; Rev- erend John J. Brennan, 1859-61 ; Reverend Francis Schreiber, 1861- 67 ; Reverend John Janssen, 1867-68 ; Reverend Henry Hoven, 1868-78 ; Reverend Lawrence Hoey, 1879-88 ; Reverend John Patrick Kerr, 1889- 93; Reverend John C. Daw, 1893- 95 ; Reverend . Thomas Masterson, 1895-99; Reverend Thomas Costello. 1899-1909; Reverend Andrew A. McDonnell, 1909-25; Reverend Wil- liam A. Toomey, Reverend Andrew Robinson, 1925 ; Reverend George Hensey, 1925 . Church of St. Fidelis, Arenzville, Cass County, Illinois Established in 1859 Present Pastor : Reverend Joseph 'Dwyer The first organization of the town of Arenzville occurred July 9, 1853, when the first election for Town Trustees was held. A Catholic, Fran- cis Avery, was elected the first pres- ident. Father Heimerling visited Arenz- ville in the year 1859. He made ar- rangements to say Mass twice a year for the seven Catholic families there. It is probable that he attended it from Beardstown. From 1866 to 1868, the people were without Mass. Reverend Albert C. Busch attended them from 1868 to 1873, but only about three times a year and then Mass was celebrated on a week day. The following are the old settlers from 1864 to 1871: Mr. and Mrs. Stauf, Mr. and Mrs. Sewalt, Mr. and Mrs. Hites, Mr. and Mrs. Stephan, Mrs. Edward Hienz, Mr. and Mrs. Yeek and Mr. Francis Arenz. From 1859 to 1882, Mass was said in various houses. In the year 1882, a few Catholic members came from Germany. One was Valentine Hab- ling, who proved a very valuable ad- dition to the church. He was instru- mental in buying a home, consisting of two rooms, which was situated on the site of the present church. It was well calculated to provide a house of worship for the little congregation. Reverend William Weigand was pas- tor at this time. He was succeeded by Father Gesenhues, who, realizing that the little building was too small for the congregation, built the present church which was dedicated on October 13, 1899. It was attended from Beardstown during those years until in the year 1902, Right Rever- end James Ryan, Bishop of Alton, Illinois, attached it to Virginia. From 1902-06, and from 1906-15, it was attended by Reverend Michael J. Davis, and Reverend Jeremiah Cron- in, respectively. The present pastor, Reverend Joseph O 'Dwyer, has been in charge since 1915. The congregation at this writing consists of sixteen families, and is at- tended from Virginia. Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Litchfield, Montgomery County, Illinois Established in 1859 Present Pastor: Very Reverend Patrick F. Carroll, R.D. When the engineers of the Terre Haute and Alton railroad were lay- ing out the line of that road, they in- dicated, in a general way, the spots 313 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS where prospective towns might be lo- cated. The site of what is now Litch- field was recommended and chosen for a town where the undulating prairie merges into the broken ground approaching the channel through which Shoal Creek runs, as affording good drainage and possibly a good water supply. A syndicate composed of Josiah Hunt, Chief Engineer of the Railroad, Honorable Joseph Gil- lespie of Edwardsville, and others, bought out the original owners and proceeded to lay out the town. This work was done in October, 1853 by the County Surveyor, Thomas A. Gray, who marked the main streets as well as the boundary lines by fur- rows plowed through the corn fields. The interests of the syndicate were finally sold to E. B. Litchfield of Brooklyn, New York, and it was his name that was given to the town. On November 24, 1854, the railroad con- struction reached the western lines of Litchfield and was made the occasion of a joyous celebration on the part of the people of the surrounding country, and the workmen — the build- ers of the road. The rumor that the railroad would build shops here caused quite a rise in real estate values and lots which had formerly sold for Ten Dollars now advanced to Fifty Dollars. At the close of 1854 there had been erected six small frame dwellings and by the close of 1855 their number had increased to ten. In 1855, toward the close of the year, ground was broken for the new railroad shops and the place began to assume the proportions of a real city. Very many of the men employed in the construction of the railroad were Irishmen — strong, brainy, and vigor- ous in body and mind, and above all firm in the love of their religion and the utmost fidelity in the practice of their Faith. Such was the character of the founders of St. Mary's Parish. They soon won and then retained the respect and esteem of their fellow citi- zens. The greatest good will and help- ful harmony prevailed everywhere. This has been maintained among the representative people of the com- munity down to the present time. There was a happy, glad, buoyant spirit everywhere, "And the resonant Irish brogue could be heard on every hand." About this time also some immigrants from Ireland bought land and proceeded to establish their homes in this community. Among them were Michael Kelly, David Flynn, Timothy Dinkins, John Doran, Michael Cleary and others. In 1856 the Catholics began to build homes and contributed their share to the substantial advancement of the city. In 1857 Reverend P. Cody from Paris, Illinois, came to minister to their spiritual needs. He arrived in Litchfield on November 7, 1857, and the next day Mass was cele- brated for the first time in Litchfield, in the home of John Timmons on the corner of Fourth and Jackson Streets. The first baptism took place on November 8, 1857, wl tn James, the son of Michael and Catherine O'Neil, was baptized in their home. Father Cody continued to come to Litchfield about once a month and celebrated Mass in various homes, particularly in those of Owen Mc- Shane and Martin Lynch. Beginning about the middle of June, 1858, Father James J. Brennan of Alton, looked after the mission until Feb- ruary, 1859. About March 1, 1859, Reverend Michael Colton was ap- pointed the first resident pastor of Litchfield and at once began the work of providing a place of worship for the people. His efforts were gladly seconded by the people and within a year a modest brick church was erect- ed on the corner of Columbia and Jackson Streets. The pastor was able to collect about one-half of the cost as well as look after the providing of materials and other necessary details of the work. The other half was taken care of by loans made by the members out of their little savings, among them was one by Martin Lynch for Seven Hundred Dollars, which he aft- 314 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON erwards generously cancelled, thus making a very large contribution to the Church. In November, 1860, Father Colton was succeeded by Rev- erend C. Gonant, who took up his residence in the small dwelling near the church, rented for his use by the congregation. He at once set about liquidating the debt which the con- gregation had incurred in building the church and also raised a fund for a more commodious dwelling. He was soon able to erect a neat, substantial, two-story brick residence. This he paid for as well as the balance due on the church. The congregation now grew by leaps and bounds, for a considerable number of families had settled on the land in that vicinity, and from Mt. Olive and as far south as Staunton, from Clyde now known as Hornsby, from Gillespie and from Raymond, came people to St. Mary's as their parish church. These with the large number of workmen in the shops, on the railroad, and in the Planet Mill, constituted a large parish. This will be evident when we note that the number of baptisms in the year 1869 had risen to eighty-eight, and the Easter Communions to Seven Hun- dred Sixty. In January, 1870, Father Gonant was succeeded by Reverend Leopold Moczygemba, O.M.C., who seeing the large number of children that thronged the church on Sundays, for Catechism and Instructions, set about building a school. He moved out from the dwelling erected by his predecessor and made it the central part of a new building, placing an addition on eacli end, one for the school and the other for the convent. The school and convent formed quite an imposing building for that time and held the honor, for many years, of being the best building in Litch- field. The Ursuline Sisters, from Al- ton, were the teachers and conducted a very successful parish school, as well as an academy for young ladies. The school and academy were patron- ized by considerable numbers of Protestants, especially those of Ger- man nationality who were then com- ing to this locality in large numbers. Hardly had the school building been finished when the city and con- gregation suffered a very severe set- back in the removal of the railroad shops to Mattoon. A very large num- ber of the people who worked in the shops moved with them to that city, among them many Catholics. The congregation, however, met the crisis with fortitude, and with the building of the new car works in 1872 the town resumed its normal condition of pros- perity. On April 10, 1873, Father Moczygemba was succeeded by the Reverend Anthony Vogt who con- tinued the work of his predecessor until August, 1874, when he in turn was succeeded by the Reverend J. Meckel. The principal event occurring dur- ing Father Meckel's administration was the coming of the Hospital Sis- ters of St. Francis, from Springfield, to establish a hospital in Litchfield. They occupied a small building, for- merly a dwelling on the corner of Columbia and Jackson Streets op- posite the church and from this mod- est beginning has developed the mag- nificent Hospital now located on State Street, and which is the second largest institution of its kind in the Diocese. The congregation is indeed indebted to the sisters of the Hospital for their faithful assistance in the up- building of the parish and the com- ing of the institution marked a red letter day in the history of the city, whether it be considered as a center radiating Catholic faith and life, or as exhibiting the power of Catholic Charity or as a financial asset in the city's development. On January 1, 1876, Father Wil- liam Cluse succeeded Father Meckel, continuing his pastorate until Oc- tober 1, 188] . His name is still held in benediction in the parish by all who knew him. During his adminis- tration the new cemetery, five acres in extent and beautifully located, was purchased and laid out at the 315 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS cost of nearly $1,000.00. It was consecrated by Bishop Baltes in June, 1876, named Holy Cross Cem- etery, and into it are now gathered all the pioneer settlers with scarcely an exception and their memory is cherished with profoundest respect and grateful admiration. In Oc- tober, 1881, Father Cluse was trans- ferred to Germantown and Reverend Michael Weis was appointed to suc- ceed him. He remained only a few months being sent on May 1, as pastor to SS. Peter and Paul Church in Springfield. On the 21st of June, 1882, Rev- erend Patrick P. Carroll was ap- pointed pastor of St. Mary Church and on August 1st of that year en- tered upon his duties. He was accorded a very hearty welcome by the community at large. The No- vember following his arrival, a fair was held which netted $1,102.10, an amount exceptionally large for the time, which gave the people the greatest hope that they would be able to build the new church which Bishop Baltes had declared to be a "really urgent necessity". In accordance with the wish of the pastor, a meeting was called in May, 1883, to apportion among the members the amount each should pay to raise the first $10,000.00. A few minutes before the hour ap- pointed for the meeting a committee representing the German portion of the congregation called on Father Carroll and announced their deter- mination to build a church for them- selves. This withdrawal of a little more than one-third of the congrega- tion, already diminished in numbers by the establishment of parishes in the neighboring towns, caused some apprehension. Nevertheless, the morale and efficiency of St. Mary's remained unimpaired by the defec- tion. Preliminary steps to building the new church were taken as if nothing had happened. Two years were devoted to collecting funds and providing material for the building. Six lots, facing on State Street where the church now stands, were purchased from Father Cluse, C. J. Ludeman, and Peter Kane at a cost of $1,800.00. On the 16th of May, 1886, the corner stone was laid by the Very Reverend John Jannsen, Administrator of the Diocese. Very Reverend Monsignor Timothy Hick- ey, V.G., preached the sermon, which was a masterpiece of earnest, inspir- ing eloquence. On Christmas morn- ing, in 1886, the first Mass was cel- ebrated in the new church in the presence of a great throng of people, happy and joyous to see their dream of a new church realized. On July 1, 1888, the church was dedicated by Right Reverend James Ryan, while Bishop Spaulding of Peoria, with characteristic eloquence, preached the sermon of the occasion to a large and representative audience. The cost of the church without any furnishings was $26,700.00. This, with the cost of the lots upon which it stands, brings the total, not in- cluding furnishings, to $28,500.00. In 1890 a new and commodious pastoral residence costing $8,700 was erected beside the church and facing State Street. After nearly twenty years, the walls and ceiling of the church had become a little dingy and a renova- tion was thought desirable. Lieber Brothers of Louisville, Kentucky, did the work and made the interior of the church beautiful indeed. Mr. C. Lieber also painted the figures of the four Evangelists which adorn the sides of the sanctuary. In 1902 electric lights were installed in the church and house at a cost of $312.00. That same year the interior beauty of the church was further enhanced by the installation of new altars, stations of the cross, statuary, etc. These furnishings were all donations by the pastor and the people. In 1892 the Dominican Sisters from Springfield took charge of St. Mary School. Mother Thomasina was superior and with her were Sister Mary Lawrence and Sister 316 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON Regina. They were industrious, devout religious who took up their work with a sympathetic interest in their precious charges. Their work has been eminently successful. In 1925 a new steam heating plant was installed in the convent and school, and a new and beautiful chapel ar- ranged for the Sisters, and other im- provements made at a cost of $5,300.00. The hope had been cher- ished that an entirely new school building could be erected to take the place of the old one and for this purpose a fund of $20,000.00 was very generously subscribed. How- ever, prices of material and the cost of construction had increased to such a figure that it was thought best not to incur a heavy debt in carrying out the work immediately. Accordingly, the money was invested in Government Bonds at a rate of interest which will increase it to $30,000.00 in ten years. This will enable the congregation to build a beautiful and well appointed new school without having to contract a heavy indebtedness. Tn the mean- time the old school building will serve its purpose very well. The following gentlemen have had the honor of being Trustees of St. Mary Church: D. J. Allman, B. Mc- Shane, Daniel Ganey, P. Kelly, D. Mclnerney, R. McElligott, C. B. Mun- day, and M. W. Kniery. A Cemetery organization estab- lished in 1925, and composed of twelve lay members and Fathers Car- roll and Stengel, see to it that God's Acre is kept neat and trim as becomes the last resting place of the dear de- parted dead. The parish at present consists of 115 families totaling about 426 souls, and a school enrollment of 115 pupils. From this history of St. Mary 's Par- ish it must not be inferred that the brick and mortar period engaged all the energy of the congregation for the spiritual part has been truly vital. The Holy Name Society claims nearly every man in the congregation. The League of the Sacred Heart draws large numbers of men and women, boys and girls, to Communion every First Friday. The Sodality of the Blessed Virgin is indeed a select group of the best young ladies in the parish. The Society of the Propaga- tion of the Faith has a large member- ship, and the children's Auxiliary to this organization includes all the children in the parish. The Litch- field Council of the Knights of Col- umbus has a large membership and their strong influence is always for good. From out of the parish have come six priests. Twelve young ladies have entered religious com- munities of Sisters. On May 18, 1924, Bishop Griffin made his first visit to Litchfield and was given an enthusiastic welcome by the members of both St. Mary's and. St. Aloysius Parishes, while a parade of about 100 automobiles led by the Hillsboro band conveyed him to St. Mary's where a great throng of peo- ple, Catholic and Protestant, had as- sembled on the lawn. Father Carroll introduced Judge Harry C. Stuttle who made a fine address of welcome, and the Bishop fittingly acknowl- edged the sentiments expressed and the welcome given him. On Sunday morning, May 19, Bishop Griffin offered the first Pon- tifical High Mass ever celebrated in this section, with Father Carroll as assistant priest, Father Oppenheim and Father Weigand as deacons of honor, and Fathers Tarrent and Sten- gel as deacon and sub-deacon respec- tively. Special music was rendered by the choir which was augmented for the service by an orchestra composed of Mrs. C. F. Bartling, Mrs. L. A. Hussey, and Carl H. Zuber. The Bishop preached a beautiful sermon and confirmed 124 persons, making the day one long to be remembered as an occasion of joyous solemnity and inspiring interest. At the country's call, 36 young men of the congregation enlisted in the late war, one of whom, Edward A. Kniery, died in action while two 317 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS others died as a direct result of ail- ments contracted in the service. A history of St. Mary's Parish would indeed be incomplete without a few words of appreciation of the un- tiring and self-sacrificing labor of our zealous and saintly pastor, Very Reverend Dean P. E. Carroll, un- selfishly expended during his forty- four years as our spiritual director. Coming to St. Mary in the flower of his youth, a strong, vigorous, young priest, he immediately took up the heavy task which awaited him and in the face of numerous obstacles reared an edifice that would do credit to a much larger congregation than that of which he is the pastor. His school has always been a source of inspira- tion to his people, and every year his Novena to the Sacred Heart, with its brilliant closing service, is looked for- ward to with joyous anticipation, not only by the people of his own parish, but by the priests and people in all the surrounding towns. Of the congregation of sturdy Irish immigrants who received Father Car- roll as their pastor upon his coming to Litchfield, only a few remain, but the great love he won from them he now gives back in fullest measure to their children and their children's children. His brilliant mind and keen intellect, his dignity and reserve, and his steadfast fidelity to the prin- ciples of righteousness command for him the respect and esteem of his neighbors of all classes and creeds. No pastor in the Diocese is more loved and respected and none more worthy of honor. A beautiful and co-operative spirit of good will exists between the Catho- lics and the non-Catholics of Litch- field — a spirit in no small measure due to the benign influence of the venerable Dean Carroll. Since this manuscript of the his- tory of St. Mary's Church has been written, the fund started in 1920 for improving the school and convent, amounting to $21,000.00, has encour- aged the pastor and his people to go forward with the prospective im- provements. Plans were prepared by E. A. Felix formerly of Litchfield, now of St. Louis. A beautiful new community hall and auditorium has been erected. The front is particularly imposing consisting of four fine columns of classic form of fine Bedford stone. The dimensions are seventy-five feet long and thirty-four feet wide. The height of the ceiling is twenty-two feet. The building has a fine stage and seating capacity of about three hundred. The convent building has been ve- neered with Alton buff brick to har- monize with the new building and together they present a very fine ap- pearance. The school rooms have been remodeled, new floors and new ceiling, giving it the appearance of a new structure. The steeple of the church will be started at once generally adding to the beauty of the buildings. These improvements when complete will approximate $27,000.00. The veteran Pastor, Dean Carroll, is very happy over the successful completion of this work, which rep- resents the culmination of many and varied building activities sponsored by him during his long and fruit- ful pastorate of forty-six years in Litchfield. Church of All Saints, White Hall, Greene County, Illinois Established in 1859 Present Pastor : Reverend Frank Lawler As early as 1859 Whitehall had an organized Catholic mission which was then attended from Jerseyville, and continued so to be attended for a number of years afterwards. In 1883 a church building, dedicated to All Saints, was erected by Reverend Joseph Metzler, the then incumbent of Brighton. A resident priest in the person of the Reverend John Die- 318 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON trick was now sent to take charge of the parish. It must have been quite a nourishing parish at this time since only important congregations were given resident pastors in an age when priests were so scarce. It is evident, however, that All Saints did not long remain independent, for in 1886 we find it annexed to Murrayville from which place it was administered dur- ing the following few years by Fath- ers Patrick Fallon and Jeremiah Murphy, successively. They were succeeded by Reverend James 'Con- nell of Jacksonville who remained in charge only a short time. In 1890 Whitehall was made a mis- sion of St. Athanasius, Roodhouse, its nearest neighboring parish which was but four miles distant. During the five years of its annexation to Rood- house it was attended, first bv Father O'Brien from 1890 to 1892, and from 1892 to 1895 by his successor, Rever- end Michael J. Davis. After this Father O'Brien of Greenfield had charge for a number of years, and later Father Fanning of Carrollton who continued to take pastoral care of it until 1914 when it was again made a mission of Jerseyville to which it originally belonged. Reverend Francis Shields, Assist- ant Pastor at Jerseyville, had charge from 1915-1925. During this decade of years he ministered faithfully to the spiritual needs of the congrega- tion of Whitehall, and made many im- provements on the church which en- hanced its appearance considerably. He was replaced by Reverend Rich- ard McKeogh, who remained until May, 1926. All Saints Parish, like many other small town country parishes, has suf- fered a sad declension with the pass- age of years. Many Catholic families moved away, others died out, and not a few grew careless in the practice of their religion and so were lost to the congregation. At one time it had a resident pastor ; today it is reduced to half a dozen families or so, with little hope of future increase. Neverthe- less, the present congregation, al- though only a remnant of its former self, is making a gallant effort to sur- vive even as a mission fondly hoping for the day when other Catholics may settle in the neighborhood and thus increase their number. All Saints church — it was built by Father Metzler in 1883 — is quite a substantial structure with a seating capacity many times greater than the needs of the congregation. Though erected many years, it is still in a fine state of preservation, and reminds us of a day when the faithful in White- hall were more numerous and pros- perous than they are at this writing. Whitehall itself is a pretty little town of slightly less than 2,000 in- habitants, situated in Greene County about 25 miles south of Jacksonville. Hard Road Route 3, from Jackson- ville to St. Louis runs through the center of town skirting All Saints Church on the right thus affording an easy means of approach. The pop- ulation largely consists of retired farmers. There is one industry in town — a tile factory — but it does not employ many. All Saints Mission is still under the jurisdiction of Jerseyville, and is now being attended by Reverend Francis Lawler. Church of St. Mark, Winchester, Scott County, Illinois Established in 1860 Present Pastor : Reverend Michael O 'Mullane. The earliest record we have of Catholic service in this locality is at Meredosia, where the first attempt was made to build a Catholic church. After this we hear of the Jesuits hold- ing services at Naples for the scat- tered Catholics along the Illinois river. In the year 1835 Scott was declared a county by the General Assembly, and Winchester, Illinois, was chosen as the county seat. Gradually there 319 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS was an influx of settlers from Vir- ginia and Kentucky. Among the early pioneers we meet the names of many Irish Catholics. The roll call reads: Woods, Riordan, Dwyer, Moore, Bent- ler, O'Donnell, Guinanne, Metzger, Kelley, Callans, McKeevers, Lyons, Ryan, O'Neal, McAsey, O 'Grady, Ring, Brady, Robinson and 'Brien. Nearly seventy years ago the pioneer Catholics of Winchester at- tended Mass at the hospitable home of John Riordan. This service was con- ducted by Reverend Michael Hurley, who traveled over the State of Illinois ministering to the spiritual needs of the Catholic people. Some years later Mass was celebrated at the home of James Woods in Winchester. Before the Civil War, owing to the increase in the number of Catholics, it was necessary to build a church or pur- chase a suitable hall for the accommo- dation of the people. In the mean- time Mass was celebrated at irregular intervals in the Court-house by Fathers Thomas Cusack, Thomas Quigley, D.D., and Michael Prender- gast. Through the agency of James Woods and Timothy Dwyer, the old Christian church was purchased and remodeled, and Reverend Thomas Cusack was installed as resident pas- tor. His succesors have been : Fathers D. Byrne, Thomas F. Mangan, Michael Clifford, J. Carter, C. G. Mangien, Patrick Kearney, R. Grant, H. Welltake, Francis Hickey, Daniel Toomey and Julian Turmell. These were followed by Fathers Gratza, John J. Boyle, Jeremiah Murphy who( built the present splendid edi- fice), Thomas Masterson, John C. Daw, Daniel J. Ryan, Thomas Cus- ack, Christopher S. Bell and Michael J. O'Mullane the present pastor. Dur- ing the pastorate of Father 'Mul- lane the rectory and church have been remodeled, and a hall built with all conveniences for entertainment, and an up-to-date system of heating in- stalled in each. The Parish Societies are : Holy Name, Altar and Purgatorial Society, Sacred Heart League and Children's Sodality. These organizations do ex- cellent work along their several lines and practically every member of the parish is enrolled in one or other of them. Seventy years ago twenty-one Cath- olics gathered at the banks of "Big Sandy" river to be present at the adorable Sacrifice of the Mass. Today, in Winchester the Catholics are fairly numerous (80 families), active and prosperous. Many were the difficulties and ob- stacles met by the early pioneers of St. Mark's parish, but they were never submerged. Lightly then may the earth rest on their bosom, and revered be the mention of their names in the Book of Life. To their survivors and co-workers it is gratify- ing and consoling to see the Christian work begun by them, reaching per- fection. In half a century the few of the past have become the many of the present, so that strengthened by Catholic instruction, the sons and daughters of St. Mark may go forth, as many have done, into the busy world, strong in faith, and full of love for God and their fellow man. Church of the Sacred Heart of Mary, New Berlin, Sangamon County, Illinois Established in 1860 Present Pastor: Reverend William M. Costello. The old State Road, in the pre-rail- road days one of the principal avenues of east and west traffic, runs through Sangamon County in a west- erly direction, leaning somewhat to the south. About half way between Springfield and Jacksonville may be seen the village of Berlin, once a place of considerable commercial impor- tance, and an active contender for the 320 Quincy — St. Francis Solanus Church, School, Oolleg< and Rectory, Bei ,:!() EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE QUINCY — ALTON The parish has these serviceable and progressive societies : Holy Name Society, Altar Society, Young Ladies' Sodality, League of the Sacred Heart. Church op St. Patrick, Trowbridge, Shelby County, Illinois Established in 1863 Present Pastor : Reverend Michael J. Crowley St. Patrick's Church, near Trow- bridge, was erected in the year 1863, under the supervision of Reverend Father Schloesser, O.F.M., of Teu- topolis, from which place it was at- tended. It was dedicated in 1864 by Right Reverend Bishop Henry Damian Juncker, Bishop of the Dio- cese. Seven acres of timber land were donated by Patrick McAndrew as a site for the church. The building was 54x30 feet. In 1866, the church was made larger. During the pastorship of Reverend Francis Moening, 0. F. M., 1869-70, a school was built. The first members of the congrega- tion were the families of Cornelius Barrett, Edward Barrett, Michael Barrett, and Patrick McAndrews. The first subscription list shows the names of the following: Patrick McAn- drew, William Teaters, Edward Bar- rett, Mr. Constant, Mr. Gehant, Mr. Leopold, Mr. Robihan, Michael Bar- rett, Cornelius Barrett, Danile Sims, Mr. Weisbrick, Mr. Leserer, John Cabbes, and James Ryan. Later lists show the following names : Nicholas Hiffman, John McClory, John Hunk, Chris Doran, Owen McVey, William Coulter, Arthur Quinn, Edward Quinn, John Donahoe, James Dona- hoe, Godfrey Doll, Jeremiah Sheehan, Thomas McRan, Joseph Mihlbachler, Michael Volkman and Patrick Whalen. Many members of the congregation were Irish or of Irish descent. There were four French families, several German families, and two Bohemian families. Most of the families came from Ohio, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Former and present pastors : Fran- ciscan Fathers — Killian Schloesser, 1862-69 ; Paulinus Weis, 1868 ; Fran- cis Moening, 1869-70; Ustace Nie- moller, 1870-71 ; Francis Albers, 1871- 73; John Ring, 1873-74; Herman Wirtz, 1874-76 ; Victor Aertker, 1876- 77; Clementine Lohrbacher, 1877; Father Theodore, 1877-79; Pacificus Kohnen, 1879 ; Bonaventure Faulhaber, 1880-81 ; Norbert Wilhelm, 1881-85; Beninus Schultz, 1885-86 ; Stephen Schols, 1886; and Fidelis Kaercher, 1886-88. Secular priests: Fathers John Gratza, 1888-89 ; James Vincent Martin, 1889-91; Patrick Lyons, 1891-93; J. T. Butler, 1893-96; Wil- liam Murphy, 1896-1901; Francis Kehoe, 1901-02 ; John J. Corcoran, 1902-06; Thomas McGrath, 1906-08; Francis Curran, 1908-17; Patrick J. Beary, 1917-26, and Michael J. Crow- ley, present pastor. St. Patrick's Parish gave to re- ligion the following : Reverend Aug- ustine McClory, O.F.M., who for a time engaged in missionary work and later figured in the spreading of the Franciscan missions in California. Sisters from the congregation : Mother Mary Vincent Hunk, Superior General of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate, St. Francis Acad- emy, Joliet, Illinois; Margaret Hunk, Sister Xavier; Mary Hoffman, Sister Paul ; Catherine Hoffman, Sister Mon- ica, and Elizabeth Moran, Sister Isa- bel ; all of the Franciscan Order ; Maria Wilson, Sister Mansoetta, and Jane Wilson, Sister Odona both of the Notre Dame Order; Mary Otter, Sis- ter Antonio, Ursuline Order; Wini- fred Moran, Sister M. Patricia, Mercy Order, and Anna McClory, Sister M. Josephine, Charity Order. Old parishioners still living are : Mrs. Jane McClory, and Mrs. Mar- garet Wilson. Shelby County was created by an act of the assembly in 1827. Big Spring Township, in which Trow- bridge is located, takes its name from 331 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS a spring called Big Spring which is about a mile from St. Patrick's Church. Around this spring the early settlers built their homes. Here was built the first water mill where corn and wheat were ground and lumber sawed. In this locality the first school made its appearance and the first post office, Big Spring, was es- tablished. A priest from Vandalia occasional- ly visited the scattered families until 1862, when the few Catholics sought and obtained permission to establish a mission under the care of the Fran- ciscan Fathers of Teutopolis. The building of St. Patrick's Church led several Catholic families to settle near. The Clover Leaf (now called Nickel Plate) Railroad was built through Big Spring near the church in 1881 and 1882. Soon a store was built and a post office established and called Clover Leaf. Several years later, railroad officials changed the name to Trowbridge because it is lo- cated between two branches of the Little Wabash, hence the bridges. Until the Franciscan Fathers began in 1862 to hold services the only op- portunity the Catholics had to hear Mass and receive the sacraments was when a priest made an occasional visit or it was possible for them to go to Teutopolis or Green Creek, a dis- tance of about 15 miles. Father Killian Schloesser adver- tised in Catholic papers that land was to be had here and a Catholic church built. In 1863, a sufficient number of Catholics had settled to begin the erection of a church which was com- pleted and dedicated the following year. Before the church was built, Mass was celebrated in the McAndrew home. St. Patrick's was attended by the Franciscan Fathers of Teutopolis until 1888. Since 1889, it has been attended from Neoga. Mass is now celebrated there every Sunday and Holyday at 8 :00 and 10 o 'clock alternately. It has a membership at present of 115 souls. The church is in good repair. In September of the present year, 1925, a new roof was put on, the in- terior of the church neatly frescoed, pews and wood-work varnished and equipped with new lights. Father Crowley, present pastor of Neoga, attends the spiritual needs of Trowbridge. Church of St. Anne, Edgewood, Effingham County, Illinois Established in 1864 Present Pastor : Reverend John Marion In the Spring of the year 1864, about eleven families living within a radius of fifteen miles of Edgewood appealed to the Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes of Alton, Illinois, for permission to organize a parish. Permission was granted and the work of organizing the new parish was in- trusted to the Franciscan Fathers of Teutopolis, Illinois, who proceeded with the work by calling a meeting of the few Catholics around Edgewood. The wishes of the Bishop were made known, and those assembled, among whom were Louis Schoen and John Casey who were active participants, at once organized and pledged $400.00 as a beginning of the work. Mr. Schoen and Mr. Casey secured a site in the west end of the little vil- lage of Edgewood and there a small frame church was erected at a cost of $1,000. From the year 1864 until 1879, the mission was in charge of the Franciscan Fathers of Teutopolis. Then it was given to the pastoral care of secular priests. From 1879-86 it was attended by Father Reisen from Flora ; from 1886-90, by Reverend J. B. Schnelton, and from 1890-93 by Reverend P. A. Lyons, of Altamont. In the year 1893, the care of this mission was entrusted to Neoga par- ish, and from that time to 1907, Fath- ers William Murphy, J. J. Corcoran, B. Keogh, and T. F. McGrath attend- ed twice a month in the given order. In the Autumn of 1917, Right 332 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON Reverend James Ryan, D.D., appoint- ed Reverend Edmond Flynn as the first resident pastor. At once pro- visions were made for a parochial residence, and one was erected in 1908 to serve the reverend pastor. In 1910, Reverend Edmund Flynn was appointed pastor of Shipman and Reverend Adolph Schneider became his successor at Edgewood where he remained in charge until his death in 1918. Father Montruchio succeeded Father Schneider but remained in charge only a few months. Reverend Daniel Doyle then took charge of the parish September 30, 1914, and in 1915 erected the present church at a cost of $8,000. A fine high altar and new stained glass windows added much to the appearance of the new church. During his stay, Father Doyle did a great deal for the congregation both spiritually and materially. He was succeeded by Reverend Edmund But- ler, who, however, remained only a few months. The present pastor, Reverend J. Marion was appointed in July, 1919. Under his leadership the remaining debts on the parsonage and the new church were paid off and many need- ed improvements were made. He or- ganized the Holy Name Society to which every young man and every married man in the parish belongs. The young and married ladies all be- long to the Altar Society. The Society for the Propagation of the Faith also has a branch established here. The congregation once numbered forty-eight families, but owing to deaths and the general tendency to move to more prosperous neighbor- hoods the congregation has been re- duced almost one half. Although most of them are of modest means and have to work hard for a living, never- theless they are always willing to do their utmost for their church. In 1924 Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese, visited the parish and confirmed a class of forty-six children. The religious standing of the par- ish is excellent. The people approach the sacraments frequently, and though many of them live a great dis- tance from the church, yet so long as the roads remain good they are faith- ful in attending and fill the church on Sundays and Holydays of Obliga- tion. Church of St. Isidore, Bethany, Moultrie County, Illinois Established in 1864 Present Pastor : Reverend Charles J. Fanning St. Isidore church is situated three miles north and one half mile west of the town of Bethany, and about twenty miles southeast of Decatur, Illinois. As early as 1857 a few Catholic families, mostly of Irish ex- traction, had migrated west and settled in what is now Dora Town- ship, Moultrie County. Those fami- lies managed to visit Decatur or Mat- toon a few times a year to hear Holy Mass and receive the Sacraments. Father Anthony Vogt who was ap- pointed pastor of St. Patrick church in Decatur and surrounding country in 1859 labored untiringly for the spiritual welfare of the early settlers. Hearing of the difficulties which the people of this community had to en- counter in getting to Decatur, it being a journey of two days for the round trip, Father Vogt volunteered to visit the settlers at stated times in order to minister to their spiritual wants, hav- ing made arrangements to that effect in the summer of 1863. Mr. Edmund Bresnan, though not the first settler, took advantage of this opportunity to invite Father Vogt to make use of his humble home for the celebration of holy Mass. In the meantime, Mr. Bresnan notified the families in the surrounding country. When the blessed day arrived there was a gath- ering of eleven families to assist at 333 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS the first Mass celebrated in Moultrie County. After Mass and a practical sermon on the beauty of the faith and the re- ward for those who persevere therein, he advised the men to consult among themselves about the erection of a small church. Beyond all expecta- tions, they imediately pledged them- selves to a sum of over six hundred dollars. Encouraged by this interest, Father Vogt purchased a forty acre tract of railroad property on which was built a frame church. This church was finished in 1864 and dedicated to St. Isidore, patron of farmers. Father Vogt continued to attend St. Isidore from Decatur once a month on a week day until his transfer to Macon in 1870 from which place he visited it twice a month on Sunday until 1873. Father Timothy Hickey attended St. Isidore from Decatur for a short time until Father Manasses Kane be- came pastor of Macon in succession to Father Vogt. Following is the list of priests who attended St. Isidore's from its beginning until the present time : Fathers Anthony Vogt, 1863- 73; Timothy Hickey, 1873-74; M. Kane, 1874-75; E. McGowan, 1875- 98; William Costello, 1898-1900; J. J. Corcoran, 1900-02 ; J. V. Martin, 1903- 04; J. J. Dougherty, 1904-09; J. M. Davis, 1909-19; and C. J. Fanning, 1919, to the present time. Reverend Edward McGowan who attended it as a mission from Macon from 1875 to 1883 built the present parochial residence and was the first resident pastor. He enlarged the church at this time as the members of the congregation came from all over Moultrie County. In 1891 Father McGowan saw the need of a larger and more substan- tial building to accommodate the people. There was a division of opinion among them as to where the church should be built. The congrega- tion being divided, a church was built at Dalton City, four miles west of here. Father McGowan constructed a brick church on the site of the old building to accommodate the people in the eastern part of the county. A few years later he built a frame church at Sullivan which he attended once a month for about two years. In the year 1910 a coal mine was opened at Lovington, a town about eight miles east of St. Isidore, and so many Catholic families, principally from Scotland and Austria-Hungary, moved there to seek employment that in 1914 the late Bishop Ryan was pe- titioned and permission was granted to build a church at Lovington. Rev- erend M. J. Davis built a small frame church which was dedicated to St. Mary, Mother of God, on August 15, 1915. Reverend J. V. Martin was the only pastor of St. Isidore who died here, and his pastorate was from 1903 to January, 1904. In 1910 Reverend M. J. Davis enlarged the parochial resi- dence by the addition of two rooms, and in 1916 a lighting system was in- stalled for the house and church. In 1920, the basement of the house was enlarged and cemented and made more convenient and comfortable by the addition of modern improvements. The congregation, realizing the need of a suitable place for socials and en- tertainments, donated their services in digging the basement under the en- tire church. All were very generous in giving their hand to the work, and in a very short time a commodious basement was the result with little or no expense. A larger furnace was in- stalled, and in the same year, 1921, the church was redecorated by Wil- liam Kloer of St. Louis. At the pres- ent time the church and house are in a good state of preservation. Of the early settlers, Mrs. Cornelius McCarthy and Mrs. Michael Griffin are the only two living in this com- munity. Mother Teresa of the Ursu- line Academy of Decatur, Illinois, supplied the dates for the early his- tory of St. Isidore. It was in her father's house that the first Mass was celebrated in this community. Sis- ter Helen Madigan, now deceased, was also a member of the Ursuline Or- 334 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON der and one of the early settlers. Sis- ter M. Eleanor, Sister Munda, and Sister Thedocia are members of the Dominican Order and formerly be- longed to this parish. Ten young men from this parish answered their country's call during the World War, eight serving in the army and two in the navy. This part of the Country prior to 1859 was a virgin prairie owned by the Illinois Central Railroad Com- pany. Irish settlers came to the lo- cality and acquired some property. The land was unimproved, undrained and because of its low marshy condi- tion there was little hope for immedi- ate profitable production. This con- dition was relieved later by the con- struction of a drainage system ; splen- did yields resulted and the value of the land was notably enhanced. Farms which sold for five dollars per acre in 1861 gradually grew in valua- tion until the present day they are priced at $250 per acre. The members of the congregation as it stands today are almost without exception direct descendants of the early settlers so that the property passed from father to son and grand- son. Death has claimed some, while others have answered the call of the cities, so that the families are fewer and their farm holdings more exten- sive. There are now only thirty fami- lies with a total of one hundred and forty-two souls, men, women and children. Church of the Forty Martyrs, Tuscola, Douglas County, Illinois Established in 1865 Present Pastor : Reverend Joseph P. Jordan Tuscola, in the heart of the corn belt, is an agricultural city and the County seat of Douglas County. The present census is very close to three thousand. The original town was laid out by Messrs. Terry, Mulhallan and Cornelius, July 9, 1857. There were very few Catholics in Douglas County, and it was not until 1865, that Father Thomas Mangan, located at Paris, fifty miles distant, came to Tuscola at infrequent inter- vals, and then not on Sunday, to look after the spiritual needs of the four or five families scattered over the country. This hardy missionary min- istered to the people for some years, offering Holy Mass in the homes of Martin Cogley, Brian Roche, and Thomas, Patrick, and Michael Cum- mings. Father Michael Quinlan suc- ceeded Father Mangan and con- tinued the visits into Douglas County, stopping at Areola to the south, where he performed a like service to a little larger congregation. About this time the McGinis family donated a site for a church, but the families were so few and the visits of the priests so infrequent that the hoped- for church was never built on that site, and the property was bought in for taxes. Reverend J. B. Diepenbrock, who became in 1875, the first resident pas- tor at Areola, eight miles south, was able to give Tuscola a little more at- tention because he was nearer and had not so large a territory to cover. He also offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the homes of the faithful. The county authorities were kind enough on certain occasions to give the use of the County court room for worship. The earliest Catholic settlers in this locality were Irish and came here with the building of the Illinois Central and C. I. & W. Railroads, which gave them employment. As they were not farmers they had no horses to carry them to Areola, where Father Diepen- brock was having Mass each Sunday, so they either walked the entire dis- tance of eight miles or rode on hand cars. The zealous Father Diepenbrock called the little flock of ten families together at the Court House and sujr- 335 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS gested the building of a church. En- thusiastically, they went to work and through the efforts of the late Con- gressman Joseph G. Cannon, non- Catholic, and president of the First National Bank ,and Patrick Sloan, two lots were donated for church pur- poses. The lots were ideally located at Vanallen and Center streets, just opposite the Court House. A sub- scription of $500.00 was taken up, and in 1880 the first Catholic Church in Tuscola and the second in Douglas County, was dedicated to its sublime purpose, under the name and patron- age of the Forty Martyrs. Most of the work was done by the men of the parish and the building was erected at a cost of seven or eight hundred dollars. To this little frame structure of 20x40 feet, Father Diep- enbrock came once a month until 1884, when Reverend P. M. O'Dono- hoe became pastor at Areola. This service was continued through the pastorates of Fathers D. J. Moroney, 1887 to 1891, and J. V. Martin, who was the last pastor at Areola to serve the parish at Tuscola. In 1901, Reverend Thomas Moore, pastor at Hume, Illinois, was given charge of the Tuscola Mission. Father Moore made the long trip of twenty miles every other Sunday. During his pastorate, the church was enlarged by the addition of a sanctuary and a sacristy. The latter room also served as a lodging place when the priest re- mained over night. A choir loft was added to the building through the generosity of the Frank Cabalak fam- ily of Villa Grove. An effort was made at this time by Father Moore to purchase an adjoin- ing lot for the purpose of erecting a parsonage in the hope that a resident pastor might be secured, but the project failed for various reasons, principally because the price was held to be rather high for the struggling parish. Reverend George Hensey succeeded Father Moore at Hume in the year 1905, and continued the work at Tuscola. About this time rail- road shops were located at Villa Grove, four miles north and seven miles east of Tuscola. Father Hen- sey found that quite a few Catholics were employed there and so informed the Bishop of the Diocese. The Bishop thereupon sent Reverend Wil- liam Quattman to Tuscola in the year, 1906, and instructed him to build a church at Villa Grove and at- tend it as a mission from Tuscola. Father Quattman met with much suc- cess and soon obtained the donation of two lots as a site and built a church there. He attended Villa Grove each Sunday and soon had a very fine lit- tle congregation. During this time and until 1908, there being no parson- age at Tuscola, Father Quattman lodged at the hotel. He now began an active campaign for a parsonage and this materialized in 1908 in a fine priest's home, costing $3,000.00 which were paid off in a very few years. Father Quattman continued to serve Tuscola and Villa Grove until November, 1917, when he was trans- ferred to Sigel, Illinois, and Reverend August M. Hohl, who had been an assistant at St. John's, Quincy, was sent to Tuscola. At this time the parish numbered about 30 families. The old frame church was begin- ning to show the ravages of time and also found to be too small for the con- gregation. In the Fall of 1920, Father Hohl, at a meeting of the con- gregation suggested that a building fund be started which should culmin- ate in the building of a new house of God. He met with the co-operation of the parish and after five years, over $23,000.00 had been accumulated for the new church. In September, 1924, the farmers of the parish who could spare the time volunteered to help with the work. A place had to be found for the old church so that services might be held while the building was being erected. It was decided to purchase three lots just west of the church and located on the southwest corner of Vanallen and Center Streets for that purpose. Edwin F. Meister, the pres- ent City Attornev and a member of 336 Tuscola — Reo. J. P. Jordan, Pastor, Forty Marlins. Church, Rectory . . . Shipman — Rectory, Rev. Joseph McKeogh, Pastor. St. Denis Church . . . Michael— Rev. Michael Sheehy, Pastor. St. Michael's Church, First Church Building, Rectory. Areola *t. John's Chmrh . . . Charleston — Rectory \ Her. •/. ./. Connolly, Pastor. St. Charles Church . . . Bishop Creek — Rev. Eugene Hagedorn, O.F.M.. Pastor, St. Aloy- sius Church, Rectory, School . . . Virdcn — St. Catherine's Church and Rectory, Rev. Geo. J. Kenney, Pastor . . . Illiopolis — Visitation B. V. M. Church, Rectory. EARLY DAYS OP THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON the congregation, obtained the lots for the parish at the very reasonable figure of $1,500. It is the hope of the congregation to be able to build a school on this site when it is no long- er needed for a church ; there being a real need for a school in this com- munity. Under the direction of J. P. Moore- head, who charged nothing for his work, the farmers moved the old building to the other site just pur- chased and put in the concrete foun- dation for the new church. Thomas Francis Imbs, St. Louis, Missouri, was chosen as the architect for the new church. He drew plans for a clerestory Lombardic Romanesque brick church, which pleased the con- gregation. The new church was to cost something like $30,000.00 with- out equipment and was to seat 350. In May, 1925, the building committee composed of the Trustees, A. S. Hart- mann, Richard Powers and James Kennedy and James Melody gave the contract to J. P. Moorehead. Work was at once begun and it is hoped that the building will be ready for occu- pancy by Christmas of this year, 1925. The parish at present numbers 200 souls and the people are of Irish and German parentage. The Catholics of this city have enthusiastically con- tributed their share toward the up- building of the city and county. The parish cherishes its service flag with nine stars, the number of her young men who went to war at the country's call in the recent great conflict. They all returned but not unscathed. One was terribly injured and remains a cripple for life, and two were so bad- ly gassed that they are forever ban- ished from their home to live in a more salutary climate. Father Hohl had the happiness of seeing his new church dedicated on May 12, 1926, by the Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., assisted by several priests, in the presence of one of the largest and most representa- tive gatherings that Tuscola has ever witnessed. In September, 1927, Father Hohl was promoted to the important par- ish of St. Paul in Highland, Illinois, and Reverend Joseph Jordan was transferred from Grafton to the church of Tuscola. Church op St. Denis, Shipman, Macoupin County, Illinois Established in 1865 Present Pastor : Reverend Joseph McKeogh St. Denis' congregation was organ- ized in the beginning of the year 1865. Reverend A. B. Rinkes came once a month from Bunker Hill, Illi- nois, and said Mass for the people in the home of John Lunstead, an Irish immigrant. For three years, until the church was built, Mass was offered up once a month in this house . In July, 1865, Reverend A. B. Rinkes was succeeded by Reverend P. O'Halloran, who also came from Bunker Hill for about a year. In 1866, Reverend P. O'Halloran was succeeded by Reverend Denis O 'Sullivan who came from Alton, Illi- nois. For nearly two years he said Mass in the same house. Towards the end of the year, 1867, he procured a lot, the gift of a Protestant, Mr. Shultz, and in 1868 he built St. Denis' Church. The men of the congrega- tion did much of the work, and as a consequence the church cost but little. It was a small church without any straining after beauty or architecture, but was sufficiently large to accom- modate the congregation. The people were proud of their little church, be- cause it filled a long felt want in their lives. The congregation was composed al- most wholly of Irish immigrants who left Ireland in the dark days of the famine years to seek the freedom and fortune denied them in their own land by a tyrant invader. They did not possess much of the 337 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS wealth of the world, but their hearts were aflame with the fire of Divine Love, and they considered no sacri- fice too great to be made for their faith. Theirs was a noble heritage and they were determined to pass it on to future generations. They were loyal and devout Catholics, faithful to God and true to their church. The southwestern part of Macoupin County, Illinois, in which Shipman is located was at that time for the most part a wooded wilderness, and these immigrants cut the trees, cleared the ground, cultivated the land and turn- ed the barren wastes into food pro- ducing soil. Such were the people that built the Catholic church in Shipman, Illinois — about forty fami- lies in all. Reverend Denis 'Sullivan was succeeded in 1870 by Father Clifford. In 1874, Father Clifford was succeed- ed by Father Tearney who remained about two years. In the Spring of 1876, the congre- gation purchased a small house next to the church, and in the Summer of the same year, Reverend Thomas E. Cusack came to live in Shipman — the first resident pastor of St. Denis Church. Up to this time Mass was said only once a month, but now Mass was to be said every Sunday and the people were happy. For eleven years Father Cusack labored zealously for his little flock. He faithfully ministered to their spiritual needs; he was their friend and counsellor in their trials and dif- ficulties and he shared in their joys and sorrows. In 1887 he surrendered his soul into the hands of his Maker after a life of long and faithful serv- ice in the Master's vineyard. He was an uncle of Reverend Thomas Cusack, present pastor of the Immaculate Conception Church, Mattoon, Illinois. Immediately after the death of Father Cusack, Reverend James V. Martin was appointed to take charge of St, Denis church. In 1889, he was succeeded by Reverend John J. Smith, who in turn was succeeded by Reverend William O'Keefe in 1891. During the year 1891 Father 'Keefe repaired the rectory, built an ad- dition to it and made it much more comfortable. The repairs cost about $1,700.00. From 1892 to 1924, Shipman saw the following succession of pastors : Fathers M. J. Davis, pastor for a few months in 1892; Charles Carr, from 1892 to 1894, (later he went west for the good of his health and is now pas- tor of a flourishing parish in Den- ver) ; P. N. Bourke, 1894 to his death in 1896; Thomas O'Reilly, 1896 to 1902; D. J. Ryan, for a short period in 1902, till the appointment of E. B. Kehoe who was succeeded by A. A. McDonald in the following year. In 1904, Father McDonald enlarged the church and decorated the interior, the whole improvements costing about $1,000. July of 1909 saw Reverend A. F. Schneider as pastor and Decem- ber the same year, Reverend E. F. Flynn. The latter was succeeded by Reverend I. Kershevich, who, after a few months stay, was replaced by Father P. P. McGuinness. During his incumbency, Father McGuinness extensively remodelled the rectory by adding to it four rooms and making it modern in every respect. The cost was $2700.00. In 1922 Father Mc- Guinness was promoted to Murray- ville and the vacancy made by his departure was filled by Reverend Joseph McKeogh who has continued as pastor up to the present time. Shipman has a population of about 330 people, and the C. & A. Railroad runs through it. There are no fac- tories in town except a canning fac- tory, and that has not worked for nearly two years. The chief industry is agriculture. During the past seventy years nothing of any historical importance has taken place in the little town, and the people for the most part "have kept the even tenor of their ways." Mrs. Tunstead, now moving on to her ninetieth year, but still able to 338 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON attend Mass every Sunday, is the old- est member of the congregation. It was in the house of her brother-in- law that Mass was first celebrated in Shipman. She is the connecting link between the past and present. Church op St. Michael, Michael, Calhoun County, Illinois Established in 1865 Present Pastor : Reverend Michael Sheehy Calhoun County, often spoken of as "The Kingdom" and "The Apple Orchard of Illinois," was established in 1825, was settled by woodmen who cleared the land and transformed it into fertile farms. The first record we have of a Catholic Service was at Brussels in 1845, when it was visited by Father Carroll of St. Matthew's Church, Alton. He continued to vis- it the scattered Catholics of Calhoun at stated times until the end of 1849. The old cemetery at Michael was used for the first time that year ; the old monuments show that it was used at first as a public cemetery, as many of them bear the names of non-Catho- lics. As time went on, Michael be- came a ratholic settlement and the cemetery was used exclusively for Catholic purposes. The Jesuit fathers from St. Charles, Missouri, served the spiritual needs of the Catholics of Calhoun from 1850 to 1852, as it is a matter of rec- ord that they ministered to an Irish colony between Hardin and Ham- burg, known as the Gleeson settle- ment. This colony has long since dis- appeared. In 1852, Father John Molitor was appointed pastor of Brussels by Bishop Vandevelde of Chicago, and it is a matter of record that he cele- brated Mass at the home of Mr. Deg- erlia, now occupied by John Godar near the present "Degerlia Land- ing," (three miles south of Michael). Father Molitor died a few months after his appointment and the Jesuit Fathers again took charge until the appointment of Father Regal to Brus- sels in 1853. He served the spiritual needs of the Catholics of the county until 1859, when he was succeeded by Father Raphael who celebrated Mass in the homes of Leonard Ewen, Mr. Bomkamp, and the aforesaid Mr. Degerlia. In 1861 he built a little log church at Michael which still stands. The land, three and three-fourths acres, was donated by Andrew Ulrich, who then owned the farm now in posses- sion of John Stelbrink. Up to 1864 this congregation had Mass every two months. In 1864, Meppen received its first resident pastor, and from that time until 1871, this congregation was at- tended twice a month by the Fathers from Meppen and Brussels. During 1871 Father Quitter of Fieldon was in charge. From 1872 to 1877, it was again attended from Brussels and Meppen. In 1877, Father Freimuth was appointed resident pastor of Michael. He set to work and built churches at Kampsville and Hardin. Reverend Clement Aloys Sommers took charge December 8, 1878, and at- tended all three churches on alternate Sundays. He built the present church at Michael in 1882, and on April 18, of the same year, purchased from Samuel Weisman the property on which the present parsonage stands. The old cemetery was aban- doned for the one at the back of the present parsonage in 1883. On May 29, 1884, the church was dedicated by Bishop Baltes, and on the following day the cemetery was consecrated and the bells blessed. Father Sommers remained thirteen years at Michael, and his long stay so wove his person- ality into the lives of the people, that his uame shall abide in their mem- ories as long as life remains. Reverend Clement Johannes came here July 4, 1892. He built the present parsonage a few months after his arrival, as the old one was destroyed by a wind storm. 339 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS lie built the parsonage at Kamps- ville in 1894, and was appointed the first resident pastor in 1895. His name is still held in bene- diction at Michael as a true priest and a loving friend. Father Connelly became rector in November, 1895. Father Dougherty was sent here as assistant to take care of Hardin in 1899, and was succeeded by Father McGrath in March, 1900. His successor, Father Kelly, remained from 1902 until 1904. In the same year Father Connelly built a parson- age at Hardin and a resident pastor was appointed there the following year. Father Connelly was an enthusiast about his work, and he had the talent of spreading sacred fire. Plain and simple in his own life, kind and hos- pitable to others, he endeared himself to all. In him the poor and afflicted always found a friend. Reverend J. B. Wardein was ap- pointed as successor to Father Con- nelly in 1905. He was in poor health at the time, and to add to his misery, had to contend against the preten- tions of some restless members. Nev- ertheless, his humility, zeal and piety won for him the admiration and re- spect of the cream of the congrega- tion. He left Michael in August, 1910, and Father Hickey of Hardin attended to the spiritual wants of the people until the appointment of Father Kipping in March, 1911. Among the many improvements made by Father Kipping may be mentioned the frescoing of the church and the placing of an artistic iroD fence around same. Great indeed was the sorrow when, in November, 1912, he had to bid his adieu and leave for a larger field. Father O'Mullane was appointed as Father Kipping 's successor. For nine years he labored zealously for the welfare of the congregation, mak- ing many improvements both in the church and parsonage. The present incumbent, Father Michael Sheehy, (a priest he is to all the country dear) took charge Novem- ber 1, 1921, and his work has been abundantly blessed by God. In 1922 he purchased a site for a new ceme- tery. During his stay at Michael, the parishioners have shown themselves to be loyal and truly devoted Catho- lics — loyal to God, to His Church, and to the priests. He made the Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome in 1925, and on his return the parishioners pre- sented him with a purse of $500.00 as a token of appreciation of his labors among them. Among the early settlers whose names are recorded may be mentioned the following : Bellms, Roths, Roentz, Trauflers, Ewens, Klunks, Schneiders, Baumans, Upprichs, Fischers, Gress, Roehls, Days, Hughes, McGuires, Condons, Kellys, Corbetts and Camp- bells. The only surviving settlers are Mr. Corbett and Mr. Campbell. The other first settlers have gone to their reward, but their children are now reaping the fruits of their labors and are as devoted to the Church as were their fathers. The present trustees are Frank Traufler and Martin Ban- man. Church of St. Charles, Charleston, Coles County, Illinois Established in 1865 Present Pastor: Reverend John J. Connolly The history of the Faith in Charles- ton goes back to the year 1854. Charleston at that time was a small country town, with no waterworks, no electric lights, no telephones, no paved streets, no sidewalks, no im- provements of any kind. Travel was hard and uncertain, and it was a long journey for a man to come from his farm to town to transact business or to attend Mass on Sundays. Today Charleston is a thriving modern city of about 7,000 inhabitants. Among its many interesting institutions is a 340 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE QUINCY — ALTON large State Normal School which trains boys and girls for the teaching profession. Prior to 1865 there was no Catholic church building in Charleston, but services were held in private homes and in halls over buildings on the public square. History tells us that the Holy Sacrifice was offered in the store-room of Cornelius Owens, now the J. B. Mitchell Grocery Store. Reverend Thomas Ryan of North Arm, Edgar County, ministered to the spiritual wants of his little pioneer flock, composed of a few im- migrants from Ireland and Germany, all of whom have passed away years ago to their eternal reward. In 1865 Reverend Denis Tierney was sent to Charleston to become its resident priest, and on his arrival the congregation purchased the old Christian Church which they used until it was destroyed by the storm in 1868. During the following four years services were held in the court- house. Father Mangan of Mattoon, and Father Sullivan of Paris were in charge. In 1872 Reverend Sylvester Wegner of Paris, erected a small brick church on the same lot, which was dedicated by Bishop Baltes the following year. In 1884, Reverend David Moroney became pastor; in 1888 Reverend M. O'Donoghue; in 1892, Reverend Joseph Finnegan; in 1894, Reverend C. A. Snyder, and on October 16, 1897, Reverend J. J. Driscoll. During the incumbency of Father Snyder, the increase of the congrega- tion made it necessary to erect a new building, of which the above named built the foundation, and Father Driscoll, the superstructure of the splendid pressed-brick church, which now raises aloft its tall spire emble- matic of the high and courageous spirit of Catholic pride inherent in our forefathers. On June 27, 1898, the corner-stone of the present beau- tiful structure was laid, and in Oc- tober, one year afterward, Bishop James Ryan of Alton dedicated the church. In the Spring of 1900 the old par- sonage was moved and a commodious two-story building with slate roof and all modern conveniences took its place. The old church was re- modeled and converted into a hall. When Father Driscoll left in 1903, Reverend William Costello was ap- pointed pastor, and for sixteen years guided the destinies of the congrega- tion. The debt was cleared; new al- tars were installed; windows depict- ing the mysteries of the Faith made their appearance and the interior was newly decorated. In 1919 Father John J. Connolly became pastor. In 1924, the old hall now in its "sear and yellow leaf" gave place to a beautiful scenic gar- den pool and Grotto of the Virgin. In 1923, was installed a magnificent pipe organ, long a dream of the church, now a reality; a replica of the Grotto at Lourdes serves as a con- stant inspiration, and the white marble topped Communion rail, flanked by Victory Angels, serves as a fitting symbol of the church mili- tant and the church triumphant. There are about 120 families now — seventy-five Catholic, and the rest mixed and single persons. Our war record can stand comparison with that of any other denomination : eighteen of our boys joined the colors, twelve of whom went overseas and saw action. Fortunately all came home, strong and hearty, after doing "their bit." In the recent drive for the Cathedral fund, the parish contributed more than its quota. The Altar, Holy Name, and Sacred Heart Societies must be credited with fine parish work in a financial and spiritual way. The successors of the Catholic pioneers that established the little parish for the honor and glory of God are as follows : Allwells, Bachmanns, Driscolls, Downers, Daugheitvs, Guineys, Jacobs, Kanes, Malones^ McCarthys, McGurtys, McMahons, Pendergasts, Tahans and Whalens. 341 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Church of St. John the Baptist, Arcola, Edgar County, Illinois Established in 1865 Present Pastor : Reverend William Pietsch Reverend Thomas Ryan, Pastor of Baldwinville or North Arm, Edgar County, attended the spiritual wants of the few Catholics of Arcola as early as 1853. In 1861 he moved to Mattoon and continued his visita- tions. In 1865 with Reverend Thomas Mangan as pastor, subscrip- tions were taken for a church and the new church, a frame structure, was dedicated to the honor of St. John the Baptist January 22, 1871. Father Mangan was also instrumen- tal in having a church built in Hum- bolt six miles to the south, in 1870. It was dedicated to the Holy Angels and was a mission of Arcola until 1900, when it was sold, owing to the small numbers and its proximity to other parishes, the parishioners at- taching themselves to Arcola, princi- pally, a few to Charleston. Father Mangan was succeeded June, 1871, by Reverend Charles Gonant. In the spring of 1872 Rev- erend Michael Quinlan was appointed to the charge, and remained three years. Then Reverend A. J. Pennartz stationed at Paris, attended for six months. Reverend John B. Diepen- brock became the pastor in 1875, and continued in office until 1884, during which time a commodious frame par- sonage was erected. A church was also built in Tuscola eight miles to the north in 1880, which remained a mis- sion of Arcola until 1901 when it was attached to Hume in Edgar County with Reverend Thomas Moore the pas- tor. Father Diepenbrock left in 1884 to become chaplain in St. John's Hos- pital, Springfield, and was succeeded by Reverend P. M. Donohoe who was followed in 1887 by Reverend D. J. Moroney. Father Moroney remained in charge until 1891. That year Rev- erend J. V. Martin was appointed. His pastorate ended November 1, 1901. Reverend William A. Heffer- nan followed and soon steps were taken to build a new church, some- thing long contemplated. The present brick structure — one of the most beautiful churches in the diocese and which today could not be duplicated for thrice the amount — was erected in 1902 at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars. Father Heffernan was suc- ceeded in office by Reverend Thomas Costello July 1, 1907, during whose pastorate many improvements were made. In 1915 a new pipe organ and new stations of the cross were installed. The parsonage built by Father Die- penbrock was destroyed by fire De- cember 3, 1917 and was replaced by a brick veneer structure. The year 1925 saw considerable improvements on the interior of the church in the way of decoration, a new system of lighting and minor improvements. After eighteen years of faithful service, Father Costello in 1925 was promoted to Carrollton and his place at Arcola filled by Reverend William Toomey whose pastorate continued up to July, 1927, when Reverend Wil- liam Peitsch became incumbent. As early as 1856 Catholics of Irish stock settled here, many of whom took an active part in the develop- ment of the community. Patrick H. Monahan was one of the first broom- corn brokers of this section. His son Thomas is prominent in the business today. Thomas Lyons also a broom- corn broker, organized the Arcola State Bank in 1894 and remained at its head until his death in 1917. He was a prime mover in giving Arcola its water-works, its first street pave- ment and its library. Patrick James and Michael Lyons, Michael Coan, J. H. Sullivan and Andrew Schneider were among the early business men. Mr. Schneider engaged in the bakery business in 1877 and Schneider's Broad is still famous over this part of the state to this day. Although he died in 1917, the bakery is run by the Schneider family. Mr. Schneider 342 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON served as Mayor two terms, 11)11-1915 when considerable public improve- ments took place. Thomas J. Mona- han was Mayor two terms, 1907-1911. Present Catholics in business : T. E. Lyons, President State Bank ; P J. Goggin, lumber dealer; John Haley, jeweler; J. J. Melody, Ford agent; Hugh Cunningham, Dry Goods ; Healy & Healy, Publishers of the Ar- colian, a weekly; Albert McLane, Post-master; Kennedy Brothers, Gro- cers. More than one half of the parish is engaged in agriculture, most of the farmers owning their farms. And what farms too ! Perhaps in the whole country there is no finer or more pro- ductive soil than that to be found within the limits of St. John the Bap- tist parish. At the present writing the parish has seventy-three families and three societies — Holy Name, Altar and Sacred Heart — which supply leader- ship to all parish activities. During the World War the parish Service Flag showed fifteen blue stars with one of gold. Church op St. Aloysius, Bishop Creek, Effingham County, Illinois Established in 1865 Present Pastor : Reverend Eugene Hagedorn, O.F.M. Samuel Bishop settled here in 1838. The next settler was Mr. Christian Riemann a German and a Catholic, A. D. 1838. With characteristic Ger- man industry and patience he entered and tilled the land now owned by Mr. Henry Voss. Mr. Riemann died in 1868. The next Catholic settlers were: Franz Westendorff (1839), Joseph H. Brummer, Dieterich Kremer, Herman Vonderheide, Henry Mette, Bernard Sietmann, (January, 1847), Bernard Sand- scheuper, Henry Probst, John Beck- man, George Boeckenhold, (1846), Bernard Bierman, Dieterich Repking, Barney Niemerg, and others. Messrs. Jacob Fuelle, Clem Brumleve, the Mindrups and Hawickhorsts at first lived at Bishop Creek. Most of these came here from Cincinnati, Ohio, others came directly from Germany, Westphalia, Hannover and Olden- burg, via New Orleans, St. Louis and Vandalia. The first teacher known was Mr. S. Field, before 1852. The first grist mill was owned by Mr. Armstrong. At first the Catholic pioneers had to go to Teutopolis, about six or more miles away, in order to satisfy their religious needs. Yet even amid the greatest privations and hardships these sturdy men realized the need of educational advantages, and in 1852 organized a ' ' School Society ' ' to build a log or block school. Mr. Theodore Repking was authorized to borrow $80.00 for erecting a school. It seems to have cost about $49.00. The first teacher they engaged was Mr. H. H. Huels who enjoyed the benefits of a classical education and had taught in a higher institution in England. He had to write his own Certificate, prob- ably because the official in question was incompetent. His salary is said to have been $15.00 per year. His residence was under the same roof as the school, separated only by an open corridor. This school gave way to the present brick structure in 1877. It caused an expenditure of $1,000. The teacher and organist's residence was partly built by the parish, partly by the district, according to Mr. Wil- liam Dust. As early as 1853 did the Bishopers think of erecting a church of their own. About twenty-five horsemen escorted the Reverend Joseph Zoegel, (pastor at Teutopolis November, 1850- June, 1854) to the 40 acres they had purchased for church and school purposes from Mr. Barney Niemerg in January, 1852, for the consideration of $120.00. Some lumber had already been bought, but the execution of the plan struck a snag. According to Charles Eversman, ("Historj- of Effingham 34:; DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS County") in 1883 the Right Reverend Bishop wanted a solid brick church or none. Others think that the unfinish- ed church at Teutopolis may have de- layed it. The black walnut weather- boards were sold to Mr. Niemerg and are still to be seen on the old home. The money was put on interest. Fathers Zoegel and Charles Raphael did however come out occasionally to say Mass. Father Mathias Hilter- mann, O.F.M., seems to have come about once a month to say Mass, and give instructions for young and old. In 1862, St. Joseph's Men's Society was founded. Following is the list of teachers as usually given though the sequence is not entirely correct: Messrs. H. II. Huels, 1852 54; Theodore Repking, Henry Nienaber, John Borgmann, 1856; Henry Klinkhammer, Bernard Wernsing, Henry Kempker, Henry Peters, Henry Ackersmann, Gotesleben (Peter?), Leo Baltenwick, Ferdinand Heimeier, 1863-73 ; Christopher Guit- hues, 1872-80; Theodore Guithues, 1880-90; Joseph Hotze, 1890-05; Rudolph Merz, 1905-07; Miss Mar- garet Thoele, 1907-08; Mr. John Weber, 1908-10; Charles H. Wor- mann, 1910-17 ; H. C. Weirich, 1917- 19; George Hentschel, 1919-23, and William J. Duerr, 1923 . One time Very Reverend Killian, O.F.M., had a very difficult sick call to Bishop Creek. The roads in those days must have beggared description to judge from present conditions in bad weather. He therefore declared : "Now the^Bishopers shall have their own church." The Building Commit- tee consisted of Messrs. John H. Westendorff, John Joseph Hartke, Bernard Sietmann, Joseph H. Mette and A. Repking. Reverend Rayner- ius, O.F.M., had obtained permission from the Ordinary of the Diocese to "build where priest and people saw fit." Father Nazarius Kommerscheid, O.F.M., was appointed the first pas- tor and probably built the church. On April 20, 1865, the corner stone was laid by the Very Reverend Killian Schloesser, O.F.M. He enclosed in it a newspaper containing the news of the dastardly murder of President Lincoln. The first Mass in the still unfinished church was said by the Reverend P. Kroeger, who had been formerly a clerk in the F. J. Wasche- fort store, and who was now collect- ing for his poor church in this vicin- ity. The dimensions of this church were 60x40 feet, and the cost about $7,000. In the spring of 1866 Very Reverend Killian Schloesser dedi- cated the church under the invoca-. tion of St. Aloysius. The sermon was likewise preached by Father Killian. January 12, 1867, Right Reverend Bishop II. D. Juncker visited St. Aloysius church at Bishop Creek. After the ceremony Bishop Juncker spoke a few heartfelt words. The brick church erected in 1865-66 soon threatened to collapse and had to be braced, owing to the poor sand- stone used in its construction. Father Paulinus Tolksdorf, O.F.M., (Septem- ber 1888-1891) realized the necessity of a new structure and began to take up a house to house collection for this purpose. The result was $595.00. This proved that the parishioners realized the need of a new structure and were willing to make sacrifices for it. His successor, Father Naza- rius Kaiser, O.F.M. worked for the same end. When the preparations were advanced so far, the superiors ordered the pastor to exchange place with the Reverend Alardus Andre- scheck, O.F.M., rector of the Sacred Heart parish at Lillyville, Cumber- land County, where the elderly father had just displayed great skill in building a new church at a low cost. After much deliberation the pres- ent site was agreed upon. The mooted second question of how the church should face was decided by Father Alardus according to the rubric which calls for the altar facing east. The designs for the new house of God were drawn by the well known Franciscan Architect, Brother Adrian 344 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON Wewer. The edifice proved to be one of the most beautiful churches in this section and well may the Bishop people be proud of their place of wor- ship built in the impressive Roman- esque style. It is about 130 feet long by 55 feet wide. The steeple rises to a height of 140 feet, and the cross is 6 feet high. On the west side several rooms were added; the one on the northwest serves as a sacristy, the other on the southwest side as the pastor 's office ; the two rooms above them as bedrooms. The windows of plain colored glass are from the firm of G. A. Misch of Chicago, Illinois, most of them cost- ing $55.00 each. The one east of the organ cost probably $80.00. They were donated by the four societies of the parish, by Mr. Anthony Repking, Joseph Mette, Sr., Joseph Hartke, Sr., the building committee, the Joseph Worman family. The two smaller ones of the facade bear the names of Mr. John Tappehorn. On April 8, 1893, the Very Rever- end Michael, O.F.M., Provincial of the Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart, laid the corner stone and preached in German and English. From December 8, 1894, when the church was finished and had been privately blessed with episcopal per- mission, Father Alardus regularly held divine service therein. On the following September 8, 1895, Right Reverend James Ryan, D|D., dedi- cated the new church. The solemn High Mass was sunj? by Reverend Polycarp Rhode, O.F.M., pastor and guardian at Teutopolis, Illinois. At the departure of Father Alardus the expenditures for the new church amounted to $14,500. Its present value is at least $75,000.00. When Father Alardus left, Father Marcus Thienel, O.F.M., was again sent to take charge of St. Aloysius church for a few months, till Rever- end Eusebius Helle, O.F.M., arrived. During his administration (August, 1899-September, 1903), the old church was torn down and the material sold. An addition was built to the teacher's house ; a pavement was laid to the church. In 1900 St. Aloysius con- gregation numbered about 86 fami- lies (German, 77, English, 9) with 88 pupils in school; First Communi- cants, 9 ; marriages, 10 ; funerals, 2. A Mission was held in 1902, and in 1903 Mrs. Mary Burghardt bequeathed $122.00 to the church. Father Eusebius found a worthy successor in the Reverend Clete Giers- chewski, O.F.M., (September, 1903- September, 1905). During his admini- stration "the debts began to vanish like fog before the rays of the sun." And yet he said little about money and made considerable improvements. Thus he installed the confessional ($105.00) and the steam heating plant ($1,032.55) and paid off about $2,350, leaving an indebtedness of $1,215. When obedience called, Father Clete elsewhere, the genial Father Ivo Beu, O.F.M., came in September, 1905, to fill the vacancy. He invited Mr. Hepfinger of Chicago, Illinois, to decorate St. Aloysius church. The work was done in a very creditable manner for the consideration of $700. While putting up the scaffold- ing for the painter, Mr. Henry Voss, one of the trustees met with a very re- grettable accident. He had the mis- fortune of running a pine sliver into his right hand. Unable to find it, he worked till evening, when he was un- able to continue. Despite medical care he remained an invalid for the rest of his days, being unable to make use of his forearm. Instead of a fixed salary, the Franciscan Fathers took up a "spring and a fall Termin" or collection of victuals, the value of which till about 1892 averaged about $170.00 to $200.00 ; later on cash payments were accepted to be more like other par- ishes. In 1905 the Dieterich church of Mary Immaculate was ready and Reverend Bede Carberry at St. Joseph's College was appointed first pastor until the Bishop could provide 345 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS a resident pastor. In 1905 the Bishop parish numbered only 65 families with 60 pupils. Father Ivo installed two side altars at a cost of $600.00, and a sidewalk for $129.00. His successor was the Reverend Didacus Gruenholz, O.F.M. who after several weeks had to exchange places with the Reverend Edmund Roediger, O.F.M., a former missionary to China. The new pastor purchased some ban- ners, new statues, and above all a fine pneumatic pipe organ of the Wick Brothers Pipe Organ Company, which cost $1,650, including freight. After the dedication, Mr. Wick gave a sacred concert in the afternoon. In 1907 the pastor's salary had been raised to $400.00. Mr. John Weber was teacher and organist at this time. Reverend Adjutus Budde, O.F.M., the successor of Father Edmund re- mained only half a year, when Rev- erend Albert Bruesermann, O.F.M., assumed the burden of the pastorate, (1910, September, 1912). Another Pyxis had been given by Mr. John Beckmann and a chalice by the rela- tives of Reverend Christopher Guith- ues, O.F.M., on the occasion of the lat- ter 's first Mass in the spring of 1887. Father Albert also introduced the Nine Fridays with remarkable suc- cess. To give a more artistic appear- ance to the church, the pastor solicit- ed donations for a number of statues, mostly of great value in art and adorned two of the middle nave pil- lars with them. The expenditure was $600.00. In September, 1912, Father Faus- tin Hack, O.F.M., was appointed pas- tor of St. Aloysius and ably guided its destinies until January, 1917. As the old boiler had gone out of com- mission, he installed a new Prox boiler at a cost of $427.90, in 1916, erected a temporary hall for the golden jubilee celebration, and had the high altar shipped to St. Louis, Missouri, and rebuilt by the J. C. Weber Company. The result is an artistic altar worthy of the beautiful church. The 50th anniversary of building the first church at Bishop Creek was duly commemorated September 25-27, 1915. A temporary hall had been built for this occasion. A successful mission was preached from October 22 to 29, 1916, by the Reverend John Joseph Brogger, O.F.M., with Father Linus Koenmund, O.F.M., assisting at the solemn services. Father Faus- tin also installed a new boiler. After administering to the parish for four years he was assigned to the "Fran- ciscan Herald" staff, and Reverend Paschal Foerster, O.F.M., was sent to replace him. (January, 1917-Septem- ber, 1918). He sold a number of fine trees and purchased three paintings : "The Good Shepherd," "The Agony in the Garden," and "The Annuncia- tion." The temporary hall was torn down and sold. Mr. John Mette do- nated a pulpit and the group of the Death of St. Joseph, a very artistic work. Mrs. Catherine Cremer nee Mette, donated $100.00 and again $600.00 to the parish. The latter sum was used to pay the pastor's salary. In September, 1918, Reverend Pas- chal left for Hermann, Missouri, and Reverend Benedict Pfeifer, O.F.M., took charge of St. Aloysius parish at Bishop Creek. In the summer of 1920, Father Isadore Fosselmann, O.F.M., was appointed his successor. During his incumbency the tool-shed with much lumber, a fine old pulpit, etc., burned. When the Provincial Chapter in 1921 elected Father Isa- dore guardian at Teutopolis, Rever- end Wolfgang Kraus, O.F.M., was sent to attend St. Aloysius from the summer of 1921 to the end of July, 1924. He made extensive repairs on the organist's and teacher's resi- dences, renewed the gutters of the church, and bought several copes and sets of green vestments for Forty Hours Adoration. Right Reverend Adalbert Schuecker, O.F.M., Vicar Apostolic in China, administered Con- firmation to a class of forty children on May 10, 1923. Father Wolfgang's successor is the 346 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE QUINCY ALTON Reverend Eugene Hagedorn, O.F.M., since July 29, 1924. To provide rec- reation for the young people, he or- ganized a baseball club and gave the boys a playground near the church. Besides a number of minor improve- ments made, he sought to put the parish on a sound financial basis. The plan of building a hall as a com- munity center met with much op- position and was postponed owing to the almost complete failure of crops in 1925. In November, 1925, the congrega- tion numbered 66 families and about 350 souls. The 80 children attend four district schools. The priest comes from Teutopolis on Friday, gives instructions on Saturday, Sun- day and Monday. The parish so- cieties are : St. Joseph 's Men and Holy Name; St. Mary's Christian Mother 's Society ; St. Aloysius Young Men and Holy Name; St. Teresa's Young Ladies' Sodality; the Holy Childhood Association, and the Fran- ciscan Missionary Union. Confirmation was administered at Bishop Creek Church by Right Rever- end Bishop Baltes on April 30, 1883 ; by Right Reverend Bishop James Ryan, on October 26, 1888 ; by the same at Effingham on October 12, 1919 ; by Bishop Ad. Schmuecker, O.F.M., in Bishop Creek. At all other times the Sacrament of Confirma- tion was administered at Teutopolis. Reverend Christopher Guithues is the only priest the parish can claim, and he was born at Carlisle, Illinois. His father, however, taught school at Bishop Creek for ten years. At the same time he was sexton and organist while William (such was Father Christopher's baptismal name) studied there or at St. Joseph's Col- lege. Sister Mary Repking, now at Wich- ita, Kansas, was for twelve or more years Provincial of the Sisters of the Precious Blood at Ruma, Illinois. Sister Eustacia (Ida) Goeckner; Sis- ter M. Maurita (Helen) Probst; Sis- ter M. Prudentia (Helen) Niemerg; Sister M. Cosma (Lena) Beckman. All these are Sisters of the Precious Blood. Some of the oldest settlers are : Mrs. Elizabeth Repking nee Sandschafer, born in Germany and came with her parents to Bishop Creek in 1846, at the age of nine years. Mrs. Phil Sandschafer nee Uptmor, is slightly younger; Mr. Barney Goeckner is about 85 years old and came about 55 years ago to Bishop Creek. Mr. Joseph Hartke came with his father from Cincinnati, Ohio, his native place, about 1856. Mr. Joseph Wor- man, Sr., in 1869 came from Green Creek, Illinois, where his father settled, about 1840. Mr. Barney Probst, age 77 years, whose parents came from Germany in 1846. Church of St. Catherine, Virden, Macoupin County, Illinois Established in 1866 Present Pastor : Reverend George J. Kenney Virden, Illinois, a small mining center in Macoupin County, one of the oldest Catholic settlements in the diocese of Springfield, received its early spiritual attention from the Church of the Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield, Illinois. Later it was attached to St. Mary's Parish, Carlinville. Reverend Francis Schreiber, then pastor of St. Mary's Church, attended it regularly from 1864 to 1866, saying Mass 'in the McCabe and Mark Kelley homes. The first resident pastor, Reverend J. Henderson, was appointed in April, 1866. During the sixty years of its ex- istence, St. Catherine's parish has had twenty resident pastors: 1866-67, J. Henderson; 1867-68, R. Grant; 1868-69, Michael Clifford; 1869-70, Dennis Tierney and D. Tnmey; 1870-73, T. Hickey; 1873- 77, Laurence Ryan; 1877-81, Daniel 347 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Ryan ; from 1881 to 1884 the pastors resided elsewhere ; 1881-82, Jeremiah Murphy, Auburn; 1882-83, Joseph Finnegan, Auburn ; 1883-84, L. Hins- sen, Springfield; 1884-87, P. J. O'Reilley; 1887-88, James Howard; 1888-90, M. J. McCormack; 1890-91, Wm. McGuire; 1891-94, Thomas J. Morrow ; 1894-99, J. J. Clancy ; 1899 -1903, Francis Hussey ; 1903-04, C. Nell; 1904-13, Thomas J. Carroll; 1913-24, P. J. Masterson; 1924-25, William Sloan, and the present pas- tor, Reverend George J. Kenney, was appointed in January, 1925. The original church, a good sized frame building, is still in use. When it was erected it was considered a very large church and was called the ' ' Cathedral of the Prairies. ' ' To Reverend J. Henderson, the first pastor, belongs the credit for the erection of St. Catherine Church in 1866. In 1904 Reverend C. Bell, present pastor of Murrayville, added the tower and bell. During the pastorate of Reverend Thomas Carroll, 1904- 13, the sacristy was built. Reverend P. J. Masterson, now of Staunton, had the old church painted, redeco- rated and refurnished in 1923. The rectory connected with the church was built by Reverend Laurence Ryan, pastor, 1877-81. Reverend J. J. Clancy, Reverend Thomas J. Carroll and Reverend P. J. Master- son made many improvements on the residence. The parish hall on Hen- derson Street became the property of the parish in 1910. Reverend Thomas Carroll was the purchaser. At the time the parish was organ- ized there were about twenty fam- ilies of mostly Irish and German extraction. It grew slowly until 1908, when owing to the mines a great number of Slovak people set- tled in Virden. This unexpected in- crease in Catholic popidation taxed the church to the limit. After long and persistent appeals for a separate church and a priest of their own tongue, Bishop Ryan acceded to their wishes. The cornerstone of the new church, known as the Sacred Heart Church, was laid in 1914, and a short time later the building was ready for services. With the opening of the Sacred Heart Church, St. Catherine's found its congregation back to normal. At present the congregation consists of about eighty-five families of Irish, German and Italian birth or lineage. It is but just to record here the names of the old parishoners who have labored long in the service of this venerable church : Mrs. Mar- garet Delehanty, Mrs. Mary Doyle, Mrs. Jacob Noll, Mrs. Ellen Cody, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Moffitt, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Sadones, Miss Kate Whalen, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Mc- Whinnie, Mrs. Margaret Muhlen- beck, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Curran, Misses Mae and Kate Curran, Mrs. Mary Meyers, Mr. D. Whalen, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ebers, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ebers, Mr. and Mrs. John Ebers, Miss Elizabeth Ebers, John McCarthy, Mrs. Agnes Kane, Mrs. James Curvin, Mrs. James H. Murphy, Mrs. Margaret Bishop, Mrs. Walter Skehan, Mr. and Mrs. Steve Streble, Mr. and Mrs. William McCready, Albert Vincent, Mrs. Elizabeth Summers and Mrs. Philip Mullen. At the time of the world war there were thirty-one young men of this parish who served the colors, one of whom, Charles Perks, made the supreme sacrifice for his country. The early records of the church show that the pastor of St. Cather- ine's attended a great number of places that now have more flourishing and prosperous parishes, namely : Morrisonville, Raymond, Farmers- ville and Auburn. He likewise looked after the spiritual needs of Girard, Nilwood, "Sugar Creek" now Chat- ham, and many other small settle- ments of pioneers. At the present time St. Patrick's church, Girard, Illinois, is the only old mission left to the care of St. 348 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON Catherine's. The church at Girard, a small frame structure, was built in 1886 by Reverend P. J. 'Reilly, now pastor of St. Joseph's, Springfield. In October, 1924, Reverend Wil- liam Sloan added the station of Standard City to the care of Virden. Standard City is a small mining town near Carlinville controlled by the Standard Oil Company. Church op the Visitation op the Blessed Virgin Mary, Illiopolis, Sangamon County, Illinois Established in 1866 Present Pastor : Reverend Thomas F. McGrath Before the Civil War, few Catholics were to be found in or near Illiopolis. After its close and for the next ten or twelve years, many families, mostly of Irish extraction, settled on farms north of the town along the Sanga- mon and Logan County lines. Mass was celebrated for the first time in the village at the home of Doctor Bernard Stuve in the spring of 1866. Later the home of Patrick Murphy was used and in the autumn of the same year the first church building was com- pleted, a small frame structure forty- two feet by twenty-four feet, to ac- commodate the few Catholics living between Springfield and Decatur. Father Vogt of Decatur attended the wants of the congregation most of the time and occasionally priests from Taylorville, Macon and Springfield came. In 1876, while Reverend Manasses Kane was in charge, the little church was enlarged by an addition to meet the needs of the increasing congrega- tion, which at the time numbered sev- enty-five or eighty families. In December, 1877, Father Charles Manuel was assigned to Illiopolis and remained there for twenty-four years until his death in 1901. His remains lie near the entrance in the Catholic Cemetery, one mile south of the vil- lage. During his incumbency, Father Manuel organized congregations and built churches at Buffalo, Riverton, and Niantic, small towns along the Wabash Railroad between Springfield and Decatur. lie also built a two- story structure adjoining the church and secured some additional lots to the west with a view to the erection of a new church thereon when the congregation felt better able to bear the expense. In 1895, the work was undertaken and a fine brick building with a towering belfry and steeple was begun and completed. This is indeed a monument to the zeal and taste of the Rector and to the gener- osity of the congregation. Reverend W. A. Pachlhoffer, newly ordained, assisted Father Manuel in the last months of his illness and remained as pastor for another year. In October, 1902, Reverend J. C. Daw took charge of the Illiopolis and Niantic congregations and had ad- ministered to the parishes for seven- teen years when in 1919 he was trans- ferred to Vandalia in the southern part of the Diocese. A few years after his assignment to Illiopolis, the old parsonage, while being raised to re- place the crumbling foundation, col- lapsed and the pastor and congrega- tion decided to abandon it and build on a line with the church. A modern rectory in keeping with the new church adjoining was the result. Father Daw's administration was one of progress in every way. In 1890, the parish was divided, a new congre- gation having been organized and ;i new church erected at Niantic less than five miles away. There are at the present time (1927) fifty-five families in the Illi- opolis parish, nearly all of them far- mers and most of them land owners. They are mostly of Irish descent and are far and favorably known for their intense devotion to religion and love of the priesthood. Many boys from this parish enlisted in the late war, one of whom, Andrew J. Blair, died as the result of injuries sustained in 349 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFrELD IN ILLINOIS action over seas. Many of its daugh- ters too, are to be found laboring in the fields of the religious life. Two healthy, active organizations — the Altar and Holy Name Societies — flourish within its confines. On the first day of May, 1919, the Reverend Thomas F. McGrath suc- ceeded Father Daw and is the pres- ent pastor. Under Father McGrath 's wise and practical leadership, many church improvements have been made and many more are in contempla- tion. A heavy debt too, which bur- dened the parish when he came, has been considerably reduced. Church of St. Joseph, Meppen, Calhoun County, Illinois Established in 1867 Present Pastor : Reverend Stephen C. Schauwecker St. Joseph Church, Meppen, Illi- nois, Calhoun County, was built in the year 1864. It is located four miles north of Brussels, and twelve miles south of Hardin, Illinois. The first pastor of Meppen was Reverend Francis Witthaut, who was born in the year 1831, ordained to the holy priesthood April 17, 1864, and was as- sistant priest at St. Boniface Church, Quincy, Illinois, until he came to Meppen, December 23, 1864. The new and first church of Meppen not being entirely completed when Father Witthaut came, Mass was said in Henry Kiel's house. The first mem- bers of St. Joseph's Church were the following : Henry Kiel, Barney Baalman, Peter Haselhorst, Henry Hillen, Henry Osterman, Herman Osterman, William Fuller, Lucas Tepen, Lucas Flanigan, William Behrens, Lucas Lenbes, Frank Duennebach, Barney Kotte, Severine Santen, William Pehn, Herman H. Pohlman, Mat- thias Breer, Herman Imming, Martin Haselhorst, Nicholaus Siemer, Mein- ard Siemer, Barney Hegger, Lucas Klass, Henry Weigman, Gerhard Kohn, John B. Droege, Manus Boe- ing, Anton Westerman, Gerhard <; meter, Barney Sievers, Gerhard Hagen, Joseph Wallendorf. None of the above mentioned is living at the present time. A two story rectory of eight rooms was built by Father Witthaut in 1866, and the parochial school in 1874. In 1890 the roof of the church was slated and the tower completed. In 1895 the interior of the church was paint- ed. After having been pastor of Meppen for about 38 years, Father Witthaut resigned on account of old age in the year 1902, and spent the rest of his life in St. Mary's hospital, Quincy, Illinois, where he died in the year 1910. His remains were brought to Meppen and laid to rest in St. Joseph 's cemetery. After the resignation of Father Witthaut in 1902, Reverend Henry Becker was appointed pastor of Mep- pen. It was through him that the large pipe organ was installed in 1903. During his pastorate the sis- ter's residence was built in 1905. Up to this time the children of the parochial school were taught by the following lay teachers : Martin De- kinder, Anton Anders, Edward Reine- ker, Joseph Schenbel, John Kieffer, J. C. Karlin, J. V. Schiffer and John Haas. Since the arrival of the Sis- ters of the Most Precious Blood, whose mother-house was in Alton, Illi- nois, at the time, (now in Pennsyl- vania) the children have been taught by the sisters. The present enroll- ment of pupils is 66. Reverend Henry Becker was pastor until 1908, when Reverend J. B. Wand was appointed to be his succes- sor. It was during Reverend J. B. Wand's time that the furnace was in- stalled in the year 1908. The successor to Father Wand was Reverend J. B. Wardein who decorated the church in 1916. The present pastor, Rev. S. C. Schauwecker, succeeded Father War- dein and has been pastor of Meppen since June 1, 1919. 350 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE— QUINCY — ALTON The first trustees of St. Joseph's Church were : Henry Kiel and John B. Droege. The trustees at the pres- ent time are : Henry M. Siemer and Ben Kiel. Calhoun County, sometimes humor- ously called ' ' The Kingdom, ' ' was es- tablished in 1825. It lies in beautiful but unhappy isolation in the sharp angle formed by the confluence of the rivers, Mississippi and Illinois. Be- cause of the natural difficulties pre- sented by its peculiar situation it has never been able to attract railroads within its borders. As a result, its growth has been considerably retard- ed in the past. But its transportation outlook for the future is much brighter, for by a recent act of the State Legislature a bridge is to be built within the next two years over the Illinois River at Hardin, which, when completed, will greatly facili- tate communication and commerce with the outside world. From all that has been said it must not be inferred that Calhoun is a poor and altogether undesirable county in which to live. As a matter of fact many of its inhabitants are well-to-do and practically everyone of them has enough to live in at least frugal plenty. The Illinois Blue Book for 1925-26 gives the following interest- ing data with regard to Calhoun's revenue for 1924 : Total crop value, $1,462,270; total live stock value, $786,640. Its principal source of revenue is its far-famed apple orchards. The inhabitants there are plain, industrious and religious peo- ple among whom it is a pleasure to labor. Church of St. Joseph, Carlinville, Macoupin County, Illinois Present Pastor : Reverend William Michael Carlinville, the county seat of Macoupin County, has a population of about six thousand and is situated on the Chicago & Alton Railroad, forty miles southwest of Springfield. In the year 1867, the German ele- ment of the local St. Mary Church (till then the only Catholic congrega- tion in Carlinville) petitioned Bishop Juncker for permission to establish a new parish and build a church of their own. This they did largely on the advice of Father Ostrop who was then stationed at St. Mary Church, Alton, and who, on certain occasions, ministered to their spiritual needs. On receiving episcopal approbation, two trustees, John Mueller and Michael Boehm, were selected, and a building committee consisting of Peter Schaefer, Michael Boehm, Adam Becker, Frank Link, Adam Flori, John Schaefer, Conrad Dietz, John Eiter, Joseph Link, William Mees, Ferdinand Knitzer, and John Muel- ler, was appointed to devise ways and means for carrying into execution the new project. Under the leadership of the building committee a collection was taken up which netted $7,276.00 — a comparatively large sum at that time. A suitable location having been secured, the building was begun in 1868, and on July 7 of that year the corner stone was laid by Bishop Juncker, Ordinary of the Diocese. For some time after the parish was irregularly attended by Father H. J. Hoover, the then pastor of St. Mary until it received a resident priest in the person of Reverend Henry Egg- onstein, a newly ordained priest who had made his studies in Muenster, Germany. Among the many donations made to the new church were two side altars, communion railing, pulpit, one stained-glass window, stations of the cross, pictures, and a note of $1,200.00— all by Mrs. Anna Water- meier. Mr. Cooper Westermeier do- nated the statues of St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin. The name of the first resident pas- tor and his successors are as follows : Fathers H. Eggenstein, May 5, 1870, to November 1, 1877; F. A. Ostrop, 351 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS November 1, 1877, to July, 1892; Clement Sommer, July, 1892, to Sep- tember 1, 1899 ; Henry Ader, Septem- ber 1, 1899, to March 5, 1909; Henry J. Hoover, 1909, to October, 1911, and William Michael, who has had charge from 1911 to the present time. During the incumbency of Father K. A. Ostrop the parish of St. Joseph (for that was the name given to the new congregation) flourished both spiritually and materially as never before or since. It was he who cleared away an existing debt of $10,000.00 which had heavily burdened the par- ish for many years, and put an ad- dition of forty feet to the church which gave it the dimensions of 125 by 40 feet, with a tower 110 feet high. In addition he bought three acres of land opposite the rectory with the hope that some day a large parochial school might be built thereon. The good Father saw to it that every two years the parish had a mission — these missions usually resulted in great spiritual profit to the congregation. The present rectory, a commodious building, was erected during the pas- torship of Reverend Henry Ader (1899-1909). The present trustees are Henry C. Hesseldenz and Joseph Watermeier. Thirty-four young men of our par- ish enlisted during the late war, three of whom engaged in battle and one was shell shocked. The following societies are organ- ized in the parish : Altar Society, Young Ladies' Sodality, Western Catholic Union, and Knights of Columbus. In October, 1924, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., made his first episcopal visitation to the parish and confirmed a class of 106. It may be of interest to note that the remains of General John M. Pal- mer are buried in our City cemetery. He was a general in the Civil War, was elected Governor of Illinois in 1868, was nominated U. S. Senator in 1890 and nominated for President by the Gold Democrats in 1896, but re- fused the nomination. The industrial life of the city is paralyzed at present for our coal mines, our only industry, have been shut down since April, 1925, and no- body seems to know when (if indeed ever) they will be opened again. But the 110 families which consti- tute the congregation are for the most part religious and some are very pious. The Mass is always well at- tended, and at the Forty Hours, regularly held every year, the church can not accommodate the crowds. It is the same with the missions. Church op St. Agnes, Hillsboro, Montgomery County, Illinois Established in 1867 Present Pastor : Reverend John M. Heslin Among the gently sloping hills in the heart of the prairie land in south central Illinois, nestles the thriving and beautiful little city of Hillsboro. A vast and rolling prairie stretches out to the east and southward but on the west and north are the hills ; some of them are tall and steep with frown- ing cliffs crested with trees, and others are great mounds of sloping earth. From the summit of all these hills one can look down upon the red roofs, the spires, towers and factories hidden in the trees of the city of the hills that has seen the progress of a century gather within her realms. History has it that in the year 1824 two Englishmen were passing through this section of Illinois, and, seeing the beauty of this country saw the pos- sibility of erecting a village on the site of the present city. This they did and the hamlet was named "Hills- borough." If this is merely a legend, no one knows, but Hillsboro can trace her growth from that date, and today her factories, plants, mines, business section, her paved streets and beautiul residential sections have 352 Carlinville — St. Joseph's School, Rectory, Rev. William Michael, Pastor, St. Joseph's Church . . . I'iverton — St. Janus' Church, Rectum . . . IIMsboro St. Agnes Church and Rectory, Rev. J. M. Heslin. Pastor . . . Paloma Rectory, St. Joseph Church and School, Rev. C. J. Flori, Pastor. M LIBRARY OF TH£ KHIYMTY OF H.U3HHS EARLY DAYS OP THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON attracted much attention and ad- miration. Hillsboro is the county seat of Montgomery County. The present court house is the third the county has had. In 1830, a court house was built of logs on the present square. It was a crude building, but it was quite sufficient for the legal business of that day. Judge Roundtree filled all the offices in the court house himself and served the people for forty-nine years. When the first court house proved too small, it was replaced by a larger building and then the present structure, an edifice of stone like an old castle in architecture was built, being reconstructed from the mate- rials of the second building. Few Catholics were living here when Hillsboro first began, and even to this day Hillsboro remains predom- inantly non-Catholic. The first Mass in Hillsboro was said about the year 1840, in the house of Richard Tynan, which house still stands on Seward Street Hill, being the present home of Mr. Edward Ludwig, Sr. For some time Mass was said there once a month by Father Gronan who was re- siding at Litchfield. Within a few years Catholics began so to increase in number that new and more adequate quarters became an imperative necessity. In the mean- time the basement of the Unitarian Church (which then stood where the present post office now stands) was selected as a temporary place of wor- ship, and here Mass was said until 1870, when the new church of St. Agnes was dedicated. In connection with the building of this church, Mr. Robert Stewart, a wealthy convert, deserves special mention. It was he who donated the ground on which the church and parsonage were built. Father Lohmann, the first pastor of St. Agnes' Church, came here in 1870. At this time he was called from a retreat in Alton to prepare Richard Tynan for death. Father Lohmann was then made pastor of the church. The first funeral was that of the mother of Edward Ludwig, Sr., a prominent Hillsboro business man. The first marriage to be celebrated was that of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Murphy of Coffeen, who died but re- cently. Father Lohmann 's first sick call was to the home of Xavier Huber who lived in the country. Father Lohmann was a plain, conservative man. Until 1876 he was pastor here and then he was sent to Clinton, his place being filled by Father Vernich. Father Vernich was a very chari- table priest, a kind and loving father. He remained pastor until 1881 when he was succeeded by Father Storp, who, in turn, remained from 1881 to 1 884. Father Storp was succeeded by Father Gesenhues. During the lat- ter 's pastorate, Hillsboro saw its hardest times, due to general labor depression. There was no work to be found and money was so scarce in the congregation that even the most necessary church repairs had to be in- definitely postponed. As a result of this, the pastor and people suffered much. It is said of Father Gesenhues that often he would have gone hungry had not good friends from outside given timely assistance. In 1888, Father Becker took Father Gesenhues' place. Times changed; conditions improved, and fortunate- ly continue improving to this day. Father Becker sold the old parsonage and built a new one modelled on a Swiss home. The house still stands as a parsonage, and though it is not a convenient residence, it is very unique and interesting in structure. In 1889 Father Becker left this com- munity to be succeeded by Reverend Thomas Masterson. During Father Masterson 's twenty- two years here, he did much good work and endeared himself to all, Catholic and non-Catholic, by his win- ning personality. He greatly im- proved the church by the addition of a pipe organ and furnace, a new steel ceiling and tabernacle. The parish grew under his admini- stration from 100 to 300 families. The community also prospered. Stone buildings were replacing the wooden 353 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ones and factories were being built. A mine was dug and a smelter erected in the community a short distance smith of Hillsboro. Many foreign Catholics being attracted by the grow- ing industries, settled there. This gave rise to Taylor Springs. Another mine had been dug east of Hillsboro, and the miners were gathered into a little village named Corteamp. The Catholics in both communities were able to attend Mass easily by car lines running to Hillsboro. At last Father Masterson's health began to fail ; lie was advancing in years and there was too much work to be done in such a scattered parish. At his request he was assigned the quiet parish of Holy Trinity in Ston- ington, Illinois, where he labored faithfully until 1927 when, through serious illness, his resignation be- came advisable. Father John Heslin succeeded Father Masterson and it is due to his efforts that St. Agnes Church owes its present condition. The grime and dust of half a century marred the walls of St. Agnes and Father Hes- lin saw the necessity of redecorating the interior. During the summer of 1925, artists were employed and in a short time a wonderful transforma- tion was effected. It may be interesting to note that in the early days of St. Agnes Church burials were made either in the Bluff or Cress Hill cemeteries, the bodies being later removed to the newly pur- chased Catholic cemeteiy. One of the parishioners, Mr. John Arney, a brother of William and George Arney, was wounded in the Civil War in the retreat of Shiloh. He died and was buried in the Bluff cemetery. As St. Agnes has no Catholic school, Father Heslin conducts cate- chism classes at suitable times and suitable places during the week. At present the parish has 155 families, 600 souls in all. One hundred eighty- five received confirmation in May, 1924, at the hands of the Right Rev- erend James A. Griffin. There are three societies: Altar Society, Young Ladies' Sodality, and Holy Name Society. It is Father Heslin 's hope that within a few years Hillsboro will have a new Catholic school and a new Catholic church. The parishioners and residents of Hillsboro hope that Father Heslin will be in this com- munity long enough to see his hopes realized. Church op St. Joseph, Paloma, Adams County, Illinois Established in 1867 Present Pastor : Reverend Charles Flori At the close of the Civil War, sev- eral Catholic veterans settled in what is now the western section of Gilmer Township in Adams County. In a few years their numbers were aug- mented by some families who had emigrated from Germany. Their in- dustry and frugality soon made them prosperous, and they felt the need of a closer community life. Naturally their thoughts first turned towards the establishment of a congregation. On March 11, 1867, they sent a pe- tition, accompanied by a subscription of $625.00, to the Vicar General, Very Reverend Herman Joseph Schaefer- meyer, to be allowed to establish a new parish on the Columbus Road, ten miles northeast of Quincy. The Bishop, Right Reverend Henry Da- mian Juncker, gave his approval with a warning not to go too heavily in debt. By October of the same year, the new limestone church of St. Joseph was completed at a cost of $2,135.00. It was dedicated on May 1, 1868, and was henceforth known as "The Rock Church on Columbus Road." The beautiful but simple high altar was donated by Henry Schenk. In the same year, 1868, a parochial school was built costing $535.00. When the church building was fin- 354 EARLY DAYS OF TIIE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON ished, a debt of $1,000.00 remained to be paid by the little community. Within a few years this debt was wiped out through the untiring ef- forts of parish societies. The erection of the school left no debts. When the church was opened, there were twenty-one families in the con- gregation, and they were making good progress. Unfortunately, however, a conflict arose as to what language should be employed by the priest in his sermons. This continued for many years, doing much harm to the peace of the congregation. In the school the same error was continued for many years. By 1873 the parish had grown to forty families, services were now being held twice a month, but as yet there was no resident priest. In accordance with the wishes of the Bishop, the Franciscan Fathers took active charge of St. Joseph church, which they faithfully attend- ed from the College in Quincy until the year 1888, when Reverend Her- man Gesenhues, a secular priest, was put in charge. Father Gesenhues at- tended it from Bloomfield until he was sent to Shelbyville, Illinois. The school when first opened, 1875, had an attendance of only eight chil- dren. By 1878, the number had grown to thirty-five. For years lay teachers were employed. In 1919 the old school was condemned as unsanitary by the health authorities, and a new modern school building was erected in con- formance to the laws of the State of Illinois, at a cost of $3,500.00. Today, 1926, the attendance of children at school is practically the same as it was in 1878. In 1903 a cyclone damaged the old "Rock Church" beyond repair and necessitated the erection of a new building. A frame structure was built 90x45 feet, twice the size of the old building, to meet the increasing membership. The first resident pastor of the parish, Reverend Francis M. Mc- Veigh, under whose supervision the second church was erected, as well as a commodious rectory. Father Mc- Veigh died on July 21, 1906, and was buried in Calvary Cemetery. During the vacancy, Reverend Clement Moorman and Reverend Anthony Zurbonsen attended to the spiritual wants of the parish. On Sep- tember 1, Reverend Paul Reinfels was appointed pastor by the Bishop, Right Reverend James Ryan. During Father Reinfels' pastorate many needed im- provements were made in the church and school property. Father Rein- fels remained here until April, 1919, when Reverend Charles J. Flori was appointed pastor. The new pastor found the people eager to support him in his effort to carry out the instruc- tions of the Bishop. A new, modern and sanitary school building was erected, and the church was deco- rated in a way befitting a house of God. The two side altars were do- nated by the Henry Wiewel family and the Ladies' Altar Society. In 1923 two acres of land were purchased to be used for a new ceme- tery and also part of it for school recreation and parish festivities. Among the old parishioners still living are William Rossmiller, Bei*- nard Reckes, George O'Hare, Patrick O'Hare, Joseph Goehl, Wilhelmina Mayer, Conrad Unmissig, Mary Hum- mel, Catherine Cramsey, Henry Gramke, Joseph and William Star- man, Roman Ohnemus, Louisa Wie- wel, Elizabeth and Teresa O'Hare, and William Zanger, Sr. St. Joseph has also contributed to the higher vocations. On the records are found the names of two, Francis Patrick Murphy and John Henry Gramke, who have embraced the priesthood. Emma Mary Ohnemus has become a member of the Sisters • of the Poor of St. Francis. The parish Societies are the Holy Name Society; Ladies' Society; and Association of the Holy Childhood for children. To Mrs. Elizabeth Enning of Quincy, Illinois, is due much credit for her many generous gifts in various ways to the people of St. 355 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Joseph's congregation. Her ex- emplary work has been a great help and inspiration to the parish and de- serves special mention. From 1888 to 1928 the following pastor's names appear on the church records : Herman Gesenhues, John Church of St. James, Riverton, Established Present Pastor: Reverend The village of Riverton situated on the banks of the Sangamon River some seven miles northeast of Spring- field, Illinois, is one of the oldest towns in Sangamon County. It was first known as Jimtown, then How- lett, and now bears the name of Riv- erton. In the summer of 1867 a mine was sunk and this brought an increase in population of the then Jimtown. In this same year Reverend John Sulli- van, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church of Springfield, came out to Jimtown to organize the Catholics as a mission, to be attended from Spring- field. Mass was first said in the priv- ate home of Edward Ready and later the use of the school house was ob- tained for Divine Services. The Mis- sion was named St. James. Riverton continued to be attended from Springfield by Fathers Sullivan, Ilickey and Brady until 1878, when the charge was given to Father Charles Manuel, pastor of Visitation Church, Illiopolis. In 1871 Reverend Patrick Brady built a small frame church wherein Divine Services were held. Father Manuel continued to attend the Mission at Riverton until November, 1884 when it received its first resident pastor, Reverend J. B. Deipenbrock. The residence which is still in use was built by Father Manuel in 1884. Father Deipenbrock remained un- til November, 1885, and was succeed- ed by Reverend J. Iiiggins. In the spring of 1887, the church burned on a Sunday morning just as the service was closing. The fire was caused by an overheated furnace. The church 356 Dieterich, George Pesch, Thomas J. Butler, James Hussey, Francis M. McVeigh, Paul Reinfels, Charles J. Flori. In October, 1925, there were sixty- five families and a healthy growth was assured for the future. Sangamon County, Illinois in 1867 Andrew E. Robinson structure was completely destroyed but some of the furnishings were saved. A new church slightly larger was immediately rebuilt by Father J. Iiiggins, who remained in charge of the parish until October, 1888, when he was succeeded by Reverend V. O'Keefe. Father O'Keefe remained until October, 1890 when Father James Sweeney a young but not overly strong man, was sent to take charge. In June, 1892, Father Charles Sny- der was appointed pastor of Riverton. During Father Snyder's pastorate many improvements were made in the parish house and church. New pews were installed and a new bell erected. It was also during the regime of Father Snyder that Buffalo became a Mission of Riverton. Father Snyder remained as pastor until the Fall of 1894 when Father Thomas Riley suc- ceeded to the pastorate. He remained in charge for two years and in 1896 Father James 'Boyle was appointed pastor. Father 'Boyle was forced by ill health to give up the parish and Father John J. Corcoran then assist- ant to Father Howard in Springfield, was sent to assume charge in 1897. Father Corcoran remained until Sep- tember, 1899, when he was succeeded by Reverend John J. Clancy who re- mained in charge until 1914. In 1906 Father Clancy remodeled and enlarged the church and made many improvements in the church and residence during his fifteen years in the pastorate. In October, 1914, he was transferred to Jerseyville. Father Higgins was appointed to take EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY— ALTON his place but was in Ireland at the time and before he returned, Father Flaherty was appointed to Riverton. He remained for eight years and in September, 1922, was moved to Van- dalia. From October until Decem- ber the parish was attended by Father Thomas McGrath of Illiopolis. In December, 1922, Father Amos Guisti, pastor of Waverly, was trans- ferred to Riverton. Father Guisti re- mained until August, 1924. He made many improvements in the house and church. In August Reverend Mamul Rua, formerly professor at De Paul University, Chicago, was assigned to the parish. Father Rua remained until October, 1925, making necessary repairs on the church. In October, 1925, Reverend Andrew E. Robinson, S.T.L., was appointed pastor of Riv- erton. The first trustees of the parish were Patrick Mullen and Thomas Smith. The first settlers were chiefly Irish, English and Germans. Some of the early settlers still living in the parish are : Mrs. K. 'Connor, James Flemming and Michael Davern. In 1894 Italians started moving into Riverton, and now the population is chiefly Italian. The mission church of St. Joseph, Buffalo, was begun in 1882 when Father Manuel of Illiopolis built a small frame church. In 1892 Father Snyder was given charge. Since 1892 the Mission of Buffalo has been at- tended from Riverton. Church of St. Michael, Sigel, Shelby County, Illinois Established in 1867 Present Pastor : Reverend George Faller Sigel is situated in the southeast part of Shelby County on the Illi- nois Central Railroad. It is seven miles north of Effingham and twenty miles south of Mattoon. Sigel was laid out in September, 1863 by a Mr. Charles Underwood, surveyor for the Hon. Francis Hoffman who at one time was Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. The first building in the new town was erected by Martin Gay who be- came the first store-keeper and post- master. Originally, the first post- office was known as "Hooker," in honor of "Fighting Joe" Hooker of Civil War fame. Later on, when a post office in Illinois called Sigel was discontinued, the post office in this town succeeded to the name, a name by which the town was known from the beginning. The early settlers, mostly German- American, bestowed the name on the town in honor of General Franz Sigel, who distinguished himself in the Civil War at the battle of Pea Ridge, Missouri. On October 10, 1891, Sigel was honored by a visit from General Sigel. The occasion was mai'ked by the presence of a large crowd of people from far and near. The dis- tinguished visitor was given a gold headed cane. He afterwards donated his portrait, which now hangs in the town hall. In 1867 the town of Siegel was in- corporated. The town board held its first meeting on July 4, 1867. It con- sisted of Messrs. Joseph Fruchtl, John Kirn, Adam Kieselback, trus- tees, John Mumper, secretary, and John Kroes, treasurer. None of the original settlers of Sigel are now liv- ing, but many of their descendants are to be found in this vicinity. Among the early settlers of this community were many Catholics. They attended to their religious du- ties at Green Creek and Trowbridge. As their numbers increased they re- solved to have a church of their own. The first steps in this direction were probably taken in 1866. In an old book we find the minutes of a meeting of the Sigel Catholics held January 10, 1867. At this meeting a commit- tee composed of Jacob Zirngibel, Lu- bert Husmann and Peter Walzer was instructed to wait on Bishop Juncker 357 DIOCESE OF Sl'KINCKIEIiD IN" ILLINOIS at TVutopolis and request him lo send a priest to Sigel to organize a Catho- lic parish. On May 27, 1S68 Father Kilian, O.F.M., by order of the bishop proceeded to Sigel. He at once took charge, appointed a build- ing committee composed of Lubert Ilusmann, John Xordmann, Simon Bremer and Louis Steger. The site for the new church was donated by Mr. F. A. Hoffman a non-Catholic. The new church was a frame building. On September 29, 1867, the Feast of Saint Michael the dedication took place, Reverend Kilian officiating. The new parish was placed under the patronage of St. Michael the Arch- angel. On the day of dedication a baptism took place, that of Henry Suingler who is still a member of the parish. Father Kilian had now finished the task assigned him. His duties as Provincial of the Franciscan Order would not permit him to continue as pastor of Sigel, hence with the ap- proval of Bishop Juncker he assigned the new parish to the care of Rever- end Nazarius Komnierseheid who at- tended it twice a month from Green Creek. In 1868 a parochial school was built, the first teacher being Mr. John Heller. Secular teachers had charge of the school until the advent of the Franciscan Sisters in 1879. Among the lay teachers was Joseph Nacke, who afterwards entered the priest- hood, and who is now chaplain of a Catholic Hospital in Waterloo, Iowa. Father Nazarius remained pastor of Sigel until December, 1869, when he was succeeded by Reverend Ambrose Janssen, O.F.M., from December, 1869, to September, 1871. In ad- dition to his Sigel charge, Father Ambrose attended a small parish in Spring Point Township, Cumberland County, about five and a half miles east of Sigel. This congregation num- bered from twelve to fourteen fami- lies. It was the first Catholic parish organized in Cumberland County. Services were discontinued in 1881 arid the church, a small frame build- in"', was torn down in 1883. Father Ambrose was replaced by leather Sebastian, O.F.M., in Septem- ber, 1871 During his incumbency more ground was bought for church purposes. When Father Sebastian was transferred in September, 1875, to Herman, Missouri, he was succeed- ed by Reverend Dominic Florian, O.F.M., in September, 1875, who re- mained until July 2, 1879. His administration was a notable one. In addition to buying more land he built a spacious two story frame school which was also to serve as resi- dence for the sisters. He made ar- rangements for the Franciscan Sis- ters of Joliet, Illinois, to take charge of the school, but before their arrival he was assigned to Teutopolis. His successor was Reverend Andrew Butz- kueben, O.F.M., July 21, 1879, to November, 1883. His pastorate proved a most eventful one. The outlook was now most promising. The good Sisters or St. Francis had arrived in the fall of 1879 and had taken charge of the parish school. The poor people had made many sac- rifices in behalf of their religion, but at this time they little realized the jrreater sacrifices that were in store for them. On December 13, 1879, the frame church that had served them as a place of worship was burned to the ground. They were forced to hold services in an upper room of the spacious school house. Here again the people of St. Mich- ael's met the situation that confront- ed them. They decided this time to build a brick church 102x45 feet, with a tower 125 feet high. All entered heart and soul into the project, giving generously of their labor and means. The architect for the new church was the Venerable Brother Adrian We- wer, O.F.M. Father Andrew collect- ed money in various churches in Missouri and in Illinois. One of the members of the building committee, H. W. Gier, is still alive, and faith- fully performs his duties as sexton of the church. The corner stone of the 358 Sigel Rectory, School, Rev. George /■.'. Faller, Pastor, St. Michael's Church . . . Quincy St. Mary's Old School, \eu School, Rev. /■'. A. Nieoling, Pastor, St. Mary's Church, Rectory . . , m St. Michael's Church, Rev. P. H. Masterson, Pastor, Sistt rs' Rt ■ Old Chu h, > hool. TK£ LIBRARY U Mi «MYtt$IT]f Of MfNOlR EAKLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE} QUINCY ALTON new church was laid on May 10, 1880 by the Ordinary of the diocese, Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, assist- ed by the neighboring priests. The new church was not yet under roof when on October 23, 1880, the new school house took fire and burned to the ground. This disaster, al- though a stunning blow to the good people of St. Michael's, did not dis- hearten them. The good Father An- drew and his faithful floefe again be- stirred themselves, and made tempor- ally provisions for holding church services and conducting the school. The winter of 1880-1881 will never fade from the memory of the old parishioners of St. Michael. The school was rebuilt and on October 27, 1881, the dedication of the new St. Michael church and school took place with Bishop Baltes officiating. The new church cost $7,000.00 exclusive of the work and materials donated by the parishioners. It was well equipped with altar, pews and statues. Two bells, the large one dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, the smaller one to the Blessed Virgin Mary call the people to Divine Worship. There was general regret when Father Andrew was transferred to Quincy in November, 1883. This humble Franciscan had endeared him- self to the people of St. Michael ; his memory is held in benediction. Father Andrew was followed in Sigel by Reverend Eustachius Bruggemann, O.F.M., who remained until 1884; came Reverend Alexius Bernard, O. F. M., (1884-summer, 1887). Reverend Florence Kurzer, O.F.M., was the last Franciscan to have charge of St. Michael. His tenure was for but a few months duration, when the Franciscan Fathers gave up the Sigel parish. This congregation is indebted to the Franciscan Fathers for their self-sacrificing labors. All beginnings are usually difficult. When the Franciscan Fathers attend- ed Sigel, they did so under trying circumstances. The journey from Teutopolis to Sigel was over bad roads, especially in the winter and spring, but be it said to their credit that weather conditions never pre- vented them from performing their duty. How much of the faith of the people of St. Michael is due to the Franciscan Fathers is known but to God. Reverend L. Reisen, now pastor of St. Peter and Paul Church, Spring- field, was the first secular priest to take charge of the St. Michael parish. He came to Sigel on October 21, 1887, and remained till October 14, 1896. During Father Reisen 's administra- tion the parochial residence was built in 1892. He busied himself in im- proving the appearance of the church property. The beautiful trees were planted under his direction. Father Reisen bought many articles for the church and took a special interest in the cemetery. The people of St. Michael were deeply affected when their beloved pastor was transferred to Springfield in October, 1896. The successor to Father Reisen was the Reverend A. J. Pennartz, of SS. Peter and Paul Church, Springfield, Illinois. A new era dawned for St. Michael parish with the coming of the new pastor. He was a man of superior education, having graduated with high honors from the University of Louvain, Belgium. His judgment car- ried great weight among his fellow priests, being a wise and prudent counsellor, a true father and friend, and a zealous shepherd of souls. Un- der his direction many improve- ments were made in the church, resi- dence, school and cemetery. He also took an active part in the Central Verein of Illinois. At his obsequies it was said of him that he was at once an ideal gentleman and an ideal priest. During Father Pennartz \s illness in 1900 he was assisted by the Reverend Eugene Hagedorn, O.F.M., and Reverend William Pachelhofer, new pastor of the Seered Heart church at Lilvville. On October 28, 1908, St. Michael parish celebrated the twenty-fifth an- niversary of the blessing of the 359 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS church. September 29, 1917 the Golden Jubilee of the parish was ob- served. On November 10, 1917, Father Pennartz died in St. An- thony's Hospital, Effingham, Illinois, and on November 14th his funeral was held from St. Michael Church, with burial in the church cemetery near the large crucifix erected there. Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., Bishop of Alton, presided at the obsequies in the presence of fifty-six priests. Reverend S. P. Hoffman was ap- pointed administrator of the parish and acted in that capacity until December 1, 1917. Reverend Wil- liam L. Quatman, for eleven years pastor of Forty Martyrs Church, Tus- cola, Illinois, became pastor of St. Michaels Church, December 1, 1917. He is still pastor and carries on with splendid success the good work of his predecessors. St. Michaels parish can well be proud of its history. From its ranks twenty young ladies have joined re- ligious orders, and one of the mem- bers of the parish has entered the priesthood, namely, Reverend F. Hess, now of the Peoria Diocese. Brother Ferdinand Moser, a convert, and a veteran of the World War, is a member of the Holy Cross Com- munity, Notre Dame, Indiana. Twenty young men of the parish joined the army in the World War. St. Michael's School has a present enrollment of eighty-five children, with three Franciscan Sisters in charge. The parish boasts of a number of flourishing societies: St. Michael's Society for Married Men, Society of Christian Mothers, Young Ladies' Sodality, St. Aloysius Sodality for Young Men, Children of Mary, Holy Name Society, and the League of the Sacred Heart. N.S. — Since above was written Father Quatman has been promoted to Sacred Heart Church, Springfield, June, 1927, and was succeeded by Reverend George Faller. Church of St. Mary, Quincy, Adams County, Illinois Established in 1867 Present Pastor : Reverend Frederick Niebling On the advice of Reverend Herman Schaefermeyer, pastor of St. Boni- face Church, the Catholics living on the south side of the city met in the year 1865, and erected a school for their children, many of whom had to walk a mile or more to church and school. The first effort to build a church was made in the following year on the suggestion of Reverend Reinhart, at the time assistant priest at St. Boni- face Church. It was named St. Mary in honor of the Immaculate Concep- tion. Good progress was made so that on the 7th of June, 1867, the corner stone was laid. On December 8, 1867, the church was so far completed that the first mass was said in it, the build- ing of the tower being deferred to a later date. About this time Father Reinhart 's health began to fail and he was re- lieved by Reverend Theodore Brue- ner, who arrived on December 31, 1867, and took up his work at once. The second school was built in 1868, and was finished about Christmas of that year. It also served as the parochial residence. Sad news reached the parishioners when their beloved pastor, Father Bruener was called to the Teachers' Seminary of Milwaukee to succeed Dr. Salzmann, who had died. He de- parted for his new charge on the evening of April 30, 1874. The new pastor, Reverend Gerhard Mirbach, arrived in May, 1874, and at once took up the work where his predecessor had left off. The build- ing of the church tower was begun in May, 1878, and in December, 1880, three large new bells were hung in the belfry. Little can we realize the gloom of 360 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON the parishioners, many of whom had worked and contributed for years to complete and beautify their church, when, in some unknown manner the church caught fire on the cold and early morning of February 3, 1891, and was completely destroyed. Not unduly discouraged by this misfortune, the pastor and his flock immediately set to work, and the blessing of the Lord being with them, it was not long before they had a tem- porary frame building erected in which they were able to hold services. The new church, as it now stands, was erected in 1891, and designed by the later Brother Adrian, 0. P. M., and four years after, a new Sisters' house was built. Reverend Francis Reinhart was pastor from 1867 to 1868; Reverend Theodore Bruener, from 1868 to 1874; Reverend Gerhard Mirbach, from 1874 to 1895; Reverend Joseph Locher, from 1895 to 1904; Reverend Joseph Maurer, from 1905 to 1906; Reverend Anthony Zurbonsen, from 1906 to 1920 ; Reverend Frederick A. Niebling, from 1920 to the present time. Reverend John B. Wand was As- sistant Pastor from 1893 to 1895 ; Reverend Anton Qieneke, from 1895 to 1899 ; Reverend August Forster, 1899 to 1901 ; Reverend John Stube, from 1902 to 1904; Reverend A. Hochmiller, 1904; Reverend Paul Reinfels, 1905 to 1906; Reverend Adolph Schneider, 1907 to 1909 ; Rev- erend J. Telken, 1909 to 1911; Rev- erend B. Wubbe, 1911 to 1913; Rev- George Nell, 1913 ; Reverend Godfrey Guthausen, 1914 to 1915; Reverend Joseph Klaes, from 1915 to 1919 ; Rev- erend Lawrence Winking, 1919 to 1920. The school, which has been in ex- istence from the very foundation of the parish, was in charge of lay teach- ers until 1897; Sisters of the Poor Handmaids of Christ from 1897 to 1898; Franciscans from Milwaukee from 1898 to 1903 in which last men- tioned year it was placed in the care of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood who still continue its teachers. The new, magnificent structure was erected in 1923 at a cost of $125,000. It has a present debt of $75,000 which, however, is being appreciably reduced every year. At this writing, the school enrollment is 249 children. Thirty-six boys from the parish fought in the World War, one of whom died in action. Parish Societies : Married ladies ; Young ladies; St. Mary's Society for Young Men; and St. Joseph's Ben- evolent Society. Church of St. Michael, Staunton, Macoupin County, Illinois Established in 1867 Present Pastor : Reverend Patrick H. Masterson According to the information at hand and the oldest records we can find, St. Michael parish at Staunton was permanently established in the year 1867. It seems that Reverend Patrick J. O'Halloran was the first pastor. Then came Father John Clif- ford, who in turn was succeeded by Father Frederick Lohmann, who took up three subscriptions for a new church which was partially built by the end of 1867. Father Lohmann was succeeded by Father Kuhlmann in the year 1875, who in turn was re- placed by Father Janssen in 1877, and he remained in charge until 1881 when Father Schlegel was appointed pastor. Father Schlegel was succeed- ed in 1884 by Father Happe who con- tinued in office just a few months and was succeeded by Father Hasse who was pastor until 1885. Father Hasse was replaced by Father Die- trich who held the post until 1888 when Father Zurbonsen became pas- tor and remained until July, 1898. Father Postner then took up the reins and held them until 1907 when Father Duval became pastor and re- mained in office until June 29, 1924, 361 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS when the present incumbent, Father P. H. Masterson, took charge. During the pastorate of Father Duval there were four assistant priests in Staunton : Father Stepun- cik, Father Kershevich, Father Pow- ell and Father O'Hanlon. The first two were necessitated by the opening of a mission in Livingston ; the latter two on account of Father Duval's im- paired health. The first purchase of church property was made in 1867 when three lots were obtained from James Dwyer; the old church, the present rectory and school were built later on these lots. This church no longer fit for use was pulled down some eight years ago. Since then the upper story of the school building has been used for church purposes. The rectory was built by Father Zurbonsen in 1888, and later modernized by Father Post- ner and Father Duval. The present school, a spacious and handsome building was built by Father Postner in 1904. During Father Duval's pastorate the property on the east and west was purchased by him, so that today it is one of the largest and finest in the diocese. The four room sisters' house was also enlarged and modernized by him in 1923. On October 13, 1924 ground was broken by the men of the parish for the new St. Michael church which was completed within a year. Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., the Bishop of Springfield in Illinois, with much solemnity dedicated the new edifice in the presence of fifty priests of this and the neighboring dioceses and a lay congregation of one thou- sand souls. This handsome building of Romanesque architecture was fin- ished at a cost of $110,000.00 and is justly the pride not only of the parish but of the city of Staunton. In 1888 the Catholic Cemetery was purchased by Father Zurbonsen "after great difficulties" which is being used to this day, though almost filled to its capacity. Later Father Duval bought a track of land east of the town to meet the needs of his flock. This new property has not yet and may never be used for cemetery purposes. According to the best records we can place our hands upon, this parish was made up of some thirty fami- lies to begin with, consisting chiefly of German and Irish. We take this from the subscription list for the first church in 1867, where the names of Cotter, McMullen, Kelly, Gauer, Mon- ohan, Kelly, Hoog, McGrath, Kene- fick, Dwyre, Monohan, Newman, Mar- tin, Hoog, Egelhoff, Buerger, Cald- well, Demsey, Schnell, Weber, Wise, Reese, Allen, Bumgartner, Sambach, Weigers, Miller, Larkin, Harword, Coerver, Duffy, Canfield, Dillon, Dug- gan, Minke, McDonald, Kennedy, Callahan, Haern, Langen, Detten, Monohan, Langen and Buerger still in the parish. The parish at the pres- ent time consists of 243 families of different nationalities. Practically every adult member of the congregation is enrolled in one or other of the parish organizations : St. Ann's, St. Michael's, Holy Name. League of the Sacred Heart, Daugh- ters of Isabella, Knights of Columbus, Western Catholic Union and the Slovak and Croatian Societies of Catholic men and women. Forty-two young men of the parish served in the World War. Many of them were in the "thick of the fight" and a few were wounded but not one was killed. In this brief historical sketch we should be remiss if we failed to men- tion that the home of the late John Coerver was partially used as the first Catholic school in Staunton, with an enrollment of some twenty- five children, which since has in- creased to two hundred and seventy- eight. The school is taught by five Ursuline Sisters. 362 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON Church op St. Peter, Petersburg, Menard County, Illinois Established in 1868 Present Pastor : Reverend Timothy Michael Moloney From our little mountaintop we gaze backward over fifty-seven years of time. About us lie the same smil- ing fertile valleys and wooded hills that so pleased a little band of loyal sons of Holy Mother Church, when they selected this eminence on which to erect their Temple to God. In all probability they remembered that saying of Our Blessed Lord, "A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid. Perchance they thought of the his- toric background of the picture and so placed St. Peter high on pictur- esque Petersburg's noblest hill. Picturesque background indeed it is for such a shrine, fitting pulpit from which the little edifice might preach its silent sermon to the world, and its sweet toned bell send forth across the verdant vales the same message it rings out today, clear and sweet to the re-echoing hills, the wel- come of the Saviour, "Come to Me." Here in little Menard, the beauti- ful, the patriotic, were spent the plas- tic years in the young manhood of that magnetic man, our own Abra- ham Lincoln. In 1842 he surveyed and planned Petersburg, whose tow- ering homes crown its verdant hills. To the southeast lies Old Salem, whose history is so inextricably inter- woven with the life of that great emancipator. There is the village store wherein he earned the appella- tion — "Honest Abe." There, he dis- tinguished himself as postman, inde- fatigable student and kindly man; there, grew his romance, and it was from Old Salem he went forth a rep- resentative man, the pride of the State of Illinois and of our nation. In such a setting the first Catholic congregation of Petersburg ought to place the jewel of their Faith. Sixty- years ago they chose this site and erected here their little City of God. To them was sent on May 4, 1868, as their first pastor, Father Cluse, now Right Reverend Monsignor Cluse of the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois. Petersburg was his first field of labor, being just ordained by the first Bishop of Alton (now Springfield), Right Reverend Henry Damien Juncker. Father Cluse was pastor of this lit- tle flock for four years, during which time he opened a school in the sacristy of the church, and also began attend- ing the mission of Greenview, where he celebrated Holy Mass once a month in the hall over Marbold's store. The second pastor of St. Peter was Reverend Theodore Wegman, who succeeded Father Cluse September 8, 1872, and who was transferred to the church of St. Boniface at Quincy, Illinois, in December of the same year. The financial difficulties of this period may easily be imagined from the fact that the receipts from all sources amount to a total of $228.64. Reverend Augustus Joseph Sauer took charge of St. Peter's parish on January 1, 1873. During his pastorate of nearly five years, the little Catholic school on the hill was erected. Up to this time school had been held in the sacristy, as before mentioned ; then by the Ursuline Sisters of Springfield in the basement of the present home of George Gibson, aft- erwards in the rectory, and at length the urgent needs of a growing parish made the present building a neces- sity. The new Calvary Cemetery was blessed October 19, 1876. The ground had been purchased in 1875 for $575.00. From Petersburg Father Sauer was transferred to Carrollton, and was succeeded by Reverend Bernard W. Ahns, December 7, 1877. Reverend Owen O'Hare was ap- pointed to the pastorate of St. Peter 363 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS on August 23, 1878, and was trans- ferred to St. Joseph's church, Cairo, Illinois, on June 15, 1880. The fifth pastor, Reverend Thomas A. Hogan, was destined to end his pastoral duties here. He came to Petersburg on June 24, 1880, and la- bored there for almost four years. He became seriously ill on January 8, 1884, and died at the parochial resi- dence January 12th. His remains were sent to Wisconsin for burial. On January 15 Reverend W. J. Merscher became pastor for two years. He was transferred to Ashland, Illi- nois, in December, 1885. During Father Merscher 's pastorate the parochial school was closed owing to lack of funds and to the small num- ber of pupils. Reverend Bernard Hasse the next pastor, remained in Petersburg thir- teen years, until July, 1897. Then Reverend Thomas McGraw, the pres- ent pastor of Illiopolis, Illinois, of- ficiated at St. Peter until Reverend William Futterer was appointed by the late Bishop, Right Reverend James Ryan. Meanwhile St. Peter's parish throve, and Father Futterer found it advisable to make many im- provements in the little church. A furnace was installed, the church frescoed and the main altar erected. After a long and faithful pastorate, Father Futterer 's health failed, and during his vacation abroad he died at Munich, Germany. After the death of Father Futterer, Reverend Peter Curran, the present pastor of Dalton City, Illinois, was temporary pastor until October, 1910, when Reverend John J. Connolly re- ceived the official call to take charge. In June, 1919, Father Connolly was appointed to Charleston, Illinois, and was succeeded by the present pas- tor, Reverend T. M. Maloney. Owing to a lingering illness Father Maloney was forced to apply for leave of absence in 1925 and went to San An- tonia, Texas, to recuperate. During the absence of Father Maloney, St. Peter's parish was taken care of by Reverend E. J. Powers as Admin- istrator. The pioneer families and builders of St. Peter's numbered about thirty- six, and were of German and Irish nationalitj r . Petersburg being an ag- ricultural center, the majority of the congregation are farmers. The oldest settlers were : Michael Kelly, John Rebbe, Patrick Kelly, Cornelius O'Rourke, Frank Luth- ringer, Edward Gleason, James Fahy, William Kern, Patrick Cronin, Pat- rick and John Guinan, Mrs. Mary Guinan, Mrs. John Lavin, Mrs. Gor- man, Mrs. Kelly, Mrs. C. Scully, Tim- othy Foley, Daniel Leahy, John Hil- derbrandt, Milo Vogt, Charles Dun- cheon, John Lamberg, Patrick Dow- ney, John Meehan, John Downey, Michael 'Rourke, Charles 'Rourke, Nicholas Fahy, Jeremiah Scully, Phillip Scully, Adam Johns, Bernard Faul, Phillip Miller, Captain Gleason, James Carey, Michael Gleason and Phillip Carroll. Mrs. Mary Guinan and Mrs. John Lavin are the only survivors. Church op St. Basil, Chandlerville, Cass County, Illinois Established in 1868 Present Pastor : Reverend Joseph 'Dwyer Chandlerville lies on the the south- ern side of the Sangamon River, where a broad strip of bottom land varying from one to two miles in width forms the entire northern boundary of the village. The first settlers here as in other new countries were at first very poor. They lived in rather poorly construct- ed log cabins many of which were without windows. They hauled their grain to Beardstown and sold it at a nominal price, and as there were no bridges at that time it was often a dangerous undertaking. The Catholic settlers of Chandler- ville were of Irish and German de- scent. The names of all the old 364 Petersburg — 8t. Peter's Church, Rev. v. .1/. Molont y, Pastor, Rectory . . . Franklin - Sacred Heart Church, iter. E. I). Butler, Pastor, Rectory . . . Greenview — St. Mary"s Church . . . Greenville — St. Lawrena Church, Rer. •/. ./. Enritate of Jllinoia: tljia rnrnrratntip for a mm rourrtj in Ijnnnr nf &t. 3/narnlj tnaa lain in tljp nrra- pnrr nf a grrat mnltitnnr nf npnnlr by, tbr Berg Itrurrrnn #. f ugnlinua £tnrff,03.iF.{!L •prnoinrial nf tlje frnuinrr nf tljf £arr?u impart nf 3Jeana, aaatatrn bg the Hern fRrtt*r?no %. Bummi iiarkr,'©. 3. M., Srrtnr nf Bt. Snaeplj (Enlleg? at ulrutnnnlia aa #ubn?arnn, ano tlje Srorrrno p. iHaurua Irink, (§. 3. M., aa ittastrr nf (£? rnnnnira. Mrs. Stoeckert of Toledo, Illinois, donated $100.00 for the new Church, and so did Mrs. Burkhardt of Teuto- polis. While Father Timothy and his people were busily working on the new church. His successor was Father Apollinarus Johmann who finished building the Church. Brother Leonard drew the plans of the new Church, which was built by A. Frueehtel of Sigel and John Hadaller of the parish. The members of the building committee and their assist- ants were Michael Lux, Michael Koe- bele, Joseph Bierman, Victor Lustig, John Mammoser and Leo Jansen. These men daily took turns in help- ing with the building, and the other men of the parish helped with the work whenever possible. This volun- teer work, plus the donations of lum- ber, sand, etc., made it possible that in spite of the estimated cost being over $15,000.00, the actual cash out- lay of the parishioners was only $11,- 000.00. Father Apollinarus finished the Church and had the first services in it on June 28, 1903. However, be- fore Father Hugolinus dedicated the church on October 4th, 1903, Father Apollinarus was transferred, and Father Cosmos took his place. The size of the new church building was 45x117, the sanctuary being 27 feet deep. On December 2, 1907, Michael Mein- hart released the parish from paying four notes amounting to $368.00. In 1906 during Father Isidore's pastorate, the parish school was taught by the Sisters of the Precious Blood from O 'Fallon, Missouri. The old school building was moved next to the old church building, and a small addition built connecting the 373 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS two buildings, giving the sisters a number of small rooms for their dwelling. The body of the old church building was used for two school rooms. This arrangement was con- tinued until about 1913, when the parish found it too difficult to main- tain. Among the sisters who were at Island Grove during this period were : Sisters M. Eulalia, M. Rosalia, M. Gonzaga, M. Georgiana, M. Oralia, M. Canesia and M. Alexia. Among the secular teachers who at various times have taught the Island Grove school are the following: Mr. Joseph Ehr- hard, (Brother Onesimus), Matilda Koebele, (at present Sister Ludovica), Anna Ilussmann, Lena "Wessel, Mary Ordner, Anna Jansen, (at present. Sister Michaelis), Anna Mulvaney. Rose Gardiwine, Joe Hellenbacker. Henry Uptmor, Maggie Brey, Dena Abing, Pauline Stockman, Gertrude Kaufman, Marie Green and Berna- dette Maginn. On December 29th, 1917, the Church built in 1901 was destroyed by fire caused by a defective flue. Only $4,000.00 worth of insurance was carried, but the people at once resolutely started to organize for re- building their church. Subscriptions were taken up and by December 8, 1918, under the pastorship of Father Vitalis, the rebuilt Church was dedi- cated by Father Philip. Brother Christopher had charge of the rebuilding in which the neighbor- ing parishes very generously assisted the unfortunate parish, Teutopolis alone giving $800.00. The parish members themselves subscribed gener- ously, and the remaining money re- quired was borrowed. The rebuilding of the church cost about $13,000.00, ex- clusive of the work and the donations of material by members of the parish. Under the pastorate of Father Ephrem in June, 1922, the new altar costing $1,375.00 was installed and paid for by popular subscriptions. At the time this altar was secured the parish had fully recovered from the financial set-back of the fire, as prac- tically all the debt occasioned by it had been paid. Right Reverend James Ryan in June of 1922 appointed Father Nell the first resident pastor of the par- ish, the change to take place on July 1st. The parish activities since that time are too recent to need more than a mere mention. The following clip- ping from St. Joseph's Parish Bulle- tin of July 1st, 1923, gives a good summary of the first year's york: "Today starts St. Joseph's second year of being a full fledged parish with a resident priest. The outlook for the future is much brighter than it was a year ago, and by continued pulling together during the next few .years as we have done in the past year, we can get our parish affairs into first class shape. The following are a few of the many things that have been done during the past year: Plus the regular parish happenings the house has been remodeled to serve for resident priest's house, and in ad- dition have room for the State Office cf the Catholic Union of Illinois, put a roof on the hall, installed electric lights in house, Church, hall and grounds, taken up the census, held a successful picnic without selling chances, had the Fall District Con- vention of the Effingham District of Catholic Union of Illinois, had numer- ous parish plays afternoons and eve- nings during the summer, during fall and winter had many parish parties for the young people, had a number of free moving pictures and a few with paid admission, had several eve- ning stereopticon entertainments, had a three short plays entertainment, or- ganized the Young People's S. A. ('. and the monthly Agricultural Meet- ings, started a parish library and planted an experimental soybean field, had a weekly Parish Bulletin most of the time, nearly doubled the Sunday collection, placed the church finances on a budget basis, etc. The second year's activities have been very much along the same gen- 374 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY — ALTON eral lines as the first. The following is a short resume of the main events . Plus the regular parish work, took up a subscription among the members of the parish to pay off all the debts this year, had a Christmas party with a present for every parish member, closely co-operated with the Farm Bureau in changing the type of farming to dairying, organizing milk routes, getting two community regis- tered Holstein sires, making a survey of our community dairy problem, road dragging, use of limestone, planting of legumes, better poultry practice, including a one day school in capon- izing, held a soybean demonstration on the experiment field, held a one day Farm Account school, assisted in the Farm Bureau Membership drive, organized a Farm Bureau baseball team, showed some seventy-five edu- cational films free, gave fifteen recrea- tional full evening picture shows on a season ticket costing $1.00, and in addition showed a number of recrea- tional pictures at regular prices, pub- lished ' Our Community News, ' and took an active part in whatever other community work happened to present itself. On account of the small number the parish can only hope to accomplish through team work. Perhaps no single other factor has helped as much to bring about this parish solidarity as the Parish Bulletin. It has helped to form a definite, correct, sane, uni- form, united parish public opinion on all strictly parish affairs, as also on all other extra parish matters the members were legitimately interested in. It has aroused the spirit of own- ership, co-operation, parish enthusi- asm, personal emulation, as well as a parish esprit de corps. The Parish Bulletin has made the parish 'OUR Parish'; its obligations 'OUR' ob- ligations ; its success or failure, 'OUR' successes or failure." After helping to form an opinion and arousing enthusiasm for it. it has furnished us publicity, making pos- sible united, intelligent parish action based on understanding. Each one knew what was to be done by all, when it was to be done, how it was to be done, and when the work was over with what success it had been done. It is the strict policy to use no money cleared from moving pictures or dramatic entertainments for strict- ly parish purposes. All money of this kind is used to pay for social, educa- tional and recreational purposes for the benefit of the entire community. All parish expenses are met direct by the parish members themselves. Church of St. Jerome, Troy, Madison County, Illinois. Established in 1870. Present Pastor : Reverend John J. Klaes. Though we find in the "Catholic Directory" for 1854 the mention of a church at Troy, Madison county, it is probable that it was only under contemplation. It is stated also that it was attended from Highland and in 1859 from Collinsville. In 1870 Reverend P. Peters, rector of St. Paul, Highland, bought a piece of land in the vicinity of the present public high school. In 1881 Reverend A. Kersting, his assistant, full of zeal, fervor and enthusiasm, soon brought the scattered Catholics in Troy to- gether. Mass was said in a small rented hall over Burke's blacksmith shop and for a time in the upper part of the building on the northeast cor- ner of Main and Market street, which was destroyed by fire only a few years ago. In 1883 he built a small frame church where the home of Mrs. Sophia Peter now stands, in such a way as to have it easily removed, should the location chosen become un- suitable. It was incorporated under the name of St. Jerome Church. Shortly after this, in August, 1884, Reverend Joseph Jele came in his turn to attend the new field. He had charge over it for four years. 375 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS After him, in September, 1888, Reverend Wimar Obercloerster. Like his predecessors, Father Oberdoerster worked hard in Troy. Under his care a better plot was secured. He bought twelve lots from the Highland Brew- ing Company on Main street, five blocks north from the Pennsylvania railroad depot in the addition to Troy which is known as Brookside. The little frame church, built by Father Kersting was moved to this property. It still stands today and is part of the building which served as a school in later years and is now used for social purposes. Father Oberdoerster built an eight-room rectory at a cost of $1584.00 and in 1892 was appointed the first resident priest and pastor of Troy. After several years of fruitful labor he was transferred to Pierron where he died in 1897. Reverend August Forster (1894-1899) the sec- ond pastor of Troy, arrived in July, 1894, and he was directed by Bishop Ryan to build a new church. The good Father Forster at once put forth his best endeavors to accomplish what seemed to many an almost impossible task hopeless of ultimate success. And how he worked day by day, week by week, incessantly and cheerfully for and with the people of Troy.' On Thanksgiving day, 1895, the corner- stone for the present church was laid and the church was dedicated in 1896. Mr. Henry J. Schoemaker and Miss Kate Thuron of Glen Carbon was the first couple to be married in the new church. The church is of Gothic style. Tt was built by Val Reis & Sons of Belle- ville, at a cost of $5,700.00. The stained glass windows were imported at a cost of $233.00. With church fur- niture it came to $10,000.00. There were at this time twenty-two families in Troy who subscribed a total of $1025.00. There were thirty-three families in Black Jack who subscribed $3370.00. Father Forster was a great musician, being able to write music, to play any instrument. He organ- ized a band which helped him mate- rially in financing the affairs of the church. In August, 1899, he was transferred to Quincy and the Reverend A. Wie- neke took charge of the congregation and for the next fifteen years (1899- 1914) remained its pastor. In Sep- tember, 1914, he was transferred to Marine. The following is a list of pastors who succeeded him : Fathers B. Mon- truchio, 1914— September, 1915 ; C. T. Stolze, J.C.D., September, 1915; Wil- liam A. Pachelbofer, October, 1915 — July, 1918 ; A. M. Jaschke, July, 1918 —July, 1920 ; J. J. Klaes, July, 1920, to the present. In 1924 the Church was decorated at a cost of $1,000.00 by Mr. M. Au- tenrieb. Two large paintings, St. Jerome, the Patron of the Church and the Good Shepherd, grace the sanc- tuary. The Blessed Trinity is repre- sented over the Arch with the inscrip- tion : "Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto." The ceiling on the gospel side has three saints, namely: St. Agnes, St. Anne and St. Cecilia. The ceiling on the opposite side shows St. Francis, St. Lawrence and St. Aloysius. New Gothic lights have been installed. The communion railing has been shorten- ed and is set off by two standing can- delabra angels. A new carpet for the sanctuary, three rubber runners, a St. Joseph statue and another votive stand have been procured. For the rectory, a steam boiler, several new rugs, new furniture have been bought and many improvements made. The church cross has been fitted with elec- tric lights, which when turned on at night may be seen for many miles. Church of St. Alphonsus, Brighton, Macoupin County, Illinois. Established in 1868. Present Pastor: Reverend Patrick J. Malloy. The history of St. Alphonsus Church, Brighton, dates back to 1860, when Father Ostrop said Mass at in- tervals in the Catholic homes in and 376 EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE — QUINCY— ALTON around Brighton. The first evidence of a parish organization is in the fall of 1868. The mission was served be- tween 1868 and 1878 by Fathers Loh- man and Eggenstein. About the year 1878 the present site, then occu- pied by a store building and resi- dence, was purchased. The store building was utilized for services un- til it was removed to give place to a handsome Gothic brick edifice. In 1878 Reverend Joseph Daniel Metzler was appointed first resident pastor of Brighton and was given Greenfield as a mission. The cornerstone of the church was laid June 1st, 1881 by Father John Janssen, and the church was dedicated by Bishop Baltes, September 26, 1883. The bell was blessed by Bishop Ryan on September 8th, 1892. Between the years 1896 and 1911 the parish was served by Father. Smith, McVeigh, Becker and Maurer. In July, 1911 Father John Marion took charge, and during his admini- stration a new residence, replacing the old one which had stood through- out the varying changes, was erected Succeeding Father Marion wen 1 Fathers Telken, Kipping and Spee- man successively. In February, 1923, during the administration of the lat- ter, a devastating fire laid Brighton 'a handsome and completely equipped church in ruins. It was a crisis for the diminished congregation, because it seemed almost impossible ever to replace the structure. Only $4,000 insurance was carried on building and contents, and owing to a successive failure of crops, the farmers who largely make up the thirty families which form the present congregation, were unable to offer any large dona- tions. To meet the emergency of the moment, Father Walter Speeman fit- ted up rooms in the residence to serve as a temporary chapel. On June 29, 1924, the present pas- tor, Reverend Patrick J. Molloy, was appointed. Acting on encouragement from and imbibing some of the enthusi- asm of the present energetic Bishop, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D. plans for rebuilding were immediate- ly started. After careful study it was found that the greater portion of the old walls could be utilized, and hence it was advisable to duplicate insofar as was practical the original church, with the exception that a large base- ment was added. In September, 1924, the contract was let and work was rapidly pushed, so that before the ad- vent of severe weather the building was safely under roof. The first Mass was offered in the new church on March 12, 1925, and the edifice was opened for public worship on Sunday, March 15, 1925. The main altar is a gift of the late T. W. Froelich, and the side altars, stations and windows are all gifts of members of the con- gregation. The old Baptist church on North Street was purchased and used for services until the new building was ready for occupancy. June 14, 1925, is a memorable day in Brighton. On that date the new church was dedicated by Right Rever- end James A. Griffin, D.D., assisted by many clergy from Alton and sur- rounding parishes. It was the Bishop's first visit to Brighton, and his discourses delivered at both morn- ing and afternoon services made a deep impression on the vast concourse which had journeyed from far and near to hear and see him. The little congregation now shoul- ders a great financial burden, but pas- tor and people look out upon the fu- ture with optimism, and hope and trust in God. 377 Right Reverend Petek Joseph Baltics, D.D. {Dec'd) Bishop of Alton 1870—1886 TBE LIBRARY OF.Tht UNtVEBSKTY OF 1LUSWS CHAPTER IX. The Episcopate of Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D. Readers have noted the remarkable growth of parishes during the admini- stration of Bishop Juncker as detailed in the previous chapter. While much of the growth was attributable to the incoming drift of population, it must also be recognized that the Bishop's promptness in meeting the needs of the various communities, accounts for a great deal of the increase. Bishop Juncker, as the reader will agree, was a holy man, whose entire life was devoted to his Church, and without regard to exterior facts or circum- stances. Nothing is remembered of his life except his never ceasing activities in the Church. His successor. Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D., was also a man of devotion, but because he was more aggressive in many respects, he occupied a somewhat different position in the public estimation. Because he did things expressively and was decisive and unequivocal in all of his dealings, he had critics and some enmity. He was, nevertheless, a devoted churchman and a Bishop in every particular. It will be seen that the growth of the parishes, though somewhat fewer numerically, was nevertheless very extensive during his administration, and best of all they were staunch and vigorous organizations, never begun without clear justification, and encouraged and sustained effectively by the Bishop. From the best available sources the following sketch of Bishop Baltes has been prepared : Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes. D.D. Second Bishop of Alton, 1870-1886. Ensheim, in Rhenish Bavaria, claims the honor of being the birthplace of the second Bishop of our diocese, Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D. There he first saw the light of day on April 7, 1821. When six years old he emigrated with his parents to America. The family settled in the State of New York. At the age of sixteen he took private lessons and thereafter continued his classical course at Holy Cross College, Worcester, Massachusetts. He studied philosophy and theology at the Seminary of St. Mary of the Lake, Chicago, whilst he himself was instructor in German and acted as prefect of studies. On May 21, 1853, he was ordained to the priesthood at the Grand Seminary of Montreal. His first mission was Waterloo, in Monroe County, where he remained until 1855, when he was ordered to Belleville. 379 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS In Belleville his first care was to place the parochial school on a solid basis. For this purpose he called in the School Sisters of Notre Dame. His attention was next directed to building a new church. Everything seemingly went well in spite of many oppositions and difficulties when owing to some defects in construction the grand edifice, which was nearing completion, collapsed. Un- daunted and undismayed by these reverses, Father Baltes resumed work again only more complete and secure. The dedication of St. Peter's, now the Belleville cathedral, was a day of triumph for the indomitable rector. Archbishop Kenrick of St. Louis, preached during the Pontifical Mass celebrated by Bishop Juncker, and Reverend Patrick John Ryan, the late Archbishop of Philadelphia, delivered in the evening one <>f his best lectures, never to be forgotten by those who had the privilege to hear it. When, in 1866, Bishop Juncker went to Baltimore to attend the Second Plenary Council, his choice fell upon the Belleville rector as his theologian. Upon the suggestion of Archbishop Purcell of Cincinnati, he was, on the way to Baltimore, made Vicar General of the Alton diocese. When Bishop Juncker died, Father Baltes was appointed Administrator of the vacant See. During his administratorship he obtained from the Illinois State Legislature the passage of a law under which the Catholic congregations and institutions of the diocese could be incorporated, entitled : "An Act to provide for the hold- ing of Roman Catholic Churches, Cemeteries. Colleges and other property." It Avas a wise and prudent move on his part, as was repeatedly demonstrated soon after the law's enactment. On September 24, 1869, Very Reverend Administrator Baltes was appoint- ed by Pope Pius IX to succeed Bishop Juncker. The consecration of the new Bishop took place in 1he church built by him, St. Peter's in Belleville, January 23, 1870. As nearly all the Bishops were in Rome attending the Vatican Coun- cil, the difficulty was to secure Bishops for the occasion. Right Reverend Bishop Luers of Fort Wayne, one of the few who had remained at home, was the consecrator, assisted by Bishop Toebbe, of Covington — just consecrated him- self—and by the Very Reverend P. J. Ryan, Vicar General and Administrator of St. Louis. Father Baltes had been great as pastor, he became even greater as Bishop. This he proved by submitting the whole diocese in all its varied activities to a thorough reorganization. He established regulations, laws and discipline and demanded, indiscriminately, obedience and respect for Episcopal authority He waged an unrelenting war on some of the foremost and ablest Catholic news- papers of the land, which had again and again assailed his authority in matters of discipline. Ambitious in his work, he aimed at finding himself placed at the head of the finest body of clergymen in the country and a time came when it was deemed an honor to belong to the Diocese of Alton. He was the first Bishop to be consecrated in the state of Illinois, although the church had flourished there for nearly two centuries. Bishop Baltes took 380 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. up his residence in Alton at once as Bishop, and began his work for the advance- ment of the church in his Diocese. As his predecessor of pioneer days had placed the Diocese in an excellent material condition, securing priests and sisters, building churches, schools and charitable institutions, the new bishop turned his attention more to the laws, discipline and spiritual government of the church. He himself penned the fol- lowing lines : ' ' From the time we were placed at the head of the Diocese up to the present moment, our unremitting endeavors have always been directed toward the bringing about as complete a uniformity as possible in matters per- taining to the government of the parishes as well as in the observance of the rites and ceremonies of the church at divine service and the administration of the sacraments." To this end were directed his Pastoral Instruction, written in three parts, his encyclicals, his private and public remarks and instructions at the annual retreats and elsewhere. In his Pastoral Instruction the chapter on the use of church bells and the chapter on bees-wax candles are characteristic Whilst en- gaged in this kind of work, he did not forget the material needs of his Diocese, which advanced with a steady and healthy growth under his able guidance. At the time of his death, there were in the Diocese 190 churches, 169 priests, 100 parochial schools, 11,000 pupils, taught by the Brothers of the Holy Cross and Sisters of various communities. Right Reverend Peter J. Baltes was a learned, zealous and faithful bishop. He was more staid and dignified than his predecessor, formed in a different mold, with a more commanding mien, more reserved and more difficult of ap- proach. He reigned and ruled, and his Diocese prospered under him. After a life of great activity, Bishop Baltes died February 15, 1886. His funeral took place February 19, and was attended by Archbishops Feehan of Chicago, Kenrick of St Louis, Heiss of Milwaukee, by Bishop Hogan of Kansas City, by one hundred and sixty priests and vast crowds of the laity. The re- mains were deposited in the vault under the sanctuary of the Cathedral beside those of his predecessor, Bishop Juncker. PARISHES ESTABLISHED BY BISHOP BALTES Church op St. Gertrude, Grantfork, Madison County, Illinois. Established in 1870. Present Pastor : Reverend John B. Wardein. The history of this parish dates back to the year 1870. On September first of that year a meeting of some thirty Catholic men of this vicinity was held under the direction of the Reverend Peter Peters, at that time rector of St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois. Preparatory steps were then taken to organize a new parish and to build a church, to be known as St. Ger- trude's in the village formerly called Saline, located about six miles north of Highland. Later the name of this town was changed by postal authori- ties, and called Grantfork. At the meeting a list of subscrip- tions was made for the proposed new church and the sum of $3,000.00 was assured. Almost two years elapsed before building was begun. In July, 1871, Nicholas Trantner and Casper ;581 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IX ILLINOIS Lauer were duly appointed as the first trustees of the new parish. Then the loyal townsman, John Bardill. generously donated a whole bloek on which the church was to be built. In 1872 a brick building 60x40 feet was erected, and during a num- ber of years it remained unfinished outside, and inside unfurnished ex- cept what was absolutely necessary for Divine Service. During the following eight years This new mission was attended once a month from St. Elizabeth Church. Marine ; namely, first by Father Albert Busch until November. 1 S74 : then, by Father Gerald Janssen until October, 1875; then by Reverend Bernard Rossmoeller who came only once ; thereafter came Reverend Gerald Hoppe until September, 1877, and finally it was attended by Reverend Henry Eggenstein until the end of the year 1879. Under the direction of Father Egg- enstein the rectory was built in the year 1878 ; a two-story frame building at a cost of about $1500.00. At first, part of the priest 's house was used for school purposes, while the mis- sion was vet without a resident pas- tor. On January first, 1880, Reverend Michael Weiss took charge of this parish as the first resident pastor. His first care was to erect a new school, a frame building 32 by 24 feet, costing S580.00. Later the church was re- modelled. Besides the addition of a new sanctuary, the whole interior of the church was plastered and finished, and the flat top was changed to a vaulted ceiling. All this work and additional, suitable furnishings for the church caused a further expense of about S3, 775. 00, and thus the par- ish debt advanced to the amount of about $4,300.00. After the completion of the church, came the great day of its solemn dedication. For this occasion the Ordinary of the diocese, Right Rever- end Peter Joseph Baltes. D.D., Bishop of Alton, came to conduct the solemn services. In the afternoon of the dav preceding the dedication, St. Ger- trude's Cemetery, which had been laid out in 1874. was solemnly blessed. The Right Reverend Bishop officiated and was assisted by the pastor. Rev- erend Michael Weiss and the visiting clergy, Fathers Henry Eggenstein, •Tnst'ph Meckel and F. Reinhart. On the same afternoon the large bell named in honor of St. Nicholas was consecrated. On September 15th, 1881, was the Solemn Dedication of the Church. The celebration was concluded with the administration of the Sacrament of Confirmation to thirty-nine per- sons, for whom Henry Gladbach and Rosalia Lunitz acted as sponsors. By that time this parish of seventy- five families, mostly German, was pretty well organized and the pros- pects seemed fairly promising for the future. Some forty children attend- ed the parochial school, which at first was in charge of a lay teacher until the spring of 1891. Father Weiss' pastorate here, was. however, all too brief, lasting not quite two years, so there was not granted him in that short time the opportunity to gather the means for paying off the debt contracted under his administration. At the end of the next month after the church was dedicated, Father Weiss was called to a new field of labor. Thenceforth the line of pastors was as follows: Father Bernard Hasse, from October, 1881, till April, 1884; Father Henry Becker, D.D., from April, 1884, till June 1885; Father Anthonv Zurbonsen, from August, 1885, to January, 1888; Father Wil- liam Futterer, from Januarv, 1888, to July, 1892; Father William Michael, from July, 1892, to September, 1897 ; Father Christian A. Snyder, from September, 1897 to August, 1899: Father Francis X. Strum, from Aug- ust, 1899 to March. 1901: Father John A. Duval from March, 1901, to June, 1907; Father Anton J. Stengel, from June, 1907, to December. 1910: Father Anton M. Jaschke, from December, 1910. to July, 1918; 382 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. Father Henry B. Schnelton from July, 1918 to June, 1919. Then came the present pastor, Father John B. Wardein. The debt on the old church was finally liquidated in 1900, during the pastorate of Father Strum. In July, 1903, during the pastorate of Father Duval, it was decided to tear down the old church and build a new one on the same site, using in its construction all suitable material sal- vaged from the old building. Work on the foundation of the new church was begun early in the spring of 1904. The corner-stone was solemnly blessed and laid Sunday afternoon, August 21, 1904, by Father Ferdinand Stick, then rector of St. Paul Church, High- land, Illinois. Owing to various dif- ficulties and delays the work pro- gressed rather slowly. The building was completed the following spring and the interior neatly finished and decorated. The solemn dedication of this new edifice took place on the morning of Pentecost, Monday, June 12th, 1905. Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., Bishop of Alton, Illinois, officiated, assisted by the pastor, Reverend John A. Duval, and several visiting priests from neighboring parishes. On the same day the Sacrament of Confirma- tion was administered to fifty-one persons. The new church is a hand- some and substantial brick building, measuring about 80 by 36 feet. The erection, interior decoration, and equipment with steam heating, to- gether with insurance on the building, and interest on money borrowed, caused an expense of $7,800.00. The school room having been va- cated after the completion of the new church, the parish school was re- opened in charge of a lay teacher in the fall of 1905 with an attendance of about 26 pupils. Finally in the fall of 1918, after so many of the people had been con- strained by the prevailing influences of the World War to invest a goodly part of their savings in Liberty Bonds, Father Schnelten, then pastor of the parish, succeeded in inducing a number of the people to donate those bonds to the church in order to get the burdensome debt cleared away. Twelve persons contributed $100.00 each, thirteen $50.00 each, while the rest donated various amounts, ranging from $5.00 to $35.00, everyone giving something in proportion to his means. Thus was made up the sum of $2,492.00 and with this the last outstanding notes amounting to $2,108.00 with interest due thereon, was paid in full. Alto- gether this final pavment amounted to nearly $2,250.00. Though the history of this parish properly dates back to the year 1870, the church records were started here only in the year 1875. Hence, in this respect, at least, the year 1925, may be regarded as the Golden Jubilee Year of the parish. For this reason, as a worthy commemoration of that happy event St. Gertrude's church was given in the fall of 1925, a fine, new decoration. The prospects for the future of the parish may have seemed fairly prom- ising in the early years of its history, but unfortunately, like so many other rural parishes, this parish has not only failed to gain in strength, but in course of time a number of fami- lies have moved away to places prom- ising a brighter future. It comprises now barely fifty families who prove themselves practical Catholics. The parochial school, rightly desig- nated the heart of a parish, was start- ed here almost simultaneously with the parish itself. At first, for a num- ber of years, the school was in the hands of various lay teachers but, in 1891, two rooms were added in the rear of the school to accommodate Sisters, and Father Futterer then procured Sisters of the Precious Blood from Ruma, Illinois. The Sis- ters did splendid work until the Spring of 1902, with one year's inter- ruption from 1898 to 1899. From 1902 until the spring of 1907 with an interruption of two years (1903- 1905) during the rehuilding of the 383 DIOCESE OF SPKINOFIELD IN ILLINOIS church, the school was again in the hands of several lay teachers. When better quarters for the Sisters had been provided in the Summer of 1907, Father Stengel succeeded in getting Sisters again for teaching the school. This time it was the Sisters of the Precious Blood from Alton, Illinois, that were put in charge of the school. These Sisters likewise did excellent work until the spring of 1910. The school was again reopened in t he fall of 1911 in charge of a lay teacher, until tiie spring of 1915, when economic and other reasons necessi- tated the closing of the school indef- initely until more favorable condi- tions return. To promote the material and spir- itual interests of the parish, various religious societies, confraternities, etc., were organized here in the course of time. St. Joseph 's Society of Men was organized in May, 1874; St. Mary's Altar Society of Women also in May, 1874; St. Catherine's Sodal- ity of Young Ladies in March, 1881 ; the Confraternity of the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, on Feb- ruary 6, 1881 ; the Association of the Holy Childhood, in October, 1881, and the League of the Sacred Heart in May, 1896. At the request of our Bishop, the Holy Name Society was organized May 10, 1925, with thirty-one charter members, and the Society for the Propagation of the Faith was estab- lished March 7, 1926, with thirteen special, and eighteen ordinary mem- berships. May God grant His bless- ing that the work may proceed, thrive and prosper ! Church of St. Elizabeth, Mitchell, Madison County, Illinois. Established in 1870. Present Pastor : Reverend Timothy McKeogh. The first Mass known to have been celebrated within the present limits of St. Elizabeth Parish, Mitchell, Madison County, was celebrated at the home of Mr. Corbett on Chouteau Island during the octave of Christ- mas, 1870, by Reverend Francis H. Zabel, D.D., of St. Patrick's Church, East St. Louis. About twenty Catho- lic families were then located around the neighborhood of Choteau Island. In the beginning of the year 1871, Reverend Christopher Koenig of St. Henry Church, East St. Louis, made arrangements for the erection of a new church at Mitchell. The grounds were donated by the Mitchell Broth- ers, then living in Alton. The first subscription taken up amounted to $3,000.00. With these encouraging prospects, active work was begun the fall of the same year. The plans and specifications were drawn up by Adolph Druiding of St. Louis and the contract was let to Michael O'Connor at the cost of $4,900. The corner- stone was laid on the first of October, the Feast of the Holy Rosary, by Reverend Father Mohr, Rector of the Alton Cathedral, assisted by Rever- end Francis H. Zabel, D.D., Rector of St. Patrick Church, East St. Louis; Reverend Francis Ostrop, of St. Mary Church, Alton; Reverend Anthony Rustige, of St. Boniface Church, Edwardsville; Reverend Christopher Koenig, of St. Henry Church, East St. Louis. The church is a brick build- ing, 70x40 feet. The mission was then attended by Reverend Christopher Koenig from East St. Louis, until 1877, when his resignation placed Reverend Lubert Riesen in charge. Reverend Father Tecklenburg suc- ceeded Father Riesen, and attended Mitchell from Alton where he resided. Father Tecklenburg died on June 2, 1879, and his successor, Reverend Joseph Spaeth, took charge January 5, 1880. Ill health compelled Father Spaeth to leave for Europe, and Rev- erend Peter Kaenders, on November 20, succeeded him. During the rec- torship of Father Kaenders, a large two story frame rectory was built at the cost of $2600.00. As soon as 384 Orantfork — Rectory, School, Rev. •/. /;. Wardein. Pastor, Teachers Residence and St. Gertrude's Church . . . Morrisonville — St. Maurice Church. Rev. /'. P. McGuinness, Pastor, School and Rectory . . . Mitchell — Rectory, St. Elizabeth's Church, Rev. Peter Kaenders. First Pastor. Rev. Timothy McKeogh, Pastor. THE LIBRARY &F TH£ UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS THE EPISCOPATE OP RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. the building was ready for occupancy, Father Kaenders moved from Beth- alto where he had been residing. In the latter part of 1885, he was suc- ceeded by Reverend John Herlitz who kept the charge until he was called to his reward. Father Herlitz was suc- ceeded by Father Meehan who re- mained until 1890. Then Father Die- trich took charge until 1891, when Reverend Charles Kuhlmann was ap- pointed pastor. After Father Kuhlmann 's depar- ture, Mitchell was attended as a mis- sion from Bunker Hill by Reverend Francis H. Zabel, D.D. On Septem- ber 27, 1893, the Reverend John W. Merscher was appointed pastor and remained in charge until July 12, 1898, when the Reverend Frances Meyers assumed charge. During the pastorate of Father Meyers, a large parochial hall was built and equipped for parish purposes. Father Meyers was succeeded by Reverend Louis Kipping on October 1, 1912, and re- mained in charge until October 1, 1919. On October 1, 1919, Reverend Edmund J. Douglas was appointed pastor and was succeeded by Rever- end Michael Costello on July 1, 1922. On September 1, 1924, the present pastor, Reverend Timothy McKeogh, assumed charge. The following societies flourish in the parish and heartily co-operate with Father McKeogh in all his un- dertakings : Holy Name, St. Joseph 's, and Altar Society. Church op St. Maurice, Morrisonville, Christian County, Illinois. Established in 1870. Present Pastor: Reverend Peter P. McGuinness. In the year 1870 Reverend Frederick L. Lohman of Hillsboro organized St. Maurice Parish and built its first church. For some years after he at- tended the spiritual needs of the new- ly formed congregation. His succes- sor, Reverend Bernard Claus, the first resident pastor of Morrisonville, began in 1873 an administration which lasted until the appointment in 1877 of Father Teppe who has lately gone to his reward (1927). During Father Teppe 's fruitful pas- torate, the present fine church was built at a cost of $17,000. This church could not be duplicated today at three times the original cost. Father Teppe remained pastor of Morrisonville longer than any other priest in its history. In 1896, how- ever, he was appointed to a parish elsewhere and was succeeded at Mor- risonville by Reverend John Joseph Driscoll, now pastor of St. Peter's Church, Quincy. Though less than a year here Father Driscoll accomplish- ed much. It was through his efforts that the old church was remodeled into a parish school and put under the care of the Dominican Sisters of the Sacred Heart Convent, Springfield. After Father Driscoll came Rever- end Ferdinand Stick in the October of 1896. He remained in charge until November, 1903, when Reverend Henry Joseph Hoven was appointed in his place. In May, 1906, Father Hoven was succeeded by Reverend Thomas E. Cusack who continued to serve the parish until 1921. During his fifteen-year administration, Father Cusack made many parish improve- ments. The very year he assumed charge he built a beautiful priest's residence which is not only a credit to the town but to all rural parishes of the Diocese. The building at that time cost $11,000.00; today it would cost double that amount. Father Cusack not only built this but also paid for it. Besides, he was instru- mental in introducing the following societies which have contributed much to parish activities: Knights of Col- umbus, Holy Name Society and Cath- olic Order of Foresters. In November, 1921, Father Cusack was transferred to Carrollton and the vacancy made at Morrisonville by 385 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IX ILLINOIS his departure was filled by the pres- ent incumbent. Reverend Christopher Bell. When Father Bell took charge, the old church was still being used as a school and was in a poor condition — so poor, indeed, that it was doubtful if it could bear repairs. So the time seemed ripe to build a new and more substantial school. To this end a mass meeting of the parish was called which quickly decided to secure four lots across from the church for a site for the contemplated school. In the spring of 1923 the preliminaries were finished and the present beautiful school building was begun. The cor- ner-stone was auspiciously laid on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. 1923, and soon the work was completed. The building fully furnished cost $26,000.00; $4,- 000.00 more were expended on lots, a heating system for the Sisters' Home and the Church, and a number of minor improvements. The whole undertaking represented an outlay of $30,000.00— truly a large debt in a farming communitv with conditions so bad after the war. The indebted- ness has now been reduced to $11,- 000.00, and the congregation despite the agricultural depression is very active and desirous to pay it off en- tirely. The parish has 120 families with a total population of 555 souls living within a radius of seven miles of Mor- risonville. The school has an enroll- ment of 58 children, taught by two Dominican Sisters. There are four active societies : Holy Name and Altar Societies, Young Ladies' Sodalitv, and the Catholic Ladies' Club. On October 20, 1924, Right Rev- erend Bishop James A. Griffin, D.D., visited the parish and confirmed a class of 64. His visit was the occasion of much general rejoicing among the people of Morrisonville irrespective of church affiliation. In 1926 Father Peter Paul MeGuin- ness was appointed to take charge of Morrisonville, Father Bell, due to ill health, having gone to the quiet and less arduous parish of Murrav- ville. Church of St. Joseph, Ramsey, Fayette County, Illinois. Established in 1870. Present Pastor : Reverend August Forster. St. Joseph church at Ramsey was an out-mission of Vandalia. and was visited by missionary pastors from Vandalia* as early as I860. It became a mission with regular monthly at- tendance in the year 1870, when Father J. Stoemler of Vandalia built the first church, a frame building, 26x30. For many years after, the Fathers who had charge of Vandalia and Ramsey were as follows: Fathers Stoemler, Stick, Schreiber, Rensmann, Quitter, Geier, Becker, Bourke, and Can*. In 1895 Father Bernard Lee took charge and at once enlarged the church, also adding a steeple. He was succeeded by Father John Moroney, who remained until 1908. During Father Moroney 's time. Ramsey was detached from Vandalia by Bishop Ryan, and became a parish with a resident pastor in April, 1904. Shum- way was then attached to Ramsey as a mission and remained so for eighteen years until 1922. The first resident pastor of Ramsey was Father August Forster who took charge in April, 1904. Ramsey parish is composed of Irish and German families to the number of about fifty families. The congrega- tion is growing slowly but surely. A ucav church was completed in 1903, and dedicated on May 21, 1924, by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D. It is unique among the churches of the diocese, being built of Missouri Red Granite in the rustic rubble style of masonry. A new rectory, similar in style and material, was built a year later. The expenses for 386 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. both church and house were defrayed by Father Forster, its present pastor. The new hard road, route 2, passes through Ramsey, thus giving easy ac- cess to larger neighboring towns. The prospects for the parish are bright. The present congregation can hardly be surpassed for their devotion to the Church, and their high standard of virtue. Church of St. Patrick, Grafton, Jersey County, Illinois. Established in 1870. Present Pastor : Reverend M. J. Cummins. In a quiet little spot on the north- ern banks of the Mississippi River, twenty miles from Alton, is located the thriving little city of Grafton. Its chief industry is centered in its valu- able stone which it quarries and ex- ports in abundance. The opening of this industry induced many families to settle in Grafton, and among these were found the sturdy methodic Ger- man and the light-hearted courageous Trish. These being men and women of strong faith soon sought those con- solations of religion which can only be found in the ministrations of a priest. In response to their appeal for a priest, the Bishop had Father Harty attend their spiritual needs from Jerseyville. That was in the year 1870. Meanwhile, Mass was said in the homes of those good families until such a time as a church could be built. The erection of the present rock church was begun in 1871, and com- pleted the following year. Father Burke was put in charge of the new church as its first resident pastor. He remained only a year and was suc- ceeded by Reverend Edward McGow- an, during whose two-year term the rectory was built. After Father Mc- Gowan came Fathers Cusack, Ryan and Diekmann in rapid succession. Their successor, Father Rossmiller, was in charge from 1879 to 1884. Then Grafton was without a resident priest for about six months being at- tended, as in its infancy, from Jer- seyville. Next in order came Fathers Thomas Masterson, 188592 ; Terrence O'Brien, 1892-94; Joseph Finnegan, 1894-98; C. Bell, 1898-1903; and Father Hussey, who stayed only a few months. As on a former occasion, so now again, Grafton had no resident priest for the space of six or eight months until the coming of Reverend Christian Snyder who had pastoral care of the flock from 1904 to 1908. The latter had for successors Fathers Schockaert, 1909-12; D. Doyle, now pastor of Sacred Heart, Effingham, 1912-19 ; M. J. Davis, now at Athens, 1919-24, in which latter year Father Jordan, present pastor, was placed in charge. The people in the beginning built a very substantial church but it proved too small to meet the needs of the growing congregation. Father Mas- terson saw the need of more room and so had the church enlarged by the addition of a new and comparatively spacious sanctuary. New altars were installed during Father O'Brien's time. Reverend Christopher Bell had a new church tower erected and a sweet-toned bell placed therein which still invites the people to Divine Serv- ices. The general appearance of the church was greatly improved by the addition of stained-glass windows and Stations of the Cross during Father Finnegan 's time. St. Patrick 's Parish may justly feel proud of the record of its sons in their loyalty to country and God. No less than sixteen brave boys enlisted in the late war, one of whom, Thomas Whalen, made the supreme sacrifice. Father Ignatius Conroy, C.P., and Father William Whalen, the energetic assistant of St. Peter and Paul, Alton, also claim Grafton for their home. Amongst the first Catholics who took an active part in promoting the interests of the church at Grafton were: Dempsey, Gill, O'Keefe, Free- man, Wildts, Callahans, Waggoner, 387 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Brennan, Conroy, Meyer, Costello, McDonnell, Hobach, Mulligan, Birm- ingham, Donahue, and Stapleton. The parish at first numbered about sixty families; today it numbers only twenty-five. The decrease in numbers is attributable to the fact that many families have moved to the larger centers of population where work is more plentiful and educational facili- ties better. In September, 1927, Father Jordan was promoted to the parish of Areola and Father Cum- mins came to Grafton as pastor. Church of St. Mark, Venice, Madison County, Illinois. Established in 1871. Present Pastor : Reverend Linus G. Kipping. Venice is an industrial city of about seven thousand inhabitants, and is situated on the east side of the Mississippi river, opposite the north- ern section of St. Louis, Missouri. Although the history of St. Mark Church covers a period of only a few years less than fifty, the history of the Catholic church in Venice terri- tory begins with the very discovery of the place. The great Catholic mis- sionarjr, Father Jacques Marquette, was the first white man to approach the site of what since has become Madison County, the bounds of which include the present day Venice. Eighty years elapsed from the time of its discovery until its occupancy by the white man. About the year 1750, the French established settle- ments on Chouteau and Cabaret Islands in the Mississippi. Thus we have the first indication of white men living in the territory of Venice. The Catholic missionaries of France labor- ed amongst the early settlers, offered up the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and administered to the needs of the people. A few years later there was an in- flux of Englishmen into this territory, and they lived there from 1765 to 1777. Next came the occupation of the locality by Americans, and to one Ephraim O'Connor belongs the honor of being the first American settler within Madison county. In the year 1800 O'Connor settled on the site of what now is Collinsville Township, and built a log-cabin about six miles southwest of Edwardsville. There is no means at hand, at this writing, to prove that O'Connor was a Catholic — but the name raises a strong pre- sumption. Thereafter a continuous stream of Americans came into this territory. The first permanent residents of Mad- ison county came from the Southern States of Kentucky, Tennessee, Vir- ginia and the Carolinas. In the list of early settlers of 1801, we find the names of Judy, Gillham, Kirkpatrick, Jones, Preuitt, Lusk, Newman, Sey- bald, Moore and Barnsback. Three years later, in 1804, people entered the Venice territory or dis- trict of Madison County. It was the same year that marked the establish- ment of Venice Township. According to earlier inhabitants, the pioneers in- cluded Dr. George Cadwell, John At- kins and Daniel Lockhart, Dr. Cad- well or Caldwell, for example, settled on a site a short distance north of the present Merchants' Bridge. In the year 1810 the monks of La- Trappe located on the great Cahokia mounds in Madison county. This place is known at present as Monks' Mound, and is only a few miles from the city of Venice. From all indica- tions, Venice was a part of the field of labors covered by these French priests. For, we learn from a letter dated April 28, 1810, and written by Father Urbain, superior of the monks, that the surrounding population was in a deplorable moral condition, and that only one Catholic priest, Father Donatien Olivier, was looking after the welfare of the people. Father Oli- vier resided at Prairie du Rocher, and spent fourteen years attending Kas- kaskia, Cahokia, St. Genevieve and St. Louis. 388 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. It seems that Father Olivier did not belong to the Trappists, but was a missionary who had settled in this territory fourteen years before the arrival of the monks. Soon after the monks located in this country, two as- sistants were sent to Father Olivier, namely Fathers Joseph and Bernard. The two borders of the Mississippi, St. Louis territory on the one side, and Venice territory on the other, were as- signed to Father Bernard, but being old already and exhausted by many previous labors, Father Bernard died probably in February, 1811. Father Urbain then continued the work here until March, 1813, when a pernicious fever devastated the whole territory, forcing the monks to leave the mounds and to return to France. During the next fifty-eight years, the Catholic people of Venice de- pended on the priests of East St. Louis and St. Louis. An old record shows that the "Congregation of Ven- ice" belonged to East St. Louis, and that Reverend Christopher Koenig, pastor of St. Henry's, was appointed "Rector of Venice." But no record has been found to show that Father Koenig ever said Mass in this locality or ministered to the spiritual needs of the people. No doubt, he took care of an occasional sick-call. We must re- member that Venice in those days was not easy to reach, and that Father Koenig had ample work in his own parish of St. Henry. "We must not forget that Venice is low and flat, and in the early days, was so low and swampy as to be unin- viting. If the Catholics of young Venice had ever thought of building a church here, those thoughts never were realized because of the circum- stances of the place. For instance, various destructive inundations visit- ed Venice; those of 1844 and 1851 being the most serious. Later floods covered less territory, owing to levoo protection, but that of 1903 ranked next to that of 1844 in the height at- tained by the waters, and owing to the far greater population and the vastly greater extent of pi'operty interests, caused more loss and damage than any of its predecessors. It might be stated here that the danger of any future calamitous in- undation is now minimized by the im- mense levee of the East St. Louis Drainage District which is raised above the level of the highest flood known. The levee, together with later developments of railroads, bridges and commerce brought Venice into its present prominence as the Eastern gateway to St. Louis. Returning to the days when there was no church in Venice, we find that the few scattered Catholics here at- tended holy Mass at St. Henry and St. Patrick in East St. Louis, and St. Michael because they were easier to reach, since a regular ferry service had been established between Venice and St. Louis. The ferry proved a great blessing to the people of Venice until 1910 when the St. Louis Ter- minal Bridge was erected. Prior to that time, in the winter months, the pioneer Catholic walked across the frozen Mississippi in order to hear Mass on Sundays and Holy days. On September 29, 1871, the Congre- gation of Venice was incorporated under the name of "St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church of Venice, Madison County, Illinois." The char- ter was recorded October 5, 1871. The first trustees were : Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D., Bishop of Alton; Very Reverend John Janssen, Vicar-General ; Reverend Christopher Koenig, Rector; Mr. Thomas Byrnes and Mr. Joseph Froehly, layman, and members of the congregation. On April 15, 1873, four lots were bought for the congregation in Kerr's Addition to the town of Venice, name- ly, lots number 11, 12, 13 and 14, in block 12 of said addition, said lots having frontage of 120 feet on the south side of Abbott Street, and a depth of 125 feet to an alley. The necessary funds were borrowed from Mr. August Gehner of St. Louis. Mr. Joseph Froehly and two other persons went to Alton to secure the Bishop's 389 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS permission to collect funds to pay the debt contracted ; having obtained the necessary permission, they pro- ceeded with the work. January 5, 1880, Reverend Joseph Spaeth was appointed rector jointly of St. Elizabeth parish, Mitchell, and St. Mark parish, Venice. Venice had neither a church nor rectory. Father Spaeth was in ill health and, conse- quently, took no active part in the es- tablishment or development of St. Mark's. On November 20, 1880, Father Spaeth resigned. Joseph Froehly and Edward Byrnes served as trustees during the rectorship of Father Spaeth. Then, to hasten the building of a church, which had been delayed on account of adverse circumstances, Nicolaus Lief- ferig and John T. Richardson were appointed directors of St. Mark con- gregation. On July 7, 1880, a new site was purchased for the church on Second and Granville Streets, com- prising the south half of the block, bordering on Granville between Sec- ond and Third streets. The purchase price was $750.00. These lots were purchased from Levi L. Ashbrook. The original site obtained for a church was found to be too close to the right-of-way of several railroads, namely the C. C. C. & St. L., (Big Four), and Wabash & Chicago & Al- ton. The lots deemed unsuitable for church purposes, were sold. Subscrip- tions for a church were taken up again, and added to the funds collect- ed by Joseph Froehly, in 1872. The small congregation was compelled to buy every inch of ground, as none was donated. The people were hungering for the Word of God and Bread of Life ; there was an ample amount of propei'ty on hand ; all were willing to contribute funds, but — the principal factor in the life of the parish was wanting, — there was no pastor, there was no shepherd living amongst his flock. The heart's desire of the peo- ple was finally realized, the great need of the people was met in the appoint- ment of an energetic young priest, to whose lot it fell to become the found- er, upbuilder and pastor of St. Mark parish, Venice. The apostle of the church in Venice was Reverend Peter Kaenders, who was born in Veert, near Gelden, Rhein Province, Ger- many, on September 28, 1856. Father Kaenders served 41 years as pastor of St. Mark. At a meeting of the trustees and directors, August 19, 1881, it was unanimously resolved to proceed with the erection of a church building, and the work was begun in September, 1881. Plans and specifications were furnished by Mr. N. H. Melcher of St. Louis, and the contract was awarded to Mr. George M. Raeder, St. Louis; the corner-stone was laid October 26, 3881, and was solemnly blessed by Reverend Christopher Koenig of E. St. Louis, Illinois, and Fathers P. Peters of Alton and Peter Kaenders of Mitchell and Venice. The building was completed in the Spring of 1882 at a cost of $5200.00. The first holy Mass was sung by Reverend Peter Kaenders, the pastor, on Low Sunday, April 16, 1882. Mr. Francis Lowrie serving as organist and singer, and Thomas Loftus, Jr., and Garry Byrnes, as altar boys. This was the first holy Mass said in Venice. After this date services were held in St. Mark Church, every Sunday; Father Kaenders saying one Mass at Mitchell, and one at Venice. The journey to and fro was made oc- casionally by train, by horse and buggy and not infrequently by hand- car propelled by the brawny arms of Wabash or Chicago & Alton section men. The following were charter mem- bers : Joseph and Mrs. Froehly, Thom- as and Mrs. Byrnes, Edward and Mrs. Byrnes, Martin and Mrs. Jennings, Francis and Mrs. Lowrie, Nicholas and Mrs. Liefferig, John and Mrs. Fechte, Conrad and Mrs. Frickie, Thomas and Mrs. Loftus, Sr., Joseph B., and Mrs. Range, Joseph and Mrs. Range, Caspar and Mrs. Vorwald, John and Mrs. Scarritt, Patrick and Mrs. Craddock, Felix and Mrs. Kim- mick, Jacob and Mrs. Frey, Henry 390 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. and Mrs. Lenz, Michael and Mrs. De- vanney, R. V. Crofton and wife, C. Weisbeck and wife, William and Mrs. Moellenbrock, Theodore and Mrs. Moellenbrock, August and Mrs. Loh- mann, Frank and Mrs. Lohmann, Henry and Mrs. Range, and Mrs. W. H. Grayson. The pioneer members of St. Mark parish were mostly immigrants from Germany and Ireland or the first generation of those who had come from those countries to seek their for- tune or pursue their religion in a new world, free from civil or religious op- pression. They were sturdy in char- acter and strong in faith ; happy at the thought of having a Temple of God in their midst. The youthful congregation revived rapidly from the adversities of the past, and God blessed its noble efforts. The church building was solemnly dedicated November 12, 1882, by Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D., Bishop of Alton, assisted by Fathers Peter Kaenders, the pastor; P. Peters, of Alton ; William Cluse, of Germantown ; and Father Dominicus, O.F.M., of the last two mentioned the former delivered the English, and the latter, the German sermon. In the afternoon, two bells were consecrated by the Bishop ; one, in honor of St. Mark ; the other, in honor of St. Mary Magdalen. Realizing the part that societies play in the life, growth, and develop- ment of a parish, Father Kaenders set about early to establish such so- cieties as he deemed most necessary. The first of these was an altar society, organized in July, 1882, under the name of St. Mary's Altar Society, with Mrs. John Fechte as President, and Mrs. W. H. Grayson as Treas- urer. Other charter members in- cluded Mrs. Fletcher, Mrs. N. Lieff- erig, Mrs. Hogan, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. F. Heintz.Mrs. F. Lowrie, Mrs. T. Loftus, Mrs. R. Cody, Mrs. J. Froehly, Mrs. T. Byrnes, Mrs. Bransdorf, Mrs. Pep- pers, Misses Belle and Rose Froehly. The second society established was the Western Catholic Union, organized January 7, 1883. Mr. John Fechte was elected president; Mr. Francis Lowrie, treasurer, and Michael J. Foley, secretary. The charter for St. Mark's branch, W. C. U. No. 26, was issued January 21, 1883. The char- ter members were : Melchior Troeck- ler, Thomas Loftus, Richard Cody, John Hannegan, Charles Weisbeck, Frank Heintz, Henry Pruetzel, Frank Vorwald, Jos. B. Range, Peter Mc- Cabe, Daniel Southern and Reverend Peter Kaenders. On September 3, 1883, the St. Raphael Society was or- ganized. The purpose of this society was to maintain by monthly contribu- tions, the parish school ; all men, women and children of the parish were eligible to membership. St. Aloysius Young Men's Society was organized Easter Sunday, 1888. The charter members were : Ben Perry, William McFee, Mr. O'Leary, John Williams, Henry Geppert, Caspar Geppert, William Lenz, Xavier Loh- mann, Frank Weber, Frank Krone, William Grayson, Patrick McXamara and John Byrnes, John Wald, Joseph B. Range, James Fennell, Richard Madden, and Henry Vorwald. The society of the Holy Childhood was or- ganized on Holy Thursday, 1889. In the summer of 1882, the town of Venice was visited by a great flood caused by a break in the Madison levee ; the water came so quickly that only at great risk could the vestments and church goods be saved. The water stood five feet high in the church for three weeks, and nine feet deep on the outside. Messrs. Francis Lowrie and Thomas Loftus, Sr., distinguished themselves for bravery on this oc- casion. Likewise Father Kaendei's, though residing at Mitchell, frequent- ly visited his stricken parishioners via row-boat, transported provisions and offered comfort to the poor people marooned in the upper stories of their homes; no lives were lost, but great damage was done to property. Another step in the progress of the parish was the erection of a school, a small one-storv frame structure, in 1883, at a cost of $600.00. Like its 391 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IX ILLINOIS counterpart, the modest church edi- fice at its side, this new building also passed through the flood of 1883, but the water subsided in due time before the opening of the school term. On September 3, 1883, the school build- ing was blessed by Father Kaenders, who sang High Mass in honor of the Holy Ghost. Classes were opened with thirty-five pupils in attendance. Mr. V. F. Serafini, of St. Louis, was the first teacher. Though most of the early parishion- ers were people of moderate means there were found generous souls who sought to ornament their modest little church. Among the donors and their respective donations, the following are worthy of note : Caspar Vorwald and Conrad Frickie (two bells) ; Francis Lowrie, (organ, vestment case, processional cross) ; Nicholas Liefferig, (holy water font, altar linens, two pair of candlesticks, altar vases and flowers, sanctuary lamp, statue of Infant Jesus) ; Edward Lowrie, of St. Louis, (Stations of the Cross) ; R. B. Crofton, (stove, violet vestment) ; C. Weisbeck, (white cope) ; Altar Society, (black vest- ment) ; Mesdames Frickie and Vor- wald, (statue of the B. V. M.) ; M. J. Foley, (two chandeliers) ; August Lohmann, (statue of St. Mark, cat- afalque) ; Conrad Frickie, (statues of Saints Conrad and Elizabeth) ; Messrs. N. Liefferig, Caspar Vorwald and August Lohmann, (statue of St. Joseph) ; Madison County Ferry Company, ($100, cash). The struggling young parish re- ceived considerable aid from the non- Cat holies of the community who pat- ronized the church's bazaars, enter- tainments, etc. In general, a very friendly feeling existed between all the people of the city regardless of race, color or creed. September 1, 1884, the Sisters of the Precious Blood, Ruma, Illinois, took charge of the school. Sisters Ottilia and Bridget being sent as teacher and housekeeper respectively. New life was infused into the parish as a result of the Sisters coming here, and in 1886, it was necessary to build an additional room to the school. The Sisters of the Precious Blood left in 1891, and were succeeded by Prof essor P. Goeltz as teacher and organist un- til 1893. Owing to the growth of the parish and school it became necessary for the pastor to reside among his flock. Hence, a parsonage was erected in the winter of 1884, and in June, 1885, Father Kaenders, who had thus far resided at Mitchell, took up his per- manent residence in the newly erected parsonage at Venice. In the year 1890 the building of the Merchants' Terminal Bridge in- duced the population to move away from Venice and settle in the adjoin- ing village of Madison, a new site was purchased in Block 2 of Knox & Smith's second addition to Venice, on which a substantial brick building was erected in 1892, at a cost of $12,- 000.00. It is a combination building and serves as parochial school and church up to the present day. Dur- ing the construction of this new building, a second flood visited Ven- ice. This was in 1892, but no lives were lost nor great property damage resulted. Upon the completion of the new church and school building the old property, consisting of church, school and parsonage, were sold. So also was the ground. Father Kaen- ders rented a house near the new church, and lived there until 1903, when his new rectory was completed. In 1903 the new rectory, a two- story, brick building, was built on Sixth street, next to the church. Cost $6,000.00. In connection with St. Mark's school, Father Kaenders erected the well known Marquette Hall, a large frame structure for theatrical and social purposes, which had the best equipped stage in this locality. This hall was built soon after the erection of the new rectory. As a playwright and director of plays, Father Kaen- ders achieved great success. One play was produced to a capacity house for ten consecutive nights. One of his 392 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. dramas entitled "The Easter Fire on the Hill of Slane" was presented in the Century Theater in St. Louis in 1906, with great success. The follow- ing dramas from the pen of Father Kaenders have appeared in print : "The Prince of Fez"; "The Easter Fire on the Hill of Slane"; "Lucius Flavius"; "The Maid of Desen- zane"; "Her Only Love"; "Lorna Doone", a dramatization of Black- more 's novel. Two plays, the ' ' Wizard of Antioch," and "Mary O'Mur- rough, ' ' a dramatization of Rosa Mul- holland's story, are still in manu- script form. The transfer of the church and school site and particularly the erec- tion of a new church and school — just ten years after the erection of the first church marked the beginning of a decade of progress and development. Two lots were purchased next to the church and school on Broadway; then a house (frame) was bought and moved to this site. This was to pro- vide a home for the Sisters. Next, eight more lots, bordering on Sixth and Lincoln Avenue were purchased to be used for a site for a permanent church building, to be erected in the near future. In September, 1893, the Dominican Sisters of Racine, Wisconsin, took charge of the school. Sisters Per- petua, Anastasia, Concordia and Cal- ista were the first Sisters sent to Ven- ice. The Dominican Sisters remained in charge of St. Mark's school from 1893 to 1899. Their learning, zeal and devotedness endeared them to their youthful charges, to pastor and people alike. The fruits of their un- selfish labor are still manifest in their former pupils, the present men and women of the parish. Hence, it was with genuine sorrow that the parish witnessed their recall in the summer of 1899. Like their worthy and zeal- ous predecessors the venerable Sis- ters of the Most Precious Blood, so too the Dominican Sisters found it im- possible to cope with that ruthless ir- respector of person, age, or station, namely, fever, especially Malaria and Typhoid so prevalent in Venice in those days, and owing to the unhealth- f ul condition of the water and climate, the Sisters were withdrawn in the summer of 1899. During this period the school had an average enrollment of 130 pupils, the children of families representing various nationalities, es- pecially Polish, Slavish, Croatians, Lithuanians, Italians, Russians and even Greeks, besides the American - born children of German and Irish parentage. From 1899 to 1904 the school was under the direction of lay teachers. They were : Mr. F. A. Schulte, Miss Jehle, Miss Snadden, Miss Tierney, Miss Gramann and Miss Eager. The Ursuline Sisters from Alton, took charge of St. Mark's school in September, 1904. Mother Aloysius, Sisters Genevieve, Rita and Anna be- ing the first teachers of this com- munity. The school enrollment at this time exceeded 200 pupils, and as a sufficient number of Sisters could not be engaged the first year, a lay- man, Mr. George Link, was placed in charge of the older boys. The Ursuline Sisters remained in charge until 1910 when they were re- called. The school record of that year shows an enrollment of 265 pupils, among them a number of non-Catho- lics. St. Mark's parish claimed the honor of making the first effort to conduct a high school in Venice opened to non-Catholics as well as Catholics, and Father Kaenders per- sonally conducted a commercial class in stenography, typewriting, book- keeping and commercial law. The par- ish at this period was a large one, comprising fully 200 families. From 1910 "to 1921 St. Mark's school was in charge of lay teachers, who were : Misses Van Plege, Mary Eiler, Cora LeCombe, Louisa Boyer, Anna Smith, Moore, Leusch, Cecelia Voegele, Kavanaugh, Helen Butler, Edna Cease, Mary Dolan and Gene- vieve Reichert, who now is a member of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent do Paul, St. Louis, Missouri, and Mrs. Margaret Reeves. 393 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IX ILLINOIS When the neighboring villages of Madison and Granite City sprang up with the advent of large steel fac- tories, foundries and rolling mills and developed with the proverbial mush- room growth many Catholic families moved from Venice and other places into these cities and in 1901 formed the new parish of St. Joseph in Gran- ite City. Those families that resided in Madison still belonged to St. Mark, but as most of them were of foreign birth the union was rather loose. The Franciscan and Jesuit Fathers of St. Louis assisted Fathers Kaen- ders in the parish work on many oc- casions, especially on Sundays and Holy days. Father Hochmueller and Father Politeo, a Croatian priest, la- bored in St. Mark's for brief periods. The first duly appointed assistant was Reverend A. P. Podgorsek, who was sent to Venice October 2, 1908, to care for the Slavic people living within the precincts of the parish. He attended to the needs of these people also in other cities, namely, Madison, Granite City, Edwardsville, Staunton and Collinsville. Father Podgorsek left Venice May 10, 1910, for the Wichita diocese in Kansas to which he belonged. He was succeeded by Rev- erend Bernard Wubbe who came to St. Mark July 1, 1910, as a newly or- dained priest. He labored in St. Mark until October 1, 1911, when he was transferred to St. Mary's Church, Quincy, Illinois. In October, 1911, Reverend Wil- liam Wozniak was sent as assistant to St. Mark with instructions to look after the needs of the Polish members of the parish and eventually to or- ganize a Polish parish in Madison, where most of these people lived. Happy at the thought of having a priest who not only spoke their lan- guage, but was one of their country- men, these devout but needy Catholics rallied to his aid so nobly that in the following year, 1912, they formed a new parish, St. Mary, and erected a modest frame building for church and school purposes. Father Wozniak took charge of the newly organized parish December 20, 1912. About the year 1912 St. Mark par- ish entered upon a period of decline due to various causes and circum- stances. The parish, in the course of its life, was visited by three floods, 1883, 1892, and 1903, all more or less destructive, and leaving in their trail poverty, depression and not infre- quently sickness and disease, prin- cipally Malaria, Typhoid and Small- pox; then St. Mark's had seen its membership lessened twice by the for- mation of the new parishes of St. Joseph, Granite City in 1901, and St. Mary in Madison, in 1912. This fact not only decreased its member- ship, but also its source of revenue. Many prominent members left the mother parish and moved to Granite City. Another severe blow for St. Mark's was the withdrawal of the venerable school sisters. Three differ- ent religious communities had been in charge of the school from 1884 to 1910 and all left on account of unhealthful climatic conditions. But the indom- itable spirit of Father Kaenders weathered all storms; he always suc- ceeded in maintaining his school by means of lay teachers who made heroic efforts to keep up the high standard of discipline, and efficiency set by the sisters, but were often handicapped by the lack of parental co-operation. Some parents sent their children to the parochial schools of neighboring parishes whilst others, in open defiance and utter disregard of the law of the Church, sent them to public schools. In 1911, Father Kaenders, at the suggestion of and with the permission of Bishop Ryan, purchased the bank- rupt Evangelical Lutheran Hospital of Granite City for the purpose of converting it into a Catholic hospital under the direction of some com- munity Sisters conducting hospitals. This was evidently a move in the light direction; for a good hospital was sorely needed in the growing Tri- Cities, as Venice, Madison and Gran- ite City are commonly called. But 394 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. the fond hope was not fully realized until ten years later. In the interval (1911-1921) Father Kaenders en- countered great difficulties in the op- eration of the hospital, and often saw himself on the verge of bankruptcy. Only the heroic and noble sacrifices of his parishioners in Venice and Madison, and a few friends in Gran- ite City averted this threatened dis- aster. This added burden, however, of conducting a hospital in a neigh- boring city two miles distant from his own church was a superhuman task, which even the sturdy teutonic shoul- ders of Father Kaenders could not long bear without ill effects to him- self and his flock. This burden weak- ened the already declining parish ; for it drew on the revenue of the par- ish, many families moving away and in consequence, the property of the parish depreciated noticeably. Worry and anxiety soon undermined the health of Father Kaenders to such an extent that he never fully recovered. At this period of the history of the parish, Father Kaenders was assisted by Reverend William Goesse, S.J., of St. Louis, Missouri, and from October, 1918, to April, 1920, by Reverend Charles Schaeffer of the archdiocese of St. Louis, a very learned, holy and zealous priest, but himself a sickly man. His burning zeal and profound piety made a lasting impression on the parish. Ill health soon cut short his fruitful work in Venice and he betook himself to St. Louis, where he died in 1920. He was succeeded in April 1920, by Reverend Walter Spee- man, whose energy and determination soon made themselves felt throughout the parish. His stay was brief, and on March 1, 1921, he was promoted to the joint-pastorate of St. Alphonsus and St. Michael parishes at Brighton and Beltrees. In January, 1921, the hospital, now known as St. Eliza- beth's, was sold by Father Kaenders to the Sisters of Divine Providence, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who took immediate charge of it, and have con- ducted it very successfully to the present date. He was thus relieved of one of his burdens, but the strain of the past ten years had impaired his health to such a degree that not health but life was at stake. The parish be- came badly disorganized by reason of widespread dissension and lack of co- operation. There was much work to be done, his heart yearned to stay and labor among his flock to the end, but his strength was exhausted. Realiz- ing this he retired from active serv- ice March 1, 1921, with the permission of the Bishop, and betook himself to St. Elizabeth's hospital in order to regain his shattered health, if pos- sible, but all the medical skill and tender nursing of the devoted Sis- ters were in vain. On September 21, 1921, he passed to his eternal reward, fortified with all the comforts of re- ligion, thus bringing to an end his forty-one years of service amongst his people. The funeral services were held in St. Mark church September 27, amid a large concourse of priests and people. Very Reverend Dean Joseph Meckel of Alton, sang the Requiem High Mass, assisted by Rev- erend Francis A. Marks of Collins- ville, and Reverend F. Holweck of St. Louis as deacon and subdeacon, re- spectively. Very Reverend Edward Lancaster Spaulding, Vicar General, delivered the funeral sermon. The remains of Father Kaenders rest in St. Mark's cemetery, where a suitable monument was later erected by his grateful people. On March 1, 1921, Reverend Linus G. Kipping was assigned by Bishop Ryan to St. Mark parish at the re- quest of Father Kaenders. The work confronting St. Mark's and its new shepherd was largely one of recon- struction. The Ladies' Altar Society and Young Ladies' Sodality were re- organized with a membership of one hundred and sixty, respectively, and have rendered very efficient service in the upbuilding of St. Mark's. The men and young men, too, in large numbers volunteered their time and labor and seemed to vie with one an- other in rendering greater service. Croat improvements in the parish 395 DIOCESE OF SPKINGPIELD IN ILLINOIS buildings were sadly needed and un- dertaken at once. The parochial resi- dence and the church and school buildings were repaired, and a mod- ern vapor-heating system was in- stalled at a cost of $4,000.00. The school grounds which were a quasi- lake were filled up by hauling in over three hundred loads of cinders; this work was largely gratis rendered by Messrs. Prank Kraft, Sr., and Jr. The class rooms were redecorated and all desks renovated and revarnished. School opened September 12, with an enrollment of 150 pupils; two Sisters of Divine Providence of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sisters M. Justine and M. Teresita, and one lay teacher, Miss Mary B. Dolan, were placed in charge of the school. This, perhaps, more than all else instilled enthusiasm into the hearts of the parishioners, and in- duced them to respond nobly to every demand and call for funds and labor. The Sisters, being only two in num- ber, at first took up their quarters at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Granite City, but when this situation proved impracticable the old dilapidated con- vent of the glorious past was remod- eled and the Sisters took up their permanent residence in Venice. Messrs. Arthur and Joseph Musick, and Vincent Saucier contributed their time and labor in remodeling and re- decorating the modest home of the Sisters. The spiritual upbuilding of the parish was not lost sight of in the hustle and bustle of material recon- struction. The church facilities soon proved inadequate and the two Sun- day Masses insufficient for a congre- gation of approximately 200 families. Hence, beginning September 1st, the services of a Redemptorist Father were engaged for two extra Masses; one, for the laboring people ; the other, for the school children, were added to the regular Sunday services. The wisdom of this movement soon became apparent from the increased numbers of Communions received and of laboring people attending early Mass. In October, 1921, two Redemp- torist Fathers, Reverend Joseph Halm and Reverend William Gran- gell, conducted a week's mission which was well attended and blessed with abundant good results. The an- nual financial statement of 1921 re- veals the fact that from a material standpoint this was the banner year in the history of the parish. The re- ceipts totaled $15,259.09, and the dis- bursements $15,191,91. with an in- debtedness of $5,879.51. In the spring of the year 1922 the Forty Hours' Devotion was conduct- ed for the first time in the history of the parish. In the fall, a retreat for young men and young women was conducted by Reverend A. B. Kippels, C.S.S.R. The school attendance in- creased, and another teacher, Sister M. Vitalis, was added to the teaching staff. Material improvements for the year included repairs on the church and parsonage roofs, school basement, painting exterior woodwork of church, school and parsonage at a cost of $2,- 193.00. During this year the weekly envelope system was introduced and proved very successful. During this year, also, the old Marquette Hall, be- ing unsafe and unfit for further use, and beyond repairs, was razed. In 1923, great difficulties were ex- perienced in the school, that is, in the months of January to June, each member of the teaching staff was stricken with sickness, and had to abandon her work temporarily. One member, Sister M. Justine, was un- able to resume her work, and was obliged to return to the Mother-house. In these trying times the members of the staff assumed extra burdens and, as a result, all were overtaxed and be- came ill. The pastor, himself, taught at various times in every classroom of the school; with the result that his health also failed, and he was obliged to go to a sanatarium. Despite its inauspicious beginning the year witnessed many improve- ments; new pews were placed in the church at a cost of $1,160.00. The church was rewired and electric fix- tures installed, the labor being do- 396 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. nated by Mr. Joseph Musick and the pastor. The church interior was re- decorated at a cost of $1,250.00. A suitable monument was erected in St. Mark's cemetery over the remains of Father Kaenders, the founder of the parish. It cost 1530.00, and funds were contributed by his grateful parishioners. The parish indebted- ness was reduced $1,250.00. In Oc- tober a regular assistant was assigned to the parish in the person of Rever- end James J. Holmes. A lay teacher, Miss Elizabeth Wendel, aided in the school for two months. The annual statement showed an income of $13,- 580.00, and disbursements of $13,- 000.00. The school children in appre- ciation of the improvements and add- ed school facilities conducted a chil- dren's bazaar, which netted $1,100.00. In lent of 1924 Forty Hours' De- votion was conducted by Reverend David Scully, a member of the Apos- tolic Mission Band. On June 15, 1924, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., the newly consecrated bishop of the diocese, paid his first visit to the parish and conferred the Sacrament of Con- firmation upon a class of 142 chil- dren and adults. The material improvements in- cluded the extending of the roof on church and school building, and put- ting in copper gutters and concreting the basement of parsonage, at a cost of $2,053.00. In the fall of the year a set of beautiful imported stations, painted on copper plates, was donated by St. Agnes Sodality at a cost of $402.00. A building fund for a Sis- ters' home and new church was start- ed at the close of the vear amounted to $2,000.00. In October and Novem- ber a two-weeks' mission was conduct- ed. On January 1, 1925, St. Mark's for the third time in forty-five years sus- tained a loss of membership by the transfer of the English-speaking parishioners residing in Madison to St. Mary's parish of Madison, organ- ized in 1912 for the Polish, but now converted into a parish for all the Catholics of Madison. July 4, 1925, Reverend James J. Holmes, the as- sistant priest, since October 1, 1923, was transferred to St. Mary's Church, Mt. Sterling, Illinois, and a newly or- dained priest, Reverend John S. Brockmeier, was sent to fill his place in St. Mark parish. October 1, 1925, property was purchased for a Sister's home, namely, three lots on Lincoln Avenue, and a two-story residence at a cost of $4,000.00. December, 1925, Reverend M. Martiniano of East Chi- cago, Indiana, conducted a mission for the Italian families of the parish of whom there are about twenty-five. The mission was well attended. St. Mark's today numbers about 125 families. Besides English, the following languages are spoken with- in its limits : Italian, Polish, Croa- tian, Slovak and German. The school enrollment is 160 pupils. During the year the Holy Name Society for men and young men was established. The present trustees are Messrs. George Reinemann and James Mc- Gee, who soon will complete their tenth year of unselfish service. Honorable J. E. Lee, physician and surgeon, a prominent member of the parish, is filling the position of Mayor of Venice for the third term. With few exceptions, the entire city admini- stration is made up of members of St. Mark's parish. As evidence of the spiritual life and progress in the past four and one-half years, St. Mark s may point with pride to the increase of religious voca- tions. Four young ladies have enter- ed the convent, namely, Mary Musick, known as Sister Mary Marce ; Mar- garet Crimmins, (Sister Mary Ethel- rada) ; Bernice Musick, (Sister Mary Linus) ; Sabina Daniels, a postulant. Sisters Mary Marce, Linus and Miss Sabina Daniels entered the com- munity of the Sisters of Divine Prov- idence of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, whose Sisters are in charge of St. Mark's school. Sister M. Ethelreda is 397 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS a member of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood, 'Fallon, Missouri. Two young men, Perry Fechte and John Nevins are students at Concep- tion College, Conception, Missouri, preparing for the priesthood. Mission of St. Nicholas, Pocahontas, Bond County, Illinois. Established in 1871. Mission of Highland, Illinois. Present Pastor : Reverend August M. Hohl. Pocahontas, a thriving little in- dustrial city of some thousand in- habitants, nestles snugly among the gentle hills and fertile fields of Bond County. As early as 1821, Benjamin Johnson, pioneer, laid out the lines for a little town at that point and called it Oakdale. As so many Illi- nois villages the new town was just another typical farming community and attracted no particular attention until about the year 1868, when the Pennsylvania Railroad was built through its western limits. The event was made memorable by changing the name to Pocahontas. Under the name of the little Indian lass the town grew and prospered and now, though still enjoying some rural trade, has generally become known as an industrial city because its coal mine, sunk some twenty years ago and producing a very fine grade of coal, has under the able superintendence of Mr. John Burk, some four hundred and fifty men on its payroll. The town has a public park, good schools and three churches. We are not sure that St. Nichalos Church is the oldest ; but the records show that the Franciscan Fathers from Teutopo- lis visited Pocahontas in the early sixties and offered the Holy Sacrifice in the homes of such old settlers as Mr. John Senn and Mr. Gillmore. About the year 1871, the agitation for a real church in which the ever- growing Catholic population might worship resulted, under the able leadership of Father Francis Moen- ning, in the erection of a new church, which with some remodeling and ad- ditions still stands and serves its use- ful purpose. Among those promi- nently identified with this work of sacrifice and love we find the names of John Senn, who was the first treasurer and held the office for many succeeding years, and Mr. Ar- nold, Mr. H. Lynch, Leo Esenpreis, Carl Knebel and J. Kustermann. Riemann, Gleason Company were the contractors and the church was completed with the exception of some of the interior fixtures for some $2500.00. We admire the loyal generous impulse that animated these people when we learn from the very complete record of Mr. Senn that after the year there remained five dollars in the treasury with no debt. Under the continued guid- ance of the Franciscan Fathers from Teutopolis the parish grew to the number of fifty families and indeed made such progress that Reverend Clementinus Deyermann, O.F.M., de- cided that a school would be neces- sary. Accordingly the woi'k was undertaken and, an old building which originally had been used for worship while the new church was in the stage of erection, was convert- ed into a school and a teacher, Eliza- beth McAndrews, and later Sebas- tian Hoenig were employed. The school seems to have been conducted with varying success until 1878. Several causes now intervened to give this promising congregation a setback. Saline to the west and south, a growing community, needed a church, which was built and a resi- dent pastor given it. Then, at just a little later period the church at Pier- ron, southwest of Pocahontas was built. The result of these two proj- ects was to take quite a number of families from the Pocahontas con- gregation, which impoverished it so 398 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. that the school had to be regretfully closed. Charge of Pocahontas passed in the year 1878 from the Franciscan Fathers to the priests in Highland, Father Reinhart being the first as- sistant to make the bi-weekly trip to serve the little flock. Then years later Father William Futterer, Pas- tor of Saline, took charge in 1888 of this mission and other priests of Saline, among them Father William Becker and Father Anthony Zurbon- son, struggled to keep the waning spark of Faith alive in the hearts of the people. In 1895 Father John P. Maroney, who was then stationed at Greenville, undertook to care for the mission but it seems the number of parishioners diminished to the extent that the Bishop, who needed priests badly in more populous places, closed the church for a period of five years. Reverend Anthony Jaschke, learned and energetic assistant at Highland and later pastor at Saline, undertook the reorganization of St. Nicholas parish in the year 1908 and with fine success. Again the charge reverted to the priests at Highland. Father Joseph Reis with commendable en- ergy directed the people in a much needed remodeling project. He was followed successively by Fathers Schnelten, Faller, Kleas, Winking, Yunker, Telken and Enzeiler, who were all zealous and energetic young men and with the fine co-operation of the people have again made Poca- hontas' St. Nicholas church one of the very promising small parishes of the Diocese. Church op the Sacred Heart, Oconee, Shelby County, Illinois Established in 1872. Present Pastor : Reverend Joseph A. Reis. Oconee, Shelby County, Illinois, is a small village of three hundred twenty-seven inhabitants lying on the Illinois Central Railroad just forty miles south of Decatur, and twenty-three miles north of Van- dalia. It was at this point that a number of immigrants, mostly from the vicinity of Hanover, Germany, and from Dutch settlements coming from the border of Holland, obtained farm land and built up homes. All these people had imbibed a deep re- ligious spirit at their mother's knee which made them feel the lack of re- ligious consolation in their new home most keenly. They would travel for miles and miles through most in- clement weather by wagon, on horse, or even on foot and usually fasting for the pleasure of hearing Mass and to receive the Sacraments, whenever, at infrequent intervals a German priest would celebrate the most sub- lime sacrifice of the Altar in some farm dwelling. There was indeed a Catholic Church in Pana, a town just seven miles north of Oconee. There was at Pana at that time a very pious priest, who, however, was un- able to understand their language, which made it difficult for these new settlers who could not speak English to receive the Sacraments, and be consoled by instruction in their holy religion. In August, 1868, Gerhardt Herman Rakers, Sr., the venerable father of the present G. II. Rakers, always an enthusiastic worker for Oconee Par- ish, landed at Oconee. Mr. Raker's one desire was to have a priest at Oconee. Reverend Michael Weis, D.D., sta- tioned at Vandalia from April, 1868, until November, 1869, sympathizing with the Catholic people in the vi- cinity of Ramsey, a town eleven miles south of Oconee, came to say Mass and administer the Sacraments in a private cottage, probably in the home of Mathias Schmitz, east of Ramsey. It was here that Mr. Ger- hardt Herman Rakers seized the op- portunity to kindly request Father Weiss to visit Oconee also occasional- 399 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ly. Father Weis, a most zealous worker among the pioneer priests, eagerly took up the proposition. He said Mass a few times in the home of Mathias Schmitz whose wife, now Mrs. John Klier, still treasures highly the bureau used as an altar. After coming to Oconee more or less regularly, Father Weis chose as the most convenient place for religious exercises a house situated where the Oconee State Bank now stands. This was the dwelling of Mr. Anton Wer- ner, a bachelor and the cobbler for the community. Mr. Gerhardt Herman Rakers pro- vided the necessary furniture for Father Weis for saying Mass in pri- vate houses. His son, Gerhardt Her- man Rakers, Jr., was the volunteer organist bringing his own organ as well as a table which his brother had made out of old fence rails and wood taken from the timber. The houses wherein Mass was said, have for the most part been replaced by more modern buildings. One still stands, however, and is owned at present by Mr. James Combest. It was once the home of Anton Werner whose wife, Josephine, later Mrs. August Trumper, fitted up a room for a chapel. This house is held in fond remembrance by many who there made their first confession and re- ceived their First Holy Communion. Father Weis was unable to say Mass every Sunday, nevertheless, ever zealous for his little mission he urged the people to select a suitable site and build a neat but modest chapel where the congregation could hear Mass and receive the Sacra- ments whenever the priest found it possible to come and also where they could assemble on Sunday to say the rosary or have their children in- structed by willing laymen in the rudiments of their Holy Faith. Father Weis, soon transferred to Marine, was unable to witness the consummation of his plans. To ful- fill the desire of this worthy pastor as well as the longing of all the mem- bers of the congregation, the lumber was bought from Mr. Jamison about two miles east of Oconee and placed in Mr. Raker's barn in the fall so that building could be started in the spring. The highest point on the Parkinson farm was chosen as the site for the church. Five acres were bought at this place for $100.00 in 1869, although the deed was not formally executed until the year 1887. When Father Weis moved to Marine, the growing little mission was placed in charge of the Fran- ciscan Fathers until Father Stream- ler was appointed December 11, 1870. The location of the church appar- ently determined, the next step was to select a burial ground. A five- acre hillside, situated on the north- west Shelby county line, was for a time considered ideal. This, how- ever, was abandoned as too distant. A new site for the cemetery was selected. This was just a little north- east of the spot bought for the church and also on the Parkinson farm. An option of this land was taken and the price fixed at $100.00. Now a new difficulty preseted itself. The site selected for a cemetery was found to be within the corporation limits of the village of Oconee. It could not be used for burial pur- poses. A suggestion for reversing the sites was made and found satis- factory. The high point on the Parkinson farm did not seem ideal as a cemetery, yet the five-acre church site had been paid for where- as only an option had been taken on the other. A trade was negotiated with Leonard Parkinson in which the congregation acquired full pos- session of the present church site, giving back to Mr. Parkinson the five-acre tract, the church to be built at once, and the cemetery prop- osition to be considered later. Father Streamler stationed at Van- dalia from December 11, 1870, to July 11, 1872, attended the missions of Ramsey and Oconee. He had the lumber shipped from Vandalia and built the first small Catholic church in Oconee, a frame building 18x36 400 H «■ I <•>#'■ Ramsey -St. Joseph Church, /.'< r. Aug. Forster, Pastoi Pocahontas — S£. Nicholas Church, Pioneer Residents . . . Oconei Sacred Heart Church, Rev. Joseph Reis, Pastor, Rectory, Former Pastors, School and Sisters' Residena . . . Roodhouse— St. Athanasius Church . . . Grafton — St. Patrick Church and Rectory, Rev. .1/. ./. Cum- mings, Pastor. TKE LIBRARY OF Tht UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS THE EPISCOPATE OP RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. feet. He dedicated the new church to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, saying Mass therein for the first time May 9, 1872, on the occasion of the marriage of John A. Werner, the present cashier of the Oconee State Bank, and also, together with John Mickey, holding the honorable and respon- sible position of trustee of the church, these two having recently succeeded George Wessels and Peter Werner. At the Werner wedding and other religious exercises in the new church, wagon seats were used as pews while some brought chairs from their homes. Mr. John Herbers, the volunteer organist, held this position until the dedication of the second church building in 1891, when he taught the Mass to Mr. Gerhardt Herman Rakers, who played the organ from then on. The male choir consisted of William Eckholt, Gerhardt Herman Rakers, Henry Rakers, John Herman Sommers and John B. Temmen. These have the distinction of singing the first High Mass sung in St. Pat- rick church at Pana. The first trustees of the church were Joseph Lehn and Anton Fischer. When Father Streamler left Oconee, the Franciscan Fathers of Teutopolis attended the mission at intervals until Father Rensmann, driven out of Germany during the Kultur-Kamp, came to America. He had charge of Vandalia and visited Oconee about once a month. His suc- cessor was Reverend Enzlberger, who gave spiritual guidance to these people from July 12, 1875, until March 22, 1876. Father Storp, then at Pana (1875-77), later at Shelby- ville (1877-81), was given charge until October, 1879. As soon as the church became a re- ality, the proposition of a cemetery for the Catholic community was again taken up. A two-acre tract just one mile east of the church was considered by many of the parishion- ers as the logical burying plot. Owing to some misunderstanding, the place was not bought for some time, although most of the members took it for granted that the matter was settled. Little Willie Berns, an infant, died and was the first to be buried in this plot. Father Storp, not taking any salary, diverted from the church fund a year's pew rent of $100.00 and thus he bought and paid for the present cemetery in October, 1878. The Sacred Heart Parish of Oconee has gone through some very trying years both for priests and the good people of this community. Between the years 1879-85 there were many changes of pastors and frequently the church was attended from Teu- topolis by the kind Franciscan Fath- ers. Father DeChene came from As- sumption to Oconee for six months. Father Leufghen of Assumption also had charge for a short time. Father Hoven from Shelbyville helped out on several occasions. In 1883 Father Ferdinand Stick had charge of the Parish for about two years. After Father Stick's re- moval, no priest came regularly to Oconee for more than a year. In the spring of 1885 the Right Reverend Bishop appointed Father Maurer to Oconee but on account of sickness he did not take charge until about six months later. The Bishop sent Rev- erend Father Krug at Easter time so that the people might have an oppor- tunity to fulfill their Easter obliga- tions. During this time a Fran- ciscan Father from Teutopolis came on the Feast of All Saints to say Mass and bless the graves. On July 7, 1885 Reverend Joseph Maurer stationed at Macon, took charge. Under this saintly priest's able guidance, the people were again united. Once a month on Sunday and usually remaining over Monday, Father Maurer came here from Macon to say Mass and to administer the Sacraments. He was never a resident pastor of Oconee, although he had charge of the parish from October 1, 1885, until October, 190:?, when the first resident pastor, Rev- 401 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS erend Francis Harbe was appointed. A day in June, 1888, was a red letter day for Catholics in Oconee. It was the occasion of the first visit of a Bishop. On that day, Right Rever- end James Ryan, D.D., confirmed a class of twenty-three children. During Father Maurer's pastorate, the Altar Society, changed later to the Society of Christian Mothers, was organized. Mrs. Anna Rakers was chosen the first president. As time wore on more Catholics took up their dwelling in the vicin- ity of Oconee, so that by the year 1891 the first house of worship proved too small for the needs of Oconee Catholics. It was then that by unanimous vote plans were start- ed for the erection of a new and larger church. A contract for a frame structure, 60x36 with a tower sixty-five feet high was let to Skin- ner Brothers of Oconee. The early spring of 1891 found both contrac- tors and zealous members of the church busy at their tasks. Work progressed sufficiently to permit the laying of the corner-stone in October of the same year. In the same month of the next year, Bishop Ryan dedicated the new church. The clergy who assisted Bishop Ryan at the dedication were Fathers Maurer, Stick, Lammert and Pennartz. The parishioners, as well as their friends, from far and near had the opportunity on this occasion to hear two excellent sermons, one by Father Stick in English, the other by Father Pennartz who spoke in Gorman. The first mission was conducted in the new church in the year 1902. Father Neumueller, S. J., was in charge. Once the church had been com- pleted, the Oconee Catholics longed to have a resident priest. This favor the Bishop granted on the condition that a suitable dwelling and neces- sary conveniences would be provided by the congregation. In October, 1903, Father Harbe, the first resident priest came to Oconee. Before a rec- tory was bought the priests used the sacristy as an office while they took their meals and roomed at the home of Mr. and Mrs. William Eckholt. There were three priests in charge of the second church : Reverend Joseph Maurer, 1885-1903 ; Reverend Francis J. Harbe, 1903-08, and Rev- erend William Pachlhofer, 1908-15. When Father Harbe came, the con- gregation busied itself negotiating for a suitable tract whereon to build the parsonage. Lots were bought in 1900 from J. D. Chambers of Taylor- ville. H. G. Rakers and William Eckholt served on the building com- mittee. On these lots stood an old frame house, which for some time, was used as the priest's home. This building, however, proved undesir- able and was sold for $150.00. The purchaser moved it to the east side of town. During the summer and fall of 1904 a more modern and sub- stantial priest's residence was built. In the spring of 1904 work was re- newed on the church but owing to the lack of funds had to be aban- doned for a short time. Up to this time the walls of the church were bare. A contract was let to Schanbacher of Springfield to fresco the church. This called for an expenditure of $320.00. At the same time the high altar was redecorated. J. D. Lee received the contract for a concrete basement floor. His bid was $102.45. Through the generosity of a St. Louis friend a much-needed xteam boiler was received. Loda and Paul were awarded the installation contract for the heating system on their bid of $170.00. Tn 1908 the need of an organ was felt. It was purchased at the cost of $59.50. Father Harbe worked untiringly for the flock until he was transferred to Greenville, December 3, 1908. He was succeeded by Reverend William Pachlhofer. Father Pachlhofer worked with undaunted spirit throughout his stay in Oconee. Short- ly after his arrival in 1909, lightning struck the church. A total expendi- ture of $998.95 was necessary to re- 402 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. pair the damage and fit the church for worship again. In 1911, a steam heating plant was installed for $795.00. On Friday, September 28, 1911, at 1 :30 A. M. lightning again struck the church. This time the bolt struck the spire. It set the building on fire and caused not only the destruction of the church, but also the priest's residence. As soon as it was seen that there was no possibility of sav- ing the buildings, all efforts were centered upon saving the contents. Father Pachlhofer removed the Blessed Sacrament to a private dwelling (the home of Mr. John A. Werner). Happily, the first church was yet extant and this was arranged anew as an humble place for the Eucharis- tic God and for week day Mass while Sunday Mass, in order to accommo- date all members, was said by leave of the village officials in the Town Hall. The first to be married in the sec- ond church were Jacob Maisch and Elizabeth Eckholt. The first funeral was that of Mr. Edward Stevens. Henry John Rakers, Anna Helen Weavers, and Cecilia Catherine Temmen were the first children bap- tized. The last marriage was that of Louis Kuhn and Ann Pollman, while William Temmen was the last to be buried from the second church. His wife, whose maiden name was Adele Vollmer, later entered religion and is now known as Sister M. Am- brose, Sister of Mercy at St. John's Hospital, Springfield, Missouri. When a definite agreement for the erection of a new church had not been reached by the congregation at the expiration of one year, Father Pachlhofer thought it wise not to impose longer upon the generosity of the town people by occupying the Town Hall, and services were re- sumed in the old frame church which had been used for a school. The loss by fire which was only partly covered by insurance meant many sacri- fices for the fifty odd families of the parish. But urged on by their stead- fast Faith and their confidence in their able Pastor, plans were started for the erection of another church. The Pastor and parishioners had the sympathy of their neighbors, both Catholic and non-Catholic, many of whom sent in contributions and lent a willing hand and much encouragement. The Right Reverend Bishop, James Ryan, D.D., sent a sub- stantial donation and a most father- ly and encouraging letter. Others, friends of the Parish, did likewise which did much to buoy up the fal- tering spirits of the people of Oconee. The third and present church, which is built in the Roman style of architecture, constructed of steel skeleton, is of dark red pressed brick with paving brick foundation, Bed- ford stone trimmings, and slate roof. It has a seventy-five foot tower with a street door leading to the choir and belfry. The dimensions are 87x 41 feet, 25 foot ceiling, and a seating capacity of 300. The steam heating plant, which had been installed in the last church just before the fatal fire, was over- hauled and placed in the new build- ing. The corner-stone of the new building was laid September 9, 1912, by Very Reverend Jeremiah Murphy of St. Patrick church, Decatur, Illi- nois, and Reverend Clemens Johannes cf Nokomis, Illinois, delivered a very appropriate sermon. The new church plans were drawn by St. Louis architects, Wessbecker & Hildebrand, while Joseph McCar- thy of Pana, was the contractor. The building of the church progressed gratifyingly, in fact, so well that al- though far from being finished, Mass was said in it for the first time on Palm Sunday, 1913. On September 21, 1913, Oconee de- clared a gala day for the new Cath- olic Church was to be dedicated. Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., began the solemn dedication at 9 :30 A.M. Afterwards Solemn High Mass, 403 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS in the presence of the Bishop, was sung. Father Simon P. Hoffman of Effingham was celebrant, assisted by a Franciscan Father of Teutopolis, and Father P. J. Moroney of Pana as deacon and sub-deacon, respec- tively. The Reverend Pastor, Wil- liam Pachlhofer, served as Master of Ceremonies, and Reverend P. Aloy- sius Fromm, O.F.M., of Teutopolis, Illinois, delivered a brilliant sermon. Immediately after the Solemn High Mass, the Right Reverend Bishop administered the Sacrament cf Confirmation to a class of twentv- four children. At 3 :00 P.M. Solemn Devotions were held when Reverend S. P. Hoffman gave an instruction which was followed by Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. After the services in the church, the Clergy wended their way to the new rectory, built just north of the church and at that time nearly com- pleted, to give the Solemn Blessing to the new abode of the Pastor of the Sacred Heart Parish in Oconee. The cost of the new church was $16,- 967.43. The rectory, built to harmonize with the church of red pressed brick with paving brick foundation and white trimmings, is a commodious dwelling of nine rooms and bath, with spacious attic and basement having laundrv, storage, furnace and coal rooms. It cost $6,896.66. Reverend Bernard Wubbe entered upon his first parochial charge, October, 1915. He had been Chap- lain of St. John's Hospital, Spring- field, Illinois, for a few months after having been transferred from the assistant pastorate of St. Mary Church, Quincy. The first task confronting him was the payment of the $800.00 debt which the building program had en- tailed. Mr. Peter Werner, trustee of the church at the time, suggested to Father Wubbe that a drive be made to obtain Liberty Loan Bonds to liquidate the debt. This proved very successful. The parishioners made gifts of various amounts in Liberty Bonds and War Savings Stamps, totaling more than $4,000.00. During the great World War the people of Oconee showed themselves not only religious but very patriotic as well. Liberty Loan Bonds and War Savings Stamps were bought and patriotic demonstrations were numerous. Our young men rallied to the cause of our country. Among those who left Oconee to serve were Frank Epley, Charles W. Flesch, Leonard Flesch, Edward W. Hoen. Walter Chas. Hoehn, Bernard C. Holthaus, H. W. Holthaus, John Pollman, J. George Rakers, and John H. Rakers. The last mentioned made the supreme sacrifice. The "old church" was renovated and a small but neat stage was add- ed. The building was renamed Mar- quette Hall and ever since this build- ing has been used for profit and pleasure for the parishioners. En- tertainments, plays, etc., followed yearly in close succession. Beautiful Stations of the Cross were installed in the new church. These were the gifts of members whose tablets affixed to the walls beneath the Stations recall their faith and generosity today. The church debt practically paid, Bishop Ryan thought a parish of fifty years standing ought to have a parochial school for the education of the children. The pastor was heartily in sympathy with this idea for he knew that such an institution guided by the good Sisters would mean much benefit to the parish, but owing to his condition of health and the burden of such an undertaking upon his struggling little congrega- tion, Father Wubbe asked to be re- lieved of his beloved charge. This request was granted under condition that he find some priest to exchange with him. Divine Providence, how- ever, guided in another direction. Father Wubbe remained to build the school. In the year 1922, the congregation quietly observed the Golden Jubilee of the founding of the Parish. A neat 404 THE EPISCOPATE OP RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. nest egg was placed in the bank for the building of a school. On the site of the rectory, which had been de- stroyed by fire, ground was broken and a two-room school house with basement built of cement granite blocks was completed. During the process of building, turbulent waves ran high at times but the ever lively generosity of a number of pioneer members enabled the completion of a $4,000.00 debt-free and quite well equipped school, which opened its doors to the little children for an eight-grade course in the following fall, September, 1922. Here the good Sisters of St. Theresa Academy, De- catur, found their first mission in readiness. In time the number in at- tendance at school increased to sixty- three children. Many splendid sac- rifices were gladly made for the sake of a Catholic education by the various families. The housing of the good Nuns be- came a problem. Many parishioners wished the school to be made a two- story structure with living rooms for the Sisters on the second floor. This suggestion was rejected, however, as impractical. Father Wubbe vacated the rectory for the Sisters and moved into the old church or Marquette Hall, using the stage scenery for par- tition walls. But the building was cold and the winter most severe. As soon as the weather moderated, ground was broken to the north of the school for an addition to be built of concrete blocks consisting of three small rooms and a basement to be used for kitchen and dining rooms. This addition, built at a cost of $1,- 450.00, was intended as a temporary dwelling for the Sisters until such a time as a better house could be built. This addition to the school was later used as cloak rooms and music room. Seepage water in the basement and poor drainage conditions made the place unsanitary. The Sisters never moved into it. Father "Wubbe lived therein for eleven months, and was preparing plans for a modest frame bungalow to be built for the Sisters between the church and school when he was transferred July 10, 1924, to Kincaid, Illinois. His successor, Reverend Joseph A. Reis, coming from St. John parish, Quincy, entered upon his duties July 10, 1924. He moved into the school addition where he remained for one month. Called to Decatur for a conference with the Venerable Mother Charles of the Ursuline Sis- ters, he was requested to obtain a different dwelling for the Sisters, since they were loath to dwell longer in the building which was in reality and properly the priest's house. The Venerable Mother pointed out a house just across the street from the church and school owned by Joseph Brokamp of Taylorville. The par- ishioners deemed it advisable not to exceed $1,800.00 under prevailing conditions but the price fixed was above that and negotiations ceased. A cottage of four rooms and summer kitchen owned by Mrs. Esther J. Carroll, situated in a secluded spot of the village and just one block east of the church was about to be va- cated. This was rented for $10.00 per month with the agreement that it be retained at least one year. Father Reis deemed it more economi- cal to rent at the time rather than to burden the parish with a new and heavy debt. The Sisters lived there for two years when a special offer was made by Mr. John A. Werner that he would deem it a privilege if the good Sisters would make their home in the house just south of his own, one-half block from church. It was the old Werner homestead and was still a part of his deceased father's estate. Therefore, in memory of his beloved father, Alois Werner, he considered it an honor if the Sisters deemed it advisable. The only stipulations be- ing, that should the house be sold, the returns be used for a new Sisters' house and that a Requiem Mass be sung by the children on June 15th, the anniversary of the death of Alois Werner, for a period of five 405 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS years. Father Reis was exceedingly pleased with this generous offer. In fact, he had this house in view for some time. It was the desire of the people that the sisters have a dwell- ing of their own. The Pastor was loath to enter into any great ven- ture because he considered sacred his predecessor's promise to the con- gregation of a two-year respite. Be- sides, there were other more press- ing needs demanding attention. The little furniture saved from the fire in 1911 had been divided between the priest and Sisters. The Sisters' house, must, therefore, be furnished. This was done in a modest way for the sum of $800.00, while $300.00 was expended on furnishings for the rec- tory, and $250.00 for the school. Father Reis, after considering the situation, determined to make the re- pairs and to give one year's salary, which he later changed to two years' salary, or $2,400.00. The school was much in need of toilets, which he had built, the cost of material being $231.69. The labor was donated by the men of the parish. The new Pas- tor renovated and redecorated the whole interior of the rectory. New roofs were necessary on Marquette Hall and outbuildings. The old roof- ing was replaced by a rust-proof metal at a cost of' $218.00. This work also was done by the members. While the men were busy making re- pairs, painting, building and land- scaping the ground, the ladies were not idle. A very convenient sac- risty cabinet was installed by the Christian Mothers Society at a cost of $135.00. A shower of altar sup- plies to the Christ Child was given each Christmas, at which all the various necessary altar linens, hand- made laces, antependiums, altar-boy surplices and cassocks, candle sticks, etc., were given. While the Christian Mothers were crocheting and sew- ing, the young ladies crocheted and embroidered beautiful altar covers and benediction cloth. The little school children took up the refrain, giving a costly benediction Velum, a hand-embroidered baptismal stole, and adjustable candelabra for bene- diction. When Father Reis came, he was told that the school was not properly heated and that the Sisters and children were suffering from the cold, and frequently repaired to the Sisters' house for their studies. He immediately set about to remedy the defect. Additional and larger pipes were bought at a cost of $60.00 and the whole plant overhauled. The labor which would have cost $54.60 was done gratuitously by Mr. Joseph H. Boll of Quincy, Illinois, who also installed a new water system in the rectory. The heating system, as re- paired, proved quite satisfactory in spite of the fact that it was a hot water plant. It was used only one year, when in October, the tempera- ture dropped so low as to make it ad- visable to reheat the school. The boiler was found to have been burst by some unknown cause. A new and larger steam heating plant was in- stalled, which, after using the pipes on hand, and labor cost $550.00. This plant proved to be all that could be desired. Church of St. Patrick, Bluffs, Scott County, Illinois. Established in 1871. Present Pastor : Reverend Patrick Fox. The Church of St. Patrick, Bluffs, was organized in the year 1871 by Father Cogan, pastor of Jackson- ville. A few Catholic families had settled there and the opening of a mine at Neeleyville brought many more to the community. Hence, anxious to have the consolation which the Sacraments of the Church afford, a petition was sent to Bishop Baltes, asking him to send Father Cogan from Jacksonville to take care of their spiritual needs. The first Mass was celebrated to the 406 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. great joy and consolation of those early pioneers in an old section house. The following year, 1872, under the able leadership of Father Cogan saw the present mission church erected and dedicated to St. Patrick. After the death of Father Cogan, St. Patrick was attended from St. Mary, Mt. Sterling, by Father Michael Clifford, under whose wise and spiritual administration the few Catholic families took on new life and vigor. Soon after the death of Father Michael Clifford, St. Patrick Church was taken care of from Winchester by the following pastors: Fathers Julian Turmell, Joseph 'Boyle, Jeremiah Murphy, Thomas Master- son, John Daw and Daniel J. Ryan. On the death of Father Ryan, Father John Crow of Jacksonville, was appointed by Bishop Ryan to take care of Bluffs. He was assist- ed by Fathers O'Brien and Joseph Finnegan. Soon after Father William Heffer- non had been appointed to Mt. Ster- ling, he was asked by Bishop Ryan to take charge of St. Patrick Church at Bluffs, and in the work was ably assisted by the following priests: Fathers Peter Paul McGuinness, James Murray and Charles J. Fan- ing. Father Thomas Carroll succeeded Father Heffernon at Mt. Sterling and during his term as pastor, Bluffs was attended by his assistants in turn : Fathers James R. Moloney and Joseph McKeogh. Upon the death of Father Carroll, Reverend Amos E. Giusti was ap- pointed administrator and in turn was succeeded by Reverend Joseph O'Rourke. Father O'Rourke, with the follow- ing assistants : Fathers Edmond But- ler, Dominic F. Lydon and James J. Holmes, continued to take care of the spiritual needs of the people of Bluffs. Reverend Patrick J. Fox succeed- ed Father O'Rourke and is being as- sisted by Reverend James J. Holmes in taking care of St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling and St. Patrick Church, Bluffs. Mission of St. Athanasius, Roodhouse, Greene County, Illinois. Established in 1872. Present Pastor : Reverend Frank Lawler. St. Athanasius Church, Roodhouse, Greene County, was built in 1872, and attended from Carrollton dur- ing the administration of Reverend F. N. Recouvreur, Henry Alberts be- ing the contractor. It was dedicated by Reverend Peter Joseph Macklin of Springfield, and the first trustees were John Corcoran and Michael Hatchett, both employees of the C. & A. roundhouse. Among the early membership were Matthew Steritz, an old time engineer, John Harney, a car inspector, and Charles Dolan. Matthew Wagner, at present con- ducting a restaurant on East Street in Jacksonville, was the first baby to be baptized. In 1880, it was attended from Brighton by the Reverend J. D. Mitzler. In 1884, it was visited from Jacksonville, and from 1884 to 1890 from Whitehall, when Reverend Ter- rence Francis O'Brien became its first resident pastor. He was suc- ceeded in 1892 by the Reverend Michael J. Davis. Reverend William Nevins, the next rector, came in 1894 ; Reverend James Joseph Dough- erty in 1896. For some time past Roodhouse was without a resident pastor, and in 1897 it became a de- pendent of Jacksonville, attended by the Reverend Michael Henry Cowley, who was succeeded by the Reverend Joseph Finnegan in 1899. Reverend Michael J. Simon took charge of Roodhouse until 1903, when he was replaced by Reverend C. A. McDon- nell, who in 1906 was succeeded by the Reverend Dennis O'Brien, pas- tor of the church of Greenfield, and 407 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS in March, 1908, Reverend Eugene A. Maguire took charge, and was re- placed in June, 1913, hy Reverend Christian A. Snyder of Jacksonville. In October, 1914, Roodhouse was at- tached to Jerseyville with Reverend Francis Shields in charge. Under Father Shield's administra- tion, extensive interior and exterior improvements were made. The out- side was stuccoed and the interior redecorated, which improvements, indeed, wrought a remarkable change in the appearance of the church. Six memorial windows were also added. Father Shields was suc- ceeded by Reverend Richard Mc- Keogh in October, 1925. Reverend Francis Lawler of Jerseyville is now attending Roodhouse. The present trustees are : William Connor and Daniel Dolan. Church of St. Norbert, Hardin, Calhoun County, Illinois Established in 1872. Present Pastor : Reverend Daniel F. Daly. Despite its natural beauty, the country surrounding the present town of Hardin did not appeal to the early pioneers, who having viewed its picturesque bluffs, decided to seek other fields that would better reward their toil. French settlers, passing through the Great Lakes, and down the Illinois river long be- fore connected with the name of their illustrious countrymen, Mar- quette and Joliet, seem to be among the first who thought a living could be made along its shores. English settlers are also numbered among the pioneers. Soon they were joined by German and Irish in cut- ting down the forests, draining marshes, driving the wolf and the deer to seek shelter farther west. The history of the Catholic church in Hardin, whose patron saint is St. Norbert, may be said to date back to January 14th, 1872, when the first subscription list toward a building fund was started. On October 12th, 1876, two lots, 3 and 4, in block five, were purchased from Mrs. Helen Childs on the present site. In 1878, April the 25th, the building which had been erected for this purpose was dedicated by Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D., Bishop of Alton, assisted by Fathers Frei- muth, Sullivan, Withaut and Winter- halter. On the same day the bell was also blessed in the name of the Immaculate Conception. The Hardin parish at this time was a mission of the St. Michael church, of which Father Freimuth was pas- tor. John F. Nolte and Peter C. Barry acting as Trustees. In Decem- ber of the same year Reverend C. Summers was placed in charge. Aft- er fourteen years of faithful service he was succeeded by the faithful and beloved Father Johannes who in turn was followed by the zealous Father Connelly. During these pas- torates Mass was said in Hardin about once a month, but with the ad- vent of the last named and his assist- ants, Reverend Thomas McGrath, Reverend James Joseph Dougherty and Reverend J. Kelly, Mass was said regularly every Sunday. It is owing to the arduous labors of Father Connelly that a rectory was built and that the parish was finally set apart by itself in 1903 with Father Kelly as the first resident pastor. Father Francis X. Smith, and Fathers O'Flarethy, and Kopp succeeded un- til Father Hickey was appointed and took charge in October, 1910. Up to this time, Messrs. Edward Heiden- rich, Joseph Harrison and Stephen McDonald had acted as trustees. As the parish continued to grow rapidly, new improvements were re- quired, all of which were attended to economically so as to keep the parish free from debts. Societies such as the Altar Society, Holy Name, and the Sacred Heart League, were formed and the great need of a par- ish hall became apparent for their 408 THE EPISCOPATE OP RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. meetings. At a general gathering of the congregation in April it was unanimously voted that a new church be built and the old church be con- verted into a hall. A subscription list was at once made up and met with such general success as to war- rant going ahead with the project. The trustees, therefore, let the con- tract to Duffner and Stecker, St. Louis, with Wessebach and Hilder- brand as architects. Ground was broken on the same day, August 13, by the pastor. His trustees were Messrs. C. H. Lamar, and Henry Schleeper, Sr. The laying of the corner-stone took place Sunday, October 4th, Right Reverend Edward Lancaster Spaulding, Vicar General of the dio- cese officiated, assisted by Fathers Hensey of Beardstown, O'Mullane of Michael, Douglas of Kampsville, Warden of Meppen, and the pastor. Father Hensey preached the ser- mon. The church societies attended in a body and the Hardin Cornet Band furnished music. After the ceremony, Solemn Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was given in the old church. Owing to the world war waging in the European countries at the time, this same day was set aside by Presi- dent Wilson for all churches to hold Peace Services. Accordingly, a Solemn High Mass was sung in the morning with the Reverend Pastor as celebrant, Right Reverend Ed- ward Lancaster Spaulding, V.G., Deacon, and Father Hensey, Sub- deacon. The Vicar General preached on this occasion to the large congre- gation present. St. Norbert's Parish owes, in great part, the present church building to the foresight and zeal of Father Hickey. He has left a monument un- surpassed by any country parish in our diocese. His pleasing personal- ity is fondly remembered, and for his departed soul a fervent prayer is offered by a grateful people. On November 1, 1915, Reverend Michael Enright succeeded Father Hickey. Under his wise guidance, the spiritual interests of the parish made rapid progress. Many who had neglected their religion for years returned "To Their Father's House." He is remembered as a zealous priest, faithful to duty and always mindful of his high calling. On July 1, 1922, the present pas- tor, Reverend Daniel Daly, found a parish where the Faith, planted by his predecessors, was flourishing in the hearts of a zealous, appreciative faithful people, — people who think nothing is too good for God. This parish was well represented in the tragic World War, giving to the cause, men of as fine a physique and moral caliber as grace this fair land of ours. Mission of St. Ubaldus, New Douglas, Madison County, Illinois. Established in 1872. Present Pastor: Reverend John R. Fannon. Facing the village park and rear- ing the Cross well above the sur- rounding maples, stands St. Ubaldus Church, New Douglas, Madison County. The early Catholic settlers attended Mass at Staunton, High- land or Marine, with occasional Mass at a private residence, until 1871, in which year Reverend Frederich Loh- mann, then stationed at Hillsboro, organized a parish and began the building of the church which was completed in 1872. He was succeed- ed as pastor by Fathers P. J. O'Hal- loran, P. J. Macken, and A. Schlegel. In 1879 it was attached to St. Mary's, Edwardsville, and ministered to by Reverend Francis X. Smith until his death in 1884. In the meantime, Father Schlegel took care of it until Reverend John C. Daw was appoint- ed to fill the vacancy created at St. Mary by Father Smith's death. Father DaAv, on taking charge of St. 409 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Ubaldus, built a new school in which, they say, he taught for a consider- able period each day. Doubtless he did so to save expense that could not be otherwise easily borne by the parish. Reverend Francis N. Recouvreur came in 1889 as the first resident pas- tor and retired to St. Louis eight years later. During his pastorate, a parochial residence was erected. St. Ubaldus was then administered by Reverend Anthony Zurbonson from Staunton until 1899 when Reverend Thomas M. Moore took charge. Then came the following fathers in suc- cession: Augustin Gorris, 1899- 1901 ; Augustus Forster, 1901-05, who began the organization of the parish at Coffeen; Bernard W. Lee, 1907- 08; Patrick H. Masterson, 1908-14, during whose pastorate the church at New Douglas was repaired ; Hugh P. Brady, 1914 until his death, 1916; Timothy McKeough, 1916-19, during whose term the parochial residence was moved to Coffeen, and Reverend Michael J. Crowley. Father Crowley, since his coming, has organized a parish and built a church at Panama. The parish has eighty families with a total population of about 280. It must be admitted, however, that not only a very large proportion of these attend church regularly, but the pastor is doing his utmost to quicken the Faith in the careless ones. In 1925, there were eleven bap- tisms, and six marriages of which three were Catholic and three mixed. Reverend John Raphael Fanon re- cently succeeded Reverend Michael J. Crowley, and now serves the par- ish of St. Ubaldus. Church of St. Thomas, Newton, Jasper County, Illinois. Established in 1873. Present Pastor : Reverend John Lupton. As early as 1847, the first church for Newton was built about three and one-half miles east of Newton in the old grave yard between the pres- ent hard road and the low road. There in that lonely and desolate country God watched over and pro- tected His people and gave them that Faith, which has guided them ever since. This church was known as St. Peter's and was attended by priests from Vincennes, Indiana. These priests with untiring zeal and cour- age endured hardships to take care of the spiritual needs of the flock. About the year 1853, the Catholics of Newton, finding it inconvenient to attend this church in the country, held divine sevices at the family resi- dence of Mr. Mortimer O'Kean. These services were conducted by the pastor from the Ste. Marie Church. It was a hard struggle for both priest and people, who labored unceasingly for the necessary means to provide a suitable place for the Eucharistic King. In 1861 a piece of land was pur- chased from Mr. O'Kean near the western boundary of the village. On this property a small frame church (24x40 feet) was built, This, the first place of worship for the congre- gation of Newton was dedicated un- der the patronage of St. Thomas, Apostle. Services were held in this church once a month by Father J. Sandrock, who was the pastor of Ste. Marie Church. In the year 1873, Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D., Bishop of the Alton Diocese, appointed Rev- erend Cornelius Hoffmans as the first resident pastor of St. Thomas Church. After three years of faith- ful service, Father Hoffmans was obliged to give up his parish on ac- count of ill health. During his time, at the request of the Bishop, the congregation of New- 410 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. ton and St. Peter were united, serv- ices being held at Newton. Since that time the congregations have made rapid growth and advancement working harmoniously together for the cause of religious welfare. Reverend John Molitor succeeded Father Hoffmans in 1877, and la- bored unselfishly for forty years among the souls entrusted to his care. His long years of faithful service endeared him to all, and his memory will ever be honored and revered. He died in January, 1917. During Father Molitor 's time, the little frame building became too small for the members of the rapidly increasing congregations of St. Thomas and St. Peter, so in 1880, it was agreed to erect a larger and more substantial building of brick. This building was the pride and boast of both parishes. Its lofty tower rising high above the city was seen for miles around and pointed out as the tower of the Catholic Church of Newton. In the year 1895, St. Thomas suffered a great loss when the beautiful sanctuary and sacristy were destroyed by fire. By this time the congregation had increased to such a large number that in order to accommodate the worshippers, it was necessary to en- large the church. The following year a transept, 60 by 24 feet, and a sanctuary were added to the main building at a cost of $15,000. It then furnished a seating capacity of five hundred. The St. Joseph's side Altar was donated by Mr. Berg- bower, and the beautiful artistic main altar, Gothic in style, was the gift of Mrs. Elizabeth Boos and daughters. Father Molitor was succeeded by Reverend Joseph Patrick Mundy, who gave enthusiastic services for the short time of eleven months. When the great World War broke out, he was appointed Army Chap- lain and died a martyr to his calling. When Father Mundy left to take up his duties as Chaplain, Reverend J. J. Cronin replaced him as the pas- tor of St. Thomas. Father Cronin, during his time there, did everything that could be done to beautify the house of God and make it a becom- ing dwelling for the King of Kings. Through his efforts, the people of St. Thomas have a church of which they may justly be proud, and which will remain for many a year as a proof of their support and loyalty. After six years of hard labor, Father Cronin was promoted to St. Mary's Church, Paris, Illinois. He was succeeded at St. Thomas by Rev- erend John Lupton, January 26, 1925. Father Lupton is still the resident pastor. The school was built in 1883, and has a present enrollment of fifty children. The Sisters of St. Joseph from St. Louis have been in charge since its foundation. The following societies contribute much to the activity of the parish, namely, Altar Society, Holy Name, Young Ladies' Sodality, Holy Child- hood, and the Apostleship of Prayer. As a result of earnest co-operation between pastor and people, the church is entirely free from debt. Church op St. Clare, Altamont, Effingham County, Illinois. Established in 1874. Present Pastor : Reverend James P. Walsh. The first priest to celebrate Holy Mass within the confines of what is now St. Clare Parish was Reverend E. J. Durbin of Kentucky. That was in the year 1839. Well authenticated local tradition has it that Father Durbin visited the Altamont por- tion of his scattered flock twice a year and ministered to their spiritual needs. That the good seed sown by him in those far-off days — at least some of it — took deep root is evident today in the strong, active faith of the parishioners of St. Clare. 411 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend Silas Barth, O.F.M., writing in the Illinois Catholic His- torical Review makes a statement which explains the coming of the FVancisean Fathers to the parish of Altamont: "One day in August, 1859," says Father Silas, "an old man came to us from Howard's Point and begged that one of us ac- company him. He explained that he belonged to a parish numbering twenty-five families, native Ameri- cans, mostly from Kentucky, who had not seen a priest for several years. Father Damian, the superior, sent a priest the following week." The people themselves had built a church but for several years no priest had set foot in it. The "old man" mentioned was probably Henry P. Logue, who donated the land on which the old St. Bonaven- ture Church was built, and the mon- astery to which he came was St. Joseph's College at Teutopolis. Father Silas quotes Father Damian, O.F.M., who must have previously visited Altamont, as saying: "In this church I said Mass daily during my stay. I endeavored to encourage and instruct the people in order to pre- pare them for the sacraments for which they longed in vain for many years." The church spoken of, with all its records, was destroyed by fire on Christmas day, 1873. The following year work was commenced on the new St. Clare Church, a frame struc- ture, 33 by 68 feet. It was ready for occupancy in 1875 in which year it was dedicated. Between the years 1874 and 1889 the following Franciscan Fathers from Teutopolis had successive charge of Altamont : Reverend Fran- cis Albers (who built the church) 1874-75; Reverend Michael Richardt, 1875-77; Reverend Clement Dey- mann, 1877-79 ; Reverend Jerome Hcllhake, 1879-84; Reverend Flor- ence Kurzer, 1884-86 ; Reverend Pla- cidus Krekeler, 1886-87, and Rever- end Stephan Scholz, 1887-89. Three of the above mentioned Fathers are still living and active in the ministry. Father Francis is the present pastor of St. Augustine Church, Chicago ; Father Jerome serves in the monas- tery of St. Joseph, Cleveland, Ohio, while Father Florence is doing par- ish work at Guardian Angels Church, Chaska, Minnesota. The other four have gone to their eternal reward. During the Franciscans' admini- stration a parish school was operated with an attendance of fifty pupils but with the coming of the Diocesan priests, the school was discontinued. After the Franciscan regime came the Diocesan pastors: Fathers J. Gratza; William Michael; Patrick Lyons, who died pastor of Paris in 1925 ; Herman Gesenhues, who re- mained for eight years; Clement Sommer (died at Altamont three years after assuming charge), and J. H. Stuebe who was pastor for ten years during which time he built the St. Elmo mission church and bought the cemetery grounds. Reverend James P. Walsh, suc- cessor of Father Stuebe, entered upon his duties as pastor of Alta- mont, October, 1912. Since his com- ing the spiritual and temporal inter- ests of the parish have been appre- ciably advanced. Under his direc- tion the building of the St. Clare Church was begun in the Fall of 1921, the corner-stone of which was laid in June of the following year. The dedication took place on June 10, 1923. Dean (now Monsignor) Louis W. Lammert officiated at both ceremonies. Regarding the dedication which proved the occasion of much local and general rejoicing we are insert- ing an extract taken from the Alta- mont News : "Sunday, Juno 10, 1923, was a great day in the history of St. Clare Catholic Church, for it marked the dedication of the beautiful new church costing approximately $40,- 000.00. The services, beginning at 10:45, were beautiful and impressive. Very Reverend Dean Lammert of Effingham, conducted the dedicatory 412 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. part of the program. The officers of the Mass were : celebrant, Reverend James P. Walsh, the pastor; deacon, Reverend William Quatman, of Sigel ; sub-deacon, Reverend Charles C. Sandon, assistant pastor, and mas- ter of ceremonies, Reverend Daniel J. Doyle, of Effingham. "The fine choir of St. Joseph's College, Teutopolis, furnished the music for the occasion under the able leadership of Reverend Thomas Rust, O.F.M. This choir, composed of eighty voices, has established more than a local reputation. "Reverend William T. Sloan of Granite City, one of the Diocesan Missionaries, delivered a sermon on the occasion. In addition to the priests in the sanctuary, the follow- ing clergy were present : Fathers Wil- liam Pachlhofer, George Nell, Jere- miah J. Cronin, Frederick Neveling, Philip Marke and Alphonse Rhode." The Ladies' Altar Society and the Young Ladies' Sodality served a de- licious dinner to almost one thou- sand guests. The new church, Gothic in style, was designed by Ludwig and Drei- soner of St. Louis. It is built of rug-faced brick with Bedford stone trimmings. This combination pro- duces a pleasing effect on the eye. Not alone the congregation, but the entire community, is proud of this new church. It may be interesting to record here the names of the pioneer fami- lies and builders of the first Catho- lic Church at Altamont: Laurance Carr, John Swaters, Patrick Doran, J. F. Quatman, Bernard Kecken- kemper, Mathias Faber, Nick Weider, Mrs. Mary Shab, Charles Vogel, Chris. Seibert, William Sam- uels, Mathias Johanns, Michael Zacha, Henry Muller, Herman Hei- mann, Franz Joseph Vogel, Mary Ann Drysdale, G. B. Mager, and Isaac L. Dial. Thirteen young ladies from the parish are serving God in various religious communities. They are : Agnes Warnet, Mary Johanns, Ver- onica Schoening, Agnes Weider, Elizabeth Bannister, Anna Wernet, Paulina Wernet, Augusta Johanns, Susana Johanns, Mary Weider, Mary Vogel, Mary Wernet and Cecelia Wernet. This roll call of conse- crated virgins speaks volumes for the Catholic Faith of the parish. But the parishioners of St. Clare are not less patriotic than religious as may be seen from the fact that twenty- six boys from the parish answered their country's call in the late war, one of whom, Joseph Roedell, was killed in action. St. Clare parish has several well- organized societies, namely, League of the Sacred Heart, Ladies' Altar Society, Young Ladies' Sodality, Children of Mary, Men's Building Fund Society, and Holy Name So- ciety. From 1922-25 Father Walsh was assisted by Reverend Charles San- don who took care of the missions of Shumway and St. Elmo. Shumway is now attended by Father Heslin, chaplain of St. Anthony Hospital, Effingham. Church of St. James, Decatur, Macon County, Illinois. Established in 1875. Present Pastor : Reverend Francis J. Ostendorf . In 1875 Decatur had but one Cath- olic Church, St. Patrick's. The mem- bers of German descent, most of whom had immigrated to this coun- try when grown up, found it difficult to understand the language. As a consequence many grew indifferent to their religious duties and were gradually losing their faith. A small band of those who had always faith- fully attended church, under the leadership of Carl Bottenhorn, had repeatedly applied to the Bishop of Alton to secure the services of a priest who could minister to them in their own language. These appeals, 413 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS for a time, wont unheeded, possibly because German priests were scarce and the number of Germans in De- catur was small. Finally, in August, 1875, Reverend Rernard Fresenborg was sent to or- ganize a parish to be dedicated to the Apostle St. James the Lesser. He gathered the German families to- gether and held services during his short stay in Power's Hall. Notwithstanding his best efforts, Father Fresenborg failed in his mis- sion, partly because of the lack of financial backing and partly because of his tactical inability to hold the little flock together. He left Deca- tur as only seven families showed a real interest in the new parish. Later Carl Bottenhorn secured a lot on East Clay street, making a partial payment on it, for it was still the fond hope of the well intentioned people that some day they would be in a position to build a new church and support a resident pastor. In the summer of 1877, Reverend Joseph Spaeth, who had just been or- dained, was appointed pastor of St. James by Bishop Baltes. He made his home for the time being with Father Timothy Hickey, who was then in charge of St. Patrick Church. Being a man of strong will power and great energy he brushed aside all obstacles and difficulties in his determination to organize a parish. At a meeting of the trustees, held October 11, 1877, it was decided to lift the mortgage on the lot which had been purchased as a site for the church. At this meeting also the bids for the erection of the new building were opened and the con- tract awarded to the lowest bidder, William Niedertor, for $1,987.00, not including the excavating for the foundation, nor the sand, brick or plastering. At a meeting held three days later, Anton Heckler and Peter Melchiors were chosen as a Board of Directors of the new building. At this time only sixteen families took an active part in the parish. The church was dedicated on New Year's Day, 1878, Father Spaeth saying the Mass and Father W. Cluse preaching the sermon. The building cost about $3500.00 and was divided into almost equal parts, the south portion serving as a church, and north half as a temporary school room. When Father Spaeth came to con- sider the engagement of a teacher, he had already reached the limit of his resources. As he was unable to secure the services of a teacher without pay, he induced his brother, Anton, who was then a student and had made arrangements to enter the Teachers' Seminary at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to take over the task. He served a year without salary, but was furnished his board and oc- casionally a little spending money. He was succeeded by a Mr. Meyer who remained only a short time. Then Mr. Tenger was appointed. The number of children attending in- creased rapidly so that the end of the year 1879 seventy pupils were enrolled with C. A. Regenfuss in charge, a very able teacher, who re- mained till 1891. Father Spaeth, be- ing a musician, immediately set him- self to training a choir, and at the same time taught the school children to sing German hymns during church services. After completing the church Father Spaeth took up his residence in a house on Wood street back of the church. At the end of two years he resigned on account of ill health and on the first of August, 1879, Reverend Louis W. Lammert suc- ceeded him as pastor of St. James' Church. The parish then numbered fifty families. In 1882-83 the mem- bership increased to 100 families when a coal company was organized and brought many miners to Deca- tur. Up to this time the pastor had lived in a rented house on Wood street. It was now thought oppor- tune to build a parsonage. On Oc- tober 30, 1883, the contract was let to Henry Kain for $2396.00. He was to 414 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. furnish all labor and material ex- cept the painting. The total cost was about $3000.00. This building was erected just east of the church. In 1899 a new school consisting of two rooms was built on a lot east of the parsonage for $2500.00. Two years later the partition in the church was removed and a sanctuary and a sacristy added costing about $2,000. This work was done and the money raised by Reverend Joseph Poerster who was in charge during Father Lammert's absence abroad. From 1891 to 1896, Miss Tuke and Miss Gast taught school. The fol- lowing year Miss Tuke and Miss Storp were the teachers. On the first of January. 1896. Father Lammert, who was held in high esteem by his parishioners, left Decatur, having been appointed to St. Anthony's Church, Effingham. He was succeeded by Reverend Alois Teppe, a very active and zealous pas- tor. In 1896 an addition to the school was built by Frank Sommer at a cost of $5,000.00. The following year the property at the northeast corner of Clay and Webster streets was pur- chased from St. Mary's Hospital. In the little four-room house that stood on this lot, three school Sisters of St. Francis, who came from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in August, 1897, made their home for five years until the new Sisters' house was built on the lot west of the church. This house cost $2200.00. There were 113 chil- dren enrolled in the school when the Sisters came, increasing gradually to 175 in 1911. In 1907 the need of a new and larger church became apparent and a collection for funds was started. The parish counted but 100 families at this time, yet in four years there was $28,500 in the treasury. Father Teppe 's health was poor, and as the time to build was imminent, he felt that he was not physically able to un- dertake it. Right Reverend Bishop James Ryan, D.D., however, refused to accept his resignation in Febru- ary, 1911, and requested him to carry out his plans. He had labored so faithfully and successfully during trying times that the bishop thought that to him should go the honor of building the church. The plans and specifications of George Stauduhar, of Rock Island were approved and accepted. The general contract was awarded to Poison Brothers, of Chi- cago, for $43,500.00. The site of the new church was the northeast cor- ner of Clay and Webster streets. The corner-stone was laid June 11, 1911, with impressive ceremonies by Very Reverend Timothy Hickey, Vicar General of the diocese. He gave the English address on the oc- casion and Father Lammert the Ger- man. Father Teppe 's request to be relieved was reluctantly granted by the Bishop. Reverend F. J. Osten- dorf of Green Creek, the present pas- tor, was named his successor and as- sumed his duties September 1, 1911. The church was completed with the exception of some of the stained glass windows and dedicated by Bishop Ryan on the 23rd day of June, 1912. On this occasion the for- mer pastors, Fathers Spaeth, Lam- mert and Teppe assisted at the cere- monies. Reverend F. J. Kuhlmans, S.J., preached the sermon. The final cost of the church was $75,000.00. In June, 1917, Reverend Charles Wozniak, recently ordained, was sent to St. James to organize a Polish parish, as the number of Polish mem- bers had increased to about thirty families. Not meeting with the suc- cess anticipated, he left in October, 1918, to enlist as chaplain in the Polish Army. Reverend Frederick Klasner, who had just been ordained, came to St. James as assistant pastor in June, 1922. He is a willing and zealous worker, well liked by the people. In 1921 the church was free of debt. In the spring of the following year subscriptions were started for a new school and community center, as the old church and school, the for- mer having been converted into a 415 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS hall in 1912, was now too small for the ever-growing parish. August, 1924, work on the new fire-proof school was commenced by Lafond and Hartung, Kankakee, Illi- nois. The site, 180x220, was the northwest corner of Clay and Webster streets. The building was completed September, 1925, at a cost of $180,000.00, and dedicated Oc- tober 18th, 1925 by the Right Rever- end James A. Griffin, D.D. It con- sists of two stories and a basement. The east part contains eight large classrooms and the west portion an auditorium with stage, heating plant, bowling alleys, club rooms and kitchen. The St. James annual account for 1926 gives the following interesting data : 292 families, totaling 1,176 souls, 269 children in the grade school taught by eight Franciscan Sisters from Milwaukee, and 46 bap- tisms. The following well organized so- cieties are active in the parish : Holy Name, Married Ladies', St. Aloysius (for boys), and St. Agnes( for girls) Societies, and the Young Ladies' So- dality and the Society for the Prop- agation of the Faith. Church of St. Joseph, Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois Established in 1875 Present Pastor : Reverend Patrick J. O 'Reilly The first move towards the foun- dation of St. Joseph Parish in Springfield was made in 1875, when Reverend Manasses Kane was sent there by Bishop Baltes. In 1877 Father Kane built St. Joseph church and also a four-room school, the Ur- suline Sisters taking charge. The church bell was donated by S. W. Hickox and still continues to ring out its tidings of joy and sor- row. The first trustees of St. Joseph were Patrick Myers and James Walsh. The following were among the first members : William Mulcahy, S. W. Hickox, Patrick Sullivan, Thomas Armstrong, Patrick Higgins, James Redmond, William O'Connell, Michael Burke, James Walsh, Frank Reisch, John Carey, Jerry Kerin, Sylvester Paque, Patrick Lawler, Maurice Healy, John Mernin, George W. Burke, J. McDonald, John Fog- arty, Richard Sullivan and Michael Lucy. The nationality of the above it is not necessary to state. The founding of churches is not apparently good for the health, and so in 1881, Father Kane was obliged to give up his charge. In that year Reverend Dennis J. Ryan came to St. Joseph, taking quarters at the north-'' east corner of Sixth street and East man Avenue. After a few years he built in part the present parsonage. He also installed a pipe organ that could not be duplicated today for less than twelve thousand dollars. He was a man of parts, dear to all, whether Catholic or not. His assist- ant was the Reverend William Murphy. Trustees, John Carey and James Redmond. In 1896 Bishop Ryan called Rever- end Michael Clifford to St. Joseph, Father Ryan and Father Murphy go- ing elsewhere. Father Clifford had as first assistant, Reverend Heffer- nan who remained three years. He was succeeded by Reverend Francis Kehoe, who was, after two years, transferred. His next assistant was Reverend Dennis J. Ryan, who re- mained one year. Then came Rev- erend Joseph A. M. Wilson, who re- mained three years. His last assist- ant was Father McCauley, who re- mained three years. Father Clifford was already an old man when appointed to St. Joseph and yet did good work. He erected three altars, the main one still being the admiration of the city; he also built the cement walks. Father Clif- ford died in 1906, Father McCauley .> remaining in charge until Septem- ber, 1907, having as assistant Rever- 416 i»|n Kf^' t ? £ jl mjl llunlm St. Xarbcrfs Church, Rev. Daniel Daly, Pastor, Old Church . . . Altamont— St. Clare's Church, Rev. J. P. Walsh. Pastor . . . Newton 8t. Thomas, Church, St. Thomas School, Rev. J. Lupton, Pastor. First Church, Teachers Residence, Rectory. Decatur — St. James' School. Church, Rectory, Rev. J. Spaeth, lit. Rev. L. W. Lam- mcrt, Rev. A. Teppe, former Pastors, and Rev. F. J. Ostendorf, present Pastor . . . Springfield — St. Joseph's church. Rev. P. J. O'Reilly, Pastor, St. Joseph's School, Rectory. THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. end John Enright. Reverend P. J. O'Reilly was then appointed, Father Enright remaining for a short time as assistant, being followed by Rev. D. D. Miller late of Belleville, now of Rockford. Then came Reverend Hugh Brady who remained five years. Then Reverend Joseph Me- Keogh for five years, and succeeding him Reverend Peter Masterson for the past three years. The trustees of St. Joseph are Robert Emmet Nolan and James P. Morris. His usual good luck waited on Father O'Reilly at St Joseph. He arrived there just as the progressive wave was sweeping the city. Like the others, St. Joseph was caught up and carried to her present pos- ition. Before this there were only three respectable things in the parish, the organ, the altar, and the debt. In 1910 a one hundred thousand dol- lar school was built, a third story was built upon the house, the church gallery was enlarged and new stairs built, the old being narrow, wind- ing, and dark. St. Joseph has now a wealth of vestments and sacred vessels, all of which were given as memorials re- quiring no diplomatic finesse on the part of the priest. The tabernacle is steel, the interior covered with gold leaf, the front door being heavily plated. It was given in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Tarrent by their children. An exquisite chalice specially made in Germany is a memorial to Wil- liam Daughton by his mother, Mrs. Edward Daughton. The grand os- tensorium is in memory of John and Catherine Donovan by their chil- dren. The ciborium, large and beau- tiful, in memory of Christine Arm- strong by her sisters. Another ci- borium of solid gold was given by the Reisch family in memory of Frank and Annie Reisch. The cruci- fixion group in memory of Mr. and Mrs. John McCoffery! The gold plated sanctuary lamp is in memory of Reverend James Murray. The al- tar railing is a memorial of T. D. Hogan. The rose window, the Cross and the Flag, was erected in mem- ory of Michael Burke by his chil- dren. A set of white and gold vest- ments was given in memory of Wil- liam Murray. A set of black vest- ments is in memory of Mary Reilly. White cope in memory of Mrs. Goveia. Benediction veil donated by Mrs. Keegan. A black cope in mem- ory of John Carney. Two votive candelabra, one in memory of Mrs. Geoffrey Ryan, the other in memory of Mrs. Mary Hayes. Two gold candelabra in the sanctuary are in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Quinn. The Blessed Virgin's altar is in memory of Mr. and Mrs. James Kennedy. St. Joseph's altar is in memory of James D. Fielding. The Christmas crib is in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Healy ; donated by their children. Two chandeliers, one in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Cur- ran, the other in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Brown. Six priests were given to the church : Right Reverend Monsignor M. A. Tarrent, Reverend James Mur- ray (deceased), Rev. James Stack, C.S.C., Very Reverend Monsignor Amos Guisti, J.C.D., Father Carey, and Father Edgar Case, S.J. The following young ladies taught, or are yet teaching in the schools : Miss Ella Tarrent, Miss Kate Myers, Miss Hanna Curran, Miss Julia Mc- Murray, Miss Elizabeth Armstrong, Miss Margaret Schliff, Miss Lucy Dunnigan, Miss Catherine Higgins, Miss Margaret Tarrent, Miss Mary Kane, Miss Mary Tobin, Miss Mary Healy, Miss Laura Healy, and Miss Clara Hickox. St. Joseph's school has four hun- dred children cared for by eight Ur- suline Nuns. The parish consists of four hun- dred families, mostly of Irish descent though there are representatives of eleven nationalities; there are a few Germans, a few Italians, a few Poles, and others. Many of the so-called foreigners are among the best sup- porters of the church ; one Polish 417 DIOCESE OP SPUINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS family deserves special mention, and that is the family of C. J. Hodalski. Mr. Hodalski played the organ at St. Joseph for seven years free of charge, whilst his five sons were the main- stay of the choir. T. D. Hogan was especially help- ful during the construction of the new school. Busy as he was, he gave his time and husiness acumen to the work while the rector was sick at the hospital. The largest donation to the new school was made by Andrew Quinn — one thousand dollars. Williamsville is attached to St. Joseph church, but at present there are no Catholics there. The following young ladies enter- ed religion : The Order of St, Ursula— Sisters Raphael Armstrong, DeChantal Run- yon, Bernadine Tarrent, Margaret Mary Porter, Mary Rose Williams, Barbara Klaholt, Dolores Foley, Stanislaud Glavin, DePazzi Dono- van, Patricia Barron, Austin Greeley, Bernadette Greeley, Mary Ellen Steffes, and Mary Ann Tobin. Order of the Good Shepherd — Sis- ter Mary of the Holy Souls Daly. Sisters of Loretto — Sister Clara Hickox, and Sister DePazzie Burns. Order of St. Francis — Sister Pa- tricia Kane. To sum up the history of St. Joseph with special reference to the past twenty years, the reader is re- ferred to I Thes. 1:8 "We need not to speak anything," for "in every place" is known our loyalty to our Caesar and our God. During the late unpleasantness St. Joseph sent to the front two hundred men, four making the supreme sacrifice. Each one gave generously from his mod- est treasury, thus supplying the sin- ews of war in men and money. St. Joseph stands high on all diocesan records giving over $22,000 to the orphanage building. The acid test came with the drive for the new cathedral. Here it may be said of St. Joseph — " Exultavit ut gigas," etc. Indeed we went one better than this for soon St. Joseph's was found in the anomalous position of driving and leading at the same time. What St. Joseph's did for the drive in the first announcement of $30,000.00, will never be known. Just as the Diocese looked to Springfield, so Springfield looked to St. Joseph's, and now that it is all over there should be general rejoicing that this pious belief did not suffer at our hands — Ite ad Joseph. This excellent showing is due prin- cipally to the Holy Name men with Mr. Peter Rossiter in the chair, and Mr. Arthur Elshoff, secretary. As to parochial work it is not necessary to speak further. The parish is now of age and can speak for itself. Church op St. Augustine, Ashland, Cass County, Illinois. Established in 1875. Present Pastor: Reverend Denis O'Brien. To the west of St. Augustine church proper, there stands a build- ing now known as St, Augustine Hall. This little edifice was built fifty-one years ago by a small band of loyal sons of Holy Mother Church, and put under the protection of the great St. Augustine. During the first years of its existence, it was attend- ed as a mission from Petersburg by Reverend Augustine Saner. Doubt- less, it was that good Father who gave it the name of his patron saint — a name which it still proudly bears. Father Sauer did not remain long in charge, being soon transferred to Carrollton where he continued pas- tor for many years. He died a week before the time set for the celebra- tion of his Golden Jubilee in the priesthood. Father Sauer was succeeded by Reverend Owen O'Hare who minis- tered from 1878 to 1880. The third 418 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. pastor, Father Thomas Hogan, had charge of Ashland for the next four years. It was he who built the pres- ent handsome church, but sadly enough, he did not live long to en- joy it, for he died in 1884, shortly after its completion. His remains were sent to Wisconsin for burial. The next to assume charge was Reverend William J. Merscher, the present pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Springfield. He has the dis- tinction of being the first resident pastor of Ashland. After Father Merscher, came Father McGuire, during whose min- istration the parochial residence was burned down and all the church records with it, but Father McGuire, nothing daunted by this heavy loss, built the present rectory on a more elaborate scale. His five years stay were years of zealous and fruitful labor. Ashland has had few priests whom it liked better than Father McGuire. Reverend Anthony Zurbonson, lately called to his reward, filled the vacancy made by Father McGuire 's departure to Franklin. Father Zur- bonson remained only a year, but during that short time he bought a five-acre tract of ground which has since been converted into a beautiful cemetery ; and had the Silver Jubilee of the parish celebrated with becom- ing splendor. Father Joseph Meckel was given charge in 1899, and ministered faith- fully until 1905, when he left for Ire- land, to return no more. Father Thomas J. Connolly, successor to Father Meckel, was pastor from 1905 to 1913, during which time he had for assistants, Reverend John Lupton, now pastor of Newton ; Rev- erend Peter Paul McGuinness, pres- ent pastor of Morrisonville, and Rev- erend James Murray, now deceased. The parish grew and flourished dur- ing the ministry of these four priests. In 1913, Father Connolly went to Colorado to recuperate his failing health, and Reverend William H. Murphy, who was to labor in Ash- land for the next seven years, be- came pastor. After a long illness, borne with true priestly resignation, Father Murphy died at Ashland, July, 1920, and was succeeded by the present incumbent, Reverend Denis O'Brien. The present lay trustees of the church are W. P. Newell and Henry Henn. An out-standing fact in the recent history of St. Augustine's parish was the celebration of its Golden Jubilee in 1924. For weeks before the event, pastor and people had been making elaborate preparations, so that when July 1 dawned, everything was in readiness. The church and parson- age, interiorly and exteriorly, were decorated in such becoming taste as to excite the admiration and praise of all those present. Reverend An- thony Zurbonson was celebrant of the Mass, assisted by Father Lupton as deacon, Father McGuinness as sub-deacon, and Father Murnane as master of ceremonies. Present in the sanctuary were Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., Fathers Michael J. Davis, Lucius Alexander, George Kenny, Edward Butler, Tim- othy M. Moloney, Louis Hufker, William Costello, and many other priests from the surrounding coun- try. The Bishop gave an inspiring sermon complimenting Father O'Brien and his parishioners for their love of God and country as ex- emplified in that day's proceedings. After the sermon, the Bishop admin- istered the Sacrament of Confirma- tion to a class of 75 ; then came a sumptuous banquet served to the Bishop and visiting priests by the ladies of the parish. The dinner toasts — "Our Country," "Our Bishop," and "Our Holy Father,"— were given by Fathers 'Dwyer, Ma- loney, and Hufker, respectively. Hon. Edmund Burke followed with an impressive address. The last to speak was the Bishop, and needless to say he acquitted himself in his usual eloquent and charming man- ner. 419 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Seventy families, most of whom live by tilling productive soil, make up the parish at the present writing. The congregation receives much help along social and religious lines from the Children of Mary, St. Aloysius Society, Young Ladies' Sodality, and the Altar and Holy Name Societies. Church of St. Michael, Hume, Edgar County, Illinois. Established in 1876. Present Pastor : Reverend Morgan J. 'Flaherty. Founded nearly half a century ago, this church was originally a frame building of very modest pro- portions. Though few in numbers, the faithful of this parish had always cherished the desire to erect a more pretentious structure to the greater glory of God. The several resident pastors di- rected their efforts to that end. But it remained for Father James Ahern to bring to realization the ardent de- sire of the Catholics of this com- munity. At the present writing, a new edifice is under construction which, when finished, will rank with many of the fine churches of the Diocese. It is of early Gothic design from plans drawn by the eminent architect, Thomas F. Imbs, St. Louis, Missouri. It is the aim of the pastor and people to make it an appropriate home for Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. Its completion will mark great religious progress in this sec- tion of the diocese and will undoubt- edly demonstrate what can be ac- complished by a small, God-loving congregation of twenty-two families led by a zealous pastor. Its construction has created quite an interest in the community, re- gardless of creed. This was mani- fested in a very practical manner by the substantial donations that have been received from those outside the Church. The parsonage is a substantial brick building, and though built many years ago, is quite up to date in home conveniences. In June, 1924, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., visited the parish and administered Confirma- tion to twenty children. The parish has a Holy Name and an Altar So- ciety. Since the above writing, the church has been completed and now stands as a practical proof of the deep faith and generosity of those responsible for its erection. Father Ahern was lately promoted to Beardstown, and his place at Hume taken by the present pastor, Rever- end Morgan J. 'Flaherty. Church op St. Anselm, Kampsville, Calhoun County, Illinois. Established in 1877. Present Pastor : Reverend Agnell J. Bleser. Within the parish limits of St. An- selm, three miles north of Kamps- ville, at the foot of Perrin's Ledge, on the shore of the Illinois river, it is thought that Pere Marquette and Sieur Joliet stepped ashore, in the late summer of 1673, the first white men to put foot on Illinois soil. The Catholic congregation of Kampsville was first organized in 1877 as a mission attended by Father Otto Freimuth who was pastor of St. Michael church at Michael, Calhoun County, Illinois. During that year a solid frame church building was erected, 75 by 35 by 50 feet, with a steeple 80 feet high, at a cost of about $2,500.00. Fischer, of Hardin, was the architect. The records show that thirty-five families gave $2,- 842.00. The ground, about 300 feet, in the very heart of the village was donated by the pioneer settler and benefactor of the parish, Mr. M. A. Kamp. He donated also three acres of the scenic land near by for a Cath- 420 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. olic Cemetery. The first trustees were M. A. Kamp, who died at the age of 93, November 24, 1922, Joseph Hayn, who died October 11, 1922, at the age of 78 years, and Bernard Kinseherff, who died in 1900, also at an advanced age. The church was dedicated in the fall of 1877. The two bells, the larger one in honor of St. Michael, the smaller one in honor of St. Joseph, were blessed on April 24, 1878 by Right Reverend Bishop Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D., of Alton, assist- ed by the Fathers Sullivan, Witt- haut, Winterhalter and Freimuth. The first baptism in the new church was that of Michael Brangen- berg (Dec. 2, 1877) ; the first mar- riage was that of Henrv Stratmeyer and Catherine Kamp (Dec. 26, 1878), and the first funeral, that of Gerhard Richter, infant son of Mr. and Mrs. F. Richter, (July 21, 1879). Father C. Sommer attended the mission of Kampsville from Decem- ber, 1878 to June, 1892. He procured the present simple but beautiful al- tars and other church equipment. His long stay and strong personality left a deep impression on the mission. Father C. Johannes attended Kamps- ville from June, 1892 to July 1, 1897. He built the present ten room rec- tory, costing about $1,200.00, and on November 1, 1895, he was appointed the first resident pastor. Father John August Duval was pastor from July, 1897 to March, 1901. He opened in 1898, the first parish school, a frame structure 24 by 18 feet, and placed it in charge of the Precious Blood Sisters. He in- stalled a furnace in the rectory, and organized a parish band. During his time a greater and deeper inter- est in apple-raising was aroused. In 1900 Father Duval built the little brick mission church 40 by 20 by 30 feet with a 60 foot tower, in honor of St. Agnes at Belleview. This was needed to better attend the spiritual needs of the western, smaller half of the parish. This mission began with twenty families and received month- ly first Sunday Service. But in the course of years the little mission slowly dwindled to nine small fami- lies and with improved traveling fa- cilities these few families find it more convenient to attend the Kampsville church. Father Francis Xavier Sturm came in March, 1901, and remained only a short time. Father J. A. Rheinhardt, assistant at Michael for the Hardin Mission, looked after the parish until Father A. Ulric arrived on November 11, 1902. He had been with the Jesuits as a home mission- ary for many years in the eastern states. He was a very capable and zealous priest, and taught in person the parish school for a number of years. His varied and constant ac- tivities overtaxed his strength, with the result that in 1908 on a sick-call to Meppen he contracted a severe cold. Complications set in and he was hurried to St. Anthony's Hos- pital, St. Louis, Missouri, for an op- eration. He died March 24, 1909, and was buried, as he desired, in the center of the parish cemetery, graced by a beautiful stone. His memory will ever be cherished in the parish, as that of a holy priest. "Holy Father Ulric," so the parishioners still speak of him. Father F. Neveling came on Palm Sunday, 1909, and remained until October, 1911. With the coming of Father Edward S. Douglas in Oc- tober, 1911, the present Sisters' house was built, a frame structure of eight rooms with a basement, costing about $1,300.00. In September, 1913, he reopened the school with the Ur- suline Sisters of Alton in charge. In the winter of 1914 the school was totally destroyed by fire. But the undaunted pastor soon rebuilt a large combination school and hall 60 by 30 feet, costing about $1,500.00. He installed modern plumbing in the rectory and in the convent, and also bought a Delco Electric Light Plant which furnishes light for all the church buildings. Furnaces were in- stalled in church, school and convent 421 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS and tlu> church's interior was beau- tifully frescoed. He was the war- time pastor and acquitted himself superlatively of all patriotic duties. Reverend James A. Telken came in October, 1919, and equipped the hall stage with suitable scenery. He was succeeded by Father George E. Fal- ler in July, 1922. who excavated a basement under the rectory and built a pipe organ in the church. He paid off $3,000 of church debt. Father Agnell J. Blesser was appointed pas- tor in April, 1924. The parish counts 79 1'amili.s with a debt of $1,200. The annual budget amounts to $3,000.00. Church of the Sacred Heart, Lillyville, Cumberland County, Illinois. Established in 1877. Present Pastor : Reverend Francis Mazir. This rural parish was organized as a mission in the year 1877 by the Franciscans of Teutopolis under the direction of Very Reverend P. Maur- itius Klostermann,O.F.M. The church property, comprising the church, rec- tory, school, teachers' dwelling and cemetery, is situated five miles north- east of Teutopolis, and about the same distance southeast of Sigel. The territory of the parish, including the combined area of both the school dis- tinct and the parish, extends about four miles east and west and three miles north and south. The first venture to establish a mission parish in Spring Point town- sbip, Cumberland County, was made in 1868, when six miles northeast of the present Lillyville church a primi- tive frame building measuring about 20 by 30 feet was erected to meet the spiritual needs of fifteen Catholic families, mostly Rheno-Bavarians. Several Franciscan pastors of the Sigel parish, chiefly the Fathers Se- bastian Kleekamm and Dominic Flor- ian, O.F.M., said Mass in the build- ing for some years, about once a month, and usually on week-days. Owing to the difficulty of reaching this remote point and the lack of proper practical co-operation, serv- ices were entirely discontinued in 1879. The early Catholic settlers within the present limits of the parish were : John H. Schumacher, Barney Tap- horn, Michael Koelsch, Mrs. Cather- ine Wente, Clem Uptmor II., Edward Deitermann. Upon the arrival of ad- ditional Catholic families a school was opened for a short period by G. H. Willenborg in a log cabin on the farm of one Frank H. Schumacher. Later a more suitable location was found. Tn the spring of 1877, when the number of Catholic families residing within two miles of the school had increased to twenty-seven, Bishop Baltes authorized Very Reverend P. Mauritius, O.F.M., to organize these families into a special mission par- ish and to arrange for the building of a church at Lillyville, to be at- tended as an out-mission by the Franciscans. The task was material- ly promoted by the valuable co-oper- ation of Frank H. Schumacher, Sr., and John Will. Sr., the latter do- nating for parish purposes ten acres of his farm, which contained the log school house. About $1,200.00 were secured by subscription, and work on the frame church building, meas- uring 28 by 60 feet was begun in the spring of 1877. On its completion, at a cost of about $1,400.00, it was dedicated on November 1, 1877, by Very Reverend P. Mauritius, O.F.M., and placed under the patronage of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Rev- erend P. Joseph Sieveres, O.F.M., was appointed the first pastor, (Jan. 1878— Summer, 1879). During the next pastorate of Rev- erend Bonaventure Faulhaber, O.F. M. (Summer, 1879— Summer, 1880), a high altar was purchased at a cost of $200.00. Reverend Quirinus Stuecker, O.F.M., succeeded as pas- tor, August, 1880— October, 1887. Reverend Austachius Bruggemann, 422 THE EPISCOPATE OP RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. O.F.M., acted as substitute, August to November, 1884. In October, 1881, a three days' mission was conducted by Father Symphorian, O.F.M. In 1882 a frame combination school and teacher's dwelling was built which served both purposes un- til August, 1892, when the frame church was occupied as the new school, and the entire frame house has since been used as teacher's dwelling. Reverend Romuald Rhein- dorf, O.F.M., served as pastor Novem- ber, 1887— July, 1889. As the number of families had meanwhile increased to forty-five and the crowded condition in church and the combination school became embarrassing, Father Romuald, in January, 1889, took up an initial sub- scription for a new church, thereby securing $1,000.00, which was on hand at the arrival of his successor, Reverend Alardus Andrescheck, O. F.M., in August, 1889. Soon there- after the parishioners offered pledges of contributions for the proposed church to the amount of about $3,- 000.00, payable not later than 1892. The building committee consisted of Frank H. Schumacher, Sr., H. Jan- sen, Lawrence Will, H. Wente, H. Schumacher, Fred F. Dasenbrock, under the direction of the pastor. The bricks were made on the church grounds at $2.50 per thousand, and the heavy lumber — 14,000 feet of white oak was generously donated by kind friends of the Green Creek parish. On Trinity Sunday, May 24, 1891, the corner-stone was blessed by Rev- erend Paul Terodrde, O.F.M., Guar- dian at Teutopolis, assisted by a large number of confreres and in the presence of about 600 people from nearby parishes. The brick-mason work was completed on September 16th, and the gilt cross planted on the 109 foot spire on October 20, 1891. The church, constructed in Gothic style, measured 109 by 44 feet. The two sacristies at the rear, connected by a corridor, have each a second story. This arrangement was made for the accommodation of the priests, while the church was attended as an out-mission. The cash cost of the edifice amounted to about $11,000.00, while the value of labor and material donated by the parishioners and helpful friends approximated $5,000, so that the total value of the church, at the time of its completion, was conservatively estimated at $16,- 000.00, while there remained an un- paid indebtedness of only $1,945.00. The church is a lasting monument to the staunch faith and spirit of gener- osity that animated the little group of farmer-parishioners. On September 18, 1892, Right Rev- erend Bishop James Ryan, dedicated the new church to the mercies of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in the presence of some 1500 people from far and near. The Very Reverend Dean Henry Joseph Jungmann, of Effingham, assisted by Father P. Paul, O.F.M., as assistant priest, Father P. Cyriacus, O.F.M., as dea- con ; Father P. Stephen, O.F.M. as sub-deacon, celebrated Solemn High Mass in the new temple. In his con- gratulatory remarks after the Mass the Bishop highly commended the Lillyville people, especially for first providing a suitable school for the children and thereafter rearing so splendid a House of God as one sel- dom finds in a remote rural district. Reverend Nazarius Kaiser, O.F.M., became pastor of Lillyville, but in July, 1893, he was succeeded by Rev- erend Clement Moorman, O.F.M., who served as the last Franciscan pastor of this parish until Advent, 1893, when Father John Storp, formerly of Nokomis, Illinois, arrived as the new pastor of the combined charge. Green Cieck and Lillyville, the two churches being six miles apart. Father Storp applied himself with steady endurance to the further spir- itual and material development of his double charge. Whilst residing at Green Creek, he said Mass at each place every Sunday and Holy day, on the greater feasts, and held after- 423 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IX ILLINOIS noon and evening services in both churches. Moreover, he came to Lillyville al regular intervals also on week days to say Mass and give re- ligious instruction. During his pas- torate he liquidated the church debt of $1,945.00, and despite "hard times," purchased a new pipe organ in 1897 at the cost of $853.00, and made various other improvements. It is worthy of note that in 1896, whilst the families at Lillyville num- bered only forty-six, the number of pupils at school was 80, and 16 bap- tisms are on reeord for that year. Father Storp died, unexpectedly, on February 8. 1902, after a few days' illness, and lies buried in the Green Creek cemetery. At the Bishop's request the Fran- ciscans of Teutopolis again took temporary charge of the Lillyville parish. Reverend Desiderius "Von Frenz from February to September. 1902, and Reverend Oassian Tritz from October, 1902 to July, 1903. Tn July, 1903, Father Francis J. Ostendorf, former assistant at St. Anthonv church, Effingham, was placed in charge of the Green Creek and Lillyville parishes, with the ar- rangement that he hold Sunday and TToly day services only alternately at the churches. Acceeding to the desire of the Lillyville parishioners for regular Sunday services, the Bishop appointed Father L. P. Hurk- mans as the first resident pastor. He remained from December 17, 1903 to December 24, 1904, during which time he built and furnished a priest's house of brick at a cost of $2,100.00. and procured a new communion rail and pulpit for the church. Tn trans- ferrinir Father TTurkmans to Mt. Olive Illinois the Bishop appointed as pastor of Lillyville Father Fred- eric A. Niebling, who served the con- gregation from January 1, 1905 to June 5, 1911. He procured in 1907 three stately Gothic altars at the price of $1,000.00 and new statuary for $166.00, and in 1909 had the in- terior of the church artistically fres- coed for $800.00. Father Joseph Maurer served the congregation as pastor from June, 1911, to August 25, 1913, with re- markable economy and unselfish- ness. His successor was Father William Pietsch who served from October 3, 1913 to September 23, 1917. His tem- porary successor was Father P. Her- man Joseph Fister, O.F.M., of St. Joseph College, Teutopolis. During llie nine months of his pastorate this young Franciscan worked zealously and systematically in promoting the spiritual and material welfare of the people in his charge. The present incumbent, Reverend William A. Pachlhofer, entered upon his pastoral duties July 5, 1918. Spe- cial attention is <,nven to the re- ligious instruction of the children and to the frequent reception of the Sacraments by the members. A mis- sion, the third in the history of the parish, was conducted bv Father Victor C. Wagner, C.P.P.S., April 5-12, 1925. In the autumn of 1918 the interior of the rectory was fit- tingly renovated and in the follow- ing years additional sacred vessels, vestments, sanctuary and sacristy furniture were procured, the school building re-roofed, and in the autumn of 1925 a steam heating sys- tem was installed in the church. Whilst remote from the din and bustle of the modern business world, the parish, now consisting of fifty- two families, mostly of Low-German extraction, had the distinction of be- ing entirely Catholic and without any mixed marriage within the lim- its of its territory. Almost all the adults are affiliated with one of the four church sodalities for the differ- ent states in life. The noly Child- hood Association has existed in the parish almost from the beginning of the Franciscan administration. The Society for the Propagation of the Faith was introduced in 1925, as also 424 .. * "*^*"' i ■ Ashland- -St. Augustines Church, Rev. D. O'Brien, Pastor, Hall and Rectory. . . Kampsville- R< v. A. J. Blest r, Pastor, Si hool, Si ' '$ Chun h, Convt ui mid Rectory . . . Lillyville— School, Rev. Wm. .1. Pachlhojer (Dcc'd), former Pastor, Sacred Heart Church, Rectory, Oldest and Larycst Family in Parish. TKE LIBRARY BF TH£ IHHVERSltY OF ILU« THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. a local branch of the Holy Name Society for the men and young men of the parish. The parish cemetery is situated on the church property within walking distance from the church. Mission of St. Michael, Beltrees, Jersey Count?, Illinois. Established in 1877. Present Pastor : Reverend John P. Jordan. The Church of St. Peter of Alton had some parishioners living in and near Elsah who were practically un- able to attend church because of the distance to the Church of St. Mary. For this reason the pastor would now and then say Mass in a private house owned by Mr. C. Loehr at Elsah. But as this state of affairs was unsatis- factory to the religious cravings of the thirty-five Catholic families of Elsah and its vicinity, they deter- mined to organize a congregation and build a church. Encouraged in their project by Father Peter Peters, they soon began the construction of a new church on ground donated for the purpose by a family named Proetzgen. One man, by name Phil- lip Spatz, was accidentally killed while unloading timber for the new building. The new church was ready for Di- vine Services on March 9, 1878, on which day it was blessed by Father Peters. Three years later, Bishop Baltes visited the church for the first time. Father Francis Marks opened a school in 1886, with an attendance of twenty children and a lay teacher, Henry Schloemer, in charge. Soon, however, the school had to be discon- tinued on account of the decreasing number of parochial children, and was not reopened until many years afterwards. The immediate successors of Fath- er Peters were Fathers Bernard Ros- moeller, 1878-85; Francis Marks, 1885-89 ; Christopher S. Bell, who at- tended from Grafton for over a year, and Christian A. Snyder, 1899-1901. The last mentioned was succeeded by Reverend J. B. Wand who attended from Brighton once a month, and through whose efforts it was re- modelled. In 1907, Father Wand left for Europe and in the meantime the vacancy made by his departure was filled by different priests until Reverend Joseph Maurer took charge in November of the same year. In 1908 the congregation was re- stored to the original church from which it had been organized, and Father Hochmiller attended it twice a month. Later in the year the church was struck by lightning and reduced, with practically all its contents, to ashes. This was a heavy loss to the struggling Catholic peo- ple of Beltrees, but drawing inspira- tion from the leadership of Father Hochmiller and encouragement from some substantial donations that had been made, they began without delay to rebuild. The new church was solemnly dedi- cated in 1908 by Very Reverend Francis H. Zabel, D.D., assisted by Fathers Hochmiller, Henry Becker, D.D., and A. Schockaert. The beau- tiful windows in the new church were donated by prominent parish families. The organ and bell are the gifts of Reverend Joseph J. Meckel and Frank Hansen. Father Hochmiller was replaced in 1909 by Father Stephen Schauwack- er, who, during his two-years stay, succeeded in paying off most of the debt incurred by the building of the new church. Father John Marion had charge of Beltrees as a mission of Brighton for the next eight years. Here are the names of the priests who served Beltrees from Grafton from 1919 to the present time (1927) : Fathers James Telken, 1919; Linus G. Kipping, 1919-21; Walter A. Spec-man, 1921-1921; and Father Patrick Malloy, who, in the mean- time took care of it from St. Pat- 425 DIOCESE OF Sl'RINOl-TELD IN ILLINOIS rick's, Alton, until Father John F. Jordan, the present pastor of Graf- ton, took charge in L924. Some of the old families (they were nearly all of German descenl ) who took an active part in the build- ing of the first church were: Michael Michael, Stephen Snyder, Gustave Wagoner, Lawrence Wardein, Wil- liam Bunse, and Andreas Wachter. The oldest parishioners still living der, George Wendle, Mathias Bech- tohl, and Anton Finkes. Beltrees is by no means a wealthy mission for it largely consists of families who are either renters or have small incomes. Because of this fact, pastor and people are forced to give various kinds of entertainments to realize money enough to pay cur- rent expenses. However, the com- municants of St. Michael parish pos- sess something far better than money —Faith. are: Gustave Wagoner, Stephen Sny- Church of St. Charles, Casey, Clark County, Illinois Established in 1878. Present Pastor: Reverend Hugo H. Martcie, O.F.M. In 1878 Reverend Charles Kuhl- mann, pastor of St. Mary, Marshall, Illinois, on being commissioned to establish a separate parish in Casey, procured a small wooden cottage on the southwest corner of Jefferson street, which he fitted up as a church. This was dedicated under the title of St. Charles Borromeo. After vain efforts to induce the rural families of the vicinity who had complained of the distance to Marshall to attend Casey, the mission had to be aban- doned indefinitely, and the little church sold to meet the indebtedness. In 1904, oil having been discovered near Casey and Martinsville, Rever- end Patrick R. Ducey, pastor of Marshall, reopened the Casey mis- sion. He purchased a hall to be used as a temporary church, and in the meantime secured two suitable lots near the center of the city with the intention of building thereon a new church when a favorable oppor tunity should present itself. As a matter of fact, the new building was begun to the extent of laying the foundation, but further construction had to be abandoned for a multi- plicity of reasons. In 1913, however, a pretty good sized, abandoned, sec- tarian church, with two lots on which it stood, was purchased by cer- tain members of the parish, the deed being made out to Mr. Peter Fink- ler, who furnished the greater amount towards its purchase. This building was neatly fitted up under the administration of Father Wil- liam 'Sullivan. Father A. Fromm, O.F.M., pastor of Teutopolis, Illinois, took temporary charge until he was relieved on October 1, 1915, by the appointment of Reverend Joseph A. M. Wilson as pastor of Marshall and Casey. Father Wilson, finding that the church property belonged to private individuals, decided not to carry out his commission from the Bishop to dedicate the church till it became the property of the diocese. He wrote to Mr. P. Finkler, who had gone to live in Wichita, Kansas, asking him to give the property to the Bishop of Alton. This he promptly and gener- ously did. It was now decided to add a sacristy to the church, to ele- vate it upon a solid foundation, and to make many other improvements. In 1920, in the beginning of Oc- tober, Father Wilson carried out his long-standing commission ,and dedi- cated the new church under the or- iginal patron of the parish — St. Charles Borromeo. The beautiful new oak pews, the pretty art glass windows and Stations of the Cross were individual gifts of the parish- ioners. The altarettes of the Blessed Virgin and of the Sacred Heart of Jesus were the gifts of Mrs. H. Hus- ton and her sister, Miss Elizabeth 426 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. Weckenmann. Mr. and Mrs. Michael Duffy, besides donating their share of money towards purchasing the church property, were generous in other gifts. Mrs. John Wall (for- merly Miss Fisher of Pana, Illinois) was the donor of many gifts to the new church, and was its principal support. Casey has the distinction of hav- ing the only native son of Clark County to be ordained a priest, since the first mission was started in Marshall, in 1838. He is Reverend Frederick Weckenmann of the Dio- cese of Los Angeles, son of Mr. Charles Weckenmann, and brother of Mrs. Harry Huston and Miss Elizabeth Weckenmann, present resi- dents of Casey. The parish of Casey, almost en- tirely dependent on its oil wells for existence, is, at present, reduced to twenty families. The priests connected with the Casey Mission were as follows : Fath- ers Charles Kuhlmann, who estab- lished the mission in 1878 ; David Mooney, who attended as pastor of Marshall ; Patrick R. Ducey, assisted by Fathers Alphonse Delfosse for one year, and John Heslin for seven years. Father Ducey was succeeded as pastor by the Reverend William J. Healy. The latter had as assistants Rever- end John Heslin, and later William O 'Sullivan. Father 'Sullivan, aft- er a few months as assistant, was, in October, 1914, appointed administra- tor of Marshall, till, on October 1 of the same year Reverend J. A. M. Wilson succeeded him as regular pastor of Marshall, Casey and Mar- tinsville. The assistants who have served in Casey under the pastor- ship of Father Wilson were as fol- lows: Fathers Timothy Smith, one year ; Edward Butler, two years ; John J. Hogan, four years, and Ed- mund A. Carey, three months. On the last Sunday of October, 1924, the mission of Casey was put in charge of the Franciscan Friars of St. Jos- eph's College, Teutopolis, Illinois. The Reverend Hugo H. Martcie, 0. F.M., now attends to the spiritual needs of the parishioners. Church of St. Elizabeth, Robinson, Crawford County, Illinois. Established in 1878. Present Pastor : Reverend Walter Speeman. In the extreme southeast corner of the Diocese of Springfield, lies the little parish of Robinson. We say "little" with reference to the num- ber of Catholics in this parish — for when the area or extent of parish boundaries is considered, the parish is anything but little, since it com- prises the entire county of Craw- ford. The town itself, Robinson, enjoys the distinction of being numbered among the most attractive, up-to- date, and steady little towns in the State. Being the County Seat of Crawford, an elegant court house oc- cupies the center of the public square, while interspersed here and there throughout the town are large imposing schools, churches, hospitals and other public buildings. Two special industrial features are evi- dent in a large oil refinery and a pot- tery works. Practically all the streets are paved, a feature not usually found so extensively devel- oped in a small town. But while the town of Robinson lifts its head proudly among the smaller urban centers of Illinois, it cannot be said that the Catholic parish of Robinson achieves a like distinction among the rank and file of parishes of the Dio- cese. It is in fact, one of the small, obscure, and unpretentious parishes. However, let it be said at once that this is altogether due to lack of quantity rather than quality. Due to the small number of families, the parish must ever wage a warfare for mere existence and put aside all am- bition toward expansion and devcl- 427 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS opment, at least for the present. There is an old proverb which says, "Not to go forward is to go back- wards," but it must be said that the little parish of Robinson has managed not to go backward while failing to go forward. Strange to say, the large State of Illinois which numbers such a large proportion of Catholics within its borders, has one county at least where the number of Catholics is al- most negligible. That county is Crawford, and Crawford County, as heretofore stated, is co-extensive with the Robinson parish. Forty families is an exceedingly small per- centage of church adherents within the confines of an entire county, and yet, the Parish Register of Robinson shows scarcely that number of Cath- olic families listed for Crawford County. It appears that the earliest priest- visitors to Crawford County came oc- casionally from that grand old his- torical center of Catholicity, Vin- cennes, Indiana. This town famous in Catholic annals, is only about thirty miles distant from Robinson. But passing over the visitations of early Catholic Missionaries (which visitations were altogether irregular and antedate the existence of Robin- son as a regularly established mis- sion or embryonic parish), we find that Reverend Charles Kuhlman came as pastor to Marshall, Illinois, in the adjoining county of Clark on the northern boundary, in the fall of the year 1876. Soon after assuming this pastorate, Father Kuhlman cast zealous eyes southward toward Rob- inson, and conceived the idea of making that town the center of a mission which he might visit regu- larly, and thus give the few scattered Catholics of Crawford County an opportunity of practicing their Holy Faith through the ministrations of a priest. At that time, Robinson was a mere little hamlet. After consid- erable trouble a little chapel was erected — the first Catholic edifice to point its humble spire and cross heavenward in Crawford County. But alas ! the little mission so zeal- ously begun, was doomed to an early failure. Dense woods, impossible roads, and complete isolation of the few scattered families that com- posed the mission, constituted a trinity of obstacles apparently great- er than their faith — weakened as it was by generations of separation from priest and church, and facili- ties for practicing their religion. The date of erection of this first mission chapel in Robinson was the year 1878. Records do not show precisely when the mission was abandoned, but all indications point to its early demise. Some of the older inhabitants of Robinson re- member the little Catholic Chapel standing empty and unused year aft- er year, but their memory does not go back to the time when Father Kuhlman made regular visits, and held services in the chapel. The real history of the Robinson Parish begins with the famous oil boom of 1907. At this time Rever- end Richard Ducey was pastor at Marshall. Oil had been discovered in plentiful quantities in the vicin- ity of Robinson, and there was great excitement and the usual large in- flux of fortune seekers, together with a goodly number of oil men and their families from the oil fields of Southern New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The usual mushroom growth of a city followed. Robinson went to bed a village and woke up a town of ex- panding proportions — or rather a tented city. Right Reverend James Ryan, Or- dinary of the Diocese, and Father Ducey, pastor at Marshall, were on the alert and saw now a good oppor- tunity to resurrect the defunct mis- sion at Robinson. The old chapel was in ill repair, and far too small and humble to satisfy the needs of an oil-boom town, and it was promptly sold, and a subscription started towards pro- viding an adequate church edifice. 428 THE EPISCOPATE OP RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. Father Ducey made periodical visits to Robinson to hold services for the oil men and their families for several months, and took the initial step towards starting a subscription for a new church. HoAvever, in the Fall of 1907, Bishop Ryan sent as assistant to Father Ducey at Marshall, Reverend Florent Delfosse, a young Belgian priest who had just joined the dio- cese, coming from the Diocese of Omaha, Nebraska. This new assist- ant was destined to be the actual founder of the Robinson Parish, and thus far, its only pastor for the eight- een years of its existence. Father Ducey turned over the Robinson project to his new assistant, and the latter made regular trips from Marshall, but during the winter of 1907, he transferred his residence from Marshall to Robinson, and, as pastor, began in real earnest the formation of the new parish. Dur- ing this winter and the following spring, while the formation of the parish and the building of the church was in progress, Father Del- fosse held services in the home of James Toomey and the office of Dan Nolan. He resided in the home of Mr. Toomey. Raising money for the new church was comparatively an easy matter. Oil and money were plentiful, and Irish generosity rose grandly to the occasion and in a short time the goal of $7,000.00 was reached. As an ad- junct to the subscription, a grand bazaar was held in the spring of 1908 which netted $1,000.00. Work was rushed on the church building, and the edifice, a neat frame build- ing 40x80, and located near the cen- ter of the town, was ready for the first Mass on the Feast of the As- sumption, August 15, 1908. The new church was placed under the patron- age of St. Elizabeth, a concession made to Mrs. Mabel Wilson who had donated a portion of the ground on which it stood, and requested that the church be named after her grandmother, Elizabeth. As there was no dearth of money while the oil boom continued, meas- ures were immediately taken to erect also a priest's house adjoining the church. A nice two-story frame building was built at a cost of $2,- 500.00, and this was ready for occu- pancy a few months after the church had been opened for services. The oil boom lasted only a few years, the parish numbered about seventy families ; but with the sub- sidence of the boom, nearly half of these families departed from Rob- inson, and followed the oil into new fields of discovery. The history of the parish from its inception in 1908, until the present time, has been very uneventful. Dur- ing these eighteen years, the parish has known but one pastor, Father Delfosse. He alone would be able to write an adequate and detailed his- tory of those eighteen years. One item of interest in the way of improvements must not be over- looked, and that is the fact that dur- ing the year 1923, Father Delfosse greatly enhanced the external ap- pearance of the church by having the building brick veneered, and the tower overlaid with concrete stucco work. These improvements cost about $2,000.00, and were paid for by an assessment on the individual families. Since the summer of 1925, the ad- ministration of the Robinson Parish has been in the hands of Reverend William R. Yahner, who received that appointment from Bishop Grif- fin in July, 1925. Since his coming, Father Yahner has made a number of minor improvements in the church and has completely renovated the en- tire interior of the rectory. These were improvements already contem- plated by Father Delfosse. On the spiritual side of the parish, Father Yahner centered his chief activities in a First Communion Class and a fruitful mission given by the Pas- sionist Fathers of Chicago. The little parish of Robinson, with its backbone of splendid Catholics of 429 DIOCESE OF SPKINCiFIELD IN ILLINOIS the old type, holds grimly on, hoping for a revival of the oil boom, or some adventitious circumstance that will bring prosperity and more Catholic families to Crawford County and thus enable them to take strides for- ward, and realize the ambitions of larger and more fortunate parishes. Reverend Francis Gribbin, former- ly of Livingston, became pastor in 1926 and was succeeded by Reverend Walter Speeman in September, 1927. Mission op St. Mary, Shumway, Effingham County, Illinois. Established in 1879. Present Pastor : Reverend James Ileslin. About the year 1870, efforts were made to establish a parish and build a church by a few German Catholic families living in the vicinity. But for want of sufficient funds the proj- ect was indefinitely postponed. Di- vine Services were held at intervals in the homes of Messrs. Schmidt, Miller and Klein. The Franciscan Fathers from Teutopolis ministering to the spiritual needs of the little flock. Tn the year 1879, St. Mary Annun- ciation Parish was organized with a membership of 26 families. The present edifice, a structure of 30x60 feet, was erected and furnished at a total cost of about $3,090.00. The Franciscan Fathers who started the church and saw their efforts crowned with success retained charge until 1888, when the first diocesan priest, in the person of Reverend J. Gratza. took charge. Tie was then pastor of Altamont with Shumway as a mis- sion. Episcopal approbation for the new church was given bv Richt Reverend Peter J. Baltes, D.D.. Bishop of Al- ton, and it was dedicated by his Chancellor, Very Reverend John Janssen, on the 23rd dav of Mav, 1879. Manv worthy priests attended the spiritual needs of the congregation at Shumway: some of them have now passed to their reward, and some are still with us doing active service in the Vineyard of the Lord. "We find the following names of Franciscan Fathers on the church register with the probable dates of their terms of administration: Rev- erend P. Bonafacius, O.F.M., who built the church, 1879; Reverend Fulgentius Hansen, O.F.M., 1880; Reverend Franciscus Hasse, O.F.M., 1880; Reverend Benzventure Faul- haber, O.F.M., 1881; Reverend Nor- bertus Wilhelm, O.F.M., 1881-85; Fathers Eustachius, Paulinus, Steph- anus, O.F.M., 1886; Reverend Tede- lis Kaereher, 1886-88. Tn 1888, the first Diocesan priest, Reverend J. Gratza, pastor of Alta- mont. took charge. Then followed him in nuick succession, Fathers Michell, Lyons, Gesenhues, — all of Altamont. From 1895 to 1904, it was attended from Effingham bv the fol- lowing: Fathers Ward, Hoffman, Formaz, Ostendorf, and Quatman. Reverend August Forster, pastor of Ramsey, had Shumway as a mis- sion from 1904 to 1922, and during all these years attended it most faith- fully. Reverend Anton M. Jaschke at- tended it from St. Anthony's Hos- pital, Effingham, 1924, September until January, 1926, when the pres- ent incumbent, Reverend James Hes- lin, took charge as pastor with resi- dence at St. Anthony's Hospital. Shumway, though a small congrega- tion, has a nice church and Catholic cemetery, and mention is made in the parish records of the fact that they had at one lime a parochial school conducted by a Catholic lay teacher under the supervision of Father Gesenhues. 430 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIOIIT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. Church of SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie, Macoupin County, Illinois. Established in 1879. Present Pastor: Reverend John Crosson. Before entering on this brief his- torical sketch of SS. Simon and Jude's Church, it may be well to give the reader some idea of the for- mation of the town in which it was erected. The town of Gillespie was named after the township in which it was located, and the township was named in honor of Judge John Gil- lespie by the managers of the In- dianapolis and St. Louis Railroad. The first farm in the township was assigned to Michael Dodd, October 28, 1825 — one hundred years ago. Gillespie had been established as a village twenty-six years before its Catholic inhabitants became organ- ized as a congregation. As it was situated about midway between Bunker Hill and Litchfield, the few Catholics who resided in the neigh- borhood attended church either in one place or the other according to which they deemed most convenient. But as the number of Catholics in- creased, a priest either from Bunker Hill or from Litchfield, or a mission- ary priest occasionally visited Gil- lespie and offered up the Holy Sac- rifice of the Mass, and administered the sacraments in some private home, generally in the home of Mr. Pat- rick McGow, one of the pioneer Catholics. Thus, for many years, the Catholics in the neighborhood had an opportunity of being present at Mass, and of receiving the sacra- ments. In the month of February, 1879, the Right Reverend Peter J. Baltes, D.D., Bishop of Alton, in order that the spiritual welfare of these peo- ple might be served in a more ef- ficient manner, decided that a mis- sion church should be erected in Gillespie. Father William Neu, pas- tor of the Catholic Church in Bunker Hill, was given charge of the new congregation. The church was to be erected under the patronage of the apostles, SS. Simon and Jude. Later on in the same year the Bishop, in a formal manner, appointed Mr. Chris- topher Brennan and Mr. John T. Hutton trustees of the new church. Father Neu labored zealously at his new task, and be it said to the credit of the Catholics in Gillespie, they co-operated heartily with him in his undertaking. The neighboring parishes too manifested their good will toward the new mission in a practical manner. Generous dona- tions were given by the parishes of Bunker Hill, Litchfield, Carlinville, Hillsboro and Carrollton. From the subscription list for the new church, it is plainly evident that a beautiful spirit of co-operation existed be- tween the Catholic and Non-Catho- lic people of the community. As a result of this whole-hearted co-op- eration, Father Neu was enabled to say the first Mass in a new church that was practically without a cent of debt. That occurred on New Year's Day, 1880. A like favorable situation very seldom exists among even our richest congregations of today. During the following three years, the Church was provided with nil necessary furnishings. A few months after the formal opening of the church, Father Neu was transferred to another field of labor and his place was taken in close succession by Fathers Cluse and Zabel. . Reverend Herman Gesenbues was the first priest who had charge of the mission for any considerable length of time. He attended it twice a month from 1881 to 1887 with the exception of a few months during which Father John Storp acted as substitute while he was visiting his relations in Germany. Father Ges- enhues was a zealous priest and la- bored hard to promote the spiritual welfare of those committed to his 431 niOCKSE OF SPKINCFIELD IN ILLINOIS care. On July 1, 1883, he administer- ed the Sacrament of the Holy Euch- arist to the first Holy Communion Class held in the new church — a class of 28 members, and on November 13 of the same year, Right Reverend Bishop Peter J. Baltes, D.D., visit- ed the new mission for the first time, blessed the church in memory of the apostles SS. Simon and Jude, and confirmed a class of 54. According to the records, the first person baptized in the new church was William Peter McEvoy, son of Patrick McEvoy, February 12, 1882. The first united in marriage were Martin Greene, Litchfield, Illinois, and Sarah Rrennan, Gillespie. The marriage took place October 30 of the same year. The firs! funeral was thai id' Eugene Chipot, aged 20 held November 10, 1882. Father Gesenhues was transferred from St. Agnes Church, Hillsboro, Illinois, October 1, 1887. He was succeeded by Reverend Henry Beck- er, D.D. Gillespie was as yet a small mission consisting of twenty-seven English speaking and two German speaking families. Father Becker zealously attended to their spiritual welfare for a period of almost thir- teen years. He was particularly de- voted to the children of the congre- gation. Whilst he had charge, the congregation increased somewhat ; at his departure from the mission August 1, 1899, it consisted of 43 families : thirty-five English speak- ing, three German and five Italian. Father Becker was succeeded by Father Thomas Masterson, who was at that time transferred from St. Mary, Carlinville, to St. Agnes Church, Hillsboro. During the years that Father Mas- terson had charge of the mission, the number of Catholics in Gillespie in- creased, owing chiefly to an influx of people caused by the operation of new coal mines in the neighborhood. The church was no longer able to accommodate its members. Hence, he was compelled to enlarge it to double its seating capacity. This ad- dition was completed and paid for in a short time through the special activity of Father Masterson. He had charge of SS. Simon and Jude Church until April 1, 1905. In 1905 it was decided by Right Reverend Bishop Ryan, D.D., that SS. Simon and Jude should no longer be a mission church, but that it should have a resident priest who could more easily and more efficient- ly serve the spiritual welfare of the people. Father John Crosson, who had been assistant pastor at St. Mary Church, Paris, Illinois, was appoint- ed first resident pastor. He took charge of the mission April 1, 1905. He was directed by the Bishop to provide a residence for a priest. In the course of a year, a parsonage was erected. As soon as the debt hereby incurred was liquidated, and the church funds increased, the four lots adjoining the church property were purchased. In the year 1910, prop- erty for a new cemetery was pur- chased. As the mining industry in the neighborhood of Gillespie was being developed, and as the number of Catholics in the parish increased, it seemed advisable to establish a par- ochial school in order to provide for the spiritual walfare of the children. The erection of the school was com- menced in September, 1913. It was completed the following spring. The Sisters of Mercy, St. Louis, Missouri, took charge of the school, September 1, 1914. The number of children then enrolled was 140. The enrollment at present is 270. In September, 1924, the contract for a new convent home was award- ed to Mor & Espamer, according to plans and specifications submitted by Mr. M. B. Kane, architect. The building was completed in May, 1925. It is a two-story brick building containing fourteen rooms, and is substantially constructed and mod- ern in every respect. As the population of Gillespie in- creased, so also was there a corre- sponding increase in the population 432 jfie'tf 'I'M Mb jfe' jHB- ■SIR b i» IK it i ^'1 ■r PTTaikj" . iiL EL. . ! ■Fiji Casey — Si. Charles Church . . . Shumway — Annunciation B. V. M. . . . (lillespie- SS. Simon and Jude Church, Rev. John Crosson, Pastor, School ;iltes, D.*D. This was the first visit made by a Bishop to Ston- ington. On the same day, Bishop Baltes conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation on twenty-four boys ami twenty girls. Father Patrick Burke was the sec- ond priest Avho took charge of this Church and his administration last- ed from 1884 to 1888, during which time he came from Decatur every two weeks. On October 1, 1888, Stonington was again placed in charge of the pastor of Taylorville, Reverend John J. Higgins in charge. On January 12, 1889, the church was destroyed by a cyclone. Father Higgins, as- sisted by forty Catholic families, lost no time in developing plans for a more pretentious edifice. The new church was dedicated on July 8, 1891, by Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D. Reverend Aloysius Brad- ley, O.S.B., native of Stonington, celebrated his first Mass on the day of the dedication. His brother, Rev- erend Matthew Bradley, O.S.B., was Deacon, Reverend Thomas Joseph Morrow was sub-Deacon, Reverend Anthony Vogt, assistant priest, Rev- erend James Howard, D.D., Master of Ceremonies, and Fathers James Harty of Jerseyville, and Peter Joseph Maekin of Decatur, were the Deacons of honor. The dedicatory sermon was preached by Father Maekin. On the promotion of Father Hig- gins to the important charge of Mat- toon, Reverend John W. Merscher became his successor in the parish of Taylorville in July, 1898. Father Merscher administered the church of Ftnnington as a mission of Taylor- ville until the appointment of Rever- end M. H. Cawley as the first resi- dent pastor in September, 1900. Father Cawley built the present rec- tory in 1901 and remained as pastor until he was succeeded bv Reverend Thomas F. McGrath in October, 1902. Father McGrath remained for four years during which time he gained the confidence of the people by his gentle and unassuming manner. The opening of a coal mine in 1906 in- creased the number of Catholic fami- lies in this community and this fact together with Father McGrath 's wonderful organizing faculty in- creased the enthusiasm and intensi- fied the faith of the parishioners. During his pastorate, the parish was in a very flourishing condition. The next pastor was Reverend John J. Corcoran who came to the field in 1906 and who, by his untir- ing efforts and executive ability, ac- complished much good during his pastorate Avhich terminated in 1919. Reverend John M. Heslin became the fourth resident pastor in 1919. Tn 1921 Father Heslin exchanged places with Reverend Thomas Masterson. Father Heslin went to Hillsboro, Illi- nois, a mining town, and a rapidly growing community, from which charge Father Masterson resigned in view of his long years in the priest- hood and his failing health. Father Masterson came to Ston- ington in 1921 and immediately won the affection of this congregation. He was greatly admired and respect- ed by all. His priestly life was one of devotion and sacrifice, and these virtues were appreciated in every parish where he labored and particu- larly so by the members of Holy Trinity Parish. This veteran priest had the hap- piness to celebrate his Golden Jubilee on June 24, 1924, Bishop Griffin pre- siding. The Jubilarian was the Cel- ebrant of the Solemn High Mass and Reverend Clemens Johannes of Nokomis preached the Jubilee ser- mon. Fifty priests were present for the celebration and practically the 434 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. entire community of Stonington to- gether with many former parishion- ers from elsewhere. A delightful banquet was served at the close of which toasts were responded to by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., Very Reverend Dean Carroll, Fathers Louis Hufker, William Cos- tello, and John Moroney. The Clergy and parishioners presented a token of affection in the form of a check to the veteran priest. Shortly after this celebration, Father Masterson became seriously ill and his health declined steadily until finally on May 29, 1927, on the advice of his doctor, Father Masterson asked to be relieved of his charge and spend his remaining days in St. John's San- itarium, Riverton, Illinois. On June 29, 1924, Bishop Griffin administered the Sacrament of Con- firmation to a large class of children and adults. The visit of the Bishop was the occasion of a fine demonstra- tion on the part of this community and his Lordship was evidently pleased with the love and loyalty of Holy Trinity congregation. On May 29, 1927, Reverend Wil- liam 'Sullivan assumed charge of this congregation, coming from Pana where he acted as administrator dur- ing the illness of Father Moroney. Father 'Sullivan had served as As- sistant Pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Spring- field for many years. Holy Trinity congregation has given much evidence of strong faith and zeal in the service of Christ and His Church. On the occasion of the drive for the new Cathedral, the peo- ple here responded with alacrity and pledged $5,538.00 for the Mother Church of the Diocese. The church property has an estimated valuation of approximately $50,000.00. The congregation numbers sixty families. The life of a pastor here is most en- joyable and the co-operation of the congregation both in the past and at the present time deserves the greatest possible service. The con- gregation has been happy at all times to have the former pastors renew their acquaintances and establish a contact with their many friends here. Church of St. Rose of Lima, Montrose, Effingham County, Illinois. Established in 1879. Present Pastor: Reverend Angelas Zwiesler, O.F.M. In the northeastern corner of Ef- fingham County lies the township of St. Francis. Being principally prairie, and therefore favorably adapted for agricultural and grazing purposes, it was not long, when the tide of immigration was at its height in the last century, until settlers be- gan to penetrate the swamps and high prairie grass of the future St. Francis Township, and convert its primeval lowlands into prosperous farms. The only village in the township is Montrose, a place of about 375 in- habitants. It is situated in the south- eastern quarter of Section 3 of the township. The village was laid out by J. B. Johnson, the proprietor of the land, in the summer of 1870. Stores were soon opened carrying "a miscellaneous assortment of mer- chandise." But in the rising village two of the most energetic and suc- cessful business men were Mr. Phil Wiwi and Mr. Nicholas Dockendorf, Catholics. The former opened (1871) the third store — "a neat business house" — of general merchandise. "In addition to his mercantile busi- ness. Mr. Wiwi erected a grain house which he operated very successfully, handling more grain during the year than was shipped from any other point on the road of the same size. He opened a market for live stock also, and was considered one of the heaviest shippers in the county. Mr. Dockendorf together with a partner operated a mill with great success. The other Catholic pioneers were mostly German and Irish farmers. 435 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Prior to the year 1879, the Catho- lics of Montrose, Woodbury, Jewett, ami Toledo attended the churches cither at Teutopolis, Spring Point, or one of the other churches in the vi- cinity. The church at Spring Point has long since passed out of exist- ence. It was situated some three or four miles north of Montrose, near William Meyer's farm. It was attended by the Franciscan Fathers from St. Joseph's College, Teutopo- lis, Illinois. Towards the year 1879, chiefly owing to the efforts of Mr. Phil Wiwi, this small group of Catholics determined to have their own church. In the summer of 1878, a delegation of three— Mr. Phillip Wiwi, Mr. Nicholas Dockendorf and Mr. Hirsch- feld — called on the Franciscan Fath- ers at St. Joseph College, Teutopo- lis, Illinois, to consult with the Su- perior of the Franciscan Commis- sariet and Rector of the College, the Very Reverend Mauritius Kloster- mann, O.F.M.. as to the possibility of having regular services at Montrose. They assured the Reverend Rector that a parish could be organized at Montrose consisting of about twenty- five families and that they were will- ing to assume all the debts of the new church, a condition demanded absolutely by Father Mauritius. Re- ceiving such assurances, the Rever- end Rector promised that whenever a Father could be spared they would have services. In January, 1879, a site for the new church was purchased. The plans for the church were drawn up by Brother Adrian Wewer, O.F.M., architect. Mr. Nicholas Gehl of Sigel, Illinois, superintended the con- struction of the edifice which cost $1,570.00. The new church "dis- plays a great deal of taste and is an ornament to the town." The little frame church was soon completed and on November 9, 1879, it was ded- icated by the Very Reverend Mauri- tius Klostermann, O.F.M., with St. Rose of Lima — America's first Saint —as patron. The task of organizing the new St. Rose of Lima Parish fell to the lot of Reverend Francis Haase, O.F.M., who also directed the parish for the first six years of its existence. Father Francis was indefatigable in organ- izing the parish and in furnishing the new House of God. He begged vestments, a chalice, a monstrance and other articles necessary for Di- vine Services. Some two or three years later, thieves broke into the church at Montrose and carried off the mon- strance, the ciborium and other things. A Protestant minister, upon his return from church near Dexter, Illinois, noticed a thief climbing out of a window. The latter, spying the minister, took to flight leaving be- hind a sack which contained articles stolen at Montrose. When this was found out at Montrose, Mr. Wiwi's son, George, quickly drove over with a team to recover the monstrance and ciborium, etc. The horses, valued at $300, died from exhaustion caused by over-spirited driving. This was a heavy loss for Mr. Wiwi, but he felt compensated in the recovery of the church articles. At the time when the parish was organized, Mr. Wiwi had engaged a private tutor, Miss Lena Wessel, to instruct his children. However, the Catholic children of the neighbor- hood also attended these classes which were conducted in the room above Mr. Wiwi's store. The teacher was a good Catholic and hence the curriculum of studies included also Christian Doctrine. As soon as Mr. Wiwi's children had received their First Holy Communion, the teacher was dismissed and hence the school was closed. The second pastor was Reverend Hugolinus Storff, O.F.M. The credit of having been the first one to at- tempt a parochial school at Montrose belongs to Father Hugolinus. He was spurred on by the low standard of education that prevailed among the children in the county, many of whom could neither read nor write. 436 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. He again engaged the services of Miss Lena Wessel who conducted regular classes in the church for an entire year. After that it was dis- continued. Another unsuccessful at- tempt at conducting a parochial school was made under the pastor- ship of Reverend Valentine Doeren- kemper, O.F.M. Since then no further attempt has been made to es- tablish a Catholic school at Mont- rose. St. Rose Parish owes very much to its tenth Pastor, the Reverend Tim- othy Magnien, O.F.M. In his zeal he prevailed upon the Reverend Rec- tor of St. Joseph College to send another Father to Montrose so that services could be held twice a month. He labored zealously to raise the standard of the spiritual life of the parishioners. The various societies were quickened to new life. Altars and statues were procured for the church. He brought the entire par- ish together in several festive gath- erings and to add to the solemnity, he procured the services of the choir and orchestra of St. Joseph College. The Church records show that the following Franciscan Fathers were either pastors or conducted services at Montrose between the years 1879 to 1925, in the order given herein: Francis Haase, 1879-84; Hugoline Storff, 1884-85; Fidelis Kaercher, 1885-86; Stephen Scholz, 1886-88; Valentine Doerenkemper, 1888-91 ; Bonaventure Faulhaber, 1891-95 ; Walfried Rompe, 1895-97; Clement Moormann, 1897-98 ; Ignatius Reinke- meyer; Hilary Kieserling; Eugene Hagedorn; Theodosius Plassmeyer; George Wetenkamp ; Celestine Kaiser; Timothy Magnien, 1899-1901 ; Apollinarus Johmann, 1901-03; Cos- mos Garmann, 1903-04; Isidore Fos- selmann, 1904-06 ; Honorate Bonze- let, 1906-07; Clementine Hagen, 1907-08; Gratian Gehring, 1908; Di- dacus Gruenholz, 1908-10 ; Benvenute Mueller, 1910-13 ; Cyrinus Schneider, 1913-16; Berard Zehnle, 1916-17; Joseph C. Meyer, 1917 ; Lambert Brinkmoeller, 1917-18 ; Emmanuel Behrendt, 1918; Vitalis Bartkowiak, 1918-20; Ephrem Muench, 1920-24; Maximilian Klotzbucher, 1924-25 ; Angelus Zwiesler, 1925 . Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., visited the parish in 1924, and arranged with the Franciscan Mon- astery at Teutopolis to give the par- ish regular services every Sunday. Church of St. John the Baptist, Quincy, Adams County, Illinois. Established in 1880. Present Pastor : Reverend Joseph A. Postner. As the coming of the Saviour had been foretold by the Prophets of old, so the forthcoming of St. John the Baptist church had first been voiced by the first Bishop of Alton, Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, D.D., when in 1867, as St. Mary's was launched, he promised to found a new parish in the north part of the city. As soon as St. Mary's church was somewhat out of debt, and St. Fran- cis' Church on a solid footing, the new parish was to be undertaken. In the year 1872, Bishop Baltes (who, in 1870, became Bishop of Al- ton) learning that the special legisla- tion granting incorporation to churches was about to be revoked, at once had the future parish of St. John incorporated. Some time later a half -block of ground on Tenth street between Spruce and Cedar streets was donated by Mrs. Anna Cox with the proviso that within ten years a church must be built, otherwise the ground would revert to the donor or her heirs. The offer was accepted and the deed recorded January 5, 1874. The road to an early undertaking of the building seemed open, when the so-called "hard times" started which lasted until 1879. Add to this, that St. Mary's was deeply in debt. St. Boniface had its financial worries on account of their new school, and St. Francis could not promise much help 437 IHUCKSE OF SI'KINCFIELD IN ILLINOIS as they were about to build a new church, so tliero was nothing else to be done but "wait". When, in 1879, conditions began to brighten up somewhat, Father Jans- sen of St. Boniface aroused interest in the new parish by obtaining the liishop's consent to undertake the work, at the same time giving per- mission to the building association to take up a collection in the whole city. The boundary lines for the new par- ish were fixed and announced in all parishes of the city. Somehow, or some way, results did not justify ef- forts. January 1, 1880, Reverend Theodore Bruenner succeeded Father Janssen at St. Boniface. To Father Bruener's credit, it must be stated that both lie and his assistant, Father Hoffmans, manifested warm sym- pathy for the north-end parish, but had worry a-plenty in their own ac- tivities. Upon the express wish of the Bishop, Father Hoffmans took up a collection among the prospective members of the new parish. The re- sult was quite satisfactory, but the good Father's health would not per- mit him to finish the task. Thereupon, Father Bruener wrote to the Bishop that if he wished to safeguard the future existence of the new parish, it was absolutely neces- sary to send a priest to take charge. The Bishop telegraphed his answer : "Father Still is coming." Message received May 15, 1880. This is the accepted birthday of St. John's. Reverend Joseph Still, who was born May 25, 1849, in Uerdingen Rhemish Prussia, studied philosophy and theology at Muenster, and finish- ed at Rome at the Americanum, whither he had gone to study for the missions in America. Ordained a priest May 22, 1875, he arrived in America, September 8 of the same year, and was appointed assistant to Father Bartels in Germantown, Clin- ton County, Illinois. Here he labored faithfully until his appointment to Quincy, May 15th. Arriving in Quincy May 22nd, he was hospitably received at St. Boniface rectory. A plan, suggested by the Bishop and submitted by Architect Pfeifen- berger, was with few minor changes, adopted and carried out. The base- ment was arranged for a Sisters' Home ; the first floor contained four spacious school rooms with ceilings 14 feet high ; the second floor was to be the temporary church, later on to be used as an amusement hall. Dimen- sions of the building were 96x54 feet. The excavating was done by members of the parish. Work was begun in July and finished by the first of Oc- tober. School was opened October 7, with an attendance of 160 children with Sisters of the Order of the Poor Hand Maids of Christ in charge. Aft- er heroic labors often protracted to late hours of night, the church was completed at the end of November. It was blessed, as well as the school rooms, by Father Mazarius, O.F.M., November 21st. Father Bruener preached the dedication sermon. St. Boniface's choir sang the High Mass. Records show, on January 1, the num- ber of families was 190, with but $3,000 debt. In spite of indebtedness, the Right Reverend Bishop approved of the move to build a parsonage. Father Still, who was quite an architect, de- signed the plan. Rents being high and the rate of interest low, he figured the parish would be money ahead even though the building should be put up entirely on borrowed money. August 4, 1881, the house was finished and Father Still felt happy. Progress was in the air. Married women and young ladies vied with each other in decorating the altars and purchasing beautiful vestments. The men solicited funds for statues of St. Joseph and St. John. In 1887, the census showed 250 families in the parish and 244 children in school. Add to this the fact that all debts had been cleared off and you will not wonder that the parishioners had a clear vision of a splendid church a-coming. This vision was soon to be realized. With Catholic families building homes in the vigorous young 438 THE EPISCOPATE OP RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. parish, a new church became an urgent necessity. Services on Sun- days and holydays were so habitually crowded to the discomfort point that all agreed when the plans for build- ing were mentioned. But times were hard, with scanty employment for la- bor. This, however, turned out to be an advantage rather than a set-back. The parishioners agreed to do the ex- cavating, and all stone needed was donated, the quarrying and hauling was free, and so Father Still, with the lielp of the altar builder, F. Schenk, drew up the necessary plans and specifications for a stone church. The excavating under the sanctuary was the heaviest part, tunnels along the main walls being considered sufficient for piping, wiring, etc. The founda- tion was soon finished and the cor- ner-stone laid in the fall of 1895. Al- though labor was cheap, the super- structure took the greater part of the next three years. This delay was mainly due to lack of necessary funds. The walls were rough-coated plastering. New pews were furnished by Mr. Schenk, giving a seating ca- pacity of 800 with additional 200 sit- tings in the gallery. In the Fall of 1898, the new church was dedicated. The next urgent problem was the school which could not accommodate the growing number of pupils. A three-story addition was built in 1891, providing two basement rooms for the Young Men 's Society, two class rooms on the first floor, two class rooms on the second floor, the third floor being arranged for the Sisters' dwelling. Up to the year 1890, when the first assistant was appointed, Father Still shouldered the whole burden of build- ing and caring for the parish, which, by this time, numbered 250 families with 244 children in school. He could figure on occasional help from Fathers Bartels and Frohboese, who, after resigning from active duty, re- tired to their private homes built within a few steps from St. John Church. When Reverend Joseph Locher, who had been appointed chap- lain of St. Vincent's Home, built his own home on Locust Street, an ex- cellent occasional assistant was found for Father Still in his manifold du- ties. In January, 1896, the first regu- lar assistant for St. John's was ap- pointed, Reverend Francis Xavier Sturm, who was succeeded by Rever- end August Gorris in November, 1896, remaining until 1899. Then in 1899, came Reverend Anthony J. Stengel who remained until 1907. Father Still died March 29, and was buried in Calvary Cemetery. Father Joseph Postner was the next priest to whom the care of the St. John flock was entrusted. On assum- ing pastoral charge, June 1, 1907, he found a parish rather heavily burden- ed by debt, and a church still waiting much-needed improvements. But he set to work enthusiastically and soon the church was handsomely decorated, marble altars and statuary installed, and a new organ, stations, etc., pro- vided. Before many years too, the pastor and people had the happiness to see the church debt wiped out. During his years at St. John's, Father Postner has been ably assisted in the good work by the following energetic priests: Reverends August Hohl, 1907-17; Joseph Reis, 1917-24, and John J. Goff, the present assistant who succeeded Father Reis in 1924. Parish societies : St. Ann 's Society for Married Ladies, Sodality for Young Ladies, St. Antonius Branch, No. 11, W. C. U., St. Leo Benevolent Society, St. Joseph's Young Men's Society, St. Rita's Ladies' Branch, W. C. U., St. Angela Court of Fores- ters, Poor Souls Confraternity, So- ciety for Propagation of the Faith, Orphans' Society, St. Vincent's So- ciety, and Boy Scouts. The school has a present enrollment of 297 children. In 1923, Confirma- tion was administered to a class of 242. A new Sisters' Home is the latest addition to the parish plant. This 439 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS new home was opened June 9, 1927, and is considered one of the finest of its kind in the whole Diocese. Not many parishes can show a time record of forty-five years with but two pastors, — Father Still, twenty- seven years, and the present incum- bent — Father Postner, eighteen years. Church of St. Benedict, Auburn, Sangamon County, Illinois. Established in 1880. Present Pastor: Reverend Daniel J. Quinn. The Catholic people of Auburn dedicated their first church under the patronage of St. Benedict. At that time it was attended from Virden by Reverend L. Tyan. In the year 1880, Reverend Dennis J. Ryan became the first pastor and first resident priest of Auburn. His stay was short as he was soon trans- ferred to Springfield, his place at Auburn being taken by Reverend A. Lenfgen. The latter remained until 1884, in which year he was succeeded by Reverend Joseph Finnigan. Reverend Thomas O'Reilly became pastor in 1892, but remained only a year. His successor, Reverend Mich- ael Jefferson Davis, served the par- ish until 1899, in which year he was sent to take charge of Virginia. Dur- ing his time here, Father Davis did much for the Church. He was suc- ceeded by Reverend Thomas Carroll who remained only a short time and then went West for the good of his health. Reverend Joseph O'Connor now stepped into the vacancy created by the departure of Father Carroll. From the very first, it was Father O'Connor's cherished desire to have a church in Auburn more worthy of the Eucharistic King than the one then in existence, and accordingly he built a new one. Unfortunately, after he had completed the church his health gave way and he was forced to seek a more temperate climate. He died some time later in Colorado. In succession came as pastors, Fath- ers D. J. Ryan, and James P. Walsh ; the former serving for eight years, and the latter for one. During Father Walsh 's pastorate, the church was de- stroyed by fire. Until a new church could be built, Bishop Ryan gave the pastor permission to say Mass in a hall. A small amount of insurance on the building and poor crops of the far- mers, made it difficult to rebuild. In spite of these difficulties, however, construction of the new church was begun and it was soon well under way, due largely to donated labor. Many men of the congregation who worked in the mine gave much of their time in performing all kinds of labor, and the farming members did their part also by hauling material and rendering their services whenever needed. In this way, the congrega- tion was saved a great deal of expense. So vigorously was the building pushed forward that within nine months after the fire, the Catholic people of Auburn and their zealous pastor, Rev- erend Daniel J. Quinn, had the honor and consolation of seeing a beautiful brick church completed. The new church represented many sacrifices on the part of the pastor and congre- gation, and still speaks eloquently of the faith of both. In a parish sketch of this kind, it is fitting that we mention the names of some of those who did much for religion during its struggling days in Auburn. They are : Michael and Bridget Duhig, Captain Irwin, James Henry and Lizzie Quinn, David and Michael Dillon, Patrick and Margaret Gorey. The old members who are still living are Mary Flood, and Mrs. Mar- garet Gorey. The parish at present (1927) has ninety-one families. Confirmation was administered in June, 1924, to 102 children by the Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D. The Altar 440 Quincy St. John's Convent, Rev Joseph Postner, P R i hurch . . . Auburn Rectory, Rev. D.J. Quinn, Pastor, Si Benedict's Church . . . South Fo St. Michael's Church . . . Buffalo St. Joseph's Chut THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. Society, Holy Name, and Children's Society take an active part in parish work. The congregation is composed of various nationalities but this fact has never prevented it from taking an en- thusiastic part in all community af- fairs. That St. Benedict parish is not only truly Catholic but also truly patriotic may be inferred from the fact that it contributed twenty-five young men to the late war. Mission of St. Michael, South Fork, Christian County, Illinois. Established in 1880. Present Pastor : Reverend James J. Murnane. This parish was organized in 1880. To that time the Catholic people of this community had no church build- ing and were compelled to travel in big wagons over rough roads, a dis- tance of twelve or fourteen miles to attend Mass. They went to Taylor- ville, Brown Settlement, Glenarm and Auburn. In the year 1881, a very beautiful Church building was completed un- der the direction of Reverend Daniel J. Ryan of Auburn and South Fork Parish was for twenty three years, namely from 1881 to 1905, a mission to Auburn attended by seven differ- ent priests who succeeded Father Ryan, viz., Fathers Finnegan, Loftus, Donahoe, O'Reilley, Davis, O'Connor and D. J. Ryan. In 1905 Right Reverend James Ryan, Bishop of Alton, made a new parish of two of the Auburn missions. Pawnee was made a separate parish with St. Michael Church, South Fork attached as a mission. Reverend Joseph A. M. Wilson was appointed pastor of St. Michael parish on March 25, 1905, and remained pastor until February 15, 1909. In February, 1909, Reverend John Lupton was appointed pastor and suc- cessor to Father Wilson and remained pastor for sixteen years. During his administration the Church was struck by lightning and completely burned. In 1918 Father Lupton set to work and built a beautiful large brick Church at a cost of thirty thousand dollars. The interior furnishings were all purchased new and corre- sponded with the size and architec- ture of the building, making it a very beautiful edifice. On February 15, 1925, Father Lup- ton was appointed pastor of Newton, Illinois, by the Right Reverend James A. Griffin. D.D., Bishop of Spring- field in Illinois, and Father Vanspey- broeck administrator of St. Michael parish from February 15, 1925 to July 15, 1925, when Reverend James J. Murnane was appointed pastor. The building of St. Michael Church in 1881 was a great blessing for this community. It became easy for them to hear Mass on Sunday and receive the Sacraments frequently, also re- ligious instruction. The number of families at this time was about sixty, all farmers. As time went on, other new parishes were established and the number of families dwindled down to about twenty. Mission of St. Joseph, Buffalo, Sangamon County, Illinois. Established in 1882. Present Pastor: Reverend Andrew E. Robinson. In the Spring of 1882, the forty or more Catholic families of the com- munity of Buffalo felt that there was great need of a church of their own, in their own community. Illiopolis was too far removed from them and very difficult of access in bad weather. The matter was much talked of and debated among the leading Catholic families and it was finally decided to attempt the erection of a Catholic church in the village of Buffalo. On May 4, 1882, a meeting was called and a Buildinj? Committee to solicit funds 441 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS was chosen. Father Charles Manuel, pastor of Illiopolis, was appointed president of the Committee, Mr. Wil- liam J. McCann, secretary, and his brother, Robert C. McCann, treasurer. Thomas Welch, Cornelius O'Laugh- lin, M. Burke and James Brennan were also members of the committee. Thomas Munce, a public spirited non-Catholic of the community, do- nated two lots valued at $150.00, and two more valued at $75.00 were pur- chased from him. The drive for pledges was soon un- der way and in a short time, the committee was ready to report that $2,668.75 had been obtained in pledges. William McCann had pro- cured $740.00, Thomas Welch, $711.50; Robert C. McCann procured $600.50; C. O'Laughlin, $341.50; James and W. Brennan, $175.00; Father Manuel, $100.25. Catholics and non-Catholics alike had respond- ed most generously not only in Buf- falo itself, but in the neighboring communities of Mechanicsburg, Daw- son, Buffalo Hart, Bald Knob, River- ton, Illiopolis and Springfield. With this amount pledged the Com- mittee felt the project was secure and immediately started preparations for building. Mr. W. H. Conway of Springfield was engaged as architect, his plans being duly passed upon and accepted. The contract was let to Hayland & Sons. On July 1st, 1882, the dream of these hardy pioneers of the Faith began to take shape. A Catholic Church was in the process of building. There is no record at hand as to when the church was completed or on what date the first services were held. We know that Father Manuel of Illiopolis assumed charge, attend- ing Buffalo each Sunday from Illiopo- lis. William J. McCann and R. C. Mc- Cann were appointed as first trustees of the newly organized Mission Par- ish of St. Joseph, Buffalo, Illinois. The records for 1883 show that thirty- eight families contributed $228.00 as pew rent. In 1884 a bell was pur- chased at the cost of $110.00, an or- gan was bought for $75 00, new sta- tions erected at the cost of $70.25. The ladies of the Altar Society con- tributed $40.00 to the purchasing of stations. So in the year 1884 we find the little mission church completely furnished and the parish functioning perfectly under the zealous leader- ship of Father Manuel and his able business-like trustees, the McCann brothers, William and Robert. Father Manuel continued to at- tend the Mission of Buffalo until 1892 when it was taken over by Reverend Christian A. Snyder, pastor of River- ton. He continued to serve Buffalo from Riverton until 1894 when he was succeeded by Reverend Thomas O'Reilly. During the pastorate of Father O 'Reilly, a bazaar and festival was held for the benefit of St. Joseph parish on Feb. 6-7, 1895. In spite of zero weather and a blizzard, all the members turned out one hundred per cent and when the proceeds were counted up, it was found that $881.29 had been taken in, and after the ex- penses had been deducted, the parish had cleared $754.91. Remarkable for those days, yet not so remarkable when we consider the Faith and the sacri- ficing spirit of these pioneers. In March, 1896, Father O'Rielly was succeeded by Father Joseph O 'Boyle. He remained for one year, relinquishing the charge because of ill health, to Father John J. Cor- coran. Father Corcoran served as pastor until September, 1899, when Father John J. Clancy assumed charge. During the busy pastorate of Father Clancy much was done in the way of repairs, frescoing and paint- ing. A new furnace was installed, side-walks laid, fences built, etc. The trustees were changed, Cornelius O'Laughlin and Daniel Call succeed- ing the McCann brothers. After a service of fifteen years, Father Clancy was changed to Jerseyville. Father M. O 'Flaherty was appointed to the parishes of Riverton and Buf- falo, in 1914. In the fall of 1922, Reverend Amos E. Giusti was trans- 442 TIIE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. ferred from Waverly to Riverton and Buffalo. In 1924 he left for Rome and Father M. Rua, a professor at De Paul University, Chicago, was given the charge of Riverton and Buffalo, by the new Bishop, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D. He remained but one year, returning to Andrew E. Robinson was then ap- pointed pastor, assuming charge in October, 1925. The County Poor Farm, located within the boundaries of the Buffalo parish, is attended each week from Riverton. Mass is said each Thurs- day morning for the Catholic in- mates. his teaching post in Chicago. Father Church of St. Bartholomew, Murrayville, Morgan County, Illinois Established in 1883. Present Pastor : Reverend Christopher S. Bell. The preliminary steps towards the building of a Catholic Church at Mur- rayville, Morgan County, were taken in the summer of 1883, by Reverend Timothy Hickey, at that time pastor of Our Saviour's Church, Jackson- ville, Illinois. The first meeting for this purpose was held at Martin Con- nolly's home. At this meeting a com- mittee was appointed to select a site for the proposed church. Father Hickey, Thomas Siebert, and Denis Corbett were chosen and after looking over several places a suitable location was finally secured for $100. Other meetings were held at which $3,000 was subscribed, trustees appointed and a building committee selected. On October 9, 1883, the Board of Trus- tees entered into a contract with J. W. Bowen of Jacksonville for the con- struction of a brick church. The cost of the building was $3,100, the brick and sand being furnished by the con- gregation. October 21, 1883, saw the laying of the corner-stone of the new church. On February 10, 1884, the first Mass in the new building was said by Father Hickey. In the Spring of 1885, Reverend J. Dietrich was appointed first rector of Murrayville but on account of failing health, lie was soon forced to seek a milder climate, but not before he had won the lasting esteem and affection of his people. He was succeeded by Reverend Clemens Johannes who re- mained only for four weeks. Reverend Patrick O 'Fallon of Montreal, Canada, now became the first resident pastor. This was in 1885. During his stay of about two years, a comfortable and well-furnished parochial residence was built. On Sunday, May 22, 1887, Father O 'Fal- lon bade farewell to his people and went to St. Patrick, Alton, exchang- ing places with Reverend James A. Cassidy, who took pastoral care of Murrayville until his death three years afterwards. Reverend Thomas O'Rielly next took charge, and after three years was succeeded by Reverend Thomas O'Hara who governed the congrega- tion wisely and well for the seven years between 1893 and 1900. Father O'Hara was, as the saying is, "A good mixer." He had a very pleasant and amiable disposition which enabled him to entirely win the hearts of his congregation and make many friends among the non-Catholic element of the community. In 1900 he was sent to take charge of Petersburg, his place at Murrayville being taken by Rev- erend Edward McGowan, one of the veteran priests of the Diocese. The latter 's health had been so poor when he had assumed charge that even this wholesome, quiet, country parisli could not restore it. He died in 1905, and now lies buried in the parish cemetery which he purchased during his pastorate. From 1905 to 1912, during which time Reverend Eugene McGuire was pastor, great changes took place in the parish. The old church which had become unsafe and unfit for di- vine worship as well as too small to 443 MOi ! •: -T OK SHMNOFIELD [N ILLINOIS accommodate the growing congrega- tion, was torn down and a contract let to J. Wokke of Jacksonville, Illinois, to construct a new pressed brick church, 100x50 feet, and Gothic in style. The corner-stone of the new edifice was pul in place on September 23, 1906, Very Reverend Dean Crowe officiating. On July 21 of the fol- lowing year, Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., assisted by many of his priests, dedicated the new handsome church now completed. Very fitting- ly, indeed, Reverend Timothy Hickey, under whose direction the first church was built, was chosen to preach the dedication sermon of the new one. In the meantime, the beautiful main altar — the gift of Michael Dolan — was put in place; an excellent steam-heating plant was installed, and new pews replaced the old ones. These improvements contributed much to the appearance and comfort of the new church. The total cost of the new structure amounted to about $21,000. At the present time it could scarcely be dupli- cated for three times that amount. The building of such a beautiful and substantial edifice and the paying for it in a few years, must be attributed to the co-operative faith and zeal of the pastor and his congregation. Father McGuire left Murrayville in 1912 and was succeeded by Rev- erend McCawley. During the two- year stay of the latter, the rectory was remodelled, and two side altars, the gift of William Begnal, put in the church. Reverend J. Ilealy, Father McCawley 's successor, died nine months after assuming charge. From 1915 to 1922, Father Ed- mund Flynn was pastor. During his term there, a new organ and two beau- tiful statues were added. On September 22, 1922, Reverend Peter Paul McGuinness became pas- tor and continued in charge until 1926, in which year he was promoted to Morrisonville. Father McGuinness, during his four-year pastorate, worked hard for the spiritual ad- vancement of his people and the ma- terial beauty of God's House. He frescoed the church, put in new Sta- tions of the Cross, a new tabernacle, sanctuary lamp, a baptismal font, vestments, and made many other im- provements which were badly needed. Father McGuinness is a dynamic little Irishman. He is indeed small in the flesh but big in the spirit. His priestly life is proof positive that good goods come in small parcels. The following societies exist in the parish and do good work along their several lines : The Rosary Society, founded by Father O 'Hara ; Immacu- late Conception Sodality, by Father McGuire ; Sacred Heart League, by Father Flynn; Catholic Ladies' Club and Eucharistic League, by Father McGuinness. Among the first members of this congregation were Anna Murphy, Martin Connolly, Anthony Koyne, Patrick Dolan, Bryan Tracy, Richard Welsh, William Begnel, Michael Con- ley, James Ring, Morris O'Donnell, John O'Connell, Patrick Delaney, John Doolan, Jeremiah Doolin, John Farrell, Jeremiah Sullivan, Dennis Corbett, M. J. Clerihan, Michael Te- han, James Burns, James McCabe, Stephen Conlon, Thomas Maloney, Martin Ward, Owen Reardon, John Dougherty, Michael Dolan, Michael Rohan, John Phelan, James Burke, Patrick Sheridan, Thomas Seaver, Edward Tobin, Michael Carrigan, Jeremiah Doolin, Thomas Clerihan, Michael Ring, Patrick Burkery, Pat- rick Carrigan, Mrs. Mary Sheehan, Patrick MacDonough, Patrick Shee- han, Jr., Michael Crowe, James D. Lawless, Arthur Kings] ey, W. J. Kellegher, Patrick O'Brien, William Sullivan, John Sheehan, William Phelan, Edward Connors, Michael Crowley and Patrick Dowling. The oldest parishioners living today in the parish, who saw the building of the first church, are : John Gougherty, John Farrell, Michael Crawley, and Jeremiah Doolin. Sixteen young men from Murray- ville saw service in the World War. That the Faith is strong in the parish 444 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. is evident from the number of its sons and daughters who have entered re- ligion. It gave to the priesthood Fathers Thomas Connolly, Luke Man- deville, and George Hobbs; to the brotherhood, Milliam Mandeville ; and to the sisterhood, Mary Gougherty, Margaret Mandeville, Elizabeth Man- deville, Mary Langdon, Mary Ring, Mary Mandeville, Margaret Murphy, Emma Mandeville, Clara Flynn, Ser- ena Connolly, Rose Walsh, Philo- mena Murphy and Marie Hobbs. The parish is today in a flourishing condition, and ranks as one of the substantial country parishes of the Diocese. At the present writing, the genial Father Bell, formerly pastor of Morrisonville, is in charge. Church of St. Aloysius, Litchfield, Montgomery County, Illinois. Established in 1883. Present Pastor: Reverend Anthony J. Stengel. In the year 1883, the German-speak- ing Catholics of Litchfield banded to- gether and after receiving permission from the Bishop, Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, began, with the assistance of Father John Storp who was pastor of St. Agnes church of Hillsboro, the erection of a church un- der the title of St. Aloysius. In Nov- ember of the same year the new frame church was dedicated by Bishop Bal- tes who appointed Reverend Joseph Dechene as first pastor. During his first year, Father Dechene built the parsonage. The number of families (about twenty-five) was small but they were full of zeal and had great hopes for the future and expected the parish to grow as the city of Litch- field had the location and facilities to become a business center. Father Dechene was pastor from November, 1883 until June, 1890, in which latter year Reverend George Pasch became his successor, remain- ing until June, 1924. The next priest to take charge of the parish was Father E. H. Schonlan. His pastorate continued to 1906. In that year he took a leave of absence and returned to his home in Germany for a vaca- tion of two years. During his absence the parish was cared for by Reverend Joseph Kopp. Father Schonlon on returning, continued as pastor of St. Aloysius until September, 1911, in which year he resigned and returned again to his native land. Then Father Wubbe took temporary charge of the parish until the appointment of Reverend James A. Telken as rec- tor in 1911. Father Telken con- tinued in charge until July 1, 1919, when he was replaced by the present pastor, Reverend Anthony J. Stengel. The school established in the early years, never prospered but rather dragged on for some years with vary- ing success conducted by lay teachers until finally it was discontinued be- cause of the small number of children. The parish, the past few years, seems to be improving. The number of chil- dren of school age has increased to fifty, and the families now number seventy. In 1920 the parsonage was put in good condition and now the members of the parish are all zeal and earnest- ness, collecting and raising funds for a new church to replace the old frame, which has more than served its time. Three parish societies — Young Ladies', Women, and Holy Name So- cieties — work with commendable zeal in a unified endeavor to raise suf- ficient funds for a new and substan- tial building to replace the old frame church. In addition to the above so- cieties the congregation has a flour- ishing branch of the Propagation of the Faith. The outlook for the future is bright. 445 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Since the above mentioned article was composed, Father Stengel with the encouragement and support of his congregation has decided to build the new church, long a dream of the Ger- man Catholic residents and now to be a fact in brick and mortar. According to architect's drawings this will be a Romanesque brick church, with slate roof and stone trimmings. The church will front to the west, with the tower on the north- west corner. The dimensions will be one hundred and three feet by forty- two feet. There will be two sacristies, large and roomy and the one on the south will serve as a winter chapel. The interior is described as follows : Red brick to bottom of windows, side walls plastered, ceiling in wood panels, rubber tile flooring in the Sanctuary and the remainder of the church in yellow pine. Two rows of pews will flank the wide center aisle. Seating capacity will be three hundred. The local weekly Litchfield paper gave the following description of the cornerstone laying service on July 8, 1928: "The cornerstone of St. Aloysius Church was laid Sunday afternoon with appropriate services. Right Reverend James Griffin, D.D., Bishop of the Springfield Diocese was unable to be present on account of attending a funeral in Tennessee and he sent Monsignor M. A. Tarrent and Mon- signor Amos E. Giusti as his special representatives. Monsignor Tarrent had charge of the services and laid the cornerstone in place. Ceremonies were held on the platform erected at the east end of the church foundation, while the cornerstone was laid on the southwest corner. The following as- sisted besides the Monsignors in the services : Dean P. F. Carroll and Reverend C. Snyder of this city ; Jno. B. Franz, Farmersville ; L. J. Mc- Donald, Mt. Olive; Jno. P. Moroney and Jas. E. Drackert, Pana; John M. Heslin, Ilillsboro ; P>. Scheffer, St. Louis; P. H. Masterson, Staunton; C. Johannes, Nokomis; C. Knaperek, Mt. Olive; Marc Marangos, Livings- ton; John Crosson, Gillespie and A. M. Jaschke, Springfield. Reverend A. J. Stengel the pastor was in reality the master of cere- monies. He aided in the laying of the cornerstone and introduced Mayor II. E. Kennedy who in a very capable manner welcomed the visitors, com- plimented Reverend Stengel and his parishioners in their efforts and paid a high tribute to churches and their worth to a community. Mayor Ken- nedy was given a good round of applause. Dr. George Sillier, Jr., of the Litch- field Community High School was introduced and he too paid a high compliment to Reverend Stengel and his congregation. Dr. Sillier stated that religion and education were in- separable. He closed his talk by asking all to be tolerant. Monsignor Tarrent delivered the address in behalf of Bishop Griffin. He complimented Reverend Stengel on his congregation. Also the Mayor and Dr. Sihler on the good will ex- pressed by them. Monsignor Tarrent is a splendid talker and his sermon contained much food for thought. Among the spectators at the corner- stone laying was Mrs. Weigers, the oldest member of the congregation. She is 86 years of age. The services had hardly closed when a storm broke and rain fell in torrents. The ladies of the church served dinner at the Chamber of Commerce rooms. Besides various relics, medals, coins, picture of the old church, copies of the Litchfield Daily Union and News Herald and the American Tribune, a document containing the following words were placed in the copper box placed in the cornerstone. St. Aloysius Church Litchfield, 111. All that in time to come will see this writing, I hereby greet as pastor Anthony John Stengel In the year of Our Lord 1928, on the 8th day of July of this same year, 446 THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. the cornerstone of this church being built to the honor of God, under the patronage of the youth and confessor St. Aloysius was blessed and placed by the Right Reverend Bishop, James Aloysius Griffin, D.D., Bishop by the grace of God and the Apostolic See of Springfield, in Illinois of whose diocese St. Aloysius Parish has been a most devoted daughter these past 45 years. While church and civil authorities are co-operating so won- derfully in this year of election of a new president of our beloved repub- lic, it is these very representatives of our present day that greet you of the future. Calvin Coolidge, President of the U. S. of America. Len Small, Governor of the State of Illinois. Harry Kennedy, Mayor of the City of Litchfield, 111. Church of the Sacred Heart, Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois. Established in 1884. Present Pastor: Reverend William Quatman. In the course of time the SS. Peter and Paul congregation of Springfield, Illinois, established for Catholics of German descent, had grown so numer- ous that it became necessary to either enlarge the church considerably, or organize a new parish in another part of the city. The latter alternative was deemed the more satisfactory solution of the problem. In the early eighties when this ques- tion was again debated that portion of SS. Peter and Paul congregation living in the southeast part of Spring- field held a meeting at which it was decided to petition the Bishop for per- mission to organize a new parish and build a church. Reverend Charles Kreckenberg, lately from Germany and recently ordained, being then As- sistant Pastor of SS. Peter and Paul 's took a leading part in the movement. A delegation was sent to Bishop Bal- tes, who readily approved of the plan, and appointed Father Kreckenberg pastor of the new parish February 5, 1884. That same year the parish was duly incorporated. The site selected for the new build- ing is situated between 12th and 13th streets, and Cook street and Lawrence Avenue, comprising twelve lots, six facing 12th street and six 13th street. The purchase price for this ground was $4,100.00 which included also a dwelling house and out-build- ings located on the lots. The dwelling house at first served as a rectory and when later on a new rectory was built, it served for a number of years as a home for the School Sisters. Plans and specifications having been approved by the Bishop, the erection of a two-story brick building 73x57 feet on 12th street was begun June 1, 1884. The corner-stone was laid on June 22, 1884, and the dedi- cation of the new combination build- ing, now complete, took place with due solemnity on September 8th of that same year. The upper floor served as a temporary church and the lower floor as a school. Records show that towards the close of 1884, the year of its establishment, the new par- ish numbered about one hundred families representing the German, Dutch, Hungarian, Carniolan and Slavonian nationalities. The Germans then, as now, formed the bulk of the congregation. In 1885 the new Sacred Heart church witnessed the First Solemn Communion within its walls, twenty youthful parishioners being the happy recipients; in 1886, its first Forty Hours; in 1891, its first mis- sion, and in 1892, its first Confirma- tion class consisting of seventy-five persons. Just a decade of years was the use- ful life of tli is temporary church, for by 1894 it had grown entirely too small to accommodate the growing 447 DIOCESE OF SPKINGEIELD IN ILLINOIS congregation, and a new and more spacious building became an impera- tive necessity. After preliminaries were attended to, the contract for the new church was let to Mr. Otto Mil- ler at a cost of $19,550.00. Work was now immediately begun on the foun- dation December 20, 1894, but was temporarily halted because of inclem- ent weather. The laying of the cor- ner-stone took place March 29, 1895, and the dedication, with Bishop Ryan officiating, on December 8th of the same year. Since then many improvements have been made on the new church, principally by way of furnishings. In 1904 the main altar was erected at a cost of $1,000.00. A number of beautiful statues, which added great- ly to the appearance of the church, were also installed. In 1908 the or- gan too was repaired to the extent of $1,200.00. The following year saw, by happy coincidence, the double celebration of the Silver Jubilee of the Pastor and Parish. Pastor and people could now look back with consoling gratitude to the splendid work accomplished in happy co-operation during those twenty-five years. The organization of St. Barbara Parish in 1911 lessened appreciably the membership of Sacred Heart, drawing from it several members of non-German descent. There was a falling-off also during the World War and immediately after it. The result is that today the congregation has dropped somewhat below the two hun- dred family line. After founding and faithfully serv- ing Sacred Heart for thirty-six years, Father Kreckenberg, at his own re- quest, was transferred on June 20, 1920, to the Chaplaincy of St. Vin- cent's Old People's Home, Quincy, where he is still stationed. A successor to Father Kreckenberg was named in the person of Reverend John W. Merscher. His path for the first few years was not unduly easy. The whole parish plant was badly in need of repairs. To meet the most urgent of these, a sum of $4,000.00 was collected before the end of the first year. With this money the church property was put in tolerable shape for the time being. In 1925 a splendid new pipe organ was built and installed by the Wick Pipe Organ Company of Highland, at a cost of $4,000.00. It was blessed by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., shortly after its installation in the church. So far, nothing has been said of the school which has been in existence since the foundation of the Parish. On September 9, 1884, Sacred Heart School was opened in the lower rooms of the two-story combination build- ing to which reference has been made. The opening saw an attendance of 100 pupils under a lay teacher. Two years later a second teacher was add- ed. In 1887 two Sisters of St. Fran- cis from Joliet, Illinois, arrived to take charge of the upper grades. Finally in the year 1888 all classes were put in the hands of the Fran- ciscan Sisters. The old residence of the School Sis- ters, having in the course of time be- come unfit for habitation, a new one was erected for them at a cost of $2,000.00 by Contractor J. K. Buedel. In 1911 a new school building, erected for $18,000.00, replaced the old one which was now too small to accommodate the large number of pupils. The school was blessed Sep- tember 3, 1911, and two days later opened with an enrollment of three hundred pupils, and six Sisters in charge. The present attendance is 250 with a teaching staff of seven Sis- ters. During all these years of which we have made a historical summary, many useful donations, which space does not permit specifically to re- count, have been made to Sacred Heart Church by members of the con- gregation. Here are some of the out- standing donors whose names it is a pleasure to recall : Mr. and Mrs. An- ton Dirksen, J. Eberle, Carl Groesch, Henry Elshoff, Joseph Lorscheider, 448 Murrayville — St. Bartholomew's Church, Her. c. 8. Bell, Patrick's Church . . . Litchfield — St. Aloysius Church, Bei L, Sprmyfield — Sacred Heart School, Parish Hall, Rectory, Rev. Sacred Heart Church, Convent. I'u si or . . . Qirard — St. ■I. Stengel, Pastor . . W. I,. Quatman, Pastor. m LIBMBY BFlht UHlVEHSltt OF IIJUWHS THE EPISCOPATE OF RIGHT REVEREND PETER JOSEPH BALTES, D.D. G. Hofferkamp, and Freda Kraus. Of the above donors, the Dirksens were particularly generous. The different parish societies too have always acted commendably in this respect. Sacred Heart Parish has given to the Priesthood Fathers Antonellus Bleser, Agnell Bleser, August Hohl and Charles Schneider ; and to the Sisterhoods, Sisters Carolina Kohlbecker, Cornelia Bleser, Anne Ettelbrick, Dominica Groesch, Adolphina Hohl, Petronia Kohlbeck- er, Alma Rothermel, Amabilis Weit- zel, Sylvina Staab, Olga Lofy, Feb- ronia Maier, Reginia Bleser, Rose Mary Kramp, Florence Keefner, Pia Kibile, and Louise Zint. At the present time the parish has 192 families with an approximate total of 910 souls all told. It has sev- eral well-organized societies that make a strong appeal to the parishion- ers along the lines of social and civic betterment. Due to a protracted illness which incapacitated him for pastoral work, and on the advice of his physician, Father Merscher resigned his parish in June, 1927, and took up his resi- dence at St. John's hospital, Spring- field, in an effort to regain his shat- tered health. Meanwhile Reverend George Faller administered Sacred Heart until the succeeding August when a regular pastor was appointed in the person of the popular and amiable Father William Quatman, formerly incumbent of Sigel. Church op the Sacred Heart, Franklin, Morgan County, Illinois. Established in 1886. Present Pastor : Reverend Edmund D. Butler. Franklin, Morgan County, Illi- nois, was visited by Reverend Patrick Joseph O'Rielly, rector of St. Cath- erine Church, Virden, with a view of building a place of worship for the Catholics of that neighborhood. The corner-stone of the new church was laid June 18, 1886, and it was dedi- cated March 18, of the same year. It was a handsome wooden structure, 100x40 feet with a seating capacity of 400, costing $10,000. The beauti- ful parochial residence was built the same year. On May 4, 1893, the church and parochial residence were completely destroyed by fire. The pastor, noth- ing daunted, assembled his faithful little flock and once again resolved to rebuild. The corner-stone of the new church was laid August 15, 1893, by Bishop Ryan, who came all the way from Alton to encourage the people. Five months later, on January 1, 1894, Mass was said in the new church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This new church was even more beautiful than the first one; larger and more substantial. It was a brick structure 120x46 feet with a seating capacity of 500, costing $18,000. The spire is 190 feet high, surmount- ed by a golden cross which can be seen for miles. At the call of the plucky rector, members of the con- gregation supplied the church with the articles necessary for Catholic worship. Outsiders helped members, two local bankers giving $250 each. The parochial residence was also replaced. Well might the pastor and people feel proud of their Herculean feat of building in the short space of eight years two such beautiful churches. It remains as a monument to the zeal of the pastor and to the faith and loyalty of the people. Thirty-two years have now elapsed since the church was erected, and during these years much progress has been made in every sphere, but even today the church is up to date in every detail. In 1897 Father O'Rielly was promoted to St. Patrick, Alton, and was succeeded in Franklin by Reverend Patrick A. Lyons. Reverend Father Lyons remained until the fall of 1904. During t%at 449 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS time the active congregation was well cared for by the energetic pastor. He spent his time in completing the work that always remains to be done in a new parish. He also did much towards reducing the debt. The next pastor was Reverend Wil- liam McGuire who died here in March, 1914. Father McGuire was of a kind and amiable disposition, and during his ten years as pastor, the parish grew in temporal and spiritual wealth. He purchased the old Meth- odist church, which now stands on the west corner of the property and bears the name of Marquette Hall. His foresight in purchasing this building has been well appreciated, as ever since it has been used by the members of the parish for their social affairs. During the long winters, many enjoy- able evenings have been spent in social entertainment under the supervision of the pastors since his day. It was also used during the summer of 1925 for church services while the church was being frescoed and repaired. It has proved a blessing to the people of the church and community. Father McGuire 's place was filled by Reverend Andrew Smith, who came here from Decatur, Illinois. During his stay he continued the work of beautifying the church and property under his charge. He en- larged the Marquette Hall building, the stage and basement kitchen. His years here were years of active serv- ice. He got together the talent of the parish and staged two plays each year. He equipped the hall, and with the aid of the ladies of the parish purchased articles for kitchen of hall for suppers and picnics. He installed electric light fixtures in the church, house and hall added to the church furniture a tabernacle safe, and had the beautiful high altar decorated, and when he left here in January, 1925, everything was in first-class condition. During the trying days of the World War he lent his able aid in all branches of war work, Red Cross, Liberty Bonds, etc. He is now engaged in building the new St. Thomas Church, at Decatur, Illinois. In January, 1925, Reverend Ed- mund D. Butler succeeded Father Smith as pastor of Sacred Heart Church. After his arrival his first task was to engage Max Autenrieb, church decorator of Edwardsville, Illinois, to paint and decorate the church. The work was started in April and concluded in July, 1925. The contract called for and was exe- cuted in three coats of oil painting in flat finish, wood-work grained and finished and fifteen pictures in light proof oil color. The lighting fixtures were also changed so as to be in keep- ing with the Gothic architecture of the building. The following are the names of the first members of Sacred Heart church : Anton Bergschneider, Joseph Bergschneider, Charles Lynch, Mrs. Lukeman, Martin Ryan, John Eck, Joseph Scheferkort, Michael Ryan, John Fitzjohn, Michael Kenney, Wil- liam Ludwig, James McDonald, Miles Lyons, John Mooney, Mrs. Angela Yunker, James Whalen, Patrick Har- mon, John Ryan, Thomas Harmon, Patrick Ryan, William Treacy, John Harmon, John Ryan, John Lukeman, James Feore, Patrick Murphy, Felix Schanle, John Gorman, Owen Doyle, Thomas Gavin, Joe Kumle, Thomas Walsh, Mike Crowley, John Wagner, and Thomas Johnson. In 1909, the people of Alexander having received permission to build a church, then laid the corner-stone of their new church, which took all the families living north of the three and a half mile line from Franklin. Just a few of the old settlers left in the parish are Mrs. Jane Ryan, Mrs. James Whalen, and Mrs. Lynch. Reverend Thomas Harmon of the Chicago Archdiocese was born in Sacred Heart parisli of Franklin, also Sister Sextus of the Dominican Con- vent, Springfield, daughter of Joseph Bergschneider, and Sister M. Eliza- beth Kenney of the Franciscan Order of Peoria. 450 the episcopate of right reverend peter joseph baltes, d.d. Mission of St. Patrick, Girard, Macoupin County, Illinois. Established in 1887. Present Pastor : Reverend George J. Kenney. St. Patrick Church, Girard, a small frame structure, was erected in 1887 by Reverend Patrick Joseph 'Reilly, then pastor of St. Catherine, Virden. From the earliest date to the pres- ent time Girard has received its spir- itual attention from the pastors of Virden. The late Very Reverend Timothy Hickey said Mass there in 1873. 1873 — 1881. Mass was celebrated about twice a year, generally at Christmas and Easter. 1881—1885. Starting with the pas- torate of Reverend Jeremiah Murphy, Mass was said once a month in the William Mcranor home on South Third street. In 1885 Father 'Reilly rented the second story of the Ahern building, the present Girard State Bank Build- ing, and fitted it up for a temporary church. This hall was used for serv- ices until the present church was com- pleted in 1887. From the time the Ahern building was used as church, Girard has had Mass three or four Sundays a month. Of the thirty families that helped to erect this mission church, Mrs. Peter Whalen, Mrs. Bridget Driseoll, Mr. James McDonald, Mrs. Mary Young, and Elizabeth Sheehan re- main. The present congregation of Girard numbers about fifteen families. 451 Kn.iii Reverend James Ryax, I). I)., (Dec'd) Bishop of Allan 1888— 1928 MNER&OT Of W«* CHAPTER X The Episcopacy of Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D. 1888 to 1923 The administration of Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., was the longest and carried through a very important period in the history of the Diocese. Changes of extreme importance took place in the Diocese as well as throughout the country during Bishop Ryan's regime. Such was the change of conditions that Church work, as well as almost everything else, came to be un- dertaken on a constantly increasing scale. The small Church and the primitive schools and institutions no longer satisfied either the requirements or the tastes of those interested, and the new structures replacing the older and simpler ones not only outshone the former, but cost what would formerly ap- pear to be fabulous sums of money. It is gratifying, however, to note that the Diocese kept pace with the general progress and it is really surprising to find uniformly fine churches, schools and institutions throughout the Diocese. In former administrations, the interior difficulties were confined within much narrower limits than those of Bishop Ryan's time. The one difficulty former Bishops had to deal with was the contentions which arose between parishioners of Irish and those of German extraction. In those days of perhaps greater frankness, Germans wanted German priests, and the Irish wanted Eng- lish speaking priests. It was true, also, that the German laity was inclined to wish to control the Church to the exclusion, and if need be, against the wishes of the Pastor. However, the German Pastors were men of great strength and resource and usually succeeded in exercising sufficient control to advance the best interests of the parish. During Bishop Ryan's episcopate a somewhat similar situation arose, but with new classes of people. The railroads and coal mines, as well as other in- dustrial enterprises brought into various parts of the Diocese large numbers of Poles, Bohemians, Lithuanians, Slavs and every class of immigrants from the south of Europe, practically all of whom were Catholics and many of whom, when they became somewhat prosperous, displayed a very belligerent nature. Each separate nationality desired a Church of its own and a priest of the same nationality. So far as possible these demands were acceded to, but despite the best efforts of the Bishop it will be seen, as the parish histories are scanned, there were many heated controversies, and it is rather amusing to note that after the good Bishop had tried every foreign speaking priest available in a belligerent parish, he could succeed in bringing about good working conditions by sending a big, vigorous Irish priest into the parish. This type of Pastor usually brought order out of chaos and confusion. 453 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS As many of the clergy and laity that made up the membership of the Church during Bishop Ryan's regime are still living the parish sketches which follow will be found very interesting to the reader. Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D. Bishop Ryan was born June 17, 1848 near Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland. His parents emigrated to this country in 1855 and settled in Louis- ville, Kentucky. His father died soon after, and left the mother to struggle in a strange land to maintain and educate the future Bishop of Alton and his sister a little older than himself. In the parochial school in Louisville he at- tracted the attention of Bishop Martin John Spalding, then Bishop of Louis- ville, who took the boy into his house, and later sent him, at the age of fourteen, to St. Thomas Seminary near Bardstown, an institution rich in the traditions of the holy and eminent men who had founded and directed it, imbuing the students with an excellent ecclesiastical spirit that descended down the years. Here during a six years' course he acquired a knowledge of the classics and of philosophy under the able Fathers Chambige, Chazal, Martin, Russel and Eugene Crane. After a divinity course at St. Joseph and Preston Park Semin- ary he was ordained a priest by Right Reverend William George McCloskey in his Cathedral in Louisville on the 24th day of December, 1871. Reverend John Lancaster Spalding, afterwards Bishop of Peoria, preached the sermon on the occasion. Father Ryan's first appointment was to St. Thomas' as assistant to Rev- erend Lacoste. The following year he was sent to St. Martin's Church, Meade County, Kentucky, with Saint Patrick's Mission in Hardin County, and St. Mary's in Bullitt County. There was no parochial residence at any of these churches, and he set to work to erect a suitable dwelling at St. Martin's. In 1873 he was transferred to Elizabethtown as rector of St. James' Church, with missions at Nolin and Colesburg in Hardin County. When summer of that year came, he found the cholera thinning his flock, in one instance carrying off suc- cessively every member of the family. The young priest was prompt and un- tiring in his attendance on the sick. In 1874 Father Ryan was sent, at his own request to St. J oseph's College at Bardstown, Kentucky, where he was a professor for the next four years. St. Joseph's College had peculiar attractions for Father Ryan. It had been the home of Bishops Flaget, David, Kenrick and Spalding, and the nursery which had supplied Kentucky with devoted and earnest missionaries. The grand old Cathedral still stands as a monument of the glorious past. When Right Reverend John Lancaster Spalding was appointed to the new diocese of Peoria, Father Ryan was permitted to give his services to the head of the new diocese. Bishop Spalding placed him at Wataga in Knox County, Illinois, where he collected money and completed an unfinished church Then he was transferred to Danville, Illinois, where the congregation had outgrown the capacity of its little church. The active young priest soon secured a site in 454 THE EPISCOPACY OF RIGHT REVEREND JAMES RYAN, D.D. the center of the thriving city, erected a church at a cost of $23,000 unen- cumbered by any debt. In 1881 Father Ryan succeeded Dean Terry at St. Columba's Church in Ottawa. Here he commenced the foundation of a new church which the dif- ficulties of the times had previously prevented from rising. In the spring of 1882, Father Ryan took up the work earnestly, and to his own joy and that of his flock, had it dedicated by Bishop Spalding on the feast of Corpus Christi in 1884. It had cost $70,000 but the resources had been admirably managed, and at the dedication the debt did not exceed $15,000. In 1888 the Diocese of Alton was divided and the new see of Belleville was established, and Alton retained only the northern half of the former bishopric. On the twenty-eighth day of February of that year Reverend James Ryan was nominated Bishop of Alton. He was solemnly consecrated on the feast of St. James, May 1, 1888. Right Reverend John Lancaster Spalding, Bishop of Peoria, was the consecrator. He was assisted by Right Reverend erend William George McCloskey of Louisville, Kentucky, and Right Reverend John Janssen the recently consecrated Bishop of Belleville. Most Reverend Patrick A. Feehan, Archbishop of Chicago, preached the sermon. Bishop Chatard of Vincennes and Bishop Cosgrove of Davenport attended the con- secration. Bishop Ryan was a lover of books, and the studious quiet had many attrac- tions for him ; but he had led a life of such active usefulness in the ministry that he brought with him to the government of the Diocese ripened experience, learning, prudence and zeal. Immediately after his consecration he began a period of intensive work, touring his diocese, confirming large classes, conse- crating churches and schools, assisting at religious professions and other similar duties. He soon learned to know his diocese. He possessed a peculiar faculty of retaining names and faces and on his parish visitation it was surprising how easily he recollected persons whom ho had seen but once and after a long in- terval of time. Ten months after his consecration, Bishop Ryan notified his clergy that the first Synod of Alton would be held on the 27th day of May, 1889, and that all the priests of the diocese, secular and regular, who had charge of souls should attend. The Synod convened in SS. Peter and Paul's Cathedral, Alton, on the day specified, with seventy-nine secular and six of the regular clergy present. Twelve secular and twenty-five regular members of the clergy were legitimate- ly absent. The Very Reverend Francis Hubert Zabel, D.D., was Promotor. Reverend Adam John Pennartz and Reverend John Patrick Kerr were the pro- curators of the clergy. Reverend Edward Lancaster Spalding was appointed Secretary, and Reverend E. J. Welsh, Master of Ceremonies. Solemn Pontifi- cal Mass " De Spiritu Sancto" was celebrated by the Right Reverend' Bishop, with Very Reverend Timothy Hickey, V.G., Assistant Priest. Reverend Fran- cis H. Zabel and Reverend A. Mueller, O.S.F., Deacons of Honor. Reverend Peter Peters, Deacon of the Mass, and Reverend James Harty, Sub-deacon. After Mass, the Bishop in cope, recited the prayers and addressed the clergy, 455 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS explaining the scope of the Synod, namely: "That the salutary decrees of the Second and Third Plenary Councils of Baltimore might efficaciously be put into practice, which had already in a great measure, been provided for by Right Reverend Peter J. Baltes in his Pastoral Instructions, and which, with a few things to be added or changed according to local conditions, are con- tained in a most convenient form in the Constitutions of the Diocese of Chi- cago." After the profession of Faith made by all kneeling and with uplifted right hands, the constitutions of the Synod were read. At 12:30 o'clock the fathers adjourned and reconvened at 2 P.M. when the reading of the Constitu- tion was continued, after which the Bishop and his Vicar General retired, lest their presence might impede a free discussion. The Reverend Fathers, with the Reverend Promotor presiding, freely and with due reverence expressed their views on the constitution just read. The procurators of the clergy then com- municated to the Right Reverend Bishop the additions and changes which had been suggested. The Bishop again addressed the Synod and replied in a few discreet words to the suggestions. He then appointed the Consultors, Deans, Fiscal Procurator and the other Diocesan officers. The Te Deum was solemnly sung, the Bishop's Blessing given and all departed in peace. Bishop Ryan was a strong pithy writer, with a style peculiarly his own. He did not write extensively, but as occasion offered he would issue a warn- ing or criticism or an advice sometimes of merely diocesan or local interest, often on subjects that were heavy and of international importance. It was a beautiful tribute he paid to Reverend Benedict J. Spalding, pas- tor of St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria, at the Months Mind of that worthy young priest, of which the following is an excerpt : "The Church of God! — the title of his book; it was the life-refrain of his heart in youth and manhood alike. Born in its bosom, cradled in its atmos- phere, having in his veins the blood of sires, who through generations of con- fiscation and penal law, political disability and social ban, had upheld with firm hands the banner of the true religion, profoundly read in the history of the Church, its martyrs and its confessors, its apostolic popes and mighty bishops, its missionaries of vast enterprise, exhaustless energy and invincible en- durance — his spirit had taken the case of its heroic mould. The chivalry of the old, old Faith was in his heart, the cross of the crusader on his breast. "And as self -forget fulness is a characteristic common to all such souls, so in him there was a disinterestedness that was complete. Touch himself, and he scarcely noticed it ; it was at most a passing annoyance. Touch an interest that duty or affection bid him guard, and he was a lion in the way, with a lion's cour- age and the lion's wrath. Even in his late illness, amidst the waste of long sickness, when he had to be helped from bed to his chair, this nobility of spirit strikingly appeared. He had something to impress on a friend, and high over the lassitude of mind and feebleness of frame, controlling, dominating them then as so often before, uprose the masculine will. In the firm, clear strokes of his pen no trace of his exhausted condition was to be detected by the closest scrutiny. He had fulfilled the saying of the Saviour, 'He that will save 456 THE EPISCOPACY OF RIGHT REVEREND JAMES RYAN, D.D. his soul must lose it.' He so poured himself out on what he had to do, so lost himself in it, that his work became his life. The honors of the Church — proffered him more than once — he put, because of failing health, aside, only to press with the more insistence on the duties which he had in hand. Vainly affection strove to warn and hold him back; again and again, with incomplete recovery, he hastened to his post. The heart that for years had borne the solici- tude of all its people had so gathered itself about his parish — its expiring ener- gies had so fixed themselves upon the completion of its church, the cathedral of the diocese, that it was only when convinced by physicians and relatives he must leave Peoria and St. Mary's that the high, gallant spirit yielded at last. Till that moment he had seemed to rally, but then the interest went out from life, and he turned from the world to God." Bishop Ryan was an American patriot to his heart's core, well versed in American history, with a strong dislike, even contempt, of England and of Eng- lish tyranny in her treatment of weaker peoples, like the Boers of South Africa, the American Indians and the inhabitants of India, which he branded as ex- termination, not civilization. He advocated the singing of the Star Spangled Banner, in its entirety, including the third stanza: "And where is that land, etc.", as our National anthem, instead of America, with its British refrain. He had an ardent love for Ireland, the land of his birth, and possessed a deep knowl- edge of her history and of her tyrannical treatment by England. Still, he would not yield his opinion to the views of many Irish patriots, who preferred anni- hilation rather than surrender even a little to the inevitable at the hands of the burly conquerer. He disapproved of the revival of the Irish language for the people, but advocated its preservation for its literary value in colleges and uni- versities, declaring that the multiplicity of tongues was the curse of Babel. Even greater than his patriotism was his love for his Church. His Church came before all, first and foremost. He had studied her history from his earliest years and knew it well; and he was not blind to her human weakness and im- perfections, even in high places. He was fearless in his advocacy of right, and he had a will that could not be moved or swerved when convinced that his views were correct. Bishop Ryan guarded his Diocese like a sentinel on the watch towers of Israel. Many a time some of the less vigilant of the clergy were called upon to explain breaches of church discipline in their parishes, especially dancing at church socials for profit, and the sale of intoxicants contrary to the Diocesan Constitution or the Council of Baltimore. Withal he was exceedingly kind to his priests and they loved him. Some regretted that he lead so secluded a life. They were anxious that he should show himself more to the public, that he might be seen more by the people ; but the humble Bishop kept his reserve and his dig- nity. He cared little for public applause. He desired the confidence and the respect of his priests and people, which he won and retained to the end. In his private life he was almost an ascetic, frugal, abstemious and a total abstainer from intoxicants. He was regular in his habits. Every morning, winter and summer, he would arise at 5 o'clock, and at 6 he would be in his 457 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS chapel to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice. This duty he fulfilled even on the morning of his death. Only two orphan boys were permitted to serve his Mass. His breakfast consisted of bread and coffee, nothing more. Dinner and supper were more substantial, but always light. His only indulgence was smoking. He loved his pipe and preferred it to the choicest cigars. On his return from par- ish visitations, where he would be supplied with the best Havanna filled cigars, he would go at once to his mantel for his meerschaum, for a whiff of Perique and Bull Durham. He enjoyed the blessing of good health all through his life, although his frame seemed frail and it is a very remarkable fact, that, from his tenth to his seventieth year, he never had a doctor, nor did he ever take even a pellet of medicine. His only remedy for any indisposition was abstinence from food. His voice was high and clear and resonant; and his singing in church was melodious and very pleasing. Bishop Ryan was an inveterate reader. When not engaged in active du- ties, he would spend his time reading. He would devour all kinds of books, heavy and light, magazines, biographies, even, for awhile, the fictions of stand- ard authors; but especially did he delight in reading historical works, and in keeping well versed in the current affairs of the world, as gleaned from the daily and weekly press. He never indulged in a regular siesta ; but if his eyes grew heavy, his head would recline upon his breast, and a short repose in his chair would refresh him. His memory was marvelous, and from his inveterate reading, he acquired a vast store of knowledge. He would converse most in- telligently, and often with a technical knowledge, whenever he had an oppor- tunity, upon almost any subject. He studied the affairs of nations and knew the merits and demerits of their great men and leaders; at the same time, he was at home in the field of sports. Especially was he devoted to our national game, so that he had a full knowledge of the professional baseball teams, not only their names, their captains, managers and other general information, but also the relative merits of individual players; and priests and young men whom he would meet upon the trains and elsewhere would wonder at his copious and versatile information. Bishop Ryan had a special regard and affection for the fatherless little ones of his diocese, which was evidenced throughout his whole episcopal career. In the early nineties he received a bequest of $10,000 from Charles L. Routt of Jacksonville, Illinois, and with it and some other funds at his disposal, in the year 1896 he erected an attractive addition on the Northeast side of the build- ing that had been acquired by his predecessor as a site for an orphanage. Ten years later, in 1906, he dismantled the old building which had served as a private residence, and began the erection of more commodious quarters, and completed them in 1908. The orphanage was then ready for the accommodation of two hundred children, and it was soon filled and crowded to its utmost ca- pacity. In the year 1914 Bishop Ryan was contemplating the erection of another addition, this time fire-proof throughout, and drawings were being prepared; but work on this building was never b9gun, owing partly to the 458 THE EPISCOPACY OP RIGHT REVEREND JAMES RYAN, D.D. world war, and to an epidemic of influenza which followed. Plans were then changed. A new site was acquired. A beautiful and choice tract of land, con- taining about thirteen acres, fronting on State Street in the 1400 Block, was purchased by the Bishop for an entirely new orphanage. Title to this prop- erty was acquired in March, 1919, and work was commenced at once. The building, including the basement of the chapel, was completed in 1923, free from incumbrance. It is a magnificent and a very imposing structure that cost a half million dollars. It is all fire-proof, and is supplied with elaborate and modern equipment. At its utmost capacity it will house five hundred chil- dren. It is a diocesan institution and is conducted by the Sisters of the Pre- cious Blood from Ruma, Illinois. The site of the orphanage was selected and purchased, the design of the building was furnished to the architects and the whole structure grew up to its spacious and imposing form under the close supervision of Reverend Michael A. Tarrent, its able and zealous chaplain, the happy selection of Bishop Ryan. Bishop Ryan died unexpectedly, almost suddenly, at the episcopal resi- dence in Alton, July 2, 1923, in his seventy-sixth year. According to his own wishes, which had been expressed on more than one occasion, he was buried in the priests' lot in St. Patricks' Cemetery, Alton, Illinois. His funeral took place from SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Friday morning, July 6. Archbishop, aft- erwards George Cardinal Mundelein of Chicago, was celebrant of the Pontifical Mass, and Archbishop John J. Glennon of St. Louis preached the sermon. The following Bishops were present in the sanctuary : Right Reverend Edmund M. Dunne, of Peoria ; Right Reverend Peter J. Muldoon, of Rockf ord ; Right Rev- erend Henry Althoff , of Belleville ; Right Reverend Edward F. Hoban, of Chi- cago ; Right Reverend Christopher Byrne, of Galveston ; Right Reverend Thom- as F. Lillis, of Kansas City. Besides many Monsignori and many nuns of vari- ous orders, more than two hundred priests attended the funeral. The Cathedral was crowded to its utmost capacity by the laity ; and so eager were the people to attend the services that the yard, street and hill-side swarmed with large num- bers who could not gain entrance, but who lingered until noon, when the serv- ices were concluded. An imposing monument has been erected over his grave. It is built in the form of a massive cross, of light Barre, Vermont granite, thirteen feet high, bush-hammered and carved. It cost two thousand dollars. It was erected by his Cathedral parishioners, and is expressive of their love and esteem. Requiescat in pace. — E. L. Spalding. PARISHES ESTABLISHED BY BISHOP RYAN Church of St. Agnes, Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois Established in 1888 Present Pastor : Reverend James J. Howard, D.D. In the year 1888 there were 33,000 lie. There were four Catholic inhabitants in and around Spring- churches in the city. Shortly after field ; of these about 7,000 were Catho- his consecration in 1888, Right Rev- 459 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS erend Bishop James Ryan established a fifth Parish. His letter reads as follows : "Alton, 111., Oct. 1. 1888. "The Reverend James J. Howard is hereby appointed to the charge of the new congregation of St. Agnes in Springfield, comprising that portion of the city south of Carpenter Street, and west of the main line of the Chi- cago & Alton Railway. James Ryan, Bishop of Alton." The new parish comprised old Springfield. The first house built in Springfield was located at the corner of Second and Jefferson Streets by a man named John Kelly. In the new district of St. Agnes Parish there were 180 Catholic families. Four cen- trally located lots on West Capitol Avenue and College Street were pur- chased from Mr. W. L. Pillsbury at a cost of $7,000. A two story frame house on the site became the rectory. Plans for the new church were drawn by Mr. N. H. Melcher of St. Louis, an architect who had designed and built more than one hundred churches. The general contract for the church was let for $16,900, to Mr. Timothy O'Brien, who sublet the stone work to Mr. J. L. Fortado; the brick work to Mr. Edward Ryan ; the metal work to Mr. William Foster ; the plastering to Mr. John Shaughnessy and the paint- ing to Mr. Thomas Armstrong. The corner stone of St. Agnes Church was blessed by Bishop Ryan on Sunday afternoon, August 25, 1889. Solemn Mass had been sung in the morning in the Church of the Im- maculate Conception and at 2 :45 P.M. the procession formed at the corner of Seventh and Monroe Streets and started to the new site. Mr. William Reilly was Marshal, assisted by Mr. John Foster. This parade was a grand spectacle ; hundreds of men were in line in uniform or plain attire, while over the heads of all the American standard floated, accompanied by ec- clesiastical flags and the golden harp on the green banner of Erin. The Eighth Regiment Band of Springfield led the procession, followed by the plumed Catholic Knights of America, the Western Catholic Union, St. Vin- cent's Society, the Standard Band of Alton, the Ancient Order of Hibern- ians, the Foresters and Goodman's Band of Decatur. Bishop Ryan, Vicar-General Hickey and Fathers Pennartz, Daniel Ryan, Krekenberg and Hinssen rode. After the bless- ing of the corner-stone, Father Thom- as O 'Gorman, the President of St. Thomas College in St. Paul, who aft- erwards became the Bishop of Sioux Falls, preached an impressive ser- mon ; and Bishop Ryan and the Hon- orable James M. Graham also gave ad- dresses. It is estimated that be- tween 3,000 and 4,000 strangers came ;nto the city for this occasion. The Wabash brought a special train of seven coaches from Decatur and six from Jacksonville. The C. & A. brought seven special coaches from Alton and the C. P. & St. L. brought nine special cars from Alton. The first Mass in St. Agnes Church was offered on May 4, 1890, by Father Howard. The solemn dedication of the church took place on September 28, 1890. Bishop Ryan officiating and Bishop Spalding of Peoria preaching the sermon. Vicar-General Hickey sang the Mass, assisted by Fathers Pennartz and Ducey. The choir was assisted by Professor Worman and the Misses Elizabeth Biggins, Mamie Biggins and Lucy Biggins of the Cathedral Choir of Alton. St. Agnes' choir was composed of Miss Theresa Barry, Organist ; Mrs. John A. Ducey, Mrs. T. E. White, Mrs. More, Misses Nellie Barry, Margaret Mc- Gowan, Mary Hallahan, Mollie Stan- ley, Blanche Riley, Delia Gaffney, Mary O'Hara, Mary Dee, Mary Mc- Carthy, Mary Sammon, Mary Ma- honey and Anastasia Connelly, So- pranos. The contraltos were Misses Nellie and Mary O'Brien, Elizabeth Hallahan, Sarah McGowan, Anna Connelly, Bee Stanley, Kate Dunn, Margaret Dee and Nellie Brown. The bassos were Dr. J. D. Adelsberger and 460 THE EPISCOPACY OF RIGHT REVEREND JAMES RYAN, D.D. Mr. James Hallahan, Professor Leh- man's orchestra of twelve pieces as- sisted at the dedication. The names of some of the families who lived in St. Agnes' Parish when it first started, or soon thereafter, follow: Mr. J. B. Adelsberger and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bailey, Mrs. James Barry, Mrs. Elizabeth Burns, John Burke and wife, Patrick Brown and Mrs. Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Brennan, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Berry, Mr. Maurice Bargarye and wife, Mrs. Susan Camp, Mr. J. W. Carter and Mrs. Carter, Mr. Michael Carey and wife, Mr. Terence Conley and wife, Mr. Patrick Connelly and Mrs. Con- nelly, Mr. Peter Conlon and wife, Mr. Dennis Desmond and wife, Mr. Pat- rick Day and Mrs. Day, Mr. Henry Dirksen and wife, Mr. John Doocey and Mrs. Doocey, Mr. and Mrs. John Dineen, Mrs. Rose Earley, Mr. Thom- as Egan and wife, Mr. James Pagan, Mr. James Fitzgibbons and wife, Mr. Frank P. Fleming and wife, Mr. aud Mrs. John Federhen, Mrs. Mary R. Faith, Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Fitzpat- rick, Mr. John Flynn, Mr. "William Farris and wife, Mr. John B. Fischer and Mrs. Fischer, Mr. and Mrs. Pat- rick Feron, Mr. Timothy Fogarty and wife, Mr. Patrick Fitzgerald and wife, Mrs. Rose Fitzpatrick, Mr. Thomas Fitzpatrick and wife, Mrs. Catherine Foley, Mr. Michael Foley, Mrs. Mary Foley, Mr. and Mrs. James Foley, Mr. Michael Clancy and Mrs. Clancy, Mr. James Corbett and wife, Mr. Andrew Costello and wife, Mr. James Crowley and wife, Mr. Cormac Cunningham and wife, Mr. Augustine Cunningham and wife, Mr. Maurice Carrigan and wife, Mr. Patrick Daily and wife, Mr. James Dunn, Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Drury, Mr. James Done- Ian and wife, Mr. Patrick Dunphy and wife, Mr. and Mrs. George Dow- rlall, Mr. Michael Donohoe, Mr. Thomas Dee and Mrs. Dee, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hawley, Mr. Chas. Havey anad wife, Mrs. Catherine Haley, Miss Mary Haley, Mrs. Charles Jackson, Daniel Kelly and wife, Henry Kelly and wife, William Kane and wife, John Keating and wife, Patrick Kennedy, Miss Elizabeth Kinsella, John Kilkenny and sister, Mr. Michael Kirlin and Mrs. Kirlin, Bernard M. Kirlin and wife, James Kerwin and wife, John Kilday and wife, Fred Kessler and wife, Mrs. Mary Lorch, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Liddy, Mr. John Lawler and wife, Mr. C. M. LaBonte and wife, Mrs. Flora Leeder, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Leeder, Mrs. Hanora Long, J. C. Mel- don and Mrs. Meldon, Thomas Fogarty and wife, Mr. Fremiot and wife, Timothy Flynn and wife, Mrs. Johanna Gannon, Mrs. Mary Gannon, Bartholomew Gaffney and wife, Hugh Gallagher and wife, William J. Gil- more and wife, John Gusswein and wife, Mr. and Mrs. John Grady, Mar- tin Grady and wife, James Grant and Mrs. Grant, Mr. Thomas Grant, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Gahan, Mr. Charles Gebhardt and wife, Patrick Grace and wife, Albert Goulet and wife, Mr. Harvey Gyer, Mr. and Mrs. Michael E. Gorman, James Hawks and wife, Daniel Hallahan and wife, Robert Hoey and wife, John Hashman and wife, Miss Hattie Harris, Mr. Richard Hines and wife, Mrs. Hinder, Michael Hayes and wife, John Heatherman and wife, Mrs. Horine, Mr. and Mrs. James McGrath, Joseph Maggenti and wife, John Maher and wife, Mrs. Murray, Patrick Nolan and wife, Denis O'Brien and wife, Patrick O'Donnell and wife, Mrs. Margaret Power, Miss Margaret Pierik, Miss Quinn, Mr. James H. Ransford and Mrs. Ransford, Mrs. Kate Reeling, Mrs. Susan B. Riley, Martin Ryan and wife, John Sexton and wife, Thomas Sheehan and wife, Mrs. El- len Sheehan, John P. Stanley and wife, John W. Shaughnessy and wife, Mrs. Mary Shaughnessy, Michael Summers and wife, George Trotter and wife, James Tammany and wife, John Whalen and wife, William Walsh and wife, Frank Weber and wife, Thomas Wright and wife, Pat- rick J. Murphy and wife, Alfred Mes- ter and wife, Mr. Patrick Murphy, Michael McGowan and wife, Thomas 461 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Mernin and wife, Mrs. Bridget Mc- Graw, Silas Moore and wife, Mrs. Alice Murray, Maurice Murray and wife, Patrick Murray and wife, Wil- liam Murray and wife, Charles Mc- Bride and wife, Patrick Mulquinn and wife, Mrs. Margaret A. McCabe, Mr. Patrick Mahoney and Mrs. Ma- honey, John Mahoney and wife, Dan- iel Mahoney and wife, John McCor- mick and wife, Richard McGuire and wife, Mr. John McLain, Miss Alice McLain, John McLain and wife, James McLaughlin and wife, Mrs. Ellen McCarthy, Jeremias Mc- Carthy and wife, Stephen A. Moore and wife, J. C. McCarathy and wife, Michael Manning and wife, Thomas McMurray and wife, Law- rence Molloy and wife, Mrs. Hugh McRoberts, Mr. Tim Murray, Miss Mary Murray, Mr. Emil Neef and Mrs. Neef, Wm. O'Brien and wife, Jos. Power and wife, Mrs. Julia Pickett and her mother, Mrs. Hickey, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Pries, Edward Ransford and wife, Timothy Riordan and wife, Mr. Edward Reilly and wife, James Reilly and wife, Jeremiah Sexton and wife, Edward Sheehan and wife, William Shehan and wife, Thomas Sammon and wife, John Shaughnessy and wife, Mrs. Ann Stewart, Mrs. Mary Sinnott, Mrs. Jane Tuttle, Mr. John Tynan and wife, Mrs. Bridget Williams, Thomas E. White and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Mrs. Patrick Wall, Leo Warner and wife. St. Agnes' school was started in September, 1897, in a frame build- ing at the northeast corner of Spring and Monroe streets. Mother Joseph- ine, Sister Ceslaus and Sister Josepha, Dominican Nuns, were the first teach- ers. The second building, which is the present school, was built in 1913, at a cost of $54,000. Eight Sisters now teach. Shortly before the parish was divided in 1924 there were 520 children attending school. Sister Francis who was once a member of St. Agnes' Parish, is now the Superior. St. Agnes' Parish has given eight to the priesthood as follows : Fathers Thomas Costello, Amos Giusti, D.C.L., Edward O'Leary, S.J., Edward Ca- hill, Patrick Dolan, C.S.C., James Grady, Albert Drohan, C.P., George McConnell, C.P. In 1907 the first assistant priest sent to St. Agnes' parish to help Father Howard was Father Daniel J. Higgins. He remained seven years. Then came Father Thomas Calnan, who stayed two years. Following Father Calnan was Father Edmund Carey who resigned on account of ill health, and then came Father Tim- othy G. Smith, who spent nine years as assistant priest. Father Michael Kearns is now assistant to Father Howard having succeeded Father Timothy Smith. All were very de- voted, hard workers and much loved by the people. St. Agnes' parish gave over $21,000 to the new Catholic Orphans' Home in Alton, and subscribed $60,000 for the new Cathedral. There are four Masses on Sunday morning and Vespers are held in the evening. Every Friday afternoon the bell tolls at 3 :00 o 'clock in memory of the death of our Lord. Every eve- ning after the Angelus, the bell tolls to remind the people to pray for all those who have died in the world that day. At the Consecration in every High Mass the bell tolls to notify those who are at home to kneel down to welcome the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. In 1924 Right Reverend Bishop Griffin raised St. Agnes' parish to the dignity of an irremovable rectorship. Church of St. Mary, Neoga, Cumberland County, Illinois Established in 1889. Present Pastor : Reverend Michael Crowley. In 1889 Reverend James Vincent Martin was sent to Neoga to become its first resident priest. There being r.o church or priest's house then at 462 THE EPISCOPACY OP RIGHT REVEREND JAMES RYAN, D.D. Neoga, he purchased a home in the north part of town as a temporary residence from which he attended Trowbridge and Edgewood. Until the church was built at Neoga the few families in and around Neoga attended Mass at Trowbridge. Rever- end Patrick Lyons became pastor in 1891, occupying the home purchased by Father Martin. Father Lyons also attended Trowbridge and Edgewood. Reverend T. J. Butler was appoint- ed pastor in 1893, attending as his predecessors, Trowbridge and Edge- wood. In the summer of 1895, he com- menced the erection of the church at Neoga, receiving substantial financial aid from the non-Catholic business men of town. St. Mary's congrega- tion at that time numbered only eight or ten families. He purchased the ground on which the church is located from E. Jennings. When Father Butler left, Reverend Patrick R. Ducey was appointed pastor pro tern. Reverend William Murphy was ap- pointed pastor in 1896 and under his leadership the church was finished, the tower erected, the interior of the church plastered, pews and furnish- ings purchased. The church was dedicated by Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese, in August, 1897. Father Murphy then took charge of Neoga, Trowbridge and Edgewood. He occupied the residence pur- chased by Father Martin for a short time until a new rectory was built un- der his supervision. In 1901, Reverend Francis Kehoe became pastor, having charge of Neoga, Trowbridge and Edgewood. Edgewood was attended from Neoga until 1908. In 1902, Reverend John J. Corcoran was appointed pastor at Neoga and remained until 1906. Rev- erend Thomas McGrath succeeded Father Corcoran from 1906 to 1908. In 1908, Reverend Francis Curran was appointed pastor and attended Neoga and Trowbridge until July 1, 1917, when he was transferred to Pittsfield. On July 1, 1917, Reverend Patrick J. Beary became pastor. He attended Neoga and Trowbridge as did his predecessor, Father Curran. The first members of the congrega- tion were Joseph Mihlbachler and his son, John Mihlbachler, Fred Kline, William Hunk, Michael Donahoe, Jake Steger, Mrs. Hoffman, S. T. Worland, William Fosbinder and T. W. Worland. The old settlers were Joseph Mihlbachler and Michael Donahoe. Joseph Mihlbachler contributed generously towards the building of the church, not only financially, but helping with the work in general. His son, John Mihlbachler, donated the church bell. The few members of which the congregation was then com- posed gave unstintedly of their time and labor, helping financially as far as their means permitted. The congregation is principally of German ancestry, but all English speaking. Of the old parishioners only a few remain, namely : Mrs. Josephine Mihlbachler, S. T. Wor- land, and Mr. and Mrs. Fred Kline. Neoga is situated on the Illinois Central Railroad, has a population of twelve hundred and is noted for its excellent apple orchards and splendid quality of apples. The village was founded in 1856, on land owned by the Illinois Central Railroad, and Bacon and Jennings, speculators, who had purchased the land. The name Neoga is of Indian origin and signi- fies a "deer." The Illinois Central station bore this name before the town was thought of, but it is quite appropriate to the region where deer were once so numerous. St. Mary's congregation gave to the Dominican order : Rose Worland, known as Sister Rosanna, and Rach- ael Worland, known as Sister Mary Innocent. It also gave some of its sons to the world war. St. Mary's Church has at present twenty-five families, half of which are of the farmer class, the other half be- ing composed of business people and wage earners. The congregation, though not large, is active as can be seen from the appearance of the 463 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Church and rectory. Both church and rectory have seen many improve- ments within the past five or six years. The church which is a frame building, lias a new roof and is new- ly painted. The interior has been neatly frescoed, has a new altar, new organ, new statuary and is equipped with electric lights. The rectory which is also a frame building is in good repair and modernly equipped. Father Michael Crowley is the pres- ent pastor, this year of grace, 1927. Father Crowley succeeded Father Beary, who for reasons of health, was forced to go west. Church of the Ascension, Mt. Olive, Macoupin County, Illinois. Established in 1890. Present Pastor : Reverend Leo J. McDonald. Before the year 1888 it was neces- sary for the Catholics of Mt. Olive to travel either to Litchfield on the north or to Staunton on the south in order to attend Divine Services. During the summer of 1888, how- ever, Reverend Anthony Zurbonsen, then pastor of St. Michael's Church at Staunton, arranged to have Mass every second Sunday at Mt. Olive. Services were held in the home of Mr. Lawrence Reilly. Two years later Father Zurbonson and his little band of parishioners built the first Catholic Church in Mt. Olive, the Church of the Ascension. Five lots had been purchased in Nie- man's addition and the building was erected late in the fall of 1890. On the first day of January, 1891, the new church building was dedicated by the late Right Reverend James Ryan, D D., Bishop of what was formerly the Alton Diocese. On this occasion Father Bond of the Grove Avenue Rock Church of St. Louis delivered a sermon in English, and Reverend Adam Pennartz of Springfield, preached in German. Father Carrol and Father Aloysius Teppe assisted in the sanctuary. Father Zurbonsen continued to at- tend Mt. Olive as a mission attached to St. Michael Church of Staunton, and said Mass in the new church every second Sunday until 1898 when he was succeeded by Reverend Joseph Postner as pastor of Staunton. Father Postner during his pastor- ship of St. Michael church at Staun- ton completed the payment of what remained of the debt on the Church of the Ascension, and continued aft- er the example of his zealous prede- cessor, to care for the spiritual needs of the Catholics of Mt. Olive until January 1, 1905. It was at this time that the members of the Ascension Church of Mt. Olive realized a long and cherished desire of having a pas- tor of their own who could live in their city and be always in their midst. Reverend L. P. Hurkmans came to Mt. Olive as the first ap- pointed pastor of the Church of the Ascension. During his stay in the parish he built the present church rectory and made other needed im- provements, also from this time Mass was celebrated in the Church of the Ascension each Sunday and Holy- day for the convenience and for the good of the Catholics of Mount Olive. Father Hurkmans was pastor until July 1, 1911, at which time he was succeeded by Reverend William Toomey. From about the year 1900 the membership of the parish had been considerably augmented by the ar- rival of a large number of Slovacs who settled at Mt. Olive to work in the coal mines. By 1921 their num- ber had so increased that they were able to build the second Catholic Church in Mt. Olive— The Holy Trin- ity Church. Father Toomey was pastor for thirteen years and in July, 1924, was succeeded by Father Leo J- McDon- ald, the present pastor. The members of the Church of the Ascension who labored most zeal- ously that they might enjoy the 464 Springfield — St. Agnes' Softool, Rectory, Rev. J. J. Howard, D.D., Pastor, St. Agnes' Church . . . Neoga — St. Mary's Church, Rev. M. J. Crowley, Pastor . . . Niantic — St Anne's Church. Mt. Olive Ascension Church and Rectory, Rev. I.. •/. McDonald, Pastor . . . Mendon —St. Edward's Church . . . Dalton City Sacred Heart Church, Rev. P. D. Curran, Pastor . . . Quincy -St. Rose of Lima Church, Rev. ■/. P. Brennan, Pastor. Rectory, School, Convent. THE EPISCOPACY OF RIGHT REVEREND JAMES RYAN, D.D. blessing of the church in their midst have every reason to feel well repaid for the sacrifices they have made. From the material point of view, they see as a result of the persever- ing efforts a neat church edifice, a large, well furnished rectory sur- rounded by ample church grounds, all practically free from debt. As to their spiritual advantages, Mass is celebrated every day in their church, and there are two Masses on Sundays and Holy days. Catecheti- cal instructions are given their chil- dren at opportune times. In conclusion it may well be said that too much credit cannot be given to those pioneers, Father Zurbonsen and the few, but faithful Catholics, who back in 1890, undismayed by the difficulties that beset them, cour- ageously brushed aside all obstacles, and with true christian fortitude be- gan to plan and build a bigger and more Catholic Mt. Olive. The parish of the Church of the Ascension is today made up of twen- ty-six English speaking families and sixty-five Croatian families. Church of St. Ann, Niantic, Cass County, Illinois Established in 1890. Present Pastor : Reverend Thomas F. McGrath. Previous to the year 1890, the scat- tered families around Niantic in the converging counties of Logan, Macon and Sangamon attended Divine Serv- ices at Illiopolis, Mt. Pulaski, or De- catur, but from time to time, for sev- eral years, Mass was said in the home of John Henneberry, lately gone to his eternal reward. In 1889, the par- ish of the Visitation of the B. V. M., Illiopolis, was divided; lots were bought by Reverend Charles Manuel, the rector ; a congregation was organ- ized, and a frame church, 55x35, was built in honor of St. Ann. Since then, as a mission, it has been regularly ad- ministered every Sunday by the pas- tor of Illiopolis. On the night of May 11, 1923, the church was struck by lightning, and burned to the ground. Fortunately it was covered by insurance. After a year or so, the corner stone of the new brick structure (70x38) was laid by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., Bishop of Springfield. After its completion, the pretty new church was dedicated on October 18, 1925, by the Right Reverend Bishop, assisted by several of the diocesan clergy, in the presence of a large gathering of people from Decatur, Springfield, and other neighboring towns. As a large assembly was ex- pected, and the space being limited in the structure, it was decided to hold the services in the open. Consequent- ly, a large platform, on which was placed an altar, was erected on the church lawn. The platform was deco- rated with flags and bunting, and the Altar adorned with a profusion of flowers, the whole presenting a most beautiful sight. It was perhaps the first time that this part of the Dio- cese witnessed a Pontifical Field Mass. After the Mass and before the dedi- cation of the new church, the Right Reverend Bishop congratulated the pastor and the members of his congre- gation on the good work accomplished, and then delivered a most inspiring and eloquent sermon suitable to the occasion. The ceremonies were fol- lowed by a sumptuous banquet, served by the ladies of St. Ann's Altar So- ciety. St. Ann's new church, designed by Stauduher, a well known Rock Island architect, is of Irish Gothic style of structure. The contract price for building was $21,500, but an addition- al $5,000 was expended in furnishing the interior. The main altar was donated by Mrs. Mary Griffin ; the side altars by Mrs. Edward Connors, and Joseph Leo Corrington who also paid for Sta- tions of the Cross ; and the altar rail- ing was given by Mr. and Mrs. Blair 465 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS of Illiopolis, in honor of their son, Andrew J. Blair, who died as a result of injuries sustained in the World War. Others who contributed $500 were : Reverend Thomas F. McGrath, Pastor; Mrs. Honora Beall, Mrs. A. R. Delaney, R. S. Delaney, Raymond F. McGrath, James Muldoon, Frank Mooney, Hugh Mooney, Edward Schneck, and Mrs. Agnes Mooney. The congregation of St. Ann at the present time numbers about twenty- five families. Reverend Charles Man- uel, organizer and builder of the original church, died in October, 1901. He was succeeded by Rever- end John C. Daw, who was trans- ferred to Vandalia in 1919. On May 1, 1919, Reverend Thomas F. McGrath, the present pastor, was appointed in his place. Church of St. Edward, Mendon, Adams County, Illinois. Established in 1890. Present Pastor : Reverend Charles Flori. The short history of St. Edward's, Mendon, Illinois, is a standing proof to the world that an excessive and ill- proportioned exodus from the farm to the already over-crowded towns and cities always entails loss and serious results. In 1890, the town of Men- don and farm vicinity were exceed- ingly prosperous. Today, 1925, there are heavy farm mortgages and many abandoned farms. Father Herman Gesenhues who or- ganized and established St. Edward Church in Mendon, has recorded the following historical item dated Sep- tember 21, 1899: "On September 1, 1899, Reverend Herman Gesenhues, pastor at Bloomfield, opened a sub- scription list for a frame church to be built in the town of Mendon, in crder that the Catholics living in the northwestern part of the county might have greater facilities in at- tending church, and in the course of time grow to become a strong congre- gation, as the town of Mendon is very prosperous, blessed with a railroad, etc." The following families were the or- iginators and the first contributors of this church : Mathew Graff, Mathew Brady, Xaverius Savinsky, Martin Klatt, Frank Ward, Mrs. Gunn, Her- man Wenning, Mrs. Seals, Joseph Petticord, Phil Rudden, Pat Brady, John Brady, Adam Zopf, Andreas Meier, Phil Brady, John Klatt, Peter Rudden, Henry Tenvorde, Alex Shaf- fer, William Mix, Mathew Brady, Jr., Thomas Ward, James Brady, Henry Shaffer. Two nice lots were bought in the town of Mendon from Mr. Crammers for the sum of $400. Mr. Frank Tu- bessing of Quincy, architect of more than local repute, drew up the plans of a nice church for which he charged the moderate sum of $10. James and Mathew Brady quarried the rock for the foundation, for which they each charged $25.00. Walter Nutt of Mendon built the church by contract for $1,535. After the church was finished Holy Mass was no longer said in Thomson's hall, but in the new church, and for the first time on June 20, 1890. According to records, Catholics as well as non-Catholics contributed $1,062.10 towards the erection of the church, but an additional $1,484 had to be borrowed to complete the struc- ture. One hundred and thirty-five names of contributors appear on the record, one-third of them non-Cath- olics, with donations ranging from $100 by Mathew Graff and the Brady family to 10c and 25c by a few individuals. About July 6, 1891, Father Gesen- hues left, and Reverend John Dieter- ich took charge of the three congrega- tions, Bloomfield, Columbus Road, and Mendon. Father Dieterich stayed until July 1, 1894, on which date Father George Pesch took charge. Then followed in succession Fathers T. J. Butler, Francis J. Hussey, John 466 THE EPISCOPACY OF RIGHT REVEREND JAMES RYAN, D.D. McVeigh, Paul Reinfels, Charles J. Flori. St. Edward was attended from Bloomfield from 1890 to 1897, from St. Joseph on the Columbus Road since then until the present day on one Sunday of each month. In July, 1891, there were twenty-five families. Since 1915 only six families remain to carry on the struggle for existence. Of these two are Catholic families and four of mixed marriage. Mrs. Elizabeth Oenning of Quincy, donated the beautiful Mass vestments, linoleum, carpets and the fine vest- ment case. Several earnest efforts were made to revive the parish between the years ]905 and 1915 by missions and house to house visits, but the results were disappointing. Old parishioners still living are : Mrs. Anna Ward, William Mix, Pat- rick Brady, Mathew Brady, Herman Wenning, John Klatt, Petter Rudden, and Frank Ward. The approximate value of the church building as it now stands is $3,500.00. At the present writing (1927) St. Edward's is attended by Father Charles Flori, pastor of Paloma. Church op the Sacred Heart, Dalton City, Moultrie County, Illinois Established in 1891. Present Pastor: Reverend Peter D. Curran. About seventy-five years ago a num- ber of Irish immigrants settled on the prairie lands of Moultrie County. By patient toil and persevering effort they drained the marshy swamps and coax- ed the obstinate soil into fruitfulness and fertility. This patience and per- severance were offshoots of that ster- ling Faith, allegiance to which was the occasion, if not the cause, of their being compelled to seek in a strange land, the livelihood denied them in their own. This Faith manifested it- self in a desire to build a church out of their trivial means. It involved great sacrifices, but sacrifices which, in the end, were more than repaid by the resultant blessings. The cross on the frame structure lifted itself heavenward, strengthen- ing them with hope and encouraging them with the spirit of sacrifice. In its shadow they found their greatest con- solation, as those immigrants congre- gated each Sunday morning to wor- ship their Lord and incidentally share the company of one another, ex- changing views and giving the need- ful encouragement to one another, both by word and example. From patience and thrift they soon reaped success. To show their grati- tude to the Giver of all good gifts, they decided to build a mere adequate home for the Sacramental Presence of our Lord. They were divided as to the loca- tion of the new church. Some, out of consideration for the sacrifices of their forefathers, coupled with the de- sire to have the color of the cross still blending with the golden color of the corn, as it bowed its head in gratitude to God — were in favor of building on the same site. Others were of the opinion that the proper place for the church was in the village of Dalton City where they could build a church adapted to the needs, and within the reach of all. The result was "They agreed to disagree." Bishop Ryan, in order to please both parties, gave his consent to build a church in each place; one on the old site — "St. Isi- dore"— the other in Dalton City — "Church of the Sacred Heart." The total number of families at the time was seventy, and as they were divided between the two parishes, the burden of building was intensified. In 1891 Bishop Ryan sent Reverend M. J. Sweeney, a young, zealous but delicate priest, to organize the new parish. With only about thirty fami- lies he was obliged to be conserva- tive in his plans. He had only planned the structure when, through ill health, lie had to give up his 467 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS charge. Reverend John A. Clancy succeeded him. In 1892, the corner- stone was laid by the late Monsignor Timothy Hickey. Father Clancy had willing workers who realized then, as they do now, that benefits presuppose burdens; that as the collection of in- dividuals makes the church, the col- lection from individuals sustain it ; they realized that as they had to bear the burden of taxation to share in the benefits of the State, so also they had to bear the burden of tax to share the benefits of the church. With this sensible and practical idea in their minds, Father Clancy received from the people hearty co-operation and generous support in his undertaking. In the fall of 1894 he was succeeded by Reverend Thomas Joseph Morrow, who did not meet with notable success along those lines. He resigned in favor of the Reverend Joseph 'Rourke who took charge January 1, 1896. The priestly character, the cheerful and tactful method of this young priest the people soon learned to admire and appreciate. The result was, in a short time he succeeded in paying off the whole debt. He was succeeded by Reverend "William J. McGuire who remained for six years (1899 to 1905). Then Rev- erend Michael Joseph O'Connor took charge in 1905 and resigned in 1906, to be succeeded by the beloved and re- spected Reverend Joseph Finnegan. Owing to the ill health of Father Fin- negan, the Bishop thought he might recuperate in this quiet place. His condition, however, was too serious to give good hopes of recovery. He suf- fered a great deal and died a painful death from cancer of the throat in February, 1908. Reverend M. J. 'Flaherty was ap- pointed pastor in 1908. Content with the bare necessities of life, he was not very exacting in his demands from the people. He ruled quietly and un- ostentatiously for six years to be suc- ceeded by the present pastor, Rever- end Peter D. Curran, in 1914. The people, not content with fur- nishing what was barely necessary, immediately contributed a generous sum to make the home modern and the church beautiful. Running water and electric light were installed in the house. The church was frescoed and new altars purchased. Notwith- standing the fact that the pastor's salary was raised and therefore a greater demand made on their pocket books, they contributed generously to every worthy Diocesan cause, donat- ing $1,700 to the Orphanage at Alton ; #1,500.00 to the Knights of Columbus during the late war, and $3,000.00 to the new Cathedral Fund. Those thirty families motivated by the Faith and self-sacrifice of their forefathers, and realizing that if they are to share the benefits, they are to shoulder the burdens, make up in quality what they lack in number. Church of St. Rose of Lima, Quincy, Adams County, Illinois Established in 1892. Present Pastor : Reverend John P. Brennan. On Sunday, March 27, 1892, Right Reverend Bishop James Ryan's letter creating this parish, was read in all the churches of Quincy, authorizing Reverend John Brennan to proceed with its organization. A board of directors was formed, composed of Charles O'Neil, James Brady and Patrick O'Brien, with Father Brennan as chairman. The pastor, with the hearty co-op- eration of his people, set to work im- mediately, and soon the corner-stone of the first place of worship, the pres- ent splendid brick school and hall, was laid by Reverend Timothy Hickey on Sunday, October 21, 1892, and dedicated on November 20, 1893. Having provided a place for wor- ship, and a well equipped school for children under the care of conse- crated women, he built in 1897 the present commodious brick rectory at a cost of $8,000. 468 Effingham — Sacred Hunt Church and School, Rev. Daniel Doyle, Pastor, Rectory. Auditorium . . . Moweaqua -St. Francis de Sales Church . . . Macon St. Stanislaus Church and Rectory, R. Yunker, Pastoi . . . Batchtoum — Rev. J. L. Marley, Pastor, Rectory and St. Barbara's chunk . . . Medora — St. John's Church. ttLUBB.lBY Gf Iht UNIVERSITY OF 1LUWMS THE EPISCOPACY OF RIGHT REVEREND JAMES RYAN, D.D. of the Catholics of Divernon, who were without any fixed place of wor- ship. Father Ryan obtained an ex- clusive lease of Wells Hall and said Mass there once every month until Reverend John J. Enright was ap- pointed assistant, from which date the people had the privilege of Mass more or less every Sunday until No- vember 1, 1915. Benediction of the most Blessed Sacrament was given at Wells Hall for the first time May 20 ; 1905. The first trustees of the new con- gregation were Messrs. J. R. Abell and Thomas Hill, one of whom has gone to his reward. The other, J. R. Abell, still remains the faithful pi- oneer of Sacred Heart Church. In 1910 steps were taken for the erection of a church edifice to be called the Sacred Heart Church. Ground was secured, a concrete foundation and basement walls were constructed by the most beloved and venerated pastor, Reverend Dennis J. Ryan. September 30, 1910, saw the basement completed and covered with a temporary roof. Here the Diver- non congregation had regular services during the winter and the following spring. Sunday afternoon, May 15, 1911, was the date set for the cornerstone laying, at which Very Reverend Tim- othy Hickey, V.G., officiated and preached a very appropriate sermon to one of the largest congregations ever assembled in Divernon. The ex- ercises were attended by large dele- gations from Springfield and neigh- boring villages. In the morning the former venerated pastor of Auburn, Reverend Michael J. Davis, sang High Mass, at which Reverend John Joseph Driscoll gave an eloquent dis- course on the beauty of the Catholic Church. October 1, 1911, the present struc- ture was completed at a cost of $12,000, which stands today as a beautiful monument to the zeal and indomitable energy of Reverend Dennis J. Ryan and the pioneer Catholics of Divernon. The following year, September 1, 1912, Right Reverend James Ryan, D. D., Bishop of Alton, dedicated the new church. November 1, 1913, Father Ryan was promoted to the important parish of Granite City, after a fruitful pastorate of nine years over the parishes of Auburn, Glenarm and Divernon. November 1, 1913, Reverend Daniel J. Quinn succeeded Father Ryan and had charge of the above named churches until October 15, 1919, when Reverend Patrick J. Fox was ap- pointed the first resident pastor of Divernon and Glenarm. In the month of April, 1920, prep- arations were made for the erection and furnishing of the present fine and commodious new rectory which was completed before the end of the year at a cost of a little over $14,000.00. Today the Sacred Heart Church prop- erty is the pride of the Catholic peo- ple of Divernon and Glenarm, a mon- ument to their zeal and generosity. May 1, 1924, pastor and people turned their attention to the church which needed some repairs, hence a new asbestos roof, painting the ex- terior, frescoing the interior together with some other minor repairs con- stituted the improvements for the year at a cost of $3,000.00. September 14, 1924, Right Rev- erend James A. Griffin, D.D., made his first episcopal visitation of the parish and confirmed a large class of ninety-seven, composed of various nationalities. It is pleasant to recall that on that occasion the Protestants of Divernon joined their Catholic townsmen in extending the Bishop an enthusiastic welcome, thus exhibiting a fine spirit of good will. At the end of the year 1925, the pastor and people were rejoiced to have two new beautiful side altars added to the church at a cost of about $620.00. Rev. Timothy Smith, for several years past assistant at St. Agnes, Springfield, is now pastor of Sacred Heart, Divernon. He succeeded Rev- 4 s:. DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS erend Patrick Fox, who was pro- moted to St. Mary, Mt. Sterling, on the death of Father Joseph O'Rourke, which occurred in March, 1927. Church of the Sacred Heart, Villa Grove, Douglas County, Illinois. Established in 1906. Present Pastor : Reverend August Hohl. Villa Grove, Douglas County, is a thriving industrial city with a popu- lation of three thousand. Not so many years ago it was only a small village, but with the coming of the Chicago and Eastern railroad shops, it was given a strong impetus to ex- pansion. Today there is a fine pros- pect of a larger and more prosperous Villa Grove in the not distant future. When Father Quattman was sent to Tuscola in June, 1906. Right Rev- erend James Ryan, D.D., Bishop of Alton, instructed him to build a church at Villa Grove to take care of the few Catholic families residing there and in the immediate neighbor- hood. Father Quatmann cheerfully undertook the task and, in the mean- time, until the church could be built, served the needs of the parish by having Mass every Sunday and Holyday at the opera house where a temporary altar had been erected. The brothers, Frank and Bernard Hessler, donated two lots as a suitable site for the new church. A collection was started and before the year was ended the parish had the satisfaction of worshipping in their own church — a commodious frame structure which still does service. The new congrega- tion consists of about thirty families at this time. Mass is now said every Sunday and Holyday at Sacred Hear* and once during the week. Since its inception the congregation has steadily grown and now numbers fifty families. On Father Quattman 's promotion to Sigel in 1917, Reverend August Hohl succeeded him as pastor of Tus- cola from which place he continued to minister to the spiritual needs of the Villa Grove congregation. Under Father Hold's direction a beautiful new location has been bought for $3,450, awaiting the day when a resident priest will be sent to build a parsonage and perhaps, a combination church and school. Besides paying for the lots above mentioned, the church has a few thou- sand dollars in their building fund to which they are enthusiastically add- ing. The present trustees are Aug- ust Held and John Kleiss. The people are for the most part of German and Irish extraction, with a sprinkling of Bohemian. About half are railroad men, the other half being farmers and business men. The Cath- olics of Villa Grove are leaders in the endeavor to promote a wholesome community spirit and good citizen- ship, and some of them hold influen- tial places in the city's affairs. Their service flag, during the late war, had nine stars as the quota sent out at the country's call. In 1924 Right Reverend James A. Griffin, lately consecrated Bishop, visited Villa Grove mission for the first time and administered the Sac- rament of Confirmation to a large class. On that occasion the Right Reverend Bishop was given a most enthusiastic welcome and his inspir- ing words made a deep impression on all those who had the good fortune to be present. Church of St. Vincent De Paul, Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois. Established in 1906. Present Pastor : Reverend Stanislaus 0. Yunker. St. Vincent de Paul is the only Na- tional Lithuanian parish in the Springfield Diocese. The first Lithu- anian immigrants came to Spring- 486 THE EPISCOPACY OF RIGHT REVEREND JAMES RYAN, D.D. field in the late nineties of the last century attracted by the boom in coal mining which then existed in Spring- field. In 1901 there were about twen- ty families. Their numbers were too few to establish a parish of their own, and yet not being able to speak the English language, other churches could not satisfactorily attend to their spiritual needs. In the same year they established a fraternal benefit society — St. Joseph's. Members of this or- ganization affiliated themselves with the Church of the Immaculate Con- ception, and through the influence and assistance of the pastor, Very Reverend Timothy Hickey, they ob- tained a Lithuanian priest, Father John Bukavetzkas who came to Springfield in 1903. After a short time he was succeeded by Father Dumsa who continued to minister to the needs of the Lithuanians in the Church of the Immaculate Concep- tion. In 1905 Father Dumsa was suc- ceeded by Father Malinowski. By this time there were about 200 Lithuanian families in the city, yet little prog- ress had been made toward establish- ing their own parish. In 1906 Father Malinowski, with the aid of Father Hickey, organized the St. Vincent de Paul parish. This same year two lots were purchased at the corner of Eighth Street and Enos Avenue. The choice of location had caused many heated discussions in fact, it had postponed the erection of the church for several years. The reason for this was that the Lithu- anians had settled in all four extremi- ties of the city and each section de- sired the church in its own district. The final agreement was to select a centrally located place and as a re- sult the present location was chosen, it being about equally distant from the Lithuanians living east, west, north and south. In 1909 Father Malinowski was succeeded by Father Czuberkis. He came to this parish from Scotland at the solicitation of a number of parishioners. During the next ten years he accomplished much by improving the church property and reducing the debt. In 1919 Father Czuberkis left the diocese and Bishop Ryan appointed Father Ignatius Kershevich, the first Diocesan Lithuanian priest. Through his untiring zeal and efforts, Father Kershevich succeeded in a few years in clearing off the church debt. In 1924 he purchased two additional houses with the object in view of hav- ing some day a parochial school. In 1925 he began to remodel the rectory, when, in the midst of that undertak- ing, he met an untimely death as a result of an operation. Father Ker- shevich died November 20, 1925, at St. John's Hospital, after an illness of two weeks. During his six years at St. Vincent de Paul he accomplished a great work and no higher tribute can be paid him than that by Bishop Griffin who said at his funeral Mass, ' ' He was a true hero. ' ' On December 1, 1925, Bishop Grif- fin appointed Father Stanislaus O. Yunker pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Church. It was left for Father Yunker to complete the remodeling and furnishing of the rectory and the renovation of the church. Since his coming, Father Yunker received the whole-hearted co-operation of the parishioners and with their aid he was able to pay for the various improve- ments as they were being made. The result is, that today (January 1, 1926) the church property, valued at about $40,000.00, stands free of debt. In 1925 the parish had two sundred forty-nine families — approximately nine hundred fifty souls — nearly all of whom are employed in the local coal mines. In that year there were seventeen marriages and sixty-one baptisms. These figures are taken from the 1925 annual parish report. The pressing need of the parish at the present time is a Catholic grade school to take care of the great num- ber of children. The pastor and the people are working earnestly towards the realization of this laudable end and soon hope to erect a school where 487 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS the children of the parish may receive a pood Christian education. The parish has the following organ- ized societies, namely, St. Joseph's, St. Vincent's Knights of Lithuanian, Lithuanian Roman Catholic Alliance, and Alliance of Catholic Women. These parish and branch organiza- tions do splendid work along their in- dividual lines. The congregation is served by a large male choir with a full time and very capable organist. The church services are carried out with a full liturgy. The present pastor provides many special services yearly, which attract favorable notice on the part of the local newspapers. The congrega- tion is planning on many improve- ments in the near future, as soon as the present unfavorable industrial situation improves. Church of St. Barbara, Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois. Established in 1909. Present Pastor : Reverend Francis S. Mazir. It was May 11, 1909, when the Slovenians of Springfield first met for the purpose of organizing a Slovenian Church Building Association (Slo- vensko Cerkveno Stavbeno Drustvo). The following thirty-seven members promised to pay fifty cents or more a month toward the fund : John Pe- ternel, Michael Ushman, Frank Ger- movsek, John Petkovsek, Anton Bre- san, Anton Kuznik, Matt Germovsek, Jernej Mlaker, Frank Grabner, Frank Sercel, Vincenc Peternel, Frank Kuznik, Matt Rancigaj, Anton Zaubi, Joe Ushman, Rev. F. Sustersic, Joe Kren, John Diksen, Frank Kmet, John Potrebujes, Jacob Kuznik, Joe Grobelink, Frank Beg, Bartel Vrh, Joe Kambus, Anton Zupancic, Frank Bucar, John Klopcic, John Persina, and John Zauher. Michael Ushman was elected presi- dent of the Association. Joseph J. Kren was elected Secretary; Anton Kuznik, Treasurer. Jernej Mlaker, John Klopcic, Blase Ushman and John Zauher were elected collectors. The two room Isles school building at Fifteenth and Laurel Streets, with the adjoining lot was purchased from the school board for $600. The build- ing was remodeled and used as a church under the direction of Rever- end Albin Moder, a young Slovenian priest, who, upon permission of Bishop Ryan, of Alton, Illinois, took up his residence with Father Charles Kreck- enberg, at that time pastor of Sacred Heart Church, at Twelfth Street and Lawrence Avenue. At a meeting held January 26, 1911, it was decided that a Slovenian parish be organized. Father Moder with Bartel Mlaker and John Zauher were delegated to present the petition to Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., Bishop of Alton. Bishop Ryan was pleased to grant permission for the establishment of St. Barbara's Slo- venian parish, and gave Father Moder the necessary faculties as the first resident pastor of the new church. On January 29, 1911, another meeting of the parishioners was held. A board of trustees was elected with Blase Ushman as president and John Peternel as secretary. Each member of the new parish agreed to pay $1.00 a month for church support. St. Barbara Church was dedicated on April 23, 1911, by Very Reverend Timothy Hickey, pastor of the church of the Immaculate Conception, and Vicar General of the diocese. Father Moder resigned in October, 1912. Father Wubbe, assistant at St. John 's hospital, supplied during the vacancy. On March 30, 1913, Reverend Frank Saloven, a Slovenian priest took up his duties as pastor at St. Barbara, continuing the missionary work of his predecessor with zeal. He felt the necessity of a parish school, and soon erected a two room school building for $6,000.00. Father Salo- 488 THE EPISCOPACY OF RIGHT REVEREND JAMES RYAN, D.D. ven resigned in October, 1914, to go to a larger field. Again Father Wubbe took care of St. Barbara church for six months. On March 18, 1915, Reverend Francis Mazir was appointed pastor. In 1916 Sisters of the Precious Blood from Nazareth Home in Alton, Illinois, re- placed the lay catechists in St. Barb- ara 's school. In a few years the num- ber of children in the school had reached almost two hundred. In 1918 it became necessary to give the good Sisters a suitable home. Ac- cordingly it was decided to erect a pastoral residence and give the Sis- ters the rectory. Bishop Ryan ap- proved the plans. The present beau- tiful rectory was built and furnished at a cost of $14,000. The same year three additional lots on Fourteenth and Laurel Streets, and a four room house to serve as a dwelling for the sexton, were purchased for $2,900. In 1919, the first eighth grade graduates went forth from St. Barb- ara school. They were : Mary Zupan- cic, Mary Potrebujes and Clara Zaubi. Dominican Sisters replaced the Sisters of the Precious Blood in 1924. At a parish meeting held on April 26, 1925, it was decided to erect an auditorium, equipped with a stage, hall room and kitchen. The building was completed at a cost of $11,000. It was opened August 2, 1925. The parish report for this year shows re- ceipts to the amount of $9,348.27. The parish property consists now of almost a city block, with church, school, rectory, sisters' house, audi- torium, and sexton 's home. The valu- ation of the property is $70,000, with $20,000 liabilities. On July 26, 1927, Reverend Ernest A. Burtle was appointed administra- tor of St. Barbara parish during the absence of the pastor, Reverend Fran- cis S. Mazir, who had left the Sun- day previous for a visit to his parents in Jugo-Slavia. Realizing the good that comes from contact with the people particularly with the children, Father Burtle a few days after his arrival at St. Barbara, got in touch with the Springfield Playground and Recrea- tion Commission, and arranged to have the extensive grounds belonging to the parish turned into a public playground for evening recreation for young and old. Accordingly, volley balls, indoor baseballs, horse- shoes and paraphernalia for other games were provided. The Commis- sion sent two instructors to the play- ground on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings of each week to supervise the play — a man for the men and boys, a woman for the women and girls. The playground was opened each evening except Sun- day, with the men of the parish taking turns in acting as overseers. The grounds were beautifully lighted, and provided a nightly rendezvous for young and old of all creeds and na- tionalities. Teams in the various games were formed and prizes offered in com- petitive contests. Some games were played with teams from other pla;r- grounds. St. Barbara baseball team holds second place in the Holy Name League (1927). With the temporal welfare of the the children cared for, Father Burtle began looking more carefully into the spiritual. This was difficult because of the large territory of the parish, which includes not only the Slove- nians who for the most part live in the vicinity of the church, but also the Slovaks who reside principally at Ridgley. Father Burtle sought the aid of the Catholic Instruction League. The result was that instead of centering his efforts upon the mem- bers of his parish only, he under the guidance of Father Cahill, head of the League, and with the aid of the catechists of the League, began giv- ing catechetical instruction in six dif- ferent centers to Catholic children of all nationalities. On Sunday, July 31, a three day mission for all the children under in- 489 DIOCESE OK SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS struction opened at St. Barbara with a solemn field Mass celebrated under a huge tent on the playground. Five hundred children attended. Father Burtle was celebrant of the Mass. Father (. 'ah ill was sub-deacon. The deacon was Reverend John Gerst, S.J., of St. Louis University, who also preached the sermon. Father Gerst with his companion, Reverend J. L. Scott, S.J., of Rock- hurst College, Kansas City, Kansas, conducted the mission. No little aid was given by the catechists of the Catholic Instruction League. The children were brought to St. Barbara each day in busses. The average at- tendance during the mission was about 400. The closing ceremony took place Thursday morning with two hundred going to Holy Com- munion, several for the first time. Many others made their first con- fession during the mission. Fourteen of the children were baptized. Prac- tically every home was visited before the mission. Among the nationalities represent- ed were the following : Irish, Scotch, German, Italian, Slovak, Slovenian, English, Lithuanian, Croatian, French, Negro, Portugese, Polish, Hungarian, Belgian, Spanish, and Austrian. After the mission the in- struction continued in the centers. Another gala day is being planned for St. Barbara — the administration of the Sacrament of Confirmation to the children in the instruction centers. It is planned to hold classes for adults seeking to refresh their mem- ories on their religion. Americaniza- tion classes were conducted by Father Burtle, in which aid was given those learning English, or who desired to take out naturalization papers. With the aid of the men and women of the parish who willingly donated their labor, Father Burtle was able to do several hundred dollars worth of material improving on the school and grounds. The whole interior of the school was painted. Registration on September 1, 1927, resulted in a slight increase over the preceding year. The new auditorium was opened for use as a class room. From the day of the establishment of St. Barbara parish, not a little an- noyance for priest and people came from sources usually attributed as socialistic. Whatever be the real cause of the disturbances, it is evi- dent that the Catholic traditions of old Austria and her neighboring provinces, were often absorbed by the propaganda of agents, broadcasted by word, more often and effectively by the foreign language press. Being poor, often uneducated, find- ing few to sympathize with their lot, and to preach the dignity of labor, many easily fell victims of the false economic doctrines larded so taste- fully in the columns of many foreign language newspapers. The routine of the shop and mine must have its re- action. And this reaction will not be for the better, unless the principles of justice and charity are made to shine forth in social relations by the church and by the state — the former true friend of the workingman — the latter, sometimes missing that role. Church of St. Barbara, Batchtown, Calhoun County, Illinois. Established in 1909. Present Pastor : Reverend Jerome Marley. At the early dawn of the nineteenth century the Catholics west of the di- viding ridge talked of building a church in the village of Batchtown. Realizing that the number of Catho- lics was not small in this section of the country, they gathered up enough courage to ask Father Wand if he would not come and say Mass once a month, and he gladly consented after consulting Right Reverend Bishop James Ryan. The Holy Sacrifice was offered up for the first time in the Old Rock School building, and when they found the building too small to ac- commodate all the congregation, they 490 THE EPISCOPACY OF RIGHT REVEREND JAMES RYAN, D.D. moved their place of worship to the Woodman Hall. After remaining there a year or so, they again moved to the Weishaupt Hall and remained there until the church was built that is now occupied. In the meantime, the congregation, together with their pastor, Father "Wand, appointed two trustees and a secretary to look after the financial part of the undertaking. The trustees were the late Gasbert Snyders and John Castleton, the secretary being E. J. Canan. Finally in the year 1909, their efforts began to materialize and their longings were satisfied when they began to build the frame church now used as a house of wor- ship. The late John Eageny of blessed memory was the one chosen to do the construction work, and on Thanksgiving Day, 1909, the corner- stone was laid. The structure was completed about August 1, 1910, and was dedicated on the Feast of the As- sumption of our Blessed Mother, August 15, 1910. The church was named after the great St. Barbara, the virgin and martyr of Nicomedia. The pastor of the congregation chose this patron since the late John Simon told them he would donate the bell if they named the church after his de- ceased wife's patron, St. Barbara. Since that time the congregation has nourished under the guidance and protection of this virgin and martyr. The church is in the village of Batchtown, and Batchtown is located in the south central part of the county, about two miles from the banks of the Mississippi. It lies in a picturesque section of the country all surrounded by orchards and grain producing farms. The church and pas- toral residence of St. Barbara parish are built on a two acre tract of land lying just north of the village on Fourth Street near the Mississippi Scenic Highway. The ground on which the church property is located is a gift of the Doctor Douglas heirs : Mr. Benjamin Douglas and his sister. What makes the congregation appreciate their generosity all the more was the fact that the Douglas heirs are non-Catho- lics. However, this only goes to show what a whole-hearted class of citizens Calhoun has, and especially the citizens in and near the vicinity of Batchtown. The donors of our own Faith who helped to make this enterprise a lasting one were men of German, Irish, Dutch, and English extraction. Most of their forefathers came from Europe with the exception of the Irish element and they came here principally from New Orleans. However, it matters not what their nationalities were, they had one thing in common, and that was the good Catholic Faith, and this is the reason why they started the church in Batch- town. The first pastor who helped to es- tablish St. Barbara parish was the good Father Wand. He came here from Meppen, having Batchtown as a mission, for the first time in 1906, and he remained here and at Meppen only about six months after the church was completed. The fall of 1910, he re- signed as pastor of Meppen and Batchtown and went west in search of health. He is at present located in one of the Oregon dioceses. Father Wand, after his departure in the early fall of 1910, was succeeded by Father John B. Wardein. Father Wardein spent about nine years at Meppen, coming to Batch- town once a month, and during his stay at St. Barbara parish, he did great work for the congregation and for the good of the Church in general. Every now and then we can hear the words of praise for the good priest. Father Wardein was succeeded by Father Stephen C. Schauwecher who was also a very zealous worker among the people and equally loved and es- teemed by all. Father Sehauwecker first came to Meppen, having St. Barbara as a mission, on June 1, 1919, and he traveled over all sorts of roads the same as his predecessors did until Father Jerome Leo Marley was ap- pointed the first resident pastor of St. Barbara parish, June 29, 1924. 491 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS When Father Marley was appoint- ed pastor of St. Barbara church, the parish was without a priest's resi- dence. However, the Bishop told the trustees to get a house, but as they could find none to buy, they decided to build along side the church. This task was started about August 1, 1924, and with the good will and co- operation of the people a fine modern eight-room, two-story house was erect- ed just west of the church. The largest donors to the building of the parish house were as follows : Mrs. Louisa Johnes, Geo. Friedal, Mrs. Anna Snyders, G. K. Snyders, John Castleton, Anton Snyders, Sr., Anton Schulte, Nick Seimer, John Simon, Wm. Castleton, Mrs. Anna Castleton, Albert Snyders, Andrew Snyders, and then there were others who did equally well according to their means. The first person to be baptized in the church was Eveline Castleton ; the first to be married, Joseph Klocken- kemper and Emma Kroner, and the first to be buried in the new cemetery, Gasbert Snyders. St. Barbara parish has not only done her duty to the Church but has also performed her civic duty equally well, a fact demonstrated during the World War by the number of soldiers that went to fight for their country. Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Alexander, Morgan County, Illinois. Established in 1909. Present Pastor : Reverend Francis A. Lucius. Alexander, a little town of three hundred inhabitants, is situated on the Wabash railroad, twenty-four miles west of Springfield, in the heart of a fertile corn-raising country. Hard road No. 10 passes through it, thus giving easy access to the larger neighboring cities of Springfield and Jacksonville. The few Catholics in and around Alexander prior to its institution as a separate parish, were first attached to New Berlin and later to Franklin. In the Spring of 1908, the faithful of Alexander petitioned Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., Bishop of the then Alton Diocese, for permission to erect a church in Alexander. They felt that the journey to Franklin was long and difficult, and they were confident in their ability, as an organized con- gregation, to build and support a church of their own. These reasons were no doubt the deciding factors in their petitioning the Bishop to es- tablish a separate parish with a resi- dent priest. On being shown good cause, the Bishop granted their re- quest and authorized Reverend Wil- liam Weigand, then stationed at New Berlin, to organize a new parish and build a suitable church at Alexander. Work was begun on the new church in 1909, but was temporarily halted by the strong objections of the Frank- lin people who claimed that the es- tablishment of this new congregation resulted in an unfair and detrimental dismemberment of the Franklin par- ish. Their objections, however, were finally over-ruled after a careful an- alysis by the higher authorities, and so work was again resumed and the building completed early in 1910. January 16, of that same year, Father Weigand said the first Mass in the new edifice now bearing the name of the Church of the Visitation. The name Visitation was chosen because it was on the second of July Father Weigand received a letter from Bishop Ryan, appointing him organ- izer of the parish and superintendent of the building of the church in Alex- ander. During the year 1910 Mass was said every Sunday by the assistants of New Berlin, Reverends Oscar Wernet and Francis A. Lucius. On January 1, 1911, Father Lucius was appointed resident pastor, and took up his resi- dence in the priest's home which had been built and furnished during 1910. He is still the incumbent. 492 THE EPISCOPACY OF RIGHT REVEREND JAMES RYAN, D.D. Bishop Ryan visited the parish on June 30, 1912, to dedicate the church and administer the Sacrament of Con- firmation. On that occasion he preached an inspiring sermon which is still remembered by those who heard it. The church is located in the north- eastern part of the village, on ground donated by Joseph Kumle, directly on the hard road, Route No. 10. It is built of brick and well equipped, and has a seating capacity of two hundred fifty. Though large for the original congregation, it is now well filled, as the parish has grown from thirty-five families to over fifty. During the late war, Alexander sent about thirty boys to the service; of these, eleven were Catholics. Church of St. Valentine, Bend, Jasper County, Illinois. Established in 1910. Present Pastor : Reverend Bernard Wubbe. St. Valentine Parish is situated at the Bend in Sainte Marie Township, Jasper County, Illinois. Prior to 1893 the Catholics of that locality were af- filiated with the Assumption Parish of Sainte Marie. In that year a church was built in Bend at the suggestion of Father Peter Virnich, then in charge of Sainte Marie. This build- ing was originally intended, and for a number of years continued to be so used, as a chapel of ease where oc- casional services could be held when the bottom roads would be impossible for longer journeys. In the year 1910 Father Henry Prost at that time assistant to Father Virnich, pointed out the desirability of a separate parish. The Bishop be- ing petitioned on that point readily consented and appointed Father Prost as the first resident pastor. A parish home had already been erected out of a fund generously established years before by one Valentine Kraus in view of such eventualities. About that time Jacob Rennier. one of the trustees, donated seven acres of land for church purposes. In 1913 Father Prost joined the Peoria diocese. His successor at the Bend, Reverend Charles Flori, made some much needed improvements. Father Paul Reinsfels, the next pas- tor, did not remain long, being suc- ceeded in 1920 by the Reverend Fran- cis Albert Meyrs, who remained until his death in May, 1926. From the latter 's death until October, 1926, when the present pastor, Father Wubbe assumed charge, the parish was attended by the Sacred Heart Fathers from Indiana. During his short administration, Father Bernard Wubbe, with the willing and generous aid of his people, has noticeably furthered the spiritual and material interests of the parish. True, indeed, the parish of St. Val- entine is small in numbers, having but thirty-three families totaling one hun- dred nine souls in all. But what it lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality. Right Reverend James A. Griffin, Ordinary of the diocese, visited the parish in 1924, and confirmed a class of twenty-one persons. The Bishop's visit was made the occasion for much local rejoicing. Church of St. John the Evangelist, Medora, Macoupin County, Illinois. Established in 1911. Present Pastor : Reverend Patrick J. Malloy. The Catholic congregation in and around the little town of Medora was originally a part of St. Francis Xavier congregation, Jerseyville. About the year 1910, Father John Joseph Driscoll, the pastor of St. Francis, realized that the farmers around Medora found it well-nigh im- possible to attend services in Jersey- ville. Consequently a hall was secured 493 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS in Medora and services were held there occasionally by Father Driscoll and his assistant, Father Michael J. Mee. In 1924 the congregation con- sisting of about twenty-five families was turned over to Reverend Dennis J. 'Brien as a mission to be attended from Greenfield. In the meantime, the present prop- erty had been secured and services were then held in the residence which stood on the site of the present church. The cornerstone of the church was laid on the second Sunday of Advent, December 6, 1914. The church was completed and put in use during the early part of 1915, but was not dedi- cated until September 9, 1917. Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., offici- ated at the dedication, assisted by the pastor, Reverend Dennis J. O'Brien, and Reverend Daniel J. Higgins of Bunker Hill. On November 1, 1920, Father O'Brien was succeeded as pastor of Greenfield and Medora by Reverend Michael Costello, who, in turn, was succeeded by Reverend Michael En- right on July 1, 1922. In November, 1924, the mission of Medora was changed from Greenfield to Brighton. Services are now conducted every Sunday by the present pastor, Rever- end Patrick J. Malloy. Church of St. Mary, Madison, Madison County, Illinois. Established in 1912. Present Pastor : Reverend David Scully. The history of the Church of St. Mary in Madison, Illinois, is a short but varied one. In 1912 it was found- ed by that pioneer priest of the Illi- nois bottoms, Reverend Peter Paul Kaenders, who was then pastor of St. Mark, Venice, Illinois. Father Kaenders, observing the rapid growth and the influx of many European peoples, realized that if the Catholic interests were to be shep- herded a church must be built m that city. Hence, on the twelfth of July, 1912, the contract was let for a two- story frame building to be built at Tenth and L Streets for the modest sum of $8,265.00. The contract was let to Markus Voegel of Venice, Illi- nois. On account of the large number of Polish emigrants in Madison, Father Kaenders petitioned Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., Bishop of Alton, Illinois, to appoint his assistant, Rev- erend William Wozniak as the pastor of the new parish since he was familiar with the customs and man- ners of the Slavish races. On the 17th of October, 1912 Bishop Ryan appointed the following trus- tees : Father Kaenders, Adalbert Las- koski, and Frank Kowalski. The new two-story frame building, containing parochial residence, two class rooms, and church with a seating capacity of two hundred, was formally opened on Christmas Day, 1912. Father Wos- niak now resumed the charge as Polish pastor and devoted his care to the Polish people. In September, 1913, he opened the two class rooms and established a strong Polish school. The school was under the care of the Polish Franciscan Sisters. During the first three years (1913 — 16) of his pastorate, Father Woz- niak worked hard and zealously and succeeded admirably. Shortly afterwards, dissensions arose within the congregation owing to Polish national and radical leaders. The people became divided amongst themselves. Factions antagonistic to one another were established, and the pastor found it difficult to receive the co-operation necessary. Eventually the school was closed and the children found it necessary to receive their education in the public school. The parish now became controlled by new lay trustees which proved to be a det- riment both to the financial and spir- itual progress of the congregation. Recognizing this lack of co-operation, Father Wozniak resigned as pastor, in October, 1924. His resignation 494 TIIE EPISCOPACY OP RIGHT REVEREND JAMES RYAN, D.D. was accepted by the present Bishop, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., of Springfield, Illinois. Numbers of the people petitioned the Bishop for a priest of their own nationality, but His Lordship having assured them that he had no Polish priest in the Diocese, it was agreed to appoint an English-speaking priest. Reverend David L. Scully, who was then assistant at St. Joseph Church, Granite City, Illinois, and Apostolic Missionary of the Diocese, was ap- pointed to take charge of the congre- gation of St. Mary on November 1, 1924. Realizing the need of a parochial school, he immediately had plans drawn for a building which were ap- proved by the Bishop. The ground was broken on May 19, 1925, for a combination brick building, modern in every detail. The building contains nine rooms and church auditorium with a seating capacity of four hun- dred fifty. It was built at a cost of $50,000.00, and was opened on Sep- tember 1, 1925, with a school enroll- ment of two hundred sixty-five. The school is under the care of the Sisters of Divine Providence from Pitts- burgh, Pennsylvania, who are noted for their achievements in educational and social work in many of the east- ern states. The school has a cosmo- politan aspect representing no less than eleven different nationalities. Since the building of the new Church of St. Mary, the congregation so increased that the Right Reverend Bishop appointed Reverend Anthony Tamolunas to assist Father Scully in his work at Madison. Reverend Joseph Labno, a newly or- dained priest, is now assistant, having succeeded Father Tamolunas toward the close of 1926. During the past year the parish has been thoroughly organized. Societies for men and women have been estab- lished. The parish has the Holy Name Society, Young Ladies' Sodality, So- ciety for the Propagation of the Faith, Sacred Heart League and Boy Scout Troop. At present the societies hold their meetings in the old church which has been renovated and adapt- ed as a hall. Additional property has been pur- chased as a playground for the chil- dren, and many improvements have been made which makes St. Mary one of the foremost parishes in the dio- cese. Church of the Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive, Macoupin County, Illinois. Established in 1912. Present Pastor : Reverend Charles Knaperek. Holy Trinity Parish at Mt. Olive is the mother Slovak parish in the Diocese of Springfield. It is also, so to say, the center of the Slovaks of the Diocese. Its history, though com- paratively brief, consisting of some thirteen years, is nevertheless an in- teresting one. It shows a very speedy growth, like the mustard seed of the Gospel, within so short a span of years. The original number of fam- ilies was some thirty-five. Today its numbers have increased to ninety- five. It has a modest frame church with a large basement made into a parish hall, a fine parsonage and a large cemetery within a short distance of the church property. Lately a beautiful modern two-story brick com- bination school and Sisters' home has been erected. The value of the whole church and school propertv is esti- mated at $75,000.00. It was in the year 1909 that the idea of a parish for the Slovak people in Mt. Olive was conceived. At a meeting of Branch 128 of the First Slovak Catholic Union, the matter was brought before the members by a few of the leading Slovak laity of .Mt. Olive. It was not acted upon until three years later. Until then the Slovak people were members of the Church of the Ascension, which they generously helped to build and sup- port. 495 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS The Slovak people as a nation are Catholic and deeply religious, prizing their faith above all, and at the same lime deeply patriotic, and since their number attending the Church of the Ascension was in the majority, and mostly immigrants from Slovakia, their heart's desire was to have a place which they could call their own, and have a priest who would under- stand them and constantly be amongst them to minister to their needs and announce to them the word of God in their native tongue. To attain this they were willing to make great sac- rifices. And this they did most cheer- fully. It was in November of 1911 that the question of a Slovak parish was brought up again. Now a com- mittee was selected to approach the late Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., Bishop, to attain permission for the establishment of a parish in Mt. Olive for the Slovaks. With the assurance on the part of the com- mittee that a priest would be support- ed, permission was granted. A build- ing committee was at once chosen, consisting of the following: Andrew Pastor, Chairman; Paul Tomas, Sr., Secretary; George Tomso, Treasurer, and George Krivy, Financial Secre- tary. The church trustees also chosen at this meeting were : John Gavrun, Sr., Michael Fedor, George Zolovcik and Michael Grayciar. Property was at once bought in the south end of the city and work begun. The people overjoyed, threw them- selves into their burdensome task with renewed zeal and redoubled strength that their ardent hopes might be realized. "In unity there is strength" they said, and unity there was when you consider that no pastor as yet was appointed them to be their guide. They contributed generously, donated much labor and thus achieved a glorious success. In the early part of April, 1912, ground was broken and the founda- tion laid. The corner-stone was laid on the 26th of May of the same year. On May 1, 1912, with gladdened hearts they greeted their first pastor in the person of Reverend Ignatius Stepuncik, at that time assistant at St. Michael Church in Staunton. The new pastor at once assumed his duties, and began to labor hard with and for his people. The church was dedi- cated in the summer of 1913 by the late Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D. The Reverend Ignatius Stepuncik labored very hard for the welfare of the parish. He had to undergo many hardships. For almost two years he lead a real missionary life, until late in 1913, the fine parsonage was erect- ed. The following year a large tract of land was bought for a cemetery. In 3919 the church was supplied with steam heat. And now in 1921 Father Stepuncik instead of sharing the fruits of his labors left the diocese to take charge of a large Slovak parish in Gary, Indiana. The people are much indebted to him fcr his noble leadership and labors. A six months vacancy now inter- vened in the pastorate. Bishop Ryan finally appointed the present pastor, Reverend Charles F. Knaperek, assist- ant at the time at SS. Peter and Paul Church at Collinsville, to guide the destinies of the parish. He assumed his duties on September 1, 1921. Since then the parish has made splendid progress. In the autumn of 1922 the new pastor made many innovations in the church and had same frescoed by the well-known Catholic decora- tors, Conrad & Schmitt of Milwaukee, at a cost of $2,000.00. The occasion was celebrated by holding a week's mission — the first in the church. In the fall of 1922 with the per- mission of the bishop, property was purchased for $2,500.00, to be used for the erection of a new parochial school of which the pastor saw a dire need since Mt. Olive had no Catholic school. In April, 1924 the new Bishop, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., was approached for per- mission to build the contemplated school, and needless to say, the re- quest was graciously granted. Plans were at once made and ground for the 496 Springfield — St. Barbara's Church. Rectory and School, Auditorium, Rev. E. A.Burtle. Ad. . . . Alexander— Rev. F. A. Lucius, Pastor, Visitation B. V. M. Church and Rectory . . . Brighton— St. Alphonsus' Church, Rectory and Hall, Rev. P. J. Malloy, Pastor. &**igj i|ii[iii|ij ii i 9&\ lt 1 i 1 WE JH \ ■E k N ta s^ JhHH .J; 1 M'l'hsoii Old Church, Rev. I>. I.. Scully, Pastor, New Church mid slli ge, Rev. Ferdinand Oruen, O.F.M. i:> i i. tin rutur Presser, O.F.M. . St. Joseph's Seminary, '/'< uiopolis. DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS In the summer of 1863 Reverend Anselm Mueller, O.F.M., was appointed Rector. Under his energetic management difficulties were gradually overcome and a growing efficiency in all departments was soon evident. An increase in the number of students was recorded from year to year, and in 1869 St. Fran- cis Solanus College, as it was then called, was established on a firm basis. In 1861 separation of the school and convent was deemed advisable and ac- commodations were obtained for the former in St. Aloysius Orphan Asylum which was vacant at the time. Classes were taught here until February, 1865, when the High School found its fourth temporary home in the parish school building. Under these circumstances, only day scholars could be admitted. This restricted the admission of students to residents of Quincy and to such as could find convenient lodging in the city. Thus matters stood until the year 1869 when the Very Reverend Provincial Gregory Janknecht, on the occasion of the canonical visitation, gave orders to erect a building adapted to the accom- modation of boarders. Plans were accordingly drawn for a building of brick 70x90 feet, four stories high, with basement, to be erected on a plot adjoining the convent to the east. The cornerstone was laid on September 4, 1870, and on September 10, 1871, the completed structure was dedicated by Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, Bishop of Alton. St. Francis Solanus College was now able to admit boarders as well as day scholars, and events soon proved the wisdom of this change in the status of the institution. The number of boarders increased to such an extent that the avail- able accommodations were taxed to the limit. These cramped conditions con- tinued until 1886, when the College acquired possession of the convent building which, after being remodeled and furnished, afforded room for several apart- ments. Improvements continued to be made in the equipment, as well as in the curriculum of the College. Among the former improvements, we may note es- pecially the installation of a modern lighting and heating system, and the build- ing of a steam laundry. Through the untiring efforts of Father Anselm and the faculty, the curriculum was enlarged and perfected, so that it eventually em- braced the Classical Courses, divided into the Academic and Collegiate Depart- ments, of four and three years respectively, and the Commercial Course ar- ranged for a period of three years. A course of philosophy, embracing the sec- ond and third year of the Collegiate Course, was introduced in 1879 ; it was dis- continued about the year 1894, but again introduced in 1897. On May 19, 1873, the College was incorporated according to the then existing laws of Illinois, and empowered to confer the degree of A.B. and A.M. In January, 1893, Father Anselm Mueller, after being at the head of the institution for almost thirty years, was succeeded by Father Nicholas Leonard, O.F.M. Soon after his appointment, the new President, to provide for the needs of the growing institution, undertook to carry out the plan which had been un- der consideration for some time : to replace the western wing, consisting of the old convent building, with more commodious and up-to-date structures. The southwestern corner of the block, formerly occupied by the parish church and the parochial school, was added to the College property ; and a strip of land on the 521 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS east side was purchased from the St. Aloysius Orphan Society. On the latter piece of land, a new study hall and auditorium were built. Its cornerstone was laid on September 20, 1893. Simultaneously work was progressing on the west- ern wing, occupying the site of the old church and school. The cornerstone of this wing was laid on March 13, 1894. It was finished and ready for occu- pancy during the summer of 1895. In 1898 the old convent building was torn down and on its site the present central structure was erected. "Only one inexperienced in such matters," says the Jubilee Souvenir of St. Francis Solanus College, 1912, "can appreciate what all this building and ex- pense meant for Father Nicholas, who, at the same time was active in the educa- tional work of the institution ; in fact, his claim to merit and fame rests chiefly upon his labors in the latter field. Everything, however, was prospering and he was looking forward with confidence in his ability to pay debts incurred and to finish the proposed buildings, when a most unfortunate accident in alighting from a street car in Omaha, Nebraska, August 25, 1900, rendered necessary the amputation of his left leg and brought him to death's door. He returned to the College after a few months, but he was a broken man. Resigning his office in December, 1901, he retired to St. Louis, Missouri, where after suffering an at- tack of apoplexy, he died, March 17, 1903." After the death of Father Nicholas, Father Anselm Mueller was again ap- pointed President of the College, and despite his advanced years, guided its destinies with almost undiminished vigor from January, 1902, until the summer of 1909. Under his successors, Father Samuel Macke, 1909 — 1910 and Father Fortunatus Hausser, 1910 — 1916, the Commercial Course was reorganized, and at the same time many improvements were made in the equipment and buildings. The beautiful chapel in the Romanesque style, begun in September, 1910, was solemnly dedicated on April 28, 1912. On this occasion the golden jubilee of the College and the silver sacredotal jubilee of Father Fortunatus were joyfully celebrated by the faculty and students, and a large concourse of alumni and friends of the institution. During the administration of the next President, Father Gabriel Lucan, from 1916 to 1921, the College acquired possession of the extensive property of the St. Aloysius Orphan Asylum, thus affording the students an excellent cam- pus for all athletic sports. In 1917, the official name of the College, St. Francis Solanus College, was changed to Quincy College and Seminary. In 1918 the Academic Department of the institution was recognized by the Department of Public Instruction of the State of Illinois, and in the following year this course was duly accredited to the University of Illinois. In 1921 Father Gabriel was succeeded by Father Ferdinand Gruen, under whose efficient administration the activities of the college were greatly extended. He was succeeded in 1927 by Father Aloisius Fromm, who is still governing the institution with great success. "Very gratifying, indeed, are the results achieved in the field of education by Quincy College. Through the efforts of excellent professors, it has justly ac- quired the reputation of imparting a solid secondary education. It numbers among its alumni over three hundred priests, secular and regular, and a large 522 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS number of teachers, lawyers, physicians and successful business men ; and there is every reason to hope that it will continue to contribute its share in the edu- cation of Catholic youth." (Illinois Catholic Historical Review, vol III, p. 175.) ST. JOSEPH COLLEGE Teutopolis, Effingham County, Illinois. Established in 1862. In 1856 at the request of Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, D.D., first Bishop of Alton, several Franciscan Fathers of the Province of the Holy Cross in Germany, sent by their Provincial the Very Reverend Gregory Jan- knecht, arrived in this country and took charge of St. Francis parish at Teu- topolis, Effingham County, Illinois. Prompted by their zeal and taught by ex- perience that the education and religious training of youth demanded particular attention, the Fathers soon took steps to found an institution of higher education. Accordingly, a committee of prominent citizens of Teutopolis was formed under the presidency of Reverend Damian Hennewig in charge of the parish, to procure a suitable site and the necessary funds for the erection of a high school. Messrs. John F. Waschefort, Clement Uptmor, John Wernsing and Dieterich Eggermann who composed the committee, are held in grateful remembrance for the great interest they manifested in this praiseworthy undertaking and for the efficient services rendered. An area of eighteen lots in the southern part of the town was selected as the site of the institution, and funds were liberally subscribed by the mem- bers of the parish then comprising the greater part of Effingham County. The corner stone of the building was laid on July 1, 1861. The two story structure of brick 80x40 feet with basement and attic was completed during the summer of 1862 and blessed with appropriate ceremonies by Bishop Juncker on September 15th. On September 16th the institution, placed under the protection of St. Joseph, was formally opened with Reverend Herbert Hoffmann, O.F.M., as President and five other Franciscans as teachers. The Bishop of Alton, to whom the College was subsequently deeded for the benefit of the diocese, raised the in- stitution also to an Ecclesiastical Seminary and sent to it his candidates for the holy ministry to pursue the courses of philosophy and theology. The number of Fathers was small, and the few were, besides, engaged in giving missions and in other pastoral duties. In consequence of these many and exacting labors, they could not give the necessary attention to the Seminary. They, therefore, in 1865 deemed it proper to discontinue philosophy and theology and to devote their entire energy to the imparting of a thorough classical educa- tion, combined with a good moral training. Meanwhile, Father Hoffmann had resigned his office and was appointed to teach theology to the clerics of the Order. His death, which occurred at the con- vent at Teutopolis on October 16, 1868, was deplored by the many witnesses of his indefatigable zeal for the honor of God and the salvation of souls. He was succeeded in the Presidency of the College by Very Reverend Maurice Kloster- mann, O.F.M., who held the office from 1864 until 1882. 523 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS At the close of the first year of Father Maurice's administration, the Sem- inary Department was discontinued and the course of studies was arranged 60 as to comprise an Academic and a Junior College Department, embracing a period of six years. Later a Commercial Course was added. The aim of the Institution, however, was not only to develop the mental powers, but also to cultivate a relish for virtue and religion. Although, for a time, members of different denominations had been received, yet to insure suc- cess, it was finally decided that only Catholics should be admitted, and their spiritual wants were always carefully provided for. At first, a room in the main building served as chapel, but soon a frame building was erected for this pur- pose, and when the chapel in the course of time proved too small, it was re- placed by a more commodious structure. In order to accommodate the large number of students who wished to avail themselves of the advantages of a higher education, an addition was made to the east side of the College building in 1877, thus securing almost twice as much room as the old building had afforded. The entire first story of the new wing served as a study hall. In 1881 the College was chartered under the laws of the State of Illinois and empowered to confer the academic degrees in accordance with the custom pre- vailing in the colleges of the United States. Henceforth, the official title of the Institution was "St. Joseph's Diocesan College"; up to this time it had been known as "St. Joseph's Ecclesiastical College." The following year Reverend Maurice Klostermann was compelled by fail- ing sight to resign the presidency of the College, after having, for a period of eighteen years, greatly contributed by his faithful and able administration to the development and prosperity of the Institution. The vacancy in the presidency was filled by the appointment of Reverend Michael Richardt, O.F.M., who entered upon the duties of his office in the be- ginning of the scholastic year, 1882 — 1883. One of the first duties of the new President was to provide accommodations for the growing number of students. Accordingly, in 1884, a wing, correspond- ing to the eastern but considerably larger, was erected on the west side of the original structure. On this occasion all the modern improvements such as steam heating, flowing water and gas light were introduced. Thus enlarged and equipped, the College was able to accommodate one hundred and eighty boarders. At the same time the chapel was greatly enlarged by the addition of a new sanc- tuary and sacristy — joined to the west wing of the building. The dedication of the new wing and chapel was performed in the fall of 1884 by the Provincial, Very Reverend Vincent Halbfas, O.F.M., assisted by a large number of priests of the diocese. The twenty-fifth anniversary of the opening of the Institution was cele- brated amid great festivities on June 21, 22 and 23, 1887. The presence of a large number of former students and friends manifested the interest entertained for the Institution and had a cheering influence on the faculty and students. The College could, indeed, look back with joy and pride upon the first twenty - 524 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS five years of its endeavors in the field of education ; for it counted among its alumni 138 priests (89 secular and 50 regular), 23 seminarians, 46 Franciscan clerics devoting themselves to the study of philosophy and theology, 77 lay teachers and a large number of men successful in the various walks of life. Despite the erection of the large western wing in 1883 — 1884 it was again found necessary to enlarge the building. In the spring of 1889, accordingly, the foundation of two additions were laid. These structures were completed in the fall and blessed by Right Reverend James Ryan, Bishop of Alton, on Thanks- giving Day, November 28. One building, 110x40 feet contains the study hall and the auditorium; the other, 125x40 feet serves as the play hall and gym- nasium. In July 1891 the Reverend Michael Richardt, President of the College, was elected Provincial of the Province of the Sacred Heart, and Reverend Nicholas Leonard, Vice-President of St. Francis College, Quincy, Illinois, was chosen to succeed him. After a short but successful term in office, — until January, 1893, — Father Nicholas was recalled by his superiors to Quincy and placed at the head of the college in that city. His successor at Teutopolis was Reverend Hugoline Storff, who held the office of President of the College from 1893 until 1900, and again from 1906 to 1912. During his administration the Institution continued to prosper in every way. The number of students increased from year to year, so that the buildings again proved inadequate to accommodate them. Plans were accordingly drawn for an addition 90x60 feet, to contain several class rooms, a library and rooms for the members of the faculty ; and also for a Chapel, in the Romanesque style, measuring 118x50 feet. Building operations were begun in the early part of 1895 and completed in the spring of the following year. The new chapel was solemnly blessed by Right Reverend Bishop Ryan on April 22, 1896. The Pon- tifical High Mass on this occasion was celebrated by Right Reverend John Janssen, Bishop of Belleville, a lifelong friend of the Institution. The year 1898 brought an important change in the status of the College. The number of young men who wished to prepare themselves for the priesthood in the Franciscan Order grew from year to year, and the time was thought op- portune to obtain control of the Institution, in order to make it a school for as- pirants of the Order. An agreement was reached with the Bishop of the dio- cese by which the Institution ceased to be a Diocesan College and passed under the entire control of the Franciscan Fathers of the Province of the Sacred Heart. The transfer of the College to the Franciscans took place on February 15, 1898. Since then it is devoted exclusively to the education of boys and young men who wish to become priests of the Order of St. Francis. Its official title was changed from "St. Joseph's Diocesan College" to "St. Joseph's Seraphic College." Under the wise administration of Reverend Hugoline Storff and his suc- cessors, whose names will be found in the list of the Reverend Presidents of the College printed at the close of this sketch, St. Joseph's Seraphic College nobly lived up to its purpose and fulfilled the expectations of those who planned and 525 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS founded it, as the goodly number of priests that look to it as their Alma Mater amply testifies. The Institution numbers among its alumni 525 priests (1 bishop, 217 secular priests and 307 regulars). The course of studies adopted during the first years of the Institution and comprising an Academic and a Junior College Department, was followed with a few modifications throughout all the years ; and every effort was made to per- fect it in accordance with the scope of the Institution and the demands of the times. An important move in this regard was made on March the first, 1922; the Senior College Department at West Park, Ohio, comprising the Junior and Senior Classes and a Post-Graduate Course, was formally added to the In- stitution, thus securing a complete and standard College Course. REGISTER OF REVEREND PRESIDENTS (1862—1927) Reverend Hoffmann, Herbert (Died) Oct. 16, 1868 1862 — 1864 Reverend Klostermann, Maurice.... Apr. 20, 1892 1864 — 1882 Reverend Puers, Eugene Aug. 8, 1891 1875— Feb. — 1876 Reverend Richardt, Michael June 8, 1916 1882—1891 Reverend Leonard, Nicholas Mar. 17, 1903 1891 — Jan. — 1893 Reverend Storff, Hugolinus Jan. 1893 — 1900 Reverend Macke, Samuel Aug. 19, 1925 1900— Jan. — 1905 Reverend Guithues, Christopher .... " June 26, 1922 Jan. 1905 — 1906 Reverend Storff, Hugolinus 1906—1912 Reverend Middendorf. Roger 1912 — 1918 Reverend Marke, Philip " Jan. 22, 1925 1918—1924 Reverend Nolan, Peter N 1924 — 1927 Routt College Jacksonville, Illinois. Established in 1895. The fall of 1902 marked the completion of the parochial school system of Jacksonville by the addition of a Catholic High School. Such an undertaking had long been contemplated and when, with the establishment of the Knights of Columbus, the local community center was abandoned, Father Crowe established in its stead what was known as the Public High School for Catholics. Utilizing the parochial building in which the community center had been housed — the same building now occupied by the Routt College Dormitory — the High School began with twelve pupils, D. Scott Sweeney, Edward Fleming, Leona Howe, John D. Cain, Barbara Schirz, Mary Sweeney, Loretto Kiley, Anna Buhre, Anne C. Harmon, Ross Magner and Fred May. To all intents and purposes the project seemed foredoomed to failure. There were no funds on hand or in prospect, there was no equipment. The first teachers who gave their services gratuitously were the Reverend F. F. Formaz and Sister Regina Colgan, O.S.D. Later Ber- nard Wortmann was added. The school functioned for three years in the manner without enlisting the financial help of anyone. When the first plans for necessary equipment and enlargement were broached, the general opinion was that a room or two built into the quarters then in use, at a cost of five thousand dollars would more than suffice for all needs. However, Father Crowe called in the services of Henry J. Schlacks, Architect, and commissioned him to draw plans for an entirely new building. He then launched a campaign to secure funds. Ground was purchased by the Church of Our Saviour immediately west of the original site, still owned by the church, and 526 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS here the new High School was erected. In the course of campaign non-Catho- lics as well as Catholics became interested in the project and placed their names on the subscription list for considerable sums. The building was completed in 1905 and the double ceremony of dedicating it and graduating the first class, was held in September of that year. A feature of the first graduation was a Salutatory in Latin by Anne C. Har- mon and a speech in German on the career of the German publicist, Ludwig Windthorst, by Anne Buhre. Classes were now transferred to the new quarters, and the old building was used as the residence of the Dominican Sisters. On the evening of the dedication, Mr. William R. Routt made a gift of fifty thousand dollars towards an endowment fund. In the opinion of Father Crowe, it seemed desirable to give an opportunity for further advancement, and the beginnings of a college course were according- ly made. Anne C. Harmon and Ethel Rayborn were the first two students. The first principal was James C. Maddigan, followed two years later by the Rever- end F. F. Formaz, who for twenty years continued as the head of the institution. Year by year the course was enlarged from four years of High School and two years of college, as originally projected, to three and finally four years of college work. In 1912, ten years after the first High School was begun, it seemed advisable to give a few young men from the outlying districts the advantage of the school. Accordingly, the church property which had been a community center for the church and later the first High School and still later the residence of the Dominican Sisters, became a dormitory to accommodate a few outsiders, the Sis- ters taking up their quarters next door at 463 East State Street. The first boarder to enroll was Isidore Froehlich. In charge of this dormitory was, first Mr. Hickson, who later was followed by Messrs. Sobisch, Thompson, Conlin, Father Edward J. Cahill, and Father E. A. Burtle, and Mr. McDonald. In 1915, Mr. Harvey J. Routt, who was the soul of the Routt family, died, leaving his estate approximating some $95,000.00 to the institution in order that, as he had frequently expressed himself, "poor, deserving boys and girls might not be denied the advantage of an education." Within only a few months of his son's death, Mr. William R. Routt died, leaving by the terms of his will the sum of $60,000.00 to be added to its endowment fund. And in 1916 on the eighth of March, not quite a year later, Father Crowe died. He was succeeded by the present pastor of the Churcli of Our Saviour, Reverend Francis F. Formaz, S. T. L., who had been carrying on the work of the church and school for fifteen years previous to the death of Father Crowe. Father Formaz, as president of Routt College, continued to add little by little to the endowment fund. Under his administration the High School was fully accredited to the University of Illinois and the North Central Association of High Schools. By the addition of professors and major equipment, the High School and College continued to advance in enrollment and scholarship. Ath- letics were always appreciated at their true worth by the students of Routt College. 527 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Among the priests and Sisters who were educated at Routt College are the following : Reverend Luke L. Mandeville, A.M., Superintendent of Schools, Lin- coln, Nebraska; Reverend Edward J. Weisenberg, S.J., St. Louis University; Reverend James Braddock, C.S.V., St. Viator's College; Reverend George Hobbes, assistant pastor Church of Our Saviour; Sister Mary Robert, Superin- tendent of Nurses, Mercy Hospital, Chicago, Illinois; Sister Mary Ida, A.M., Hercy High School, Chicago, Illinois; Sister Catherine de Ricci. O.S.D., Sacred Heart Academy, Springfield, Illinois. The following are the priests of the Springfield Diocese who have taught at Routt College : Very Reverend Francis F. Formaz, S.T.L. ; Reverend William M. Costello, Reverend Edward J. Cahill, A.M. ; Reverend George Hobbes, A.B. ; Reverend D. L. Lydon, A.M.; Reverend E. A. Burtle, A.B., and Reverend Charles C. Sandon, A.B. In 1924, the present incumbent, Reverend William M. Costello, succeeded Father Formaz as President of Routt College. URSULINE ACADEMY Springfield, Illinois. Established in 1857. The Diamond Jubilee Celebration of the Catholic diocese of Springfield in Illinois, so happily inaugurated by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., presents an opportunity for a brief sketch of the work and accomplishments of the Ursulines, founded nearly four hundred years ago, for the education of young girls. The Bishop of Charleston, having, during many years been well acquainted with the Ursuline monastery in Cork, Ireland, and finding in his diocese no in- stitution for female education which combined so many advantages as he knew could be united in an institution of this Order, had for some years desired that affiliation shoidd be sent to this city of Charleston, South Caroline. His request was finally acceded to, and on the tenth day of December, 1834, he arrived from Europe, accompanied by three professed nuns : Mother Mary Charles, Sister Mary F. Borgia, Sister Mary Antonio, and a young lady, Miss Harriet Woulfe, who had requested permission to join their community. On the 19th of May, 1835, he performed the prescribed ceremony on the occasion of giving the habit of religion to this young lady, upon her being admitted to her probation as a novice in the Order, by the name of Sister Mary Joseph Woulfe. Il was in 1857 at the invitation of Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, Bishop of the diocese of Alton, that five Ursulines from the community of Charleston, South Carolina, with Mother Mary Joseph Woulfe as superior, ar- rived in Springfield. These were the first Ursulines in Illinois. They opened an academy and for the first ten years, though handicapped in many ways owing to their extreme pov- erty, successfully conducted their school. In 1866 the main building of the pres- ent convent was started and in September, 1867 it was ready for occupancy. In 1894 the building of the beautiful new chapel was begun, and it was dedicated to 528 3 ftS o 3 5 ft? s o CO o 5 id* M r Springfield Ursulim Icademy, Rev. E. •/. Cahill, Chaplain . . . Springfield Sacred llitiri Academy and Dominican Convent, Mothci Joscphim Meagher, deceased, Mothei nt. Superior, and Mothei Simpson, deceased Decatur St. Theresa Academy. DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS the Sacred Heart in June, 1895. As the community grew in numbers it became necessary to build an addition for the use of the Sisters. Accordingly the pres- ent monastery was added in 1901, the former building being used only for con- servatory and academy purposes. In 1908 the new auditorium known as St. Ursula Hall, or the Conservatory of Music, was erected. As it stands today the Ursuline Academy of St. Joseph is one of the most im- posing and beautiful buildings in Springfield and enjoys the distinction of be- ing one of the oldest educational institutions in the State. It is to the kindness and generosity of their many friends of the past and present that the Ursulines owe the success that has marked their every endeavor. They list among their benefactors all of the oldest and first families of the city, both Catholic and non-Catholic. We note that on the program of the first com- mencement held in July, 1858, the Salutatorian of the class was Miss Rhoda Bissel, daughter of His Excellency, Governor William H. Bissel, and the valedic- torian, Miss Mary Kavanaugh, known to the older Springfield residents as Mrs. Daniel 'Crowley, of happy memory. The Ursulines have ever been especially blessed in the devoted chaplains and the Reverend Assistants of St. Joseph 's Church who have since the days of their first and highly venerated chaplain, Reverend Terence Cowley, ever served the nuns with earnest devotion and kindly solicitude. From the first the Ursulines were untiring and capable teachers. Besides the ordinary branches of school curriculum, special courses were given in Ger- man and French. Among the students who were graduated from the French Course in the early sixties was a niece of Abraham Lincoln. With untiring zeal the nuns opened classes in music, art and needlework. Several of the Ursulines were expert artists with the needle and the magnificnt and priceless tapestry pic- tures which still adorn the convent walls are the work of the first Illinois Ursulines. It is interesting to note that the records of boarders from 1868 to 1878 con- tain the names of pupils from Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Kentucky. This fact is significant as it shows that the people of the South, though stripped of their possessions by the war, still held education above most natural benefits and were willing to make any sacrifice to procure its advantages for their children. Little by little the convent grew to its present educational status; new courses of study were added; a commercial department was opened; the Art studio was placed in better quarters and the trend has been ever upward and onward in all that makes for improvement in the schools until today the old con- vent stands equal in similar scope to any in the land, and is accredited by the University of Illinois. The Springfield Ursulines at present writing number a large community of active members, who besides conducting the grammar grades, high school, com- mercial, and domestic art departments in the academy, have also for those not wishing to take full acedemic, scientific or commercial courses an elective course which permits students to take advantage of the special classes in language, art 529 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS and music. The academy is fully equipped with chemical and physiological lab- oratories, music and art studios, a modern commercial department and domestic art rooms. The Ursulines are also in charge of St. Joseph's and the Blessed Sac- rament parochial schools of this city, and of mission-branch houses in Chicago, Downers Grove and Granite City. The number of children in their charge is nearly two thousand five hundred. The Ursuline Alumnae association was started in the spring of 1907 and has ever been a source of much pleasure, affording the members happy reunions and many opportunities of helping their Alma Mater, and sharing in the noble work of Catholic education by providing an Educational fund for University Courses for the Nuns and scholarships for worthy ambitious young girl students at the convent. URSULINE CONVENT OF THE HOLY FAMILY Alton, Illinois. Established in 1859. During the year 1858, Right Reverend Bishop Juncker applied at the Ursu- line Convent of St. Louis, Missouri, for Sisters of the Order to take charge of the schools in Alton, his Episcopal city. In response to this invitation, Mother Josephine Bruiding, accompanied by Sister Seraphine Pauer, Sister Ursula Gruenwald, Sister Mary Weiman, Sister Martha Dauane, Sister Antonia Stahl and Sister Crescentia Jobst, arrived in Alton, March 19, 1859. A house on State Street, nearly opposite the present site of the Hayner Library had been rented for their use. Upon their arrival generous friends fur- nished all necessaries. On the Feast of the Annunciation, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered in a small room which had been set apart for & chapel. By the marvelous activity of those energetic pioneers, the schools were opened on the first of April. A class of thirty-six was prepared for First Holy Communion, and several converts were instructed in the mysteries of our holy religion. Accustomed as we are at the present day to all modern conveniences, it is difficult to realize the heroic sacrifices made in those early days; yet a tender haze softens the sharp details of memory and we would not wish a single outline omitted from the narrative of those crude beginnings. The site of the present convent on Fourth Street was purchased in 1860, and a new building was commenced during the year. Mother Josephine and Mother Mary visited Europe in order to solicit the necessary funds for carrying on the work. They were cordially received and generously aided by the clergy and by the religious of the firmly established ancient monasteries of Europe. King Louis of Bavaria, Francis Joseph of Austria, and other members of the royal house of Hapsburg were liberal in their donations. The Royal Art and Altar Societies of Munich donated an altar and several valuable paintings. Aid- ed by the liberality of these foreign friends, as well as by the generosity of the citizens of Alton, work on the new building progressed rapidly, so that on Decem- ber 28, 1863, it was solemnly blessed by Bishop Juncker and dedicated to the Holy Family. It would be impossible to adequately describe the kindness with which the 530 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS Sisters were received both by the Catholics and non-Catholics of the Bluff City. During the past half century the Community has always had the support of the citizens in their undertakings; by their aid the Sisters have been able to carry out effectually the spirit of their institute, the work of religious education. The debt of gratitude due to the Bishops, Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, Right Reverend John Janssen, and Right Reverend James Ryan, all of happy memory, and to many of the de- ceased clergy of the Diocese, can be discharged only by the Giver of every best and perfect gift to whom grateful prayers are daily offered. The reverend clergy of the Diocese, and especially of the city have ever by their co-operation and support proved themselves true and generous friends of the institution. To men- tion individually the names of the benefactors would be a pleasurable task though well-nigh impossible ; but each one is inscribed in the Annals of the Order and still more deeply engraven on the hearts of the religious who daily pray that God may vouchsafe to bless all those who in His name, have done them good. In 1867 the Institute was chartered by the State of Illinois under the title of "The Roman Catholic Ursuline Convent of the Holy Family," and empower- ed to grant diplomas and to exercise all rights appertaining to higher institutions of learning. Miss Mary Darneils and Miss Minnie Dunlap, now Mrs. Weaver and Mrs. Steidley, respectively, were the first to receive graduating honors. Since that time young ladies have gone forth from the sheltering roof of their Alma Mater, crowned with the highest honors in her power to bestow. At the commencement of 1905 the former graduates met for the purpose of organizing an Alumnae Association. A temporary organization was effected. A second meeting was held October 10th of the same year for the purpose of adopt- ing by-laws and constitution and electing permanent officers. The purpose of the Association was to perpetuate school-girl friendship ; to cherish and advance the interests of their Alma Mater, and to strengthen and preserve the filial relations of pupil and teacher. An Annual banquet and reception of new members is held on Commence- ment Day each year, when all the "Old Girls" return to their Alma Mater to manifest their affectionate remembrance of her maternal care. The Ursuline Order, founded by Saint Angela of Merici for the sole pur- pose of educating young girls, has for nearly four hundred years devoted itself exclusively to this noble work. Spread throughout Christendom as we find it to- day, it everywhere adapts itself to the needs of the people. The Ursulines, al- though not the "heirs of all past ages" possess the rich yield of a heritage of more than three centuries of experience in the educational field. The missionary zeal of their sainted foundress is their most precious inheri- tance, and thus no sooner did the Alton Community number sufficient members to enable it to extend its field of labor, than in response to urgent appeals, new foundations were made. In 1871 a prosperous school was opened in Litchfield, Illinois. A few years later, at the earnest solicitation of Right Reverend Thomas L. Grace, Bishop of St. Paul, a convent of the order was established in Lake City, Minnesota. 531 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Foundations in Illinois at Decatur, Mattoon, Springfield, Collinsville, Sainte Marie, Morrisonville, Venice, Kainpsville and Jerseyville followed in rapid suc- cession. These Missions, together with the Cathedral and Saint Patrick's Schools of Alton placed the Sisters in charge of more than two thousand children. Com- modious and well-equipped buildings, but above all the encouragement and active support of the Reverend Rectors of these respective schools enabled the Sisters to impart to their pupils a solid secular education and to implant in their young hearts a true knowledge and love of that most priceless treasure, their holy faith. At the close of the last century, the Sovereign Pontiff, Leo XIII, realizing that in "union there is strength," expressed a desire for unification of the Ur- sulines throughout the world. In obedience to his wish, delegates from various Ursuline Convents of almost every country assembled at Rome, and on Novem- ber 21, 1900, subscribed to the articles forming the Canonical Union of Ursulines. Signal blessings have followed the prompt compliance of the Alton Ursulines with the expressed wish of the Holy Father not the least of these is the oppor- tunity of affording a refuge to the religious who were driven from France by the so-called authorization act. Eight of these exiled Sisters found a home in the Ursuline Convent here, where they enjoy the privilege of serving God accord- ing to their desires, as daughters of Saint Angela. While the dominant spirit among the Sisters of Alton is a joyous tribute of gratitude for the countless blessings of the past years, yet memories, fraught with sadness, find an echo in the heart. How many of those who gave willing hearts and ready hands to the upbuilding of the edifice have passed away. Mother Josephine Bruiding whose unflagging courage upheld the little band amidst the difficulties inseparable from all beginnings, whose great heart went out in sym- pathy to every cause where God's honor might be promoted, was called to her reward October 18, 1901. Well did she live out the motto of the great Saint Ignatius of Loyola, a motto which she had made her own, Ad majorem Dei gloriam. With her memory is associated that of Mother Mary Weiman who for a number of years filled so well and nobly the office of Mother Superior. To- gether they twice visited Europe in behalf of their loved Convent home ; with devoted affection they sustained and encouraged each other in those first years of privation. Within the last few years the death of Mother Theresa Gillespie brought sorrow, not only to the Sisters who knew and loved her as a mother, but to a host of others who mourned the loss of a noble and generous friend. Her noble, unselfish character won the love and esteem of all who had the happiness of meet- ing her, and when her great heart was stilled in death — that heart which beat only with love of God and charity for her neighbor — all felt that they had lost a friend whose place could never be filled. Another religious whose death was deeply mourned was Mother Angela Lings. In her office of Directress and Teacher of the Academic classes she was widely known and universally esteemed. Her "girls" are true to the memory of 532 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS this loved and revered teacher. Nor is the saintly Sister Benedicta forgotten. The sweet odor of her virtues still permeates the cloister which for nearly fifty years she blessed with her presence. These, with many others, some worn out with long years of toil in the Master's service, others fresh bright flowers culled in the spring-time of their lives — all lovingly remembered in the daily prayers of their Sisters who still remain to carry on the work for which the dear departed willingly offered their lives. At the request of Right Reverend James A. Griffin, Bishop of Springfield, the Sisters have opened schools at Livingston, Mt. Olive and Woodriver. "With his advice and encouragement they are erecting a convent and academy of Music and Art on Danforth Street, Alton. Later they will build in Alton in connec- tion with the Academy a college for their students who wish to pursue the higher branches of learning. As soon as the Sisters are able to move into their new home they will raze the old building and will proceed under the direction of the Bishop to erect a Central Catholic High School on its site. NOTRE DAME OF QUINCY Quincy, Illinois. Established in 1867. Among the educational institutions of the Gem City, Notre Dame of Quincy holds a prominent position. During the past sixty years it has acquired the reputation of being one of the best and most up-to-date schools in the State of Illinois. It is conducted by Religious, the School Sisters of Notre Dame, who have achieved great success in the education of our American youth. The name of the sainted Mother Caroline Friess, the first Comissary General of the School Sisters in America, is familiar to thousands of men and women who have been trained in the Catholic principles of virtue and science in the many schools that she established in the United States and Canada. One of the first fruits of her untiring zeal in behalf of education of young girls was the founding of St. Mary's Institute, now Notre Dame of Quincy, in 1867. About eight years before this institute was founded, Mother Caroline hap- pened to be visiting in St. Louis, where she met the Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, the first Bishop of Alton, Illinois. His Lordship strongly urged Mother Caroline to assume charge of St. Boniface school in Quincy, which was then taught by secular teachers. Mother Caroline was always ready to respond whenever it was in her power to further the education of children, so she decided that on her way back to Milwaukee, she would stop at Quincy in order to learn the status of the school and to see what arrangements could be made for the Sisters' dwelling. She arrived on the feast of All-Saints, and the next morning wishing to avoid the crowd that thronged St. Boniface church re- mained at prayer for sometime after the Requiem. But when she arose to leave, she noticed that almost the entire congregation was waiting to meet her. Rev- erend H. J. Shaefermeyer then introduced his parishioners and trustees, and at a meeting that afternoon, it was planned that all would be in readiness for the Sisters to begin their work before January 1, 1860. 533 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS On December 27, 1859 Mother Seraphine, the Superior, accompanied by Sis- ter Chrysologa and a Candidate, Clara Pinger, arrived in Quincy, and on the fol- lowing day, the feast of the Holy Innocents, they took charge of the girls of St. Boniface school. In 1861, by request of Bishop Juncker, another band of Sis- ters opened St. Lawrence 'Toole 's now St. Peter 's school. Parents were anxious to have their children educated by Religious who would labor unceasingly for both their spiritual and material welfare, and who would instruct them accord- ing to the teachings and principles of Catholicity. Within this same year, the people of Quincy repeatedly expressed their de- sire to His Lordship, that the Sisters might open a private school for their daugh- ters who had completed the elementary branches, where they could continue their studies and give special attention to music, drawing and needlework. Mother Caroline was, therefore, requested to arrange that these advantages might be offered to the older pupils. For this purpose Sister Gisela, a sister of Mother Boniface, arrived late in September to teach the advanced class and also to give lessons in French and Drawing, while Sister Camilla took charge of the needle- work. These branches were taught in some of the spare rooms of St. Boniface school. On Septemberr 2, 1863, Mother Boniface was sent to Quincy and was ap- pointed superior, which position she held for forty-five years, until her death in 1908. She immediately began to teach music. Her first pupil was Mrs. A. Lubbe (Miss Kate Werner) who up to her death (1923) loved to tell of the happy days when Mother Boniface taught her the elements of music. At the close of the year sixteen pupils were numbered in the music class, and the advanced pupils in the regular course numbered twenty-five. It was an excellent begin- ning and the outlook for the future seemed promising. If the blessing of God would continue, it would be quite necessary to provide other facilities to ac- commodate them. About this time there was some thought of transferring the Alton Episco- pal See to Quincy, so Bishop Juncker purchased a beautiful residence on Eighth and Vermont streets, which had been built for Judge C. B. Lawrence, who had left nothing undone to make it one of the most imposing and comfortable houses in the city at that time. The entrance was particularly attractive and the large windows and white enameled wood work in the rooms lent a brightness that cheered all who entered. The house contained three rooms on the first floor and two on the second. A well-kept orchard extended half a block north on Eighth street and the grounds back of the building were laid out in picturesque gardens and lawns. It was, however, soon decided that the Episcopal See would remain in Alton, so in 1866 the Bishop permitted his Quincy residence to be used as a hospital by the Sisters of St. Francis. His Lordship desired to dispose of this recently ac- quired property. He then requested Mother Boniface to suggest to Reverend Mother Caro- line that she should buy the property and open an institute for the higher educa- tion of girls. The plan was seriously considered by Mother Caroline, but for 534 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS various reasons she could not be persuaded to act. The zealous and ever kind Father Shaefermeyer then wrote urging her to consider the matter again and to give a favorable decision. He waited several weeks, but no word of encourage- ment was received. Meanwhile Bishop Juncker was finishing his diocesan visitation and hoped to meet Mother Caroline in Quincy. Three telegrams were received by her in one day, so there was nothing for her to do but to meet His Lordship and state the reasons for not acquiescing in the proposition. She said that the Order was very poor and could not carry a debt of $25,000.00, and furthermore there were not enough Sisters to supply the needs of the already existing schools, much less to open a new institute. The Bishop realized Mother Caroline's position but was very anxious to have the Sisters open an Academy in his diocese. He requested the Reverend Mother to inspect a location at Mt. Sterling, another at Springfield, and then to compare the three. After doing so, Mother Caroline, relying entirely upon Divine Provi- dence, finally yielded, giving the preference to Quincy and consenting to the pur- chase of the Bishop's residence. The documents were signed in Springfield, and the building on Eighth and Vermont streets became the property of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The following May the Sisters of St. Francis vacated the house, and on June 7, 1867, Mother Boniface with her small community of ten Sisters entered the building, henceforth to be known as St. Mary's Institute. Now began the period of hardship and struggle. The people of Quincy were very kind and eagerly offered every assistance. Yet most of them were pioneers who with limited means were laboring to better their condition. The Sisters, therefore, who had incurred this heavy debt were compelled to suffer many privations and were often in want of even the necessaries of life. Twenty- five thousand dollars was no small sum, especially in those days, and when the Sisters moved into their new home they possessed but twenty-five dollars. Money could be borrowed only at ten per cent, and the Sisters could not afford to pay so high an interest. But as the darkest hour is just before the dawn, so this period of trial pre- ceded the realization of God's manifest benediction. God sent them a faithful friend who proved their strong support for many years and who never ceased to labor for the welfare of St. Mary 's. It was Father Peter McGirr, the zealous young pastor of St. Peter's. When he learned of the difficulties that the insti- tute was facing, he determined to go among his friends and parishiners and in- duce them to lend money to the Sisters at a low rate of interest, or if possible, without interest. Within a short time he secured the required amount, for those who were made acquainted with the work and plans of the institute generously responded to the request of Father McGirr, even at the expense of personal sac- rifice. To them, and likewise to all the old friends of St. Boniface is due the success of the Institute, for without their support and co-operation it would have been impossible to secure a financial footing and to maintain a private school. Without doubt God has rewarded them by inscribing their names in the 535 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Book of Life, for He never fails to grant very special blessings to those who assist His consecrated Spouses in furthering the education of the young. From this tiny seed sown sixty years ago Notre Dame of Quincy has grown into a flourishing Academy. Ever since it was chartered by the Illinois Legisla- ture in 1873, it has steadily progressed in every possible way, until today it stands a noble edifice and the pride of all who claim it as their Alma Mater. In 1911 it was accredited by the University of Illinois and eight years ago it was affiliated with the Catholic University of America at Washington, D. C. Its location is ideal in our Gem City, easily reached from the Chicago, Bur- lington & Quincy, as well as from the Wabash railroad, about 100 miles' from Galesburg, 20 miles from Hannibal and 140 miles from St. Louis. Notre Dame combines all the conveniences and advantages of the city with the pleasures and benefits of extended, secluded grounds. Notre Dame 's aim is thoroughness in education — to fit its daughters to meet their duties, both religious and secular, prepared and unafraid. Methods are adapted to the individual to realize the best possible results in cultivating the heart, developing the mind, training the hand and up-building the character. The course of study embraces every branch of a complete academic educa- tion, and like a golden hue permeating and coloring every department, Christian Doctrine has a prominence due it as the only, the absolutely necessary founda- tion of a truly Christian education. The Academic or High School course furnishes not only a thorough prepara- tion for college and professional life but also a broadening and stimulating sur- vey of life and literature for those who may not be able to pursue their studies beyond the academic limits. The course in Household Economics includes Domestic Science and Domes- tic Art in theory and in practice. The Commercial Course offers advantages of an up-to-date business college. The School of Music offers superior advantages to students in voice, piano, organ, harp, violin and cello. The School of Art offers a full course in drawing and painting. The former includes freehand drawing with charcoal and pencil, and figure drawing from posed models ; the latter comprises painting still-life and flowers in water-color and figure and portrait painting in oil. Decorative illustrations and China painting also form part of this course. The Department of Expression offers courses in repertoire, voice culture, lit- erary interpretation, drama and story-telling. A well-equipped gymnasium affords ample opportunity for indoor athletics, while outdoor sports are well provided for in tennis, basket ball, volley ball, etc., courts. In addition to these advantages offered the students of Quincy proper, the Academy is also equipped as a boarding school for primary and grammar grade pupils who are not affiliated with any city parish. The buildings are well ventilated, lighted and heated— each department spe- 536 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS eially fitted for its work. Great stress is laid upon the observance of the laws of courteous behavior and a regular course is given in the manner and usages of good society. Notre Dame has completed sixty years of service, has always been a pro- gressive school and ranks with the best educational institutions in the country. ACADEMY OF ST. THERESA Decatur, Illinois. Established in 1868. Few persons in Decatur distinctly remember the coming here of members of the Ursuline Order to take up educational work in this community, and even a lesser number remember that five years prior to that period Sisters of the Holy Name Order came from Montreal, Canada to establish a school here, but because of the hardships incident to lack of funds, distance from the motherhouse, and the lack of support, they were forced to abandon the effort and returned to Canada. Then the Ursulines from New York sought Decatur as the site of a school, but ill health, hardships due to the pioneer work of the field forced them to aban- don the effort. Sister Baptist, one of their number, succumbed to ill health and the privations of the effort and was buried in Calvary. Six religious workers were sent to Decatur from the motherhouse at Alton in 1873 to take charge of St. Theresa 's Academy in East Eldorado Street. Without interruption they have since been engaged in educational work. The six mem- bers of the pioneer corps of the sisterhood were Reverend Mother Theresa Gilles- pie, Mother Xavier, Mother Henrietta, Sister Agnes, Sister Mechtilde and Sister Elizabeth. The outside world knew nothing of the difficulties they encountered, of the privations they endured. The old academy was a twelve room house. It was made of such bricks as were available in those days, bricks handmade and soft so that they absorbed the moisture from the air and from the earth. The old house was damp and there were only two stoves to partially heat the twelve rooms. The Ursuline Sisters came to Decatur to establish a school exclusively for girls, but the scarcity of men teachers in the religious orders, forced them to take up the work of teaching the pupils of the parochial school as well as girls who came to the academy. The first parochial school was a two-room building in North Street and prior to its service as a school it had served as a church. In 1882 a new brick building was erected in Eldorado Street just east of the academy, and at the same time there was an addition built in the rear of the old academy building. In 1912 the Sisters began to see the development of the dream they had cherished — an academy in more than name, and there was much juy when the approval of their plans had been given by the Mother Provincial and a beautiful site at the extreme North Water Street was purchased. In January, 1914 the new building was ready for the reception of non-resident pupils and fully equipped for their proper housing and education. The venerable Mother Celes- tine was appointed the first Superior of the new Academy, and un-Jer her com- 537 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS petent and able direction the school grew and many new members were admitted into the community. She governed the Community for six years, and at the ex- piration of this term Mother St. Bernard of Alton, Illinois, succeeded her. In the summer of 1924 Mother Charles of Tontitown, Arkansas, was placed in charge of the Decatur Community, but owing to ill health was forced to give up the charge after one year. Reverend Mother Celestine, the pioneer Superior of the new Academy again resumed charge and was received as Superior with much joy by all her Sisters. The community now numbers forty members and in addition to conduct- ing the Academy for girls they are in charge of St. Patrick's School and St. Thomas' School, both in Decatur and of the Sacred Heart School in Oconee, Illinois. SACRED HEART ACADEMY Lincoln Avenue and Washington Street, Springfield, Illinois. Established in 1893. Among the religious congregations in the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, the one that may be cited as one thoroughly American in its origin and native of Illinois is that of the Dominican Sisters of the "Congregation of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. ' ' Five of the founders of this community were native born Amer- icans and the first prioress, Reverend Mother M. Josephine Meagher though an American citizen by adoption was a woman who possessed a genuine inherent love of liberty and democracy, and a woman who ardently espoused the purpose and cause of American institutions and principles. The Dominican Sisters forming this "Congregation of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart" whose motherhouse and novitiate are located in the extreme west end of Springfield, Illinois, were first established in 1873 at Jacksonville, Illi- nois. At the invitation of the Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, six Domini- can Sisters were sent by Reverend Mother Regina from St. Catherine's Convent near Springfield, Kentucky, to found a motherhouse of the III Order of Saint Dominic in the Diocese of Alton, Illinois. On the nineteenth of August in 1873 these six Sisters were welcomed to Jacksonville by the Very Reverend Patrick J. Macken. These six nuns to whom had been intrusted the work of establishing the II Order of St. Dominic in Illi- nois were : Reverend Mother M. Josephine Meagher, Sister M. Agnes Maguire, Sister Rachel Conway, Sister Alberta Rumphff, Sister Osanna Rowell and Sister Cecilia Carey. On that day in a very humble cottage and with but meager as- sets these six nuns began the organization of the community that now numbers some three hundred souls. The following September their work as teachers be- gan in the parochial school in Our Saviour's parish. The enrollment of the first day of school showed over four hundred names and through the years that have followed the school register shows that the school has maintained its record. Two years later Reverend Father Xeihaus of Ruma, Illinois, engaged the Sisters to go to Ruma to teach English to a resident community of "Sisters of 538 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS the Precious Blood." Three Sisters were appointed to this mission. During the five years that the Dominican Sisters were in Ruma they also taught the parish school. At the end of five years the "Sisters of the Precious Blood" had be- come so conversant in English that they were capable of taking charge of the school and the Dominican Sisters withdrew. Reverend A. J. Saurer invited the Sisters to take charge of the school in Carrollton, Illinois. In 1881 three Sisters were assigned to this work. Reverend M. Clifford of St. Mary's Church in Mt. Sterling, Illinois, en- gaged the Sisters for his school, and in September of 1882, three Sisters opened this school. Although the little community of Jacksonville Dominicans who had entered upon the work of establishing the Dominican Order in Illinois had been beset with and tried by all the adversities that usually accompany such undertakings, they had prospered. In May, 1884 a corporate charter was issued by the State of Illinois to this congregation under the title of ' ' Convent of Saint Rose of Lima." The community now numbered twenty-six professed Sisters and seven novices. Every department of the school and arts in which the Sisters were en- gaged had grown so that each department demanded larger laboratories and the immediate necessity of larger and appropriate building was evident. The generosity of the people of Jacksonville was shown by their spontaneous response when they heard of the Sisters' new project. A bazaar was held in St, Patrick's Hall in that city in July for the benefit of the Sisters' new building. The $1,526.00 netted from this bazaar was cheerfully given to the Sisters as a nucleus for a building fund. The Sisters now began to consider the purchase of a new site suitable for convent, novitiate and Academy. To locate far from the city as they desired to do would entail expenses that this young struggling community would not be able to meet, consequently a location nearer the church of Our Saviour and the parochial school was considered. Through the kind assistance of a Mr. Mehan of New York who loaned the Sisters $5,000, and the generous gift of $3,000 from the Sisters' great benefactor, Mr. Charles Routt, they were enabled to pro- cure the Richard Yates residence and property on East State Street in Jackson- ville. Ground was broken and the work on the new building was begun on Saint Dominic's Day, August 4, 1886. On July 5, the following year, 1887, the new home was in readiness and the Sisters took possession. The buildings then erect- ed sufficed to accommodate the needs of an academy and convent until 1892, when the increasing community and flourishing academy conducted by the Sisters required larger housings. Jacksonville now seemed unable to furnish a desirable site for the location of the Sisters' greater plan. Reverend Mother M. Josephine Meagher visited Springfield, Illinois, and selected the Jesse K. Dubois property at the extreme west end of the city as the site for the new convent and academy. This proprty is ideal in every respect for such a purpose. When Reverend Mother M. Josephine Meagher acquainted the late Right Reverend Bishop Ryan with her plans he heartily approved them and 539 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS favored her with all permissions necessary to advance the work. Again, through the generosity of Mr. Charles Routt the Sisters procured the new estate. In 1893 the new mother-house at Springfield was completed and the com- munity moved from Jacksonville to their new home. On the 29th of June the building was blessed and dedicated. At this date the community numbered forty-four professed Sisters, five novices and seven postulants. In September, 1895 the academy in connection with the convent was opened. The needs of the community did not permit of an adequate portion of the build- ings being allotted to the use of the academy. As the years passed on the classes so increased that the question of more buildings again confronted the Sisters. In 1896 the office of incorporation was transferred to Springfield and the official title of the convent was changed to that of the "Academy of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart." By the year 1900 the Sisters were compelled because of the increasing num- ber of Religious and because of the increasing number of students in the academy to determine upon plans for a new building. At this venture the Sisters de- cided to realize their most fervent and noble ambition, the erection of a con- ventual chapel. Through the generosity of friends and relatives of the Sisters this was made possible. On the 30th of June, 1901, the corner stone of the new chapel building was laid. The program of that day was under the auspices of the Knights of Columbus. Two years later on the 7th of July the entire new building was dedicated by Right Reverend Bishop Ryan. The chapel building includes the chapel, auditorium and infirmary for the Sisters. All of the pioneer members lived to see the erection of the chapel building. Though the progress of the first thirty years of the Sisters foundation had been rapid and blessed and their ambitions attained, it was soon recognized that for the proper discipline of the academy and for the necessary order requisite in the religious life of the Sisters more buildings and larger class rooms were required. Accordingly in 1908 the permission to erect a building entirely de- voted to school purposes was obtained from Right Reverend Bishop Ryan. This building, "The Sacred Heart Academy" is a splendid five-story structure, fire- proof and equipped with every convenience and accommodation. The labora- tories and studios are furnished with every accessory that is necessary for the perfect study of any science or art taught in the academy. On January 1, 1910, this building was informally opened and classes were held in the new building at the opening of the second semester, February 1, 1910. The formal opening and dedication took place on the feast of Saint Dom- inic, August 4, 1910. The usual success that had attended every effort of this congregation in its career in the diocese seemed to accompany the progress of the academy. Pupils in the regular and special classes increased and by their brilliant work in the various professions and vocations which they embraced after their graduation brought distinction, honor and merit upon their Alma Mater. In the spring of 1917 Mr. Hollister, High School Visitor of the University of 540 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS Illinois, visited and examined the academy faculty, buildings and equipment. Upon his recommendation the academy was affiliated to the University of Illi- nois. The following September Mr. Harry Thraser of the State Bureau of Edu- cation visited and made his inspection of the academy and upon his recommenda- tion the school was placed upon the list of Recognized High Schools in the state of Illinois. From its small beginning in 1884 when the academy was first granted a charter by the State of Illinois endowing it with all first-class rights and em- powering it to confer honors upon its graduates the institution has grown stead- ily and successfully until today it enjoys the prestige of being one of the best private academies in the state. Under the supervision of the sisters of the "Congregation of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart ' ' are thirty-three parochial schools and eleven high schools. All of the high schools under the direction of the Dominican Sisters are enrolled on the list of Recognized High Schools in Illinois. The schools outside the diocese of Springfield, Illinois, under the care of these Sisters are in the archdiocese of Chi- cago; Diocese of Peoria, Belleville, Rockford, Duluth, Minnesota, Boise, Idaho and Detroit, Michigan. The following list is the schools that are and have been under the direc- tion of the Dominican Sisters during their years of service in the diocese of Springfield, Illinois: MISSION SCHOOLS TAUGHT BY DOMINICAN SISTERS 1878, Ruma, Reverend Father Neihaus; 1881, Carrollton, Reverend A. J. Sauer; 1882, Mt. Sterling, Reverend M. Clifford; 1883, Jerseyville, Reverend J. J. Harty; 1884, Beardstown, Reverend Wm. Weigand; 1886, Prairie du Rocher, Reverend Chas. Krewet; 1888, Paris, Reverend J. A. Postner; 1889, Pana, Reverend F. Stick; 1889, New Berlin, Reverend J. Mohr; 1889, Carlinville, Reverend Father Kerr; 1890, St. Mary's, Springfield, Reverend T. Hickey ; 1892, Litchfield, Reverend P. Carroll; 1893, E. St. Louis, J. Harkins; 1893, Jackson- ville, became a mission, Reverend J. W. Crowe ; 1897, Ivesdale, Reverend Chas. 'Brien ; 1897, St. Agnes, Springfield, Reverend J. Howard ; 1900, Assumption, Reverend J. Dechene ; 1902, Jacksonville, Routt College, Reverend J. W. Crowe ; 1903, St. Louis, Mo., St. Columbkille, Reverend F. J. Jones ; 1905, Morrisonville, Reverend J. Hoven ; 1905, Philo, Reverend J. P. Barry ; 1908, Eagle, Reverend M. Eagan ; 1910, Our Lady of Grace, Chicago, Reverend J. J. Mullally ; 1910, St. Edward's College, Reverend J. J. Creagan; 1910, St. Patrick's Springfield, Rev- erend Thos. Fennessy ; 1911, Aurora, Reverend J. A. Quinn ; 1914, Rantoul, Rev- erend W. J. Drummy; 1914, Mendota, Reverend Father Jacobs; 1915, Odell, J. P. Barry ; 1917, Penfield, Reverend Wm. O 'Brien ; 1920, East Moline, Reverend S. Van der Gulick; 1920, Mt. Clemens, Michigan, Reverend J. D. O'Shea; 1921, Farmersville, Reverend L. C. Ryan ; 1922, Nampa, Idaho, Reverend T. S. Canning, S. M.; 1923, Dupo, Reverend J. F. Wuemar; 1923, Duluth, (Our Lady of the Rosary), Reverend W. J. Powers; 1923, Duluth, (St. Michaels), Reverend 541 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS J. Moloney ; 1924, Bradley, Reverend II. A. Darche ; 1924, Kincaid, Reverend B. Wubbe; 1925, St. Barbara's, Springfield, Reverend F. S. Mazir. The life story of the Sacred Heart Academy would not be complete with- out a brief mention of the work of its alumnae. The loyal and efficient co-opera- tion of the alumnae of this academy is a work staunch and devoutly filial in character. One splendid testimony of it is the gift to the Sisters at the celebra- tion of the golden jubilee in 1923. This gift is the pipe organ in the convent chapel, built and installed at a cost of $4,500.00. Several incidents that illustrate the association of the Dominican Sisters with the history of the nation and state are: the Dedication of Lincoln's Monu- ment in Oak Rridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, October 15, 1874. Upon the request of President Ulysses Grant two members of the Congregation of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Sister M. Josephine Meagher and Sister Rachel Con- way unveiled the monument ; the second event was the Catholic Day celebration of the Illinois Centennial held in October, 1918. The principal exercises of this day's celebration was the Field Mass held upon the campus of the Sacred Heart Academy. Again upon the unveiling of the bronze statues of War Governors, the Hon- orable John M. Palmer and the Honorable Richard Yates. Sister M. Josephine Meagher was present as the honored guest of both the Palmer and Yates families. In the eulogy upon the Honorable Richard Yates read by his son, the Honorable Richard Yates, Congressman at Large, a reference was made to the friendship that existed in bygone days between Mrs. Catherine Yates and Sister M. Josephine in Jacksonville, Illinois. The following Sisters have held the office of Mother Superior in the Congre- gation of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart : Reverend Mother M. Josephine Meagher, Reverend Mother Cecilia Carey, Reverend Mother M. Thomasina Simpson, Reverend Mother M. Regina Colgan, Reverend Mother M. Catherine Young, Reverend Mother M. Ceslaus Connor, Reverend Mother M. Vincent Boland. MARQUETTE HIGH SCHOOL Alton, Illinois. Established in 1926. The biggest undertaking in education work so far sponsored by Right Rev- erend James A. Griffin, D.D., in his diocese of Springfield in Illinois, is the Mar- quette High school in Alton, Illinois. The new school is under the control of the Ursuline nuns, so highly success- ful everywhere, and was begun in 1926. It was intended as a great institution and it was fully realized that extensive means would be required. In order to aid the Sisters, Bishop Griffin sponsored a "Drive" for funds with the following Committees in charge : Honorary Chairman — Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D. Executive Committee — Chairman, L. A. Schlaffly Vice Chairman, Hon. George T. Davis; Chairman, Women's Committee — Mrs. B. J. Derwin. 542 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS These were assisted by committees from each of the three Catholic Churches of the city, as follows : Old Cathedral, M. G. Ryan and E. J. Morrissey ; St. Mary, E. W. Brown and W. C. Gschwend;St. Patrick, James Gilmartin and Frank Lavick; Preferred List Committee, George B. Springman, Walter Brown; Publicity, Joseph Drumgoole; Treasurer, W. C. Gschwend ; Secretary, H. 0. Williams. The Drive was endorsed by the Alton Chamber of Commerce, which also voted the use of its rooms as Central Offices for the Committee. An intense campaign began July 6th and continued through the following ten days; the workers labored most generously in spite of the excessive heat and the sacrifice of their own business interests to make the campaign a success. As a result the amount pledged reached almost the $75,000 mark. Of this amount $53,764.00 has been received to date. According to the wish of the Right Reverend Bishop the parishes should con- tribute one-third the cost of the school building. $51,000.00 was received from this source. The bids for the Marquette High School were let in July, 1925. In each de- partment the lowest bidders were as follows : The Wimmer Construction Company of St. Louis, Missouri ; Alton Plumbing and Heating Company of Alton, Illinois; The Peerless Electric Company of Granite City, Illinois. Much and well-deserved praise has been bestowed upon the Architects, L. Pf eiffenberger 's Sons of Alton, Illinois. Description of Building The dimensions are : Two hundred feet in length, one hundred thirty-three feet six inches in depth. Height two and three stories and basement. The site is the former Ursuline Convent site, located on Fourth Street, be- tween Alton and Easton Streets. Topography of site is one of severe grades, which in planning of schools have been utilized to great advantage in the base- ment space. The environment is ideal. It has the best of transportation facili- ties, perfect drainage and sanitation, is centrally located, on paved streets, and adjoining parks insure perpetual natural light and healthful ventilation. The building is modern American in design. It contains fourteen class rooms, two laboratories, lecture room, library, two reading rooms, music rooms, cafeteria and kitchen, two rest rooms, toilets for men and women and toilets for teachers, and offices for superintendent and for principal. Commodious corri- dors make all rooms accessible. Boys' and girls' locker and shower rooms are included. The foundations for buildings are of native white limestone, superstructure walls of variegated red matt brick laid with Flemish bond and in natural color cement joints, using Bedford stone and terra cotta for trim, cornice and copings. The floor and roof construction is fireproof, supported on trussed steel joist with concrete top slab and underside covered with metal lath and plaster. 543 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS The floors in corridors, toilet rooms, stair treads and platforms all of terrazzo in geometric design blocks locked with brass metal strips. The main entrance is centrally located, and the safe exit in case of panic is ideally augmented by secondary exits in addition to the main centrally located one, by two exits at extreme east and west ends of building and two in rear. The stairs, three in main building and one in rear annex lead directly to the exits, all of which are equipped with self releasing panic bolts. All exterior door and window openings are equipped with metal weather strips, and the proportions of light and ventilation to floor area and cubic con- tents of rooms is in accord with the standards set out by the Illinois Statute. Corridor walls and stair halls are of glazed brick of blended buff to height of seven feet, while walls and fixture stalls of toilet rooms are of nickel trimmed highly polished Carthage marble ; all other walls and ceilings of building are of sand finish plaster and all painted with semi-gloss washable oil paint, tan shade on walls and ivory on ceilings. Artificial light is amply provided with electrical semi-indirect units of care- fully designed distribution and the conduit system of wiring and materials used are those approved by the National Board of Electrical Underwriters. The heating plant is located under the rear annex unit, a battery of two steel boilers, cross connected, supply the steam required for direct radiation, and the automatic operated vacuum pump insures easy and uniform circulation. The future expansion of the building has been provided for in a manner that an auditorium, gymnasium and additional class rooms can be had without disturbing the present building. The school is furnished throughout with the most modern design of desk and chair seats. The laboratories — both physical and chemical — are arranged for classes of twenty-four each. Sectional steel shelving in the library allows for additional book space as needed. The reading rooms are equipped with comfort- able chairs and tables. The entire cost of erecting and furnishing the building exclusive of the ground plot is approximately $165,000.00. The dedication with Pontifical Field Mass took place August 31, 1927. The Officers of the Mass were as follows : Celebrant of the Mass, Right Reverend James A. Griffin ; Arch Priest, Right Reverend Monsignor Edward L. Spalding; Deacon of Honor, Reverend F. B. Kehoe ; Sub-Deacon of Honor, Reverend J. J. Brune ; Deacon of the Mass, Rev- erend William B. Whalen ; Sub-Deacon of the Mass, Reverend J. R. Molony ; Mas- ter of Ceremonies, Reverend P. J. Smythe. Many of the neighboring priests were present in the sanctuary. An eloquent discourse on the need of higher education was given by Bishop Griffin. Following the services a banquet for the Bishop and the attending clergy was served at the new convent on Danforth street. School opened on September 7th with an enrollment of two hundred forty- six pupils. Classes were immediately organized and showed seventy-four for the 544 Alton — St. Joseph's Hospital . . . Granite City st. Kliznlx th's Hospital Springfield — «S7. ■Joseph's Home for the Aged. TKE LIBRARY BFTHt UKIVEBSiTX Bf H.UWIIS DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS first year, seventy-four Sophomores, sixty-seven Juniors, twenty-one in the fourth year continued in the classical course, while ten of the same year elected the commercial course. The teaching staff consists of a Superintendent, Reverend P. J. Smythe, and ten Ursuline Nuns, a librarian giving full time service, and a music teacher part time service. Music is taught in the building and already orchestra and glee clubs have been organized. Athletics is not neglected — the Marquette foot ball team earned in a short time an enviable record. Basket ball teams are organized and gym- nasium classes formed. The school has been recognized by the State Superintendent of Instruction and application has been made for accrediting by the University of Illinois. Under these favorable circumstances has been launched the pioneer central Catholic high school of the diocese — the outstanding educational work of Right Reverend James A. Griffin during the short period he has presided over the diocese of Springfield in Illinois. ST. JOSEPH HOSPITAL, ALTON, ILLINOIS In Charge of Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul. Established in 1865. January 23, 1856, three Sisters of Charity left St. Joseph's, Emmittsburg, Maryland, to take charge of the School of the Immaculate Conception in Alton. Illinois. This school was opened February 4, 1856, in the old Mansion House on State Street. Sister Rose Genevieve Everett, sister of Edward Everett, eminent jurist of world-wide repute was in charge. These Sisters remained only two and a half years. The school did not meet the expectations and at the close of the school in the second week of July, 1856, the Sisters withdrew. In the spring of 1864 the Government called four Sisters to take charge of the Military prison hospital in Alton. Three Sisters were sent for this work, and arrived in Alton March 16, 1864. Colonel Ware who was in command of the Military Prison accompanied them. The prisoners numbered four thousand Confederates and one thousand Federals. The poor sick were so delighted to see the Sisters that they could scarcely contain themselves. The atmosphere of the prison was very foul, the prisoners dying at the rate of from six to ten per day from wounds, typhoid fever and smallpox. The Sisters took possession of the house previously occupied as a school and which was still the property of St. Joseph's, Emmittsburg. An ambulance was sent daily to take them to and fro. Two weeks had scarcely elapsed before the sick began to improve and despondency had nearly disappeared. Many touching and amusing anecdotes are treasured by the Sisters relative to this period. At the termination of the war in 1865 the prisoners received their discharge. It was sad to see the streets of the city lined with ragged, distressed looking men. The Sisters were asked by the citizens to remain and open a hospital in Alton. The Government released the Sisters and the venerated Mother Ann Simeon of 545 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS St. Joseph's, Emmittsburg, granted permission to open a civil hospital for the citizens of Alton, in 1865. The first hospital was located on Broadway and Central Avenue (then Wal- nut and Second Streets). The Sisters ministered to the sick and dying of Alton under adverse circumstances poor conveniences and small funds for years until the hospital was built on the present site, the corner stone of which was laid on April 24th, 1887, with Very Reverend Vicar General John Janssen officiating. The following is taken from the Alton Telegraph of April 25th, 1887 : "In spite of threatening appearance of the weatiier and occasional showers of rain, there was an immense assemblage yesterday afternoon to witness the ceremonies attending the laying of the corner stone of the new St. Joseph's Hos- pital. About 3 :30 o'clock Mayor M'Pike, and most of the city council arrived on the grounds which are located at the southwest corner of Fourth and Walnut Streets, just south of St. Patrick's Church. The members of the Western Cath- olice Union, preceded by a standard bearer carrying their elegant blue satin banner, reached the place at 4 o'clock. In a short time afterwards the Catholic Clergy reached the platform on which were seated the Mayor, City Council, Vicar General Jannsen, Fathers Peters, Zweiseler, Howard and Father Neuthart of St. Louis, speaker of the occasion. The orator of the day announced that the cere- monies would consist of three short acts ; the sermon, collection, laying of the cor- ner stone, with the blessing and consecration of the edifice and grounds. The Reverend Gentleman commenced by quoting Matthew 25; 40. 'Inas- much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me.' He remarked that hospitals are types of a high order of civilzation founded on the teachings of Christ and are not known among heathen nations. The first movement of the kind is spoken of in the sixth chapter of the Acts. The speaker paid an eloquent tribute to Alton and said that this beautiful city always re- minded him of Rome and Bethlehem. He spoke of the religious advancement in this diocese since the consecration of Bishop Juncker thirty years ago tomorrow, April 26th. The speaker in concluding paid a well deserved tribute to the Sis- ters of Charity for their self-sacrificing devotion to their Christian work. "At the termination of the address which was well conceived and well de- livered, couched in fine language and very interesting, the ceremony of laying the corner stone took place. The stone basement and brick of the first story were almost completed but a space had been left above the stone at the northeast cor- ner of the edifice where a metallic box was placed by Vicar General Jannsen and sealed by Mr. J. B. Kirwin. The ceremonies were concluded with chanting, a processional march around the building and the consecration of the place. "The hospital when complete will consist of a stone basement and two and a half, practically three stories of brick. The dimensions are 110 feet 10 inches long, 48 feet wide. The edifice will cost from $15,000 to $20,000 and will contain 500,000 brick which are being manufactured near the spot. The site is a com- manding one, embracing a magnificent view of the Mississippi River, and the plains, hills and forests lying eastward and south of the city." The first director of the hospital was Sister Ignatius, succeeded by Sister 546 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS Mary Joseph Barrett of blessed memory, who continued in charge for thirty- four years. Sister Mary Joseph is still remembered as a pioneer in the work. Sister Elizabeth (Sister Lizzie) is the only member of the first band of Sis- ters who is still living. On December 12, 1922, the first unit of the proposed new hospital was dedi- cated. The Right Reverend Edmund L. Spalding officiated. Proceedings to com- plete the entire plan of the new building are delaj'ed until financial assistance is forth-coming. The present building has a capacity of seventy-five beds, equipped with modern conveniences for the well being of the sick ;Clinical, Pathological and X-Ray Laboratories ; a weekly free clinic and a free clinic for crippled children under the direction of Dr. Ralph East. At present there are ten Sisters of Charity conducting the hospital ; con- nected with which is a School for Nurses, which was opened in 1900. The school has a special teaching staff and is affiliated with St. Ann's Maternity Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, and the School of Physiatric Nursing, Chicago, Illinois. "While the Hospital is under Catholic auspices the School for Nurses is non-sec- tarian as regards the admission and development of applicants. The school is accredited in the State of Illinois and a diploma from the school entitles the graduate to become a candidate for State Registration in Illinois and reciprocal States. ST. MARY HOSPITAL Quincy, Illinois. Established in 1868. To the zeal of the pious Reverend Herman Conrad Schaefermeyer (later Reverend Father Liborius, O.F.M.) of holy memory, St. Mary Hospital owes its existence. Feeling that the wants of the poor were insufficiently served, Father Schaefermeyer conceived the idea of founding an institution in charge of Sisters. Very Reverend P. Gregory Janknecht, O.F.M., who in 1860 visited the American House of his Province at Quincy, recommended the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis, which had been founded by the Venerable Mother Frances Schervier of Aix-la-Chapelle, October 3, 1844, and had been transplanted to Cin- cinnati, Ohio, in 1858, at the instance of Mrs. Sarah Peters a convert and a daughter of Ex-Governor Thomas Worthington of Ohio. Owing to the small number of Sisters, Father Schaefermeyer 's request was not granted. In 1865 when Reverend P. Ferdinand Bergmeyer, O.F.M. made a trip to Cincinnati for the purpose of securing Sisters, Sister Felicitas in charge during the Provincial's absence in Germany, came with Sister Antonia to Quincy to look over the field. In January, 1866, Sister Dominic returned from Germany with permis- sion to found a house in Quincy and in February arrangements were made with Father Schaefermeyer, Vicar General, and Reverend P. Ferdinand, O.F.M., about sending Sisters to Quincy. May 19, 1866, Sister Eusebia, who was ap- pointed Superioress, arrived in Quincy with Sisters Elizabeth and Anna. Father Schaefermeyer and the Franciscan Fathers received them hospitably. A little cottage situated on Twentieth and Vine Streets, opposite St. Aloysius Orphanage, 547 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS was rented for a nominal sum from the Orphan Society and became the firsl tem- porary home of the Sisters. The four rooms served as parlor, oratory, refectory and dormitory, and the furniture consisted of four beds, four chairs and one table. Food and cooking utensils, etc., were obtained through soliciting. For about a week the Franciscan Fathers provided them with breakfast and the Notre Dame Sisters in the Orphanage supplied them with dinner and supper. The site south of the Orphanage offered for Hospital purposes proved un- satisfactory and was rejected, and the purchase of the former Methodist Univer- sity near the Bishop's House at Eighth and Vermont Streets for $28,000.00 would have proved too expensive. A committee finally selected the present site, 180x180 feet, near the corner of 14th Street and Broadway. It was purchased in December, 1866 at $17.00 a foot. A committee composed of Mr. H. F. J. Richer, Dr. I. T. Wilson, Mr. II. V. Sullivan and Mr. E. R. Morphy appointed by Father Schaefermeyer, accompanied the Sisters during six weeks to solicit subscriptions. As the hospital was intended mainly for poor patients irrespective of race or creed, the City Council headed by the Mayor, the Honorable Thomas Redmond, at once contributed $1,000.00. Venerable Brother Adrian Wewer, O.F.M., designed the general plans for the Hospital. This plan was then turned over to Mr. Howard who worked out the details and specifications. The death of the Provincial, Venerable Sister Dominica delayed the return of the designs, and the Hospital was built on a smaller scale than was originally intended. Excavations began in March, 1867, the corner stone was laid on Sunday, May 5th, 1867 in honor of Mary Help of Christians, by Father Schaefermeyer, assisted by Reverend P. Anselm Mueller, O.F.M. The seven Catholic Societies of Quincy, the citizens of all creeds, the City Council and the Judge participated. About 5,000 marched in the parade and Reverend P. Ferdinand, O.F.M., and Reverend P. McGirr delivered the Ger- man and English sermons respectively. On August 13th, 1866 a temporary hospital containing twelve beds was open- ed in Right Reverend Bishop Juncker's house, the present Notre Dame Convent at Eighth and Vermont Streets, by the Sisters. The first patient was received on the 17th of August, 1866, Mrs. Mitchell, a French Canadian lady suffering from tuberculosis, and left the Hospital on October 18, 1866. The Sisters also nursed the sick at their homes. A few months later, in March, 1867, the Hos- pital moved to the third story of the old St. Boniface School, owing to the sale of the Right Reverend Bishop Juncker's house to the Notre Dame Sisters, the Episcopal See having been changed from Quincy to Alton. When the Right Reverend Bishop Juncker became ill, Sisters Scholastica and Ephram were sent from the hospital to Alton, and nursed him until his death, which occurred on October 2, 1868. On October 25, 1867, the Sisters moved to their present home on Broadway. Seven patients accompanied the Sisters to the new Hospital and Joseph Leopold was the first patient received there ; also the first one to die in the present hos- pital. The first attending physician was Dr. Gloss, from August, 1866, to July, 548 Quincy St. Mary's Hospital Vurscs' and Colvmb i Valentin. O.F.M., Chaplain ... ■ '• • Ow Sai or' Hospital ... Ste. Waru tfothei House, Society <>t thi Priests oj tht Sacred tl>ee for them- selves what has been done." Mayor Charles Lee Weems said the hospital is an asset to the city. "It is more than a hospital, it is typical of the outstanding spirit of the Quincy of today. Today we have men to take the lead, who are backed by men who will work for the progress of Quincy. ' ' Charles F. Eichenauer, editor of the Herald-Whig, said : "The name of St. Mary means three things, charity, mercy and sincerity, and I ask you to try and make the experiment yourself and see if every time you mention the name, St. Mary's, one of these three qualities does not suggest itself readily to your mind." Very Reverend Monsignor Martin J. Foley, editor of the Western Catholic, paid a tribute to Catholic institutions throughout the world. In honoring mother, he said, "There are no bands to meet her as she emerges from the shadow of death, God cheers her and blasses her and imprints upon her brow the im- perishable crown of Christian Motherhood." Reverend Harry L. Meyer, pastor of the Congregational church and presi- dent of the Ministerial association, paid a tribute to the work done in the hos- pital and said that the public was looking forward to the use for which the building is being erected. Dr. Harold Swanberg, President of the Hospital Medical Staff, said: "It means much study and careful consideration of all details to erect an addition such as this. We, of the medical profession fully realize what an undertaking such as this means, and on behalf of my colleagues, I thank all who have assisted with this great work. " Judge Fred G. Wolfe, judge of the circuit court, said: "We fully appreci- ate the work St. Mary Hospital has been doing for the City and territory of Quincy, in nursing our poor and sick. I have had better opportunity, perhaps, to observe this than most people. We know that no one has ever been refused admission to St. Mary Hospital, no matter how poor or in what condition. We know that this new addition is being built to render greater service to the sick and especially to the poor. But we of the City of Quincy should not let others come in and do our charity work for us, but we should help them by our gener- ous contributions and I hape that some way will be provided to help the good Sisters take care of their charitable work." Reverend Father Optatus, O.F.M., pastor of St. Francis Church, said: "I am not going to make a speech, in fact I have not been asked to make one," he said facetiously. "I do not know why they picked on me, because I have not a cent to my name, and perhaps they thought I could talk better about it as I have not anything to give, and then I am a Pastor and am used to taking orders from above and below about collections. I have been asked to tell you about a collection. It is customary on an occasion like this to take up a collection, so in 552 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS a few minutes the young ladies appointed to take up the collection will pass among you, and we want not only the half dozen eggs, but we also want the half dozen chickens." While the collection was being made the Quincy College Band played sev- eral selections. The address by the Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., is attached in the form of a clipping from the Western Catholic. Prefacing his address with a few humorous anecdotes the Bishop spoke in part as follows : ' ' The rites performed here this afternoon are centuries old. They were per- formed centuries ago, and will continue to be performed down through the years to come. They express the purposes to which this building is consecrated — charity. "The business houses, the factories, and the river that flows past your doors are assets to a city. The greatest, however, are its schools and churches, those things that guard the health of men, both the material and spiritual things in life. "No government has long endured that was without religion. You cannot compel the people to obey laws unless there is a moral fibre, and unless there is a moral fibre, a government cannot long endure. "No country has such material advantages as those of the United States. They are even now beginning to talk of a five day week. If we can bring about conditions that will help in developing the five days a week for labor, I say God speed the day. If that can be done why make men work longer ? ' ' In pre-christian days sickly and feeble-minded persons were put to death. The teaching of Christianity spread by the Church soon changed that however. The institutions of the Church scattered over the earth prove her part in man's welfare. "The oldest hospital in the world is near the Vatican in Rome. It is still functioning and represents the spirit of the Church in dealing with the sick. The influence of religion is best understood when we look at the results attained where it has been neglected. It is deplorable the number of young people that are confined in our penal institutions. If you take away those things that con- trol the passion of manhood and maidenhood, the result is appalling. "The Catholic Church is in the forefront in hospitals. This structure is not a mere building, with a capable staff of doctors and cleverly trained nurses, but is a place for doing good. That is why this addition was built— to give better service." The function closed with Pontifical Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in which the Bishop was assisted by Reverend J. J. Driseoll as deacon, Rev- erend F. Niebling as subdeacon. Very Reverend Monsignor Giusti acted as mas- ter of ceremonies. 553 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS At the conclusion, a specially selected chorus of twenty voices and the audience sang "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name." The music of the entire program was rendered by the Quincy College Band, under the direction of A. B. Musholt, dean of music at Quincy College. The new building faces on Broadway, extending 105 feet east of the pres- ent hospital. The old building has a frontage of 198 feet, making a total front- age of 303 feet. The new building consists of four floors and a basement. The main entrance to the entire hospital is in the new addition. In the base- ment is a large hall for the Doctors where they may hold their clinical confer- ences and lectures. On the first floor are located the administration offices, re- ception room and information booth. To the west the main corridor leads to the old hospital. At the extreme east of the corridor is a glass partition shutting off the maternity hospital from the remainder of the building. The remainder of the first floor and the entire second and third floors are equipped for maternity patients. The nursery is located on the second floor, there is also a small nursery for five cribs, beds for special cases. On each floor on the south side of the building is a large solarium. The fourth floor is not a part of the maternity hospital but is the surgical pavilion for the general hospital. There is a waiting room for relatives of the patient who is taken to the operating room ; dental surgery room; eye, ear, nose and throat operating room; dressing room; doctors' and nurses' scrub-up rooms; instrument and ether rooms and two large operating rooms with sterilizing rooms between ; also a special operating room for septic cases. There are places for illuminated plates in the operating rooms, and audible clock ticking off the second for anaesthetics. The pathological and neo-chemical laboratories are located on this floor, also the X-Ray Laboratories, cysloscopic machine, with a viewing and consultation room. Special attention is given throughout to ventilation and sterilization. The windows have the double vertical plan making them dust proof, as well as shielding against inclement weather. The air is changed regularly five times every hour and in an emergency can be changed in the operating rooms in five minutes. On the fourth floor is an open solarium for the Doctors. The building is fire proof. For incipient fires there is a fire cabinet with seventy-five feet of hose on each floor. On the roof is the elevator vestibule and elevator operating rooms. There is also a large solarium for convalescents with a protection on one section of the roof in case of rain. NURSES' HOME The construction of a nurses' home was begun on May 21st, 1928. The hos- pital owns the three brick dwellings on Vermont Street south of the present hos- pital. Two of these buildings on the east which are seventy-five feet apart, will be connected by a building two stories high, with basement. The main entrance will be in the new section and on its main floor will be a reception room, library and community center. Corridors will connect it with the building on the west. 554 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS A gymnasium will be located in the basement, with dressing rooms, and showers; a service kitchen, where banquets can be prepared and served by the nurses, also a large hall where dances may be held. On the second floor sleeping rooms will be built, with a large sleeping porch which the nurses may occupy at will, and the building will be modern in every respect. It will be separate from the hospital and a concrete walk will be laid between the home and the hospital. There are at the present writing 160 beds in the hospital. The total num- ber of patients treated from 1866 to 1927 is 54,688. ST. JOHN HOSPITAL Springfield, 111. Established in 1875. It was on a cold November day in 1875 that twenty Hospital Sisters of St. Francis arrived in Alton and placed themselves at the disposal of Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, then Bishop of the Diocese of Alton. The function of the order was to nurse the sick, especially the poor and pestilent sick, either in their homes or in hospitals. Two of these Sisters, Sister Angelica and Sister Cassiana were sent to Springfield, where they immediately went to nurse in private homes. On De- cember 9, four other sisters joined them. Sister Cyrilla, Sister Crispina, Sister Basilia and Sister Macaria. For several months the sisters made their home with the good Ursuline Nuns on North Fifth Street. In the winter of 1875, they were fortunate in securing the old brick house, then known as the Jacob Loose resi- dence, which stood on the east side of Seventh Street, near Lawrence avenue. Then after three years they decided to build, and in this they were helped par- ticularly by four Springfield physicians, all deceased, Doctor Ryan, Doctor Wohl- gemuth, Doctor Matthews and Doctor Townsend. The names of these men and their successors in St. John's and the other physicians of Springfield, will always occupy a high place among the benefactors of the hospital and in the thanksgiv- ing of the Nuns. The sisters had a very small hospital and could receive but few patients, and what was worse they had no means to build one which might be suitable and accommodate a great number of patients. Like many other re- ligious orders the American foundation of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis was not lacking in poverty, trials and disappointments. They believed they were doing their Divine Master's work here in Springfield, no matter how small and humble the beginning and that He would provide for them. It never entered their minds to build castles in the air or a hospital without money and to incur debts was forbidden by their rule. After three years of faithful work they gained many friends in Springfield and adjacent towns, which included Protestants as well as Catholics, clergymen, lawyers and physicians, the wealthy and especially the poor. With confidence in God and with the encouragement and assured help of the people and especially the doctors, the sisters resolved to build. First Wing Built. In the early part of 1878 they built that part of the hospital now known as "Old Entrance Wing." It was considered a very modern hospital in those days. 555 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS This part contained sixteen private rooms, four wards, and a small chapel on the main floor, and in the basement, the kitchen, laundry and dining room. In 1887 the east wing was built. In 1891 a further extension was built on the west side, and in 1902 another addition was built adjoining the west wing. The bed capacity at this time was 150 beds. In 1907 a new fire proof addition that con- tains the suite of operating rooms and more rooms for private patients was com- pleted. Soon afterwards the entire third floor of the hospital which had been occupied by the sisters, was remodeled and fitted up for the use of patients. This increased the capacity from 150 to 250 beds. For the sisters the new fire-proof building, facing Reynolds street was completed in 1910. The increased size of the buildings necessitated a new boiler house, laundry and kitchen space. The Chapel was also enlarged in 1911. Open New Department In 1915 the hospital opened a temporary department for children and maternity work. In the same year the free dispensary was opened. The ex- penses of this department were shared between the county, the hospital and at- tending physicians, in such a way that the county pays the actual cost of material used, the physicians donate their time and services and the hospital furnishes the rooms, equipment and necessary registered and student nurses. It was in 1915 that the large and beautiful fire-proof addition of private rooms was completed. Into this new building the X-ray and Laboi-atory depart- ment moved, where they occupy sixteen rooms. About the same time the third annex was added to the nurses' home, pro- viding accommodations for about one hundred and ten nurses. In 1923 the new Maternity and Children's Hospital was completed. They are considered the most modern and best equipped hospitals in the country. The maternity hospital can accommodate fifty mothers and babies. The first floor is for semi-private rooms ; it has also a large reception room and beautiful nursery. The se»ond floor is the private room floor. Here also are found a large spacious nursery and reception room. On the third floor are found eleven beds for mothers in labor, three very large delivery rooms, sterilizing and supply rooms. Over 600 babies were born in St. John's during 1925. The maternity hospital is in charge of Miss Mary C. Straub, R.N. Stress Children's Care In the Children's Hospital only sick children six years old and under are ad- mitted. Eighty children's beds are found in it. There is a special department where the child is admitted before it is transferred to the hospital proper. The sick children are carefully classified and are assigned to their proper rooms, such as feeding ward, surgical ward, medical ward, pneumonia ward and infectious ward. The bathing room is so equipped that sponge, shower or tub baths may be given. The treatment room is also ready to handle any emergency. A large sunny kindergarten is enjoyed daily by the convalescent children. The visitors' 556 Springfield— St. John's Hospital, Rev. J. C. Straub, Director, Rev. 1 I. Gatlon, Assistant, 8t. John's Sanitarium, near Springfield, Chapel Decatui St. Mary's Hos- pital, Rev. J. I . Dmnihi i / a. Chaplain. owvmitt of nuw»* DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS room adjoins it and the children may be seen by visitors through the large glass partition, without entering the room. Last year one thousand fifty children received nursing care in the hospital. Connected with this department is the formulae laboratory, in charge of Miss Leone Pazorek, registered dietitian, and Sister Christine. Here the various feeding formulaes are prepared. From 50 to 60 different feedings are prepared each day. The Children's Hospital is in charge of Sister Leocadia, R.N., who has spe- cialized in children's nursing for many years. Modern Contagious Hospital Building of the Contagious Hospital on Reynolds street was begun in October, 1925, and completed in April, 1926. Here patients suffering from any contagious disease are taken care of regardless of creed or color. The building is so arranged that each room or ward is a separate unit, thus guarding against any danger of spreading disease. It is in charge of Sr. Meinulfa, R.N. New Boiler House Another new building to open its doors to active service was the so-called ' ' boiler house ' ' erected on Ninth street between Reynolds and Mason streets. It is not only a ' ' boiler house ' ' but also contains the following departments : The working men's home, carpenter shop, electric shop, and printing shop. An un- derground passage was built which connects the building on Ninth street to the patients' entrance on Seventh street, making it possible for employees to go from one end of the building to the other, Seventh Street to Ninth Street, with- out having to venture outside during inclement weather. Model Kitchen and Laundry The kitchen and laundry were also remodeled. They are modern in every respect especially in regard to structure and equipment. A new cafeteria occupies the second floor and is arranged in separate rooms for all employees of the hospital. MOTHERHOUSE St. John's Hospital is the motherhouse of the order. Here all candidates wishing to join the order are received. Since 1875 — fifty-one years ago — seven- hundred thirty Sisters have joined the order. One hundred and seventy of these have gone to their eternal reward. Many sacrificed their lives in behalf of their patients suffering with contagious diseases. The year 1898 will always be a notable one for the sisters, because of the number of soldiers afflicted with typhoid fever and meningitis, nursed by them in the hospital wards. The same might be said of 1918, when the influenza epidemic raged in all parts of the United States and tolled a heavy death rate of patients and sisters alike. Boast Many Branch Hospitals In Wisconsin there are hospitals of the order in Sheboygan, Green Bay, 557 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire. In Illinois there are hospitals in Streator, Lin- coln, Litchfield, Decatur, Belleville, Effingham and Highland. In Missouri there is one hospital at Washington. In far away China, in the city of Tsinanfu, St. John's is also conducting a fifty bed hospital and dispensary. Directors of the Order The following priests have served as directors of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis: Reverend Leve, 1875—1882; Reverend Moore, 1882—1883; Rev- erend Mauritins, O.F.M., 1883—1886; Reverend Louis Hinsen, 1886—1905; Reverend Joseph C. Straub, the present director since 1905. In 1926 Reverend J. L. Gatton was also appointed assistant director. Reverend Anthony Gerken is the present chaplain. Mother Provincials op the Order Mother Angelica was Provincial from 1875 to 1880; Mother Ulrika, 1880— 1887; Mother Macaria, 1887—1896; Mother Paula, 1896—1905; Mother Mar- ciana, 1905—1924 ; Mother Af ra, since 1924. St. John's School of Nursing in 1896. A training school for sisters was established in 1896, following carefully the curriculum and methods of some of the best training schools, which had been es- tablished shortly before, in the country. It comprised a two years' course of theoretical and practical instruction of eight hours a week the first year and fourteen hours a week the second year. The practical instruction was given by the supervising sister of the various departments and the theoretical by the Mother Superior and Mistress of Novices. Examinations both theoretical and practical were held at the end of every six months and records were carefully made and kept of same. A diploma was given to the sisters who passed the ex- aminations satisfactorily. Secular Nurses Admitted in 1912. Owing to the rapid growth of St. John's Hospital and its thirteen branch houses located in the state of Illinois and Wisconsin, it was necessary to open the school to young women who were desirous of becoming professional nurses and possessed the necessary qualifications for so noble a calling. In 1912 the school received due credit from the state and was registered by that department. All sisters and nurses who are graduates from the school take the state board exam- ination which qualifies them to be registered nurses. After the school was reor- ganized the sisters who had previously graduated returned to St. John's and took a post graduate course, becoming eligible for registration. At present there are seventy student sisters in training and 160 secular nurses. The sisters fully realized that "all work and no play makes Mary a dull girl" and have provided ample opportunity for wholesome pleasures and 558 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS amusements. They built a home for nurses in 1928 and since then have added to it two additions. It is valued at 1360,000. It contains the modern con- veniences and comforts of a good home. The recreation room with its piano, phonograph, rockers and smooth floors is the scene of many a merry gathering. The library, kitchenette and sewing corner are favorite retreats where many leisure hours are spent. The roof garden aids in getting a complete bird's-eye view of the city and is an excellent place to sleep when on night duty or on hot summer nights. Each nurse has her own room with running water. In 1924 a new school building separate from the hospital and the home was erected. It numbers five class rooms all equipped to do most efficient teaching. The diet laboratory is located in the basement of the hospital. Accredited With New York In 1924 the school was also accredited by the board of regents of the state of New York giving St. John 's graduates the privilege to practice in New York and to receive credit at Columbia university for work done at St. John's. Affiliations have been opened with a number of Illinois schools, in the chil- dren 's and maternity hospital. The school faculty is composed of physicians, sisters and nurses, each special- izing in their own branches. The practical work in the hospital is also supervised by registered sisters and nurses at all times, thus assuring the patient of proper care and the student of careful supervision until they are capable of doing per- fect work. Sister Magdalen, R.N. Ph.B., is Director of the School. The discipline is kind, firm and homelike, as is consistent with the formation of an ideal character. The regulations of the school are established to promote progress and the well being of the students. No effort is spared to impart a good practical Christian education and to fit the student nurse to meet the exigencies of life in the professional, social and domestic sphere. School Has Grown The school for lay nurses is comparatively young. Its first years numbered about sixteen students. Today it numbers two hundred ten. The first class of six nurses received their diplomas in the hall of the Nurses' Home in 1916. The second class numbered four, the third class exactly one dozen. The year 1920 had a roll call of eleven graduates with a representation of six states, while the class of 1921 numbered fifteen. The class of 1922 and 1923 both numbered six- teen. The class of 1924 had the honor of being the largest class of graduates in the history of the school, numbering twenty-seven. The roll call for the class of 1925 numbered twenty-five graduates, and the class of 1926 totaled thirty-five. There are over one hundred sixty secular student nurses in training today. They are on duty eight hours a day, and are exempt from duty one afternoon each week. A three weeks' vacation is allowed yearly. They receive board, room and education free of charge, also for incidental expenses each nurse re- ceives $8.00 monthly during the three years. 559 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ST. MARY HOSPITAL, DECATUR, ILLINOIS Branch of St. John's Hospital, Springfield, Illinois. Established in 1878. This hospital was started in November, 1878, with three Sisters, Sister Rose being appointed Superioress. This Sister was of an unusually active disposition and possessed of superior administrative and executive ability. Under her prac- tical management the original St. Mary Hospital, a frame building with rather limited accommodations, was erected, after which she secured by purchase al- most the entire block sun-ounding it. Moreover as a wise precautionary meas- ure she caused the Hospital to be incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois, for by so doing the Sisters evaded a multitude of unpleasant experiences which had occurred by such lack of foresight in other places. In 1885 Sister Rose was transferred to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, where she worked with un- diminished energy and great success until her exhausted body with its spent vi- tality refused to longer obey her will power, and she died in 1893. At present there is a force of twenty-six Sisters at St. Mary Hospital. In 1891 a new hospital building was erected, a two-story brick 30x45x35 feet, while Sister Cassian acted as superioress, who, be it stated to her credit, liquidated al- most every dollar of indebtedness that still rested on the old property. In later years a strip of land along Clay Street on which the fine St. James Church was built, was purchased for the purpose by Reverend A. Teppe then parish priest of St. James congregation, from the Reverend Louis Hinnsen, Director of the Community, at $20.00 per front foot. The Chaplain's residence was erected in 1909 ; a cozy home for the loyal and faithful friend of the Sisters, Reverend A. Teppe, the Hospital's first resident chaplain. This office he resumed when discontinuing parochial duties in 1911. Suffering from diabetes, he was forced, however, to quit even that office in 1924, being succeeded thereto by Reverend James J. Dougherty, a former pastor of Raymond, Illinois. While the Hospital sisters for many years worshipped in the adjoining parish church, they now congregate daily in their own pretty chapel which be- came a reality in 1909. Its handsome interior is inviting and inspiring, with altars, statues, stations and stained windows calculated to foster devotion and pious mediation. The Sisters' choir composed of well trained voices adds considerably to the solemnity of the services. A power for the good of the hospital is the fact that at all times it has had very efficient members of the medical staff as physicians, of whom the services of Doctors Barnes, Chenewith and Wood, together with others deserve special mention. Their unquestioned ability together with the Sisters' qualified training and care of the sick, have given St. Mary's Hospital an enviable prestige and flattering reputation. It must likewise be mentioned that the management of the Institution has always reposed in capable hands, so that today it ranks among the best of the Franciscan Sisters' Hospitals. The Superioress who thus far presided over the destinies of St. Mary with 560 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS such marked ability are : Venerable Sisters Rose, Cassiana, Hilaria, Clementina, Nazaria, Wilhelmina and Calista. St. Mary's contains one hundred beds, and treated one thousand nine hun- dred thirty-six patients in the year 1924, and two thousand seven hundred sixty- five in 1925. An automatic elevator was installed as a gift by the Millikin Estate in 1918, which was most gratefully acknowledged. ST. JOSEPH HOSPITAL, HIGHLAND, ILLINOIS Branch Hospital of St. John's Hospital, Springfield, Illinois. It was in January, 1878, that two Sisters from the Motherhouse, Sisters Severa and Silvana, arrived at Highland. The ever hospitable doors of the Notre Dame Convent opened to receive them. There they stayed until the sheltering quarters in a small rented home, owned by the Litz family, were procured. The Sisters' services as nurses in private families were in constant demand so that in May of that year the tiny Community had to be increased to four members. An urgent need of a Hospital building soon became apparent. The St. Paul Congre- gation came to their aid by offering the building site for it gratis. On August 21, 1879, St. Joseph's was ready to receive the sick. In 1891, an addition to the Hospital was planned and completed. In 1896, the third addition was made to St. Joseph's Hospital. About this time the St. Paul Parish deeded the land on which the Hospital stood, to the Sisters. In 1926 a very modern addition was made to the Hospital, including new entrance, private rooms with bath for patients, elevator, kitchen, laundry and boiler room. The old building was also remodeled. OUR SAVIOR HOSPITAL, JACKSONVILLE, ILLINOIS Established in 1896. Our Savior's Hospital was opened to the public October, 1896, through the generosity of Mr. Charles Routt, who left a bequest for that purpose. Bishop Spalding recommended the Sisters of Holy Cross, Notre Dame, South Bend, In- diana. In August, 1896, six Sisters arrived to take charge. The Governor Yates property was purchased from the Dominican Sisters who had conducted an Academy there (St. Rose of Lima). Improvements were made and Hospital equipment installed. In a short time it was running to its fullest capacity. Mr. William Routt donated funds for a new addition in 1897. This was gratefully re- ceived by the Sisters and the public. The Hospital was well patronized by those needing care. A staff of twenty of the best physicians were working for its success. As the years went on another addition had to be added. In 1921 a five story fire proof building was erected, with all modern equipment— X-Ray, Sur- gical, Medical, and Maternity department. This new addition is one of the best in the State. There is also a Training School for Nurses with thirty students in training. The first year we cared for one hundred thirty-eight patients, the past year, 1926, two thousand patients. 561 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ST. VINCENT HOSPITAL, TAYLORVILLE, ILLINOIS Established in 1905. St. Vincent Hospital, Taylorville, Illinois, was erected in 1905 — 1906, by the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood, Ruma, Illinois. The site on which the hospital is located was donated by Mr. \V. T. Vandeveer. The people of Tay- lorville and Christian County, regardless of Creed, contributed very generously to the erection of the institution, as it had been a long-felt need in this com- munity. The original building was a three-story structure and basement, pro- viding room for twenty patients. On account of the rapid growth of the City of Taylorville it was found necessary to enlarge the building. Work was begun in the year 1910. This addition provided room for thirty more beds, and afford- ed space for a larger operating room and X-Ray department. Even this ad- dition did not furnish sufficient accommodations for the ever increasing number of patients. The hospital has been crowded for a number of years, therefore, plans for another addition, containing forty beds and a number of modern im- provements, have just been completed. At the time of the opening of St. Vincent's Hospital the Sisters were obliged to attend Divine Services at the parish church, of which Reverend J. W. Merscher was pastor. Holy Mass was celebrated in the hospital chapel but once a week. Upon the direct advice of Father Merscher, and to facilitate the burden of the Sisters, the Superiors requested of Right Reverend James Ryan, Bishop of Alton, a chaplain for the hospital. His Lordship appointed Reverend H. Eggenstein of Marine, who on account of advanced age, had resigned from parish work. Father Eggenstein arrived on October 10, 1913, and proved a great friend and bene- factor. His stay was of short duration. In January of 1916 he contracted pneu- monia and died on the 21st of that month. Reverend B. Montruccio served as chaplain for the following six months. He was succeeded by Reverend C. A. Snyder. Father Snyder arrived on February 2, 1917, and faithfully discharged his duties until January the 26th, 1926, when the Right Reverend James A. Griffin, Bishop of Springfield, appointed Reverend M. Ryan to attend the spir- itual needs of the hospital. Mother Pauline was the first superior of St. Vincent Hospital. She was in charge from August 16, 1906, until June 24, 1907. She was succeeded by Mother Angela, whose life of self-sacrifice and charity will never be forgotten by the people of Taylorville. She labored indefatigably for the suffering and dying until May 19, 1918, when she was called to her eternal reward. After Mother Angela's death Mother M. Aegidia was appointed to assume the responsibilities. During Mother M. Aegidia 's administration a Training School was opened, af- fording young ladies an opportunity to qualify as registered nurses. On August 9, 1924, Mother M. Emelia was appointed successor to Mother M. Aegidia. At present there are twenty-two Sisters engaged in nursing and attending to the various other duties of the institution. 562 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS ST. ELIZABETH HOSPITAL GRANITE CITY, MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS Established in 1910. St. Elizabeth Hospital, located at Granite City, Illinois, serving the Tri-Cities, Venice, Madison and Granite City and vicinity, was originally built by the Luth- eran Hospital Association, and was conducted by that organization up to the time it was purchased by Father Peter Kaenders, Pastor of St. Mark's Church at Venice. During the year 1910 Father Kaenders, after much negotiation acquired the hospital and the property on which the hospital was built ; later he purchased the entire block containing more than two acres of land. With the assistance of the people of the Tri-Cities and his friend Mr. Gummersbach of St. Louis, he was able to buy the property and all the out-standing bonds. The banks of the Tri- Cities also assisted him to a considerable extent to finance the proposition. It was always Father Kaender's ambition and wish that he would at some time be able to interest the Hospital Sisters in the hospital and transfer the property to them, which was eventually realized, when the Sisters of Divine Providence took over the property in January, 1921. During the time Father Kaenders held the property it was conducted at times by the Hospital Sisters and at other times by lay nurses. During the World War he had considerable trouble to get nurses. At all times the hospital was open to all, no questions were asked as to race or creed; rich or poor, all were received and given the attention necessary for their care, and many charity patients were treated and ministred to, and many a poor soul was consoled during his last hours. The people of the Tri-Cities, especially of Venice and Madison who were Father Kaender's people responded to all calls for assistance during his man- agement. At last the time came when his desires and hopes were to be realized. In January, 1921, the Sisters of Divine Providence, after carefully considering the situation, bought the property and relieved Father Kaenders of the responsibil- ity. From this time until his death in September, 1921, he was a patient at the hospital. As soon as the sisters took charge they completely remodeled the building, by many changes and by adding one story to the wings, making it full three stories high. As soon as practicable they added new equipment, new operating tables, X-Ray machine and general supplies. During the year 1922 it became necessary on account of more patients and opening a Nurses' Training School in connection to erect new buildings. As a consequence a new stone and brick build- ing was built for the accommodation of the nurses, costing about $25,000.00. These improvements have added greatly to the service of the institution. How- ever, it will soon be necessary to add other buildings to accommodate the in- creasing need on account of the rapid growth of Granite City and the Tri-Cities and the establishment of new industries. The ground owned by the Sisters is in the heart of Granite City, and has a 563 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS frontage of 360 feet on Niedringhause Avenue, 275 feet on Madison Avenue, 533 feet on I Street, and 255 feet on 21st Street, and is ideally located for this pur- pose, and it is near the industries of Granite City and the Tri-Cities, with paved streets on all sides. The Sisters have the hearty co-operation and good will of all the people of all denominations and all classes of the Tri-Cities and vicinity and are doing much good. Since they have taken charge the citizens of Granite City are lending their utmost help and assistance in the hospital and to the Sisters, and so all possible for the support of this worthy institution. Drives for funds to assist in the charity cases have been instituted by Fraternal organizations, and have had good success in realizing large sums for the support of the hospital. Each year various benefits are given for the hospital in the care of their charity patients, among them the annual ball game at Venice, linen showers by the ladies, and a benefit drive among the merchants and industries of Granite City and the Tri-Cities. These are always well patronized and donations are liberal. The rooms and wards are usually occupied, generally with a waiting list, and the Sisters contemplate further improvements on the ground which is still vacant. The Sisters who have charge are able and efficient nurses, and the trained nurses and the students in training are all making every effort for the benefit of the patients and are in every way giving satisfaction to the public. The members of the medical staff at this institution are among the best in Illinois, and are always willing to do their part to promote the general good of those who are in need of their service. The hospital is a lasting monument to all those who assisted in any manner to make this institution a success. THE HUBER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, PANA, ILLINOIS Established in 1913. Pana is rapidly becoming famous throughout the Commonwealth of Illinois as the "Home of Good Roses." The city is well equipped with schools, churches and other buildings that contribute to the cultural life of the community. The Huber Memorial Hospital is Pana 's most beneficient institution and in the hour of sickness at least, it's most valued. Those who have received from its Fountain of Youth the desired health restoration as well as uplift of spirit have raised their hearts in earnest prayer that this institution may endure and like Tenny- son's "Brook," "Go on and on forever." In other days it was only the larger cities that enjoyed the benefits of hos- pitalization. Many of central Illinois' smaller cities enjoyed this blessing when the Huber Memorial Hospital, launched in the year 1913, came into being. The key man of this venture was the late Dr. J. Huber, a pioneer physician of Cen- tral Illinois. As a result of his varied and long professional career he came into intimate contact with the suffering caused by physical ailments in this and neighboring communities. He conceived the idea of continuing his beneficient work after death and in his last testament assigned an endowment of $20,000.00 564 Effingham — St. Anthony's Hospital, Rev. James Q. Heslin, Chaplain . . . Litchfield St. Francis Hospital . . . Taylorville — St. Vincent's Hospital, Rev. M. Ryan, Chaplain . . . Alton — St. Anthony's Infirmary . . . Highland — St. Joseph's Hospital . . . Pana — Huber Memorial Hospital. UBRW UNiVEBilTY OF ILLINOIS DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS to his widow, Mrs. Amanda Huber, to be expended under her direction for the erection, equipment and support of a hospital. Dr. Huber was not a Catholic in Faith but he was very Catholic in his charity which like the Church was uni- versal and knew no distinction of race, creed or social standing. Shortly after Dr. Huber 's death, Mrs. Huber called into conference the pastor of St. Patrick's Church, the Reverend P. J. Maroney as the one best fitted by reason of his talents and high standing in this community to assist in bringing about the realization of her late husband's program. Father Moroney, with his usual zeal and power for organization, succeeded in developing a program that would test the feelings of the community and make possible their financial sup- port of the prospective hospital. The people residing in this and the neighboring communities responded generously and the non-sectarian Committee of Pana's Business Men and humanity loving women was most zealous and generous in its co-operation. The campaign was a success, in fact it was a labor of love on the part of all and it is fitting to express gratitude to all who participated in this venture in how so ever small a capacity. On May 12, 1913, the first spade of earth was turned and the ground break- ing ceremonies gave proof to all that their long cherished hope for a hospital was about to materialize. The site chosen was at the extreme southern sections of Locust and Ninth Streets. On May 12, 1914, exactly one year after the ground breaking ceremonies, the Sisters of Misericorde arrived in Pana and assumed charge of the new hospital. Under their supervision and as a result of their Christian management, all de- partments of the Hospital have gone forward with great strides. The Sisters are very happy to acknowledge the many lovely contacts and the many evidences of real friendship and appreciation on the part of their patrons. On August 31, 1914, the doors were formally opened for the public to in- spect Pana's new modern Hospital. Two thousand people passed through the portals of this institution on that day and the Sisters and their friends were very happy to explain in detail the various departments. According to the books, however, patients were actually received on May 14, and a goodly number had been treated prior to the formal opening. This manuscript is a record of the past fourteen years. It records the progress of the Hospital and the efforts of the good Sisters to help suffering humanity even though it required great sacrifices. The only compensation that the Sisters ask is a field to spend themselves for those in need. As a result of th.3 Sisters' leadership, this Hospital was the first in Illinois to be accredited by the State and National Hospital Association. In 1925, the Hospital was placed on the accredited list of American College of Surgeons. This means that the hos- pital has met all the requirements of these standardizing agencies. It is a recog- nition of the fact that the staff of physicians and surgeons are doing high grade work. Without their vision, professional training, and interest the hospital would not enjoy this fine rating. A debt of gratitude is acknowledged to the medical staff. The Huber Memorial Hospital is fire proof in construction and modern in 565 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS details. In 1922, an addition was added, known as St. John's Villa. This is the Nurses' Home. The steam heating plant housing also the laundry, is the third unit in tli is plant. The Hospital maintains the Huber Memorial School for Nurses. On November 26, 1919, this department received official recognition from the office of Secretary of State at Springfield and is now a State recognized School for Nurses. The average hospital finds itself in an unusual situation during 1927. The high cost of maintenance which has bankrupted many countries and cities, im- poverished the average School Board and compelled many industries to cut, ex- penses to the bone, has also made itself felt in Hospital work. In the family budget the cost of medical and hospital care is a very big item, in fact it is the privilege of the well-to-do only to afford a serious sickness without great financial worry. A survey of the cost of sickness made by Dr. Louis I. Dublin contributed to Harper's Monthly states: "The best estimate of the aggregate cost of sickness in the United States is over Two Billion Dollars a year; the same total as for public education. This is three and one-half per cent of the Country's income." Were it not for the fact that the Sisters labor without compensation and in order to take care of their poor even at times mortgage the future, many cases would have been neglected. In looking over the past fourteen years it is evident that God has blessed the work here. Looking into the future the good Sisters pray that God will give them the courage to be ever faithful and uphold the high ideals of the Church in the care of those in physical distress. The Hospital is now a success and the experimental stage is passed. It is the earnest prayer that the future will make possible the means to do the work on even a larger scale and that the lovely relationship between the Sisters and pub- lic will be maintained and strengthened. ST. ANTHONY INFIRMARY, ALTON, ILLINOIS Formerly the Nazareth Home. Established in 1906. The doctors of the city of Alton long desired a building in which to house contagiously diseased patients. At last their desires have been realized, for the St. Anthony's Infirmary, the former Nazareth Home has recently been remodeled to meet this need. The former Nazareth Home was in charge of the Venerable Sisters, Adorers of the Precious Blood, immigrant nuns from Bosnia, Europe. On July 23rd of the year 1906 fifteen Sisters under the superiorship of Mother Paulina, Vicaress- general of the Mother-house in Banjaluka, Bosnia, set sail for America. They had left their old home to take up a new duty in a new world. On August 7, they landed in New York, poor, friendless and homeless, but God, the Father of the Poor was with them and provided for them. Thanks to the kind hospitality of Venerable Mother Teresa, Vicaress of the Sisters of the Precious Blood of the Mother-house in Ruma, Illinois, the immi- grants were temporarily housed and employed in their newly-erected hospital in Taylorville, Illinois. In July, 1907, they took charge of the parish school in 566 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS Grant Fork, Illinois. On the following April they also took over the Croation school. Croation schools were henceforward to be their particular care. In March of this same year they were asked to take care of a prospective home for the aped in Alton. The Sisters readily acquiesced and on the 23rd of June they came to Alton. As there was as yet no house in readiness for the Sis- ters, the School Sisters of Notre Dame generously offered them the apartments in their home usually occupied by the boarders. These latter had returned to their homes as it was vacation time. We cannot but admire the all-wise and all- seeing Providence of God. No sooner had difficulties presented themselves than ways and means were at hand to overcome them. All the while search was made for a house for the poor Sisters. As there was no where to be found a house for rent, one was bought. It was located on Fourth Street. In September, 1907, the Sisters moved in. Eleven applications for the admission of old people were made. By stinting themselves the good Sisters managed to arrange comfortably for these old people. The Nazareth Home was born. The heroic, self-forgetfulness and cheerful acceptance of all that poverty and privation demanded of the good Sisters was a source of never- ending marvel to the old people. After some weeks more Sisters and candidates arrived from Europe, thir- teen in number. Some of these were dispatched to the schools recently taken over; others were sent to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to open new Croatian schools. Some candidates remained at the home of the Sisters in Alton where they entered the novitiate to be instructed in their future state and work. In the meantime a substantial brick building had been erected near St. Joseph cemetery for a permanent Old Folks' Home. In December of the same year the new house was ready and the Sisters and old folks moved in. Hence- forward Alton boasted of a home for the aged under the name of Nazareth Home. After a year or two it was found necessary to build an annex to the Home. De- spite the already heavy debt resting on the building Mother Paulina urged the building of the annex. With boundless confidence in Divine Providence and the unfailing assistance of St. Joseph the work was undertaken and completed. All marvelled at the courage and resolution and dauntlessness of the Venerable Mother. Evidently she was a woman born to rule. She never grew faint-hearted. When others counselled, "Wait," she commanded, "Go." No hardships or dif- ficulties seemed insurmountable to her. "St. Joseph will help us," was her smil- ing rejoinder to all attempts at deterring her. Events have proven that her hopes had not been misplaced. Supervising the construction of a home of this nature is in itself a tremendous task, however, it must be remembered that in addition to this, the Reverend Mother at the same time held the responsible pos- ition of Superioress of the house and Mother of the Community. This triple duty though it occasionally threatened to break the tree which bore its weight never- theless succeeded only in bending it low. Mother Paulina was, indeed, a wonder- ful woman, in the full sense of the word, as all who have ever had to deal with her will testify. 567 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS It is only to be expected that these early years of the Home's existence were years of tremendous sacrifice for all the good nuns. There was much-too-much work and much-too-hard work to be done. Gladly would the Reverend Mother have lessened the portion of the work allotted to each Sister, however, she was helpless. The work was there. The Sisters were few in number. Even the work in the fields was done by the Sisters. Hired labor was beyond the poor Sisters' means. Fortunately Mother Paulina struck upon the lucky idea of sending a trusted Sister, Sister Mary Sophia, to Europe with the commission to bring back to America on her return strong young girls who were desirous of entering a re- ligious order, but were not able to pay the expense of young girls so inclined in the Mother Country. Incidentally, she was instructed to do her best to secure the free services of one or two strong, healthy men, who should be willing to ac- company her to America and make their home at the Nazareth Home free of charge giving their services in remuneration. Strange to say, Mother Sophia, re- turned after a few months' absence, both commissions a success. Such is the re- ward of obedience to superiors and confidence in good St. Joseph. Reverend Father Meckel proved himself a staunch and loyal friend to the Community and the Institution in general. The Home was his especial care. The spiritual needs of the institution were attended to by the reverend assistants of St. Mary Church until the year 1924, when Reverend Heinzman became resi- dent chaplain. The Nazareth Home has proven a source of blessing and a benefit to the city, the inmates and all who come in contact with it. The genuinely pious, self-sac- rificing Sisters have made of the Home, a Nazareth in truth. It was, indeed, a most edifying spectacle and a spiritual treat to see these holy nuns at prayers. Frequently during the year an all day exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was held. At such times devout visitors were invited to attend. All who ever availed themselves of the invitation will testify they left the Home stronger in faith, holier in mood and richer by a double blessing, namely, that of Our^ Blessed Saviour in the Eucharest, Dispenser of all Divine Graces and the blessing of edi- fication by the saintly nuns and the dear, pious old people of the Home. The very atmosphere of ' ' The Nazareth Home ' ' was peace and love and prayer ! No wonder the Nazareth Home prospered ! Annually the city of Alton permitted a tag-day for the benefit of the Home. The amounts realized were gratifying and gave substantial proof of the general good will and appreciation of the work of the Venerable Sisters. War time proved a well-nigh crushing period. But Mother Paulina steered prudently and well and St. Joseph did his best. During the second attack of the Flu epidemic the Nazareth Home was sorely stricken. Scarcely any of the Old Folks of the Home escaped the clutches of the monster disease. The Sisters labored untiringly and heroically day and night ministering to their needs. Nearly all survived. Unfortunately, however, the treacherous fiend resolved upon a tribute, attacked the good Sisters. Worn out and wearied beyond human endurance by over-exertion in caring for the needs of their stricken charges, they were unable to resist the disease and 568 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS amid excruciating pains and lamentable lack of care seven of these noble Sisters succumbed in less than a week's time. Those who survived resembled specters rather than human beings. Help was solicited everywhere ; however, people were too afflicted in their own homes to be able to leave to attend to their cares. Two or three good ladies, heroic-self-sacrificing, managed to go to the home to help care for the sick Sisters. Father Meckel proved himself a veritable angel of charity to the sorely tried Sisters day and night. Father Faller, too, rendered incalculable services. The death-bed scenes during these dreadful times were indescribable. The hand of God was hard upon the good Sisters. Blessed be His Holy Name ! Some weeks later two more Sisters were called to the other world. Noble, courageous Mother Paulina seemed crushed with the heavy blow that had fallen upon her, but devoutly and humbly she kissed the hand of Divine Providence and spoke her noble Fiat! The storm passed and trium- phantly the Ark of the Nazareth Home rose above the waters of tribulation and rode on safely as before. The number of inmates had risen to forty-five in the year 1925. As years went on more candidates were brought over from Europe. New schools were opened. Most of these were located in Pennsylvania among the Croatian-speaking children. In later years Mother Paulina even took in some few orphan children at the request of Father Meckel. To these she proved a real mother. The children's deep love for her is proof thereof. Sister Fridoline, one of the good nuns of the home was given charge-in-chief of these children. No mother ever loved her little ones nor cared for them more conscientiously than did good Sister Fridoline the poor little waifs entrusted to her care. Inmates of the home and a host of friends of the home will long remember Mother Josepha, whom many have termed "The soul of the Home." Mother Josepha was first assistant to Mother Paulina. She was tall and strong and com- manding in appearance. Her spirited black eyes beamed a merry, hearty wel- come upon both high and low. Her presence was death to gloom and discour- agement. Her heart was big and all-embracing. Her all-too-early demise was a sore loss to the over-burdened Mother General. The Sisters grieved for their loved companion. The old folks missed her cheery words and smile. The field hands and workmen lamented her going with many tears. Mother Josepha had left a void in many hearts which time alone may fill. Another cross was laid upon the shoulders of the Venerable Mother in charge. Owing to regulations from Rome, Mother Paulina was obliged in the year 1925 to locate her vicariate further away from the already existing vicariate of Precious Blood Sisters of Ruma, hence, she decided to remove to Pennsyl- vania, where her co-operation in conducting a negro institution had been solic- ited. It was evident Mother Paulina was bringing a sacrifice in leaving hei loved charge in Alton; however, true religious that she was, she bowed humblj subservient to the ecclesiastical summons. The Nazareth Home was next taken over by immigrant nuns of the Order 569 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS of St. Francis of the Martyrs of St. George. Prior to their coming to Alton they had charge of Father Dunne's Newsboys' Home, St. Louis, Missouri. Venerable Mother Columba, a woman endowed with remarkable ability, is in charge of the institution. Urged by local doctors the Sisters have had the old building remodeled extensively to enable them to take in contagiously diseased patients. Beds to accommodate fifty patients have been prepared. The new arrangements will not debar the aged. Provisions for their comfort have likewise been made. Henceforward the Nazareth Home will be known as the St. Anthony Infirmary. At present thirteen Sisters are employed in the infirmary. For spiritual attention the institution is dependent upon St. Mary. Reverend Heinzman at present residing at St. Mary parsonage daily wends his way to the infirmary to administer spiritual aid. Reverend J. J. Brune, pastor at St. Mary, too, aids the Sisters in every possible way. As the Nazareth Home in its infancy struggled with poverty, so too, the St. Anthony Infirmary. May God bless with fruition the noble work of the good Sisters and prosper the Institution! May St. Anthony prove himself in truth "The Great Wonderworker." ST. ANTHONY'S HOSPITAL, EFFINGHAM, ILLINOIS Branch Hospital of St. John's Hospital, Springfield, Illinois. St. Anthony's Hospital was opened November 15, 1875, with three Sisters. Sister Euphemia was Superior. Soon after their arrival there, lots for a new hospital were donated by Michael Moenning, and the contract for the building let. The first building having become too crowded with patients, an addition was made in the year 1891, which gave the hospital a frontage of 120 feet and all necessary accommodations for Sisters and patients. The title was originally made out to the Diocese of Alton in order to secure the property for the Sisters. In 1893 Right Reverend Bishop Ryan deeded the property to the Sisters. A small addition was added to the hospital in 1912. Another hospital ad- dition together with the Convent were built in 1917. In 1924 the operating rooms were remodeled and enlarged. ST. FRANCIS HOSPITAL, LITCHFIELD, ILLINOIS Branch Hospital of St. John's Hospital, Springfield, Illinois. St. Francis Hospital was opened on the 13th of November, 1875, with three Sisters. Sister Fridolina was the first Superior. There, as in all other places where the Sisters began, no provision whatsoever was made for a Hospital. All they could do was to rent a small frame house to live in, which after some time was bought by them, and enlarged so as to have room for a few patients. In 1891, a new Hospital of brick, 60x45x30 feet was erected. The deed of the old St. Francis Hospital had been made to the diocese of Alton, because the Community then was not yet incorporated. It was done to secure the property for the Sisters. Bishop Ryan, soon after his consecration, transferred the same to the Community. In 1906 a suite of operating rooms was added and a new elevator installed. 570 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS A little later a third story was added to the Hospital, and additional rooms for the patients were built to the south. In 1925 the present chapel, Convent, girls' home, central heating plant were begun and completed the following year. At the same time the entire basement of the old building was remodeled. ST. JOHN SANITARIUM, SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS Established in 1919. Under date of January 17th, 1917, the Springfield papers announced to their reading public, the surprising news that arrangements had been perfected whereby a million dollar institution was soon to be erected within hailing dis- tance of the city. This building project had been contemplated for some time, in fact, it had been a subject uppermost in the minds of its projectors for several years but awaited only a favorable and auspicious time for its execution and realization. The Venerable Mother Narciana together with the Reverend Direc- tor Father Joseph Straub, had conceived and evolved this stupendous under- taking. Having for years been witnesses of the alarming inroads which the dread White Plague, Tuberculosis, had made and continued increasingly to make upon the health and life of the human family in Central Illinois as well as in every other section of the United States, they decided to widen the scope and sphere of St. John's Hospital so that it could embrace tubercular patients, who in many cases up to that time had been rigorously excluded from ordinary hos- pital treatment. The reason for this was the supposed infectious character of the dread disease. It was sought to allay all fear of any such possible contam- ination. The hospital was to be absolutely immune from this infectious disease. Statistics of recent years have demonstrated the enormous mortality due to this ever spreading disease, hence national, state and county sanitaria are given generous allowances and liberal appropriations for the care and treatment of tubercular patients. Not so here ; St. John 's noble venture is a private under- taking, born of charity, inspired by sympathy for the afflicted and dependent for subsistence upon its own resources. It is organized for the love of God and the help of suffering mankind. The good Sisters are exerting their very best efforts to help stamp out this terrible infliction. They cheerfully sacrifice, if need be, their own lives to save the lives of others. In the eighth revised edition of a circular on consumption, issued by the Illinois Board of Health, we read : "Of all diseases common to man, it is the most widespread and the most deadly. Other diseases have caused more dismay, more panic and occasionally, for shorter periods, even wider destruction, but consumption has been the most constant and pestilential of all the worst scourge of mankind. "Consumption was the cause of 7,000 deaths in Illinois in 1908, — nearly twice as many deaths as were caused by typhoid fever, diphtheria, scarlet fever, influenza, whooping cough and measles combined. The death rate from con- sumption was more than six times greater than from any other communicable (contagions or infections) disease. Fully one-seventh of all mankind die of this disease. It is estimated that one million lives are lost by it throughout Europe :,71 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS and that 200,000 persons die each year in the United States of some form of consumption." St. John's Sanitarium as proposed became a reality in 1919. It was to be a boon for the tubercular poor whose means were limited, for the average work- man and his family whose pocketbook would not permit expensive trips to the Rockies, Arizona, California or New Mexico. For these and many others St. John's was to be a much desired haven of rest and repose where pure and in- vigorating air, abundant wholesome food, scrupulous cleanliness and loving care would be conducive to the return of new life into disease-stricken, worn-out bodies and to strengthen enfeebled constitutions. The site of this institution is ideal. Surrounded by well cultivated farm land, timber and water, with the buildings perched upon the highest point of Sangamon County. July 18, 1919, will always remain a red letter day in the annals of St. John's Sanitarium. The work in the interior of the new building had proceeded rather slowly, but gradually after much patience and many disappointments of various kinds, it neared completion. That day when it would be permitted the Good Sisters to take formal possession of the new home, had been looked forward to, with a sense of keen expectancy by the whole community. During the recreation hours the foremost topic of conversation among all the Sisters, and the one upper- most in their minds was, "Will I be among the fortunate ones to be sent to the new institution?" At length when the long-looked-for day had arrived the Venerable Mother Narciana made the following appointments known : Sister Anastasia as Superioress of the Sanitarium, to be assisted by the Sisters Eliz- abeth, Cornelia, Stefan, Bernarda and Plautilla to whom was added the next day Sister Leontia. This band of six was given orders to set out for their assigned destination that very day. Happy at their appointment, they gathered their few belongings and accompanied by the prayers, felicitations and good wishes of the community, the brave Sisters landed at their new place of Labor in September, 1919. Ever since the opening day the institution has prospered and flourished, the number of patients increased from day to day, so that at the present time it is filled to capacity. Two hundred poor Tuberculars, anxiously await the verdict of the Medical Director, C. W. East, that they may safely venture to return to their homes, cured. In connection with the Tubercular Institution there is a Crippled Children's Department, opened in the fall of 1920. Seventy-five unfortunate youngsters receive the most loving care of Sisters and the ablest scientific treatment of the eminent surgeon, that can possibly be lavished upon them. The results in most cases have been highly gratifying. Venerable Sister Verina is the efficient teacher who presides over the chil- dren's education. The daily enrollment of the school children is about fifty. Eight grades are taught. In 1926, there were seven graduates who received their well-merited Diplomas from the hands of the Bishop, a warm hearted friend of the "kiddies". 572 Catholic Children's Home, Alton — Chapel, Main Entrance Corridor, High ^ Edward Houlihan, S.D. Totals 6429 1235 Knights of Columbus Homes The Councils of the Diocese have mostly grown strong and prosperous, and several of them have magnificent homes, which answer as valuable Catholic cen- ters. Springfield Council's splendid home is certainly equal if not superior to anything of the kind throughout the jurisdiction. Alton, Decatur, Quincy, Jacksonville, Mattoon, Tri-Cities, and some others have commodious Homes, and by means thereof add materially to the social, as well as educational and benevo- lent activities of the several cities in which they are located. Homes of a similar character have been established all over the jurisdiction. The Fourth Degree The ritual of the Knights of Columbus has been officially submitted to the Church authorities and found unobjectionable. No work of the Order is secret but some of the ceremonials and most of the meetings are private. All meetings and all ceremonials are at all times open to members of the hierarchy and clergy and when necessary or advisable all exercises, ceremonials and rituals, may be shown to public officials or others. The exercises, ceremonials or ritual as they are commonly called, are di- vided into four parts to mark as many stages of advancement. These are called Degrees. Each Degree has its outstanding characteristic and is exemplified with the purpose of impressing an important principle. The first three are more private in their nature than the Fourth, which being dedicated to patriotism is the subject of reasonable publicity. The Fourth Degree is usually conferred on or near Washington 's birthday, February 22nd of each year. Only men of high character and good conduct who have been admitted to the first, second and third degrees and have con- tinued their membership for at least two years may be advanced to member- ship in the Fourth Degree. These great exemplifications gather large numbers of entrants and visitors and the succeeding banquets are invariably social triumphs. It is conceded that no patriotic movements or demonstrations have ever excelled them in main- tained interest and fervor, and perhaps also in the sound reasoning and patriotic eloquence of the ceremonies and addresses incident thereto. The Fourth Degree is a separate but subsidiary organization of which John H. Reddin of Denver, Colorado, is the Supreme Master. The jurisdiction is 612 s ztt*3fc&M wfets < * r- Catholic Instruction Li ' sioiis, n>'l Carlvnvilh i won . . ■ Benld, espie DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS divided into provinces and districts and Illinois has three districts, — Thomas W. Flynn of Chicago is Master of the Northern District, James M. Graham of Springfield of Central District, and Daniel McGlyn of East St. Louis of the Southern District. Membership The total membership of the Knights of Columbus on April 1, 1928, was 693,028, distributed amongst a total of 2,501 local Councils. The membership in Illinois at the same date was 67,062, distributed amongst 163 Councils. The membership in the Diocese of Springfield is 6,429, distributed amongst 27 Coun- cils. It is one of the largest and most important mutual organizations of all history. Officers Reverend John J. McGivney is Supreme Chaplain, Martin H. Carmody is Supreme Knight and William J. McGinley Supreme Secretary with addresses at the home office in New Haven, Connecticut. Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., Bishop of Springfield in Illinois, is State Spiritual Director, succeeding the late Right Reverend Peter James Mul- doon. Edward Houlihan of Chicago is State Deputy Supreme Knight and Henry J. Lynch of Chicago is State Secretary. The Supreme Council has published a history of the order in two volumes compiled by the late noted author, Maurice Francis Egan, and John B. Kennedy. The State Council of Illinois has published a record of the Kngihts of Columbus in Illinois — First Twenty-Five Years, of which Past State Deputy Joseph J. Thompson is the author and compiler. THE CATHOLIC ORDER OF FORESTERS The Catholic Order of Foresters is a fraternal benefit society organized under the laws of the State of Illinois, and composed of practical Catholics. Men and youths between the ages of sixteen and sixty years are eligible to mem- bership. The Order now has a membership of one hundred thirty thousand, dis- tributed through twenty-nine states and eight provinces of the United States and Canada in seventeen hundred subordinate Courts. The chief feature of the Catholic Order of Foresters is life insurance. Cer- tificates are written for Five Hundred Dollars and multiples thereof up to and including Ten Thousand Dollars. The insurance is written on a level-rate of assessment, based upon the American Experience Table of Mortality, with re- serve funds invested at four per cent. It now holds a reserve fund of Twenty Million Dollars invested in highest class Municipal and other securities. Besides insurance, the Order pays old age and disability benefits and conducts a juvenile insurance division. The Order has also taken part in many other religious, benevolent, charitable and patriotic activities. It played a worthy part during the World War, and has made many substantial donations to re- 613 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ligion and charity. It has just recently distinguished itself by participating in the endowment for the College of the Propaganda, which his Eminence, George Cardinal Mundelein, arranged for his Holiness Pope Pius XI. The Catholic Order op Foresters in the Diocese op Springfield There are sixteen Courts of the Catholic Order of Foresters organized with- in the Diocese of Springfield as per the following table : SUBINORDINATE COURTS, SPRINGFIELD DlOCESE No. Name Court Location Instituted M'b'rship 49 St. Mary Springfield 8- 8-1886 37 163 St. Joseph Springfield 10-19-1890 37 172 St. Joseph Springfield 2- 1-1891 25 181 St. Agnes Springfield 4- 3-1891 77 193 St. Peter Springfield 3-10-1892 89 264 Sacred Heart Decatur 5-24-1891 12 207 St. Patrick Granite City 11- 2-1913 7 421 Litchfield Litchfield 4- 8-1894 16 643 St. Mary Taylorville 2-28-1897 13 680 St. Thomas Newton 6- 2-1897 27 815 St. Mary New Berlin 3- 6-1898 33 1514 St. John Carrollton 9-16-1906 27 1545 Immaculate Conception Pittsfield 3- 4-1917 12 1710 Marquette Quincy 5-14-1911 52 1781 St. Michael Michael 8- 2-1914 37 1808 Columbus Jacksonville 10-18-1916 16 The various Courts have at all times assisted the members in the hour of sickness and want. They have given repeatedly to individual charities, and sup- ported individuals and their families in the hour of stress. In these activities the order follows the scriptural injunction "let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth," rather than the modern Community Chest and Pagan social program of letting the world know of charitable activities. In other words, the Order in Springfield has helped in the hour of stress, and yet never sought to gather by way of collections or other means to help God's poor. The Supreme Officers of the Order are located in the Chicago Stock Exchange Building, Chicago, Illinois. The Supreme Officers are Thomas H. Cannon, High Chief Ranger; Simeon Viger, Vice High Chief Ranger; Thomas F. McDonald, High Secretary; W. H. Meuser, High Treasurer, and Dr. J. B. Smyth, High Medical Examiner. WOMEN'S CATHOLIC ORDER OF FORESTERS The Women's Catholic Order of Foresters is a fraternal beneficiary society incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois. It had its inception in the City of Chicago, July 17, 1891, and received its Charter from the State of Illi- 614 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS nois January 31, 1894. It is now established in thirty-two States and Provinces throughout the United States and Canada. The membership consists of two classes — benefit and social, totaling 70,000. The insurance in force December 31, 1927, was $57,908,421.75; benefits paid to December 31, 1927, $24,832,656.00; total assets December 31, 1927, $10,- 561,713.51 ; solvency December 31, 1927, 101.75 per cent. The society issues up-to-date and progressive certificates, Whole Life, 20- Payment Life and Old Age Benefit Paid Up at 70, in amounts of $250.00 and multiples of $250.00 up to $2500.00. Practical Catholic girls and women between the ages of 16 and 50 years of age, and of good moral character and in sound physical condition, are eligible for membership in the Adult Department. Children between the ages of 1 and 16 years of age are eligible for membership in the Juvenile Department of the organization. The Order has a branch system with ritualistic form of work. It aims to promote unity, friendship and true Christian charity among its members. It has merited the esteem and commendation of the Hierarchy and Priesthood of the country, and it is the aim of the organization to so conduct its affairs as to con- tinue this coveted good will. The Women's Catholic Order of Foresters in Diocese of Springfield, Illinois No. Name Court Location Instituted 68 St. James Springfield 4-23-1896 158 St. Elizabeth Springfield 7- 9-1897 261 St. Anna Springfield 5-10-1898 286 St. Columba Springfield 8-12-1898 924 St. Catherine Springfield 9-20-1911 1090 Ave Maria Springfield 11-22-1916 298 St. Rose of Lima Quincy 10- 6-1898 299 St. Peter Quincy 10- 6-1898 368 St. Angela Quincy 6- 2-1904 688 St. Mary Quincy 9-17-1906 717 Immaculate Conception Quincy 4-16-1907 738 Sacred Heart Alexander JO- 6-1907 565 St. Joseph Assumption 2-22-1903 1185 Ave Maria Gillespie 4-19-1922 448 St. Mary Litchfield 2-22-1900 743 St. Maurice Morrisonville 11-25-1907 939 St. Mary Mount Olive 12-19-1911 866 Father Heffernan Mount Sterling ■ 8-24-1910 347 St. Ann New Berlin 4- 2-1899 744 St. Mary Pawnee 6-11-1908 615 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS THE CATHOLIC WOMEN'S COTERIE The Catholic Women's Coterie, founded March 2, 1908, was organized for the purpose of giving aid to St. Joseph's Home for the Aged and doing such philanthropic work as was found necessary. With the permission of Very Reverend Timothy Ilickey to found the or- ganization, the first meeting was held in the Knights of Columhus Hall. A very interesting lecture was given by Mrs. Leonara Lake, of Joliet, Illinois, who also helped in the organizing of the coterie. It was decided at this meeting that the name would be Catholic Women's Coterie and that it would be governed by a president, vice president, secretary, recording secretary and treasurer. Mrs. Philip Mischler served as first presi- dent and was succeeded in the order named by the following : Miss Ellen Corbett, Mrs. Jerome 'Connell, Mrs. Henry Thoma, Mrs. Edmund Burke, Mrs. Jerry Sexton, Mrs. Eva B. Fixmer, and Mrs. Adolph Kunz. It was also agreed that any group of ten ladies could form a circle and that these circles would each have their officers consisting of a promoter and a secre- tary. The funds of these ch'cles are given to the home at the quarterly meetings of the coterie. In 1921 the members pledged $200.00 every three months to the home. That they have kept their pledge is evidenced by the fact that for the fiscal year 1926- 1927 $1,289.50 was raised and given to the home. During the first years of the coterie, the charitable work was attended to by counsellors who were appointed by the president. Their duties were to investi- gate cases in their respective parishes. Acting upon their reports, the coterie furnished many children with school books and clothing, and even some with communion outfits. They also cared for many needy families. In 1921 a welfare board was established and in place of counsellors, three ladies were appointed by the president to serve on this board. Upon the appointment by Bishop Griffin of a social welfare worker to handle Catholic charities, the coterie disbanded their welfare board and gave their aid and co-operation to this welfare worker. The members assisted in the drive for funds to build a new home for the aged and pledged $1,000.00, the quarter portion having now been paid. The dues for active members are $1.00 per year, for honorary members $5.00 per year, and for life members $25.00. The funds of this organization are comprised of dues and money raised by card parties, rummage sales, cooking sales, lawn parties and sewing. MADONNA COURT NO. 148, CATHOLIC DAUGHTERS OP AMERICA Organized in 1911. Madonna Court No. 148, Catholic Daughters of America, originally known as Daughters of Isabella, was instituted in Springfield, June 11, 1911, with a charter membership of thirty-one composed of the following persons, a majority of whom are still active members: Mrs. Edmund Burke, Katherine Costello, 616 5 01 © •-5 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS Mary Delmore, Margaret Donelan, Mary Donelan, Mrs. J. J. Donelan, Mrs. Louis J. Ehlert, Mrs. M. E. Gorman, Mary Gorman, Theresa Gorman, Ella Hoff- man, Lucy Hoffman, Katherine Koch, Katherine Luby, Margaret Luby, Gertrude Lorch, Elizabeth McKarnen, Nellie Markey, Mrs. R. E. Marshall, Mae Murphy, Gertrude M. Nicholas, Magdalena Rollett, Anna V. Ryan (deceased), Eva Sauer, Adelaide Sauenweber, Gertrude Scanlan (deceased), Wilhelma Stein, Susan Trotter, Gertrude White, Mrs. Joseph Wochner, and Theresa Wochner. Until 1920, increase in membership was limited to twenty-five members in a class so that the growth of the court was slow because only one initiation each year was held. Since 1920, classes have been unlimited in number with the result that the court now totals three hundred and fifty members. This organization, from the date of its inception until the last three years, had the honor of having for its chaplain, Very Reverend Timothy Hickey, the then Vicar-General of the Diocese of Alton, under whose guidance and encour- agement rapid progress was made and the order exerted an active influence in community affairs in both Catholic and civic circles which was particularly notable during the World War. Not only did its membership participate in all war activities and the work of the Red Cross in all its phases, but also began in 1917 to plan and work for a Catholic celebration of the centennial anniversary of the statehood of Illinois in 1918. In this project, in 1918, the Daughters were joined by the Knights of Columbus and through joint co-operation and manage- ment the Centennial Field Mass and the reception and dinner which followed stand forth as the most beautiful, magnificent and spectacular affairs of the state's entire celebration program and as epochal because, were it not for the vision of Madonna Court, there would have been no Catholic participation in the celebration of that year despite the fact that the pioneer days of Illinois ring with the heroism and courage of the Catholic missionaries, explorers and settlers. Not only has Madonna Court wielded its influence in immediate vicinities but it has been the guiding star and inspiration of a great many of the down- state courts of the Catholic Daughters of America. In 1919, Miss Theresa Gorman was elected state regent of the order, and at that time Ottawa, Lincoln, Springfield, Morris and LaSalle were the only courts outside of the city of Chicago. During the next eighteen months, under Miss Gorman's direction and with frequent assistance from Madonna Court members and degree staff, twenty-five new courts were instituted and the membership in the state increased from one thousand one hundred to seven thousand and the total would have reached ten thousand were it not for the fact that the order was enjoined from organizing new courts until the litigation over the name was concluded which finally resulted in the selection of the name Catholic Daugh- ters of America. In January, 1921, Miss Gorman was elected secretary of the senate of the state of Illinois and she has the distinction of being the only woman in the United States to occupy such a post. In the spring of that year Miss Gorman resigned the position of secretary of the senate to accept a position in Washing- ton as secretary to Congressman John J. Gorman and because of her residence 617 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS in Washington it was necessary for her to decline re-election as state regent at the convention of the order in June, 1921. However, it is a pleasant satisfaction to note that the various down-state courts and particularly those of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois are generous enough to credit Madonna Court with establishing the pace that has helped them arrive at their various goals in their several communities. April, 1925, found Madonna Court established in a clubhouse at 212 West Monroe Street (three doors west of the State House) and possessing the honor of being the only court of the Catholic Daughters of America in Illinois to own such property. Since the operation of this clubhouse, study clubs are now a weekly privilege; a series of Lenten musicales were enjoyed and the parlors arid dining room afford a splendid opportunity for the social activities of its members. The clubhouse also provides a home for a limited number of girls who must vent rooms. The court has not overlooked the welfare of those less fortunately situated than its own membership and has done and is doing some very constructive social service work in both local and state circles. Directing the activities of Madonna Court the following women have served as grand regent: 1911-1914, Miss Theresa Gorman; 1915-1916, Miss Anna Lawless; 1917, Mrs. Louis J. Ehlert; 1918, Miss Marguerite Golden; 1919-1920, Mrs. W. D. Stewart (resigned); 1920, Miss Mary Delmore; 1921-1922, Miss Mayme Murphy; 1923-1924, Mrs. Ralph Holliday (resigned); 1924-1927, Miss Theresa Gorman ; 1928, Miss Ann M. Shaughnessy. Besides Miss Shaughnessy, the present officers for the year 1928 are : Vice- regent, Mrs. Cecilia Freund; Prophetess, Mrs. Adela Hayes; Monitor, Mrs. Louise May; Historian, Miss Anna L. Shea; Financial Secretary, Miss Irene Cadigan; Treasurer, Miss Loraine Eglin ; Lecturer, Miss Lila Coyne; Organist, Miss Flora Sehy; Sentinel, Mrs. Amelia Langenbahn ; Trustees, Miss Ella O'Con- nor, chairman ; and the Misses Mayme Murphy, Agnes Connell. Frances Geagan, Helen Beaghan and Mrs. W. A. Ryan ; Chaplain, Reverend Thomas Fennessy. Madonna Court is indebted to Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., Bishop of Springfield, Illinois, for his interest and wise direction in its activities and also to Reverend Thomas Fennessy, the present chaplain, and with their continued interest and administration, the Catholic Daughters of America in Springfield hope to serve an even wider field of usefulness within the scope of the court's activities. CALVARY CEMETERY, ON SUNSET HILL Madison County, Illinois. Established in 1924. In order to keep pace with the normal growth and expansion of the Tri- Cities and surrounding territory, a suitable burial place had to be developed. St. Mark's Cemetery, in use for a long time, is in low land, unsatisfactory for a mod- ern burial place. Its capacity is limited and already severely taxed. Its location 618 DIOCESAN SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS was no longer desirable because the rapidly growing community had reached its very borders. Reverend Daniel J. Ryan, pastor of St. Joseph Church, Granite City, spoke of the necessity of a new cemetery in a talk before the Commercial Club of Gran- ite City in the summer of 1923. His suggestion for the development of a com- munity cemetery was favorably received by all. It was quite evident then that some provision had to be made for future needs. After this first suggestion, everyone was on the lookout for a suitable place, one of sufficient size and elevation, and not too far distant to serve any place in the community. Whilst the search was on for a location, the owner of eighty acres of land on the summit of Sunset Hill offered his land for sale. He himself had previously entertained the project of converting his land into a cemetery as a private business venture, but later abandoned the idea in favor of selling out- right to others for the same purpose. Negotiations long and varied began at once for the purchase of this prop- erty. It was recognized that a more suitable place could not be desired. The first plan was a promotion scheme. On June 24, 1924, an agreement was duly drawn up and signed by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, Bishop of Spring- field in Illinois, and a company of promoters. Forty acres of land, first choice, was to be bought by the Bishop through the promoters, who were to retain privi- leges of lot sales on a percentage basis, with the obligation of platting and devel- oping the cemetery for a certain length of time. A similar agreement was con- summated between the same promoters and a company of local men for the other forty acres. Great promises were made by the promoters. The engineer was ready to proceed. A magnificent entrance was to be constructed to serve both cemeteries. Everybody contemplated a sensational sale of lots from the very inception of the cemetery. The plan failed, however, because of the promoters' non-compli- ance with essential issues of the covenant. The agreement was voided and sur- rendered on August 29, 1924. The proposition was then approached from another angle. At a meeting of the trustees and consultors of St. Joseph Church, Granite City, with their pastor, Reverend Daniel J. Ryan, and the chancellor of the diocese, Reverend Michael A. Tarrent, it was decided to purchase the forty acres direct from the owner. The trustees signed the note for money borrowed from the diocese. This property had been transferred to the Bishop by deed dated June 30, 1924. Father Ryan, under the direction of Bishop Griffin, took charge of tbe whole enterprise, hired the engineer and proceeded with the development of Calvary Cemetery on Sunset Hill. A local company of six or seven men purchased the adjoining forty acres for a cemetery called Sunset Hill Cemetery. Amazing prog- ress has already been made in the improvement of these two modern ceme- teries. The first interment in the new Calvary Cemetery was that of Patrick Nalty, who died in the performance of his duty as deputy sheriff. This first interment was on October 3, 1924. Father George H. Powell officiated. 619 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Decoration Day, May 30, 1925, witnessed the dedication of the cemetery by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., Bishop of Springfield, Illinois. A large crowd of people motored to the beautiful cemetery to attend the Pontifical Field Mass and the ceremonies of dedication. The boys' choir of St. Boniface Church of Edwardsville, sang the Mass. A firing squad of soldiers was furnished for the occasion by the American Legion of Edwardsville. The Bishop was assisted at Mass by Reverend Charles O'Reilly, arch-priest; Fathers T. E. Cusack and L. G. Kipping, deacons of honor; Fathers Michael Costello and Timothy McKeough, deacon and sub-deacon of the Mass, and Father Daniel J. Ryan, master of cere- monies. Fathers D. L. Scully, William T. Sloan, P. H. Masterson, George M. Link, John B. Franz, E. J. Eckhard and George H. Powell also were present. A banquet was served in the sexton's house on the ground^ by the ladies of 9t. Joseph Church. Reverend Juvenal Emmanual, O.F.M., regular chaplain during the war, delivered an eloquent address. Bishop Griffin also preached. Thomas McCormick is the first sexton of Calvary Cemetery on Sunset Hill. Few places possess all the desirable qualities of a model cemetery. Some tracts of land have one or other commendable feature, but seldom are all the en- dowments of nature found in one location. The new Calvary Cemetery on Sun- set Hill meets all the most exacting requirements of an ideal resting place for the departed. It has high elevation and splendid natural drainage. It lies on the hard road between Granite City and Edwardsville. It is easily reached by auto- mobile, and contemplated transportation should make it accessible by trolley in the very near future. Calvary Cemetery was formerly part of the Slingerman farm. It is a plateau on the summit of Sunset Hill, with a commanding view of the surround- ing territory. Its natural beauty, gently sloping hills and tranquil vales, will as time goes on be more and more enhanced by artistically arranged trees and walks and drives. The main entrance road leads to a large mound on which is to be erected a large and beautiful Crucifixion group which will dominate the entire cemetery. The crucifix will be twenty-four feet high. The group will include besides the cross and corpus, the figures of the Blessed Virgin, St. John the Evangelist, St. Mary Magdalen and two angels with trumpets. On the mound will also be a regulation altar at which the public offices and ceremonies of the Church can be carried out in detail. The approach to the Crucifix will be a concrete walk, and the steps and sanctuary will be ornamented concrete. On the mound on either side of the walk lots are provided for the burial place of priests. It is estimated that the mound and all its features will cost about $5,000.00. Another prominent feature of Calvary Cemetery is the perpetual care fund, which will assure the individual owners of lots that care for their lots will be for all time. With its advantages of location, natural beauty and high class improvements and management, together with the perpetual care feature, the new Calvary Cemetery on Sunset Hill cannot help but become a favorite burial place, one of the finest in the State. 620 7 ■ ■' \h mortal Altar . . . G) anite City < '< nu i CHAPTER XII THE DIOCESAN CLERGY This Chapter is devoted to practically mere mention of the priests who have labored in the Diocese of Quincy-Alton-Springfield, living and dead. In another Chapter, the precursors of the pastors have been sketched, and these distinguished missionaries should be considered along with those sketched in this Chapter. While it is a matter of sincere regret that the sketches necessarily must be brief, it is, nevertheless, of much satisfaction that we have been able to compile this memorial to the gallant priesthood that gave their labor and their lives in the Diocese. So far as we are aware, no history heretofore published has pre- sented any account of its clergy like that contained in this Chapter. Out of respect for the dear departed, the names of the deceased clergy ap- pear first, and are regarded as soldiers of the Church Triumphant, as distinguish- ed from those remaining who hold rank in the Church Militant. With respect to the deceased, the clergy, the Diocese, the public in general, and especially the compilers and editors of this work, are under heavy obliga- tions to two diligent priests who labored in the Diocese, namely, Father John Lamar, and Father Anthony Zurbonsen. These hard working clergymen took the time from their very busy lives to chronicle the life and labors of their fel- low workers during long years of their activity. The matter of all the life sketches of deceased priests, as published in this Chapter, with a very few ex- ceptions, is taken from little unpretentious publications by these two priests. For the sketches of the priests who have died since 1918, we are indebted to Monsignor Martin J. Foley, editor of the Western Catholic, of Quincy, Illinois. The facts contained in the sketches of the living clergy were furnished by the priests themselves, and recite nothing but bare realities. It is believed, how- ever, that considerable value attaches to these sketches, and as published here, they are intended as a tribute to the noble men who have devoted their lives to God and humanity. Every effort has been exerted to make this category complete, and if there be any omissions, it is not by intent, and would be most sincerely regretted by everyone connected with this endeavor. It was considered most practical to arrange these sketches in alphabetical order, and that has accordingly been done. If for the future records similar to those contained in this Chapter, shall be kept in the chancery office, as Right Reverend Bishop Griffin desires it shall be, it will simplify the preparation of the centennial history of the Diocese, and be of great advantage and convenience to large numbers of properly interested in- vestigators. 621 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS 1. WITH THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT Reverend Henry Ader Father Ader was born at Borken in "Westphalia, on February 18, 1853, and ordained to the priesthood at Malines, in Belgium, on June 7, 1879. Shortly after his ordination he set cut for America, arriving at diocesan headquarters and was assigned as an assistant to the Cathedral pastor, a position which temporarily so many young priests had to fill — the writer (Father Anthony Zurbonsen) not ex- cepted — in order to first thoroughly acquaint themselves with the contents of the Bishop's "blue book," namely with the laws, rules, regulations and requirements which governed the dio- IVSO. Father Ader emerged from the in- quisitorial rooms magna cum laude, and received the appointment as as- sistant to St. Peter and Paul parish of Springfield. Later the pastorate of Assumption having become vacant, Father Ader became its pastor for a number of years, 1888-95, but was finally assigned to St. Alexius, of Beardstown, 1895-99, as successor to Reverend William Weigand. From Beardstown he was transferred to Carlinville, succeeding Reverend Clement Sommers, whose impaired health had enforced a resignation of the charge of St. Joseph 's. A stately parochial residence which was here constructed under his management evidences the active and zealous life of our decedent. Father Ader was a man of fine scholarly attainments, distinguishing himself especially in biblical re- searches and Hebrew language. His voluminous and valuable library was second to none in the diocese. Father Adar died March 5, 1909. His earthly remains were deposited by the side of one of his illustrious predecessors, Reverend Francis Os- rop, in the Catholic cemetery of Car- linville. Reverend Bernard Ahne Reverend Bernard Ahne was born in Amsterdam, Holland, October 31, 1851. Having completed his eccle- siastical studies he was ordained priest on August 24, 1874. He came to America one month after his ordination and was appoint- ed Assistant to Reverend Gerard Leve, then pastor of SS. Peter and Paul church, Springfield, Illinois. Afterwards he acted as pastor in Pittsfield, Illinois. During the latter years of the 80 's he went East and was accepted by Right Reverend Bishop Wigger of Newark, who appointed him Chap- lain of St. Mary Hospital at Hoboken, New Jersey. He died July 10, 1919, in St. Mary Hospital, Orange, New Jersey. Reverend Paul Asmuth In 1902 a newly ordained young priest was assigned as assistant to St. Mary oi' Alton. He had shortly be- fore reci ived Holy Orders at the Jesuit Seminary of Insbruck. It was Reverend Paul Asmuth, a native of Eppe, in Westphalia. He was an ex- emplary young priest, meriting his pastor's entire confidence because of his conscientious and punctual per- formance of duties. Pleasant and congenial, he soon grew into favor with the parishioners. Of a frail con- stitution, however, his health became undermined by consumption. Yearn- ing for his home and dear ones in the Fatherland, Father Asmuth rallied his waning strength and returned to the scenes of his boyhood days in the fall of 1906. For five years he tried to throw off the dread disease. Not- 622 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY withstanding all the loving care and medical aid that was so generously bestowed upon him, he sank into death's embrace on October 10, 1911, at the parental home in his native land. Reverend Bartholomew Bartels A knotty, blunt and rugged charac- ter was old Father Bartels. Fearless and aggressive he hewed his way through life. Like all other priests of early pioneer days, he learned many a hard lesson in the school of adver- sity, disappointment and failure. But he brooded not over ineffectual at- tempts and futile efforts, but tried again and stubbornly forged ahead clearing his way of obstacles and im- pediments. He was especially known for his financial ability. Being a man of saving habits, Father Bartels ac- cumulated in the course of years a competency which with prudent man- agement and by safe investment he succeeded in multiplying, and prac- tically all of which he devoted to the Church. Reverend Bartholomew Bartels was born March 10, 1823, at Cleve on the Rhine. His studies were made partly in his home city and partly at Cologne, Bonn and Muenster. He was ordained in the latter place by Bishop Arnold Melchers, May 29, ] 847. For eleven years, from the time of his ordination to the year 1858, the young priest worked in his own native diocese. He came to America at the instance of Bishop Juncker, of Alton, who assigned him as pastor to Teutopolis. From there he came for a few months to St. Boniface, of Quincy, then to St. Marie in Jasper County, Freeburg, 1869, Millstadt, 1862-65, and two and one-half years at Highland, after which he spent six- teen years as pastor of Germantown, at the end of which he retired to Quincy, purchasing a home near St. John Church, and lived the retired life for six years. Bartelso, however, where his main interests were located, lured him away from Quincy. He be- came pastor of that place, and after three years, May 4, 1894, peacefully slept away. Reverend Henry Becker, D.D. Reverend Henry Becker, D.D., was born July 1, 1856, at Salzkotten, Westphalia, came to America Sep- tember 25, 1875, and entered the Grand Seminary of Montreal. His record there was a proud one. He made a thorough course in theology and passed a brilliant examination, being awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity, the first conferred in the history of that great institution of learning. On December 20, 1879, the young theologian reached the sublime heights of his youthful ambitions — the holy priesthood of Jesus Christ, being ordained on that day. As a priest he labored well and zealously at Mound City, Kaskaskia, Saline, Hillsboro, Vandalia, Brighton, Brussels, Meppen, and Pierron. Seldom have the words "Memento Mori" had a more terrible signif- icance than in the death of Father Becker on Tuesday, September 11, 1917. Apparently he had been in his usual good health and spirits. Only two weeks previous he had joined his brother priests of the diocese in their spiritual retreat at Quincy College. During recreation hours his genial good nature was a source of pleasure to his companions. Little did he or they realize that the spiritual retreat which he and they were then making would prove to be the proximate preparation for his own death. Such, in the plan of the All-Wise God, was the fact. Death awaited Father Becker at home in Pierron, but he was prepared to meet it un- afraid because well prepared. His 623 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS death was in keeping with his life — that of a true priest of God. Father Becker was a learned man, a sound theologian, a keen logician and analyst who commanded over a wide range of knowledge and infor- mation. He was specially noted as a mathematician and the perpetual Revepend Henry Delbrueck, near Paderborn, in Westphalia, was the birth place of Reverend Henry Beerhorst. There he was born January 19, 1838, was ad- mitted to Holy Orders March 12, 1864, and appointed the following December to St. Mary Church of Grand Rapids, at that time in the De- troit diocese. In 1869 Father Beer- horst was replaced by another priest, and discontinued his services in the Detroit diocese, and came to Alton, where he applied to the bishop for an appointment. He was received and sent to Quincy, there to become an as- alraanac which he published some few years before his death elicited much praise from men competent to judge. He was also an authority on astron- omy, but what meant most to himself in time and eternity was his genuine spirit of humility. Beerhorst sistant in St. Boniface parish. From March 5, 1870, to April 25, 1871, Father Beerhorst earnestly and suc- cessfully performed good service at St. Boniface. The people had become greatly attached to him and he proved a valuable asset to pastor and parish. On the latter date, however, the young priest strove to realize a long cherished ambition — he determined to embrace a monastic life, packed his few belongings and set out for the Carmelite Monastery of Scipio, Kansas, where soon after he was in- vested with the habit of that order. Reverend Patrick M. Bourke When on February 14, 1896, the late Reverend Patrick Bourke went to his eternal reward, a learned and elo- quent man passed from earth. He was a well-known, familiar personage, throughout the diocese, beloved by clergy and laity alike, whole-souled and generous to a fault. During the early years of his priestly life, he taught at the College of Ruma, where his solid learning was combined with the gift of thoroughly imparting knowledge to the student body. Un- stinted praise was given his ability by all who studied under him. Father Bourke was a native of Tip- perary, Ireland, where he was born, St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1839. When still a child, both parents died. The orphaned boy was adopted by an aunt living in Limerick, where young Patrick was educated. From the primary school he was admitted to the Jesuit College and later attended the Monk's School (Trappists) of Mt. Melary. At All Hallows and the Grand Seminary of Montreal he studied philosophy and theology and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Baltes. When the Ruma Col- lege had closed its doors, Father Bourke worked in the capacity of both assistant and pastor at Grafton, Springfield, Decatur, Vandalia, 1888- 1894, and Shipman, everywhere win- nin est 1888—1918 y ft £ uwmn Cf The UHIVEHS1TY OF lUAWK* THE DIOCESAN CLERGY St. Francis, Wisconsin. He was or- dained to the holy priesthood by Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D., in SS. Peter and Paul Cathe- dral, Alton, Illinois, June 29, 1880. He celebrated his first holy Mass in that Cathedral. The Bishop appointed him Assist- ant in the Cathedral parish where he did very effective work until his pro- motion to the Rectorship of St. Martin parish at Bethalto, with Mitchell as an outmission. In the latter place he built the present rec- tory which, when finished, he used as his residence until 1885. The Bishop instructed him to or- ganize a parish and build a church at Venice, Illinois. In 1881 he assumed charge of Venice, and with his usual ardor worked so well that success soon smiled upon his labors. He moved from Mitchell to Venice in 1885, and immediately started work on a new church, St. Mark. His next work was a commodious two-story frame resi- dence, and shortly afterwards a paro- chial school. But high waters period- ically played havoc with church and school. So high and so menacing did the floods become, that the Sisters had to flee to the roof for safety and Father had to have a skiff tied to the second story window sill, so that he might get out and bring groceries for himself and for the Sisters. Finally Father decided to erect a new school building on higher ground which he did on the Edwardsville Plank Road, at a cost of $10,000.00. The new school was dedicated by Bishop Ryan on Sunday, August 13, 1893. Father Kaenders was a big man — big physically and intellectual- ly. His dignified bearing, his flowing beard and his kindly disposition made him known as the "Patriarch of Venice." When Father Kaenders was re- ceived by Pope Pius X, then Pa- triarch of Venice, he introduced him- self as the "Patriarch of Venice," but added sotto voce "Venice in Illinois." The future Pope was highly pleased with Father Kaenders' naivete and greatly admiring his well-kept whisk- ers he pulled them gently, saying — "Ah, barba benete portal." Father Kaenders was talented and a literary genius. He translated Calderon's works into perfect Eng- lish and adapted them to the Amer- ican stage. With his troupe of well- drilled young actors he appeared repeatedly on the St. Louis stage and received great applause. Father Kaenders was a remarkable man in many ways, and he was a good priest. He was the founder of St. Mark, and the "Patriarch of Venice." He died a poor man — poor in worldly sense, but rich in a spiritual sense. He died in St. Elizabeth Hos- pital, Granite City, Illinois, Septem- ber 21, 1921, an institution which he, after years of financial sacrifice and worry, was finally able to purchase and turn over to the Sisters of Divine Providence. His funeral was held from St. Mark, Venice, and his remains rest in St. Mark cemetery. His funeral was well attended both by clergy and laity. All Venice seemed in mourn- ing over the death of its "Patriarch." Reverend Manasses Kane Reverend Manasses Kane was born in Banagher, Diocese of Derry, Ire- land, in January, 1836, and was raised to the priesthood at Montreal, December 17, 1870. He was called here from Macon, where he had re- sided from 1874 to 1875, and served in the capacity of Cathedral pastor during 1875 and 1876. At this time jjteps were contemplated for the founding of a new parish in Spring- field. The Ursuline Academy there had for years been in a flourishing condition, the city had developed with leaps and bounds in that direction so that a need was felt for a new parish. It was to be named St. Joseph, and Father Kane became its founder and 657 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS first pastor. The good man performed laudable work and built a fine church. During: his pastorate of St. Joseph, the energetic priest likewise attended to the interests of the Church of St. Mary of Illiopolis, where he enlarged the little frame church by building an addition to it so as to accommodate the seventy-five families forming the parish. Father Kane remained at the head of St. Joseph of Springfield from its inception in 1876 until his retirement in 1881. After relinquish- ing St. Joseph, Father Kane went West, subsequently became a Trappist and died in 1914 at Long Point, near Montreal. Before deceased took up studies for the priesthood, he had been a Brother of the Holy Cross Community, a teaching order connected with the great educational institution of Notre Dame, Indiana. Reverend Patrick Kearney All that is known of Father Kear- ney is that in 1865 and 1866, he was pastor of St. Mary, at Pittsfield ; from 1866 to 1869, pastor at Winchester, and from 1869 to 1870, at Mt. Ster- ling. Whence he came and whither he went are questions not answered by available records. Reverend Ignatius Kerchewitch Reverend Ignatius Kerchewitch, a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, came to Springfield in the capacity of a coal miner, worked hard and faith- fully, saved his earnings to pay his way through college and Seminary. He studied in St. Meinrad's, Indiana, where he made a splendid record, completed his theological studies and was ordained priest in the summer of 1909. A few days later he had the supreme happiness of celebrating his first Holy Mass in the Immaculate Conception Church, Springfield, Illi- nois. The Bishop assigned him to Living- ston, Illinois, and the present hand- some church there stands as a mon- ument to his priestly zeal and courage. Bishop Ryan soon recognized his abilities and zeal and promoted him to St. Vincent de Paul parish, Spring- field, Illinois. His zeal had full sway in that parish and his strenuous ef- forts for the spiritual welfare of his people were about to bear abundant fruit when he was stricken with an illness which demanded a surgical operation. He was taken to St. John Hospital, Springfield, where he was operated upon, but the operation proved fatal and he died November 28, 1924, after having been fortified with the rites of Holy Mother Church. His funeral services were held in St. Vincent de Paul Church, the scene of his priestly labors, at which Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., and seventy priests attended. The Bishop Pontificated and also preached a most touching sermon which was in effect a well deserved tribute to the life and labors of the noble Father Kerche- witch. The remains were shipped to Scranton, Pennsylvania, the home of his boyhood days. Father Kerchewitch was a noble priest and his death was a great loss to the diocese. His was the first death among the clergy since Bishop Griffin's coming to the diocese. Reverend John Patrick Kerr Reverend John P. Kerr was born December 29, 1843, at Enniskillen, Ireland. At the age of 24 he came to America and was raised to the priesthood March 19, 1875, by Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D., second Bishop of Alton. Among the various parishes which he success- fully presided over were Bloomfield, in Adams county, Brown's Settle- 658 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY ment, in Montgomery county, Carlin- ville, and finally St. Peter, in Quincy, to which latter position he was ap- pointed upon the death of his pred- ecessor, Reverend Patrick McGirr, in 1893. On the death of Reverend Michael Weis, which occurred No- vember 9, 1909, Father Kerr suc- ceeded him as Dean of the Quincy Deanery. For many years he had been in poor, feeble health ; various trips to Ireland, his native country, and to sunny Florida, for the sake of recuperation, were in vain. A com- plication of diseases developed which hastened his death which occurred on March 2, 1914. Among other legacies and charitable bequests the thoughtful priest willed the sum of $10,000.00 to St. Peter's parish. Reverend Anton Kersting Coming to this country and diocese in 1881 from Germany, Reverend Anton Kersting was assigned to as- sist the pastor of St. Paul Church of Highland. Possessed of fervor and enthusiasm for his holy calling, the young assistant priest gathered be- fore long the nucleus of a promising future congregation at Troy. Divine Service was temporarily held in a small rented hall until 1883, when a modest little frame church took its place. In Black Jack, another mis- sion connected with Highland at the time, the young priest succeeded in building a neat brick church. His continuance in Highland, however, was soon to terminate. Father Ker- sting asked for and was given an indefinite leave of absence. He re- paired to his native country from whence he failed to return. His death there was chronicled in recent vears. Reverend John Peter Klein Father Klein claimed Saarge- muend, in Lorraine, as his birthplace. There he was born May 17, 1822. Having duly prepared himself for his lofty vocation in the schools and Seminary of Metz, he received Holy Orders June 6, 1846, and arrived in the States September 20, 1853. Pre- vious to his departure from his native land the young priest had been stationed as teacher in various colleges. He was appointed April 4, 1867, to the parish of Carrollton. He found a heavy church debt to con- tend with but by constant exertions succeeded in paying it off. His sub- sequent appointment was to the pas- torate of French Village, where he worked faithfully from August 17, 1871, to November, 1890. Partially paralyzed, he returned to St. Mary Hospital of East St. Louis, where he died August 9, 1896. His remains were interred in Holy Cross cem- etery. Very Reverend P. Mauritius Klostermann, O.F.M. The greatest and noblest of all diocesan Franciscan priests, one who most earnestly worked for and glad- ly spent his energies both physical and mental in the upbuilding of his diocese, was unquestionably, dear Father Mauritius Klostermann, O.F.M. The mere mention of his name evokes with all who had the good fortune and privilege of know- ing him more intimately many happy memories of by-gone days, especial- ly with those over whose training and education he presided. The for- mer college boys of Teutopolis, now men of mature age, are foremost in gratefully treasuring his name and memory and in giving unstinted praise and appreciation of this good man's efforts in their behalf. He was the heart and soul of that institution. Adolph Klostermann was born at Lippborg in Westphalia, August 30, 1820, of a family which, as records 659 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS show, had furnished teachers of this place continuously since 1851, and perhaps earlier. Like his father, Adolph chose the vocation of teacher. His primary education he received from his father, and after attending the Seminary at Bueren, from Au- gust, 1838 to 1840, he graduated with honors, being declared "eligible for a position as teacher and well qual- ified for the position of organist, having practiced well on the piano and organ." After teaching school for fourteen years, the unexpected death of a dear friend, and encour- aged by a Franciscan brother, he entered the Order at Warendorf as lay brother, October 12, 1854. But his superiors, noticing his talent for teaching, advised him to study for the priesthood. He volunteered for the American Missions. In 1859 he came to Teutopolis, and in February, 1860, to Quincy, where he was or- dained July 2, 1860, in St. Boniface Church, by Bishop Juncker. He be- came the first pastor of St. Anthony in .Melrose, near Quincy, the first organist of St. Francis, and its first parochial school teacher. From 1864 to 1882, Father Mauritius acted as rector of St. Joseph College at Teu- topolis. and for ten years, 1869 to 1879, filled the office of Commissary to the Provincial. In 1882 the vet- eran college rector resigned his posi- tion owing to failing eye-sight and was elected guardian of the Quincy Monastery. In July, 1885, Father Mauritius was elected Provincial of the newly established Province of the Sacred Heart, which had become in- dependent of the old German "Sax- onia" Province. His term of office over, he went to Indianapolis, and thence soon after to Teutopolis, where on April 28, 1890, he returned his beautiful, spotless soul into the hands of his Maker. His mortal remains were interred in the Franciscan crypt at Teu- topolis. Reverend Peter Kolopp The deceased was born in 1834 at Nancy, France ; ordained to the priesthood, July 14, 1858, and acted as assistant priest to Father Schaef- ermeyer at St. Boniface Church, Quincy, from September 17, 1863, to April 19, 1864. He went to the Cleveland diocese, where in June, 1866, he was appointed to St. Peter parish of Doylestown, in Wayne county. He died a subject of that diocese. Reverend William Kuchenbuch Among the twenty-five theological students who pursued their higher studies at St. Joseph College of Teu- topolis from 1862 to 1865, was Rev- erend William Kuchenbuch, a native of Hundshagen, Westphalia, where he was born August 15, 1836. At the age of fourteen he came to America, July 28, 1850, took up the regular course of classical studies, entered the above mentioned Seminary, and was ordained by Bishop Juncker, De- cember 6, 1863, in the college chapel of Teutopolis. From the time of his ordination in 1863, until the year 1875, young Father Kuchenbuch worked well in various parishes of the Alton diocese, such as Edwards- ville, where in 1867, he purchased a plot of land, 500x300, to be used for church purposes, especially for a new church for the German Catholics of Edwardsville. At the same time he caused a brick yard to be started to supply the necessary brick for the contemplated building. From Ed- wardsville he was sent to Quincy as assistant to Reverend Schaefermeyer of St. Boniface, after which we meet him as pastor of St. Mary parish of Mt. Sterling. Father Kuchenbuch severed connection with the Alton diocese and joined that of Peoria, where he served the parishes of Dan- ville, Brimfield, Hennepin and Peters- town (Troy Grove). To this last 660 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY named place he was sent in 1892, and continued there until February 17, 1906, on which date after a short ill- ness he died and was buried in the small Catholic cemetery of Peters- town. Reverend Charles Kuhlman Reverend Charles Kuhlman was born in Albersloh, Germany, on Jan- uary 18, 1850. He studied in the American College at Muenster and was ordained priest May 22, 1875. He came to America and arrived in Alton, on September 9, 1875. He served in the following places : Mar- shall, Mitchell, East St. Louis, Pater- born and Columbia, Illinois. He died as pastor of Columbia in the Belleville Diocese, on June 5, 1923. In his younger years he devoted himself to the all-important work of building up a strong Catholic Press for the defense of Catholic rights in these United States. He realized its need, he had the ability and being encouraged by several brother priests, he founded and published the Church Progress, a wide-awake Catholic Weekly, which he still published, but in St. Louis. Father Kuhlman was a noble priest, a man far ahead of his time. Very Reverend P. Nicholas Leonard, O.F.M. In August, 1900, on the streets of Omaha, Nebraska, whilst alighting from a street car and in the act of crossing the street, Father Leonard was run down by a car coming from an opposite direction. He was knocked down by the fender, the wheels passing over his right leg, crushing and mangling it so that am- putation of the injured member was at once declared imperative in order that the crippled man's life at least be saved. This awful misfortune overtook Father Nicholas, the rector of St. Francis Solanus College of Quincy, who had arrived in the Western city that morn- ing for the purpose of giving the annual Retreat to a community of Sisters. Father Nicholas had been rector at the Quincy College since 1892. During the eight years of his administration the institution signally grew and expanded in influ- ence and importance. New life seemed to have pulsated through its halls and class rooms whilst the num- ber of students increased from year to year. New buildings and addi- tions to old ones were built, renova- tions in various departments made, so that St. Francis had become a keen competitor with then any insti- tution of the State. Father Nicholas was an unusually scholarly and bright man of rare tal- ents and attainments, a splendid college professor and amiable com- panion to his confreres. No one re- ceived a heartier welcome by the secular clergy than he, hence his mis- fortune and subsequent death elicited universal sorrow and sympathy. Very Reverend Nicholas Leonard, O.F.M., was a native of Alsace, born in the town of Kerprich, April 23, 1853, attended St. Joseph College of Teutopolis, entered the Order of Friars Minor, June 13, 1870, and was raised to the priesthood February 1, 1877, at St. Louis. His life was con- secrated to the education of young men in which he achieved great re- sults, both at St. Joseph College of Teutopolis, and at St. Francis Sola- nus of Quincy. Reverend Gerard Leve Reverend Gerard Leve was born in Warendorf, Westfalia, April 4, 1833. Having completed his studies — pri- mary, classical, philosophical and theological, he was ordained a priest in 1858, and labored for some years 661 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS in his native country. He came to America and to the Alton Diocese in 1867. lie was a most lovable character, kindly, hospitable, generous to a fault. He was tall and of slender build, ascetic looking with the snows of many winters resting on his locks and venerable beard. His brother priests fondly styled him "Uncle Leve. " His home was always open, and sweet charity functioned there without reserve and without stint. Father Leve served as pastor in East St. Louis, Illinois; Mascoutah, Illinois, and at SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield, Illinois. Bear in mind that the Belleville Diocese was not es- tablished until January 7, 1887, there- fore, in those days East St. Louis, Mascautah, etc., were in the Alton diocese. It was at the suggestion of Father Leve that Bishop Baltes invited the Hospital Sisters of St. John Hospital in 1875, to emigrate from Muenster in Westphalia to America and to establish themselves in the Alton Diocese. How wonderful they have succeeded and how abundantly God has blessed them in the diocese and outside is just cause for jubilation among the clergy and the laity of the diocese. Father Leve was their Spir- itual Director from 1875 to 1882. In 1882 he returned to his native diocese, Muenster, and was imme- diately appointed pastor of Boesenell, where he labored most successfully until 1906. Having attained the proverbial Biblican age and being af- flicted with its infirmities, he retired to the Aged Priests' Home at Bozen in the Tyrol, there to spend his de- clining years in preparation for Heaven. He had been there but a short time when a cry of distress reached him from far away Norway. The Sisters of St. Joseph there had no Chaplain and were without Mass and Holy Communion. They begged him to come and be their Chaplain. Unmindful of self and bodily com- forts the venerable septuagenarian set out at once for Bygdo, near Chris- tiana, and acted as Chaplain for those good Sisters from 1907 to 1911. When the Sisters transferred their Novitiate to Glanerbrueck, Holland, Father Leve accompanied them there and in 1918, he had the supreme pleasure of celebrating the Sixtieth Anniversary of his holy priesthood. He was then 85 years old. The noble warrior's strength grad- ually failed, but though feeble and even tottering, he still maintained his life-long practice of offering Holy Mass every morning until the morn- ing before his peaceful, happy death which came to him as an angel's visit to a tired, weary child. When death summoned, it was a weary worn pil- grim who answered : ' ' Lord I come. He died on March 23, 1923. Reverend Hermann Liermann But few details are known of the life and personality of Reverend Hermann Liermann, and what is known of him may be summarized in a few lines. He c ame from the diocese of Osnabrueck in the former Kingdom of Hanover. Com- ing to this country, he affiliated with the diocese of Chicago, and was appointed in 1851 pastor of Center- ville, and from thence sent to Teu- topolis, where he stayed during 1856 and 1857, becoming successor to Father Frauenhofer, who had in the meantime taken up his domicile in Green Creek. From 1857 to 1860, Father Liermann was pastor of St. Peter church, Chicago, one of the two oldest German parishes of that city. From 1861 to 1865, he was pastor of McHenry, and from 1865 to 1879, pastor of St. Nicholas parish of Aurora. His last charge was Rock Island, where he was given the pas- torate of St. Mary congregation in 1880, exchanging places with Father Schnuekel. Eight years of faithful service marks his life at Rock Island, where in 1888 he died. 662 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Reverend Paul Limacher Reverend Paul Limacher was born June 26, 1826, at Fluehelen, in the Canton Luzern, Switzerland. He studied at Luzern four years, at Solo- thurn two years, and thereafter four years at the University of St. Mary of the Lake, Chicago. He had come to this country May 1, 1847. On July 3, 1851, he was ordained to the priest- hood by the second Bishop of Chicago, Right Reverend James Oliver Van- develde at Florissant, Missouri. He was at once assigned to the parish of Highland to succeed the Reverend Charles Joseph Count von Morogna, then pastor of Shoal Creek (now Ger- mantown) who had looked after the spiritual interests of that parish since 1849. He became the first resident pastor of St. Paul of Highland. A man of forceful character, a wise and prudent pastor, was Father Limacher of St. Peter and Paul par- ish of Waterloo. He enjoyed the un- limited confidence of his people, while the public at large paid homage to his rare qualities of mind and heart. Success attended his every undertaking though often beset by serious difficulties and outspoken op- position as is frequently the case when attempts at reformation are in- augurated and the judgment of the pastor is to prevail. He ripened in the school of such varied experiences whilst pastor of seditious Highland from August, 1851 to September, 1861. After the latter date hk trans- fer to the prominent parish of Water- loo took place, where his unselfish labors were properly appreciated by an ever grateful congregation and where his memory will forever be held in benediction. For 39 years Father Limacher acted the zealous pastor of his Waterloo flock until June 11, 1899, when the weary soul of this venerable priest went to rest with his Maker. His remains were buried at Waterloo. Reverend Joseph Locher Reverend Joseph Locher was a native of Wuertenberg, born Janu- ary 22nd, 1851, at Aulendorf, near Rottenburg, the oldest son in the fam- ily of three children. After finishing his classical studies at Ellwangen he entered upon a university course at Insbruck, and later at Munich, gradu- ating therefrom with honors and dis- tinction in 1872. Deciding to study for the priesthood and to devote and consecrate his life to the foreign mis- sions, he came to America in Septem- ber, 1873, and entered Mt. St. Mary College, Cincinnati, Ohio. In Sep- tember of the following year he was raised to the priesthood at Alton, Illi- nois, by the Bishop of the diocese, Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes. His untimely demise occurred De- cember 10th, 1904. He was buried in St. Boniface cemetery, Alton, Illi- nois. Reverend Frederick Lohmann A meritorious veteran priest went to his eternal reward February 10, 1917. He had performed hard and laborious work from 1869 to 1876 at Hillsboro, Taylorville, Morrissonville, Raymond, Staunton, New Douglas and Pana. It was the Reverend Fred- erick Lohmann, since 1876 until the day of his death, pastor of Aviston, Illinois, (Belleville). Father Loh- mann was born at Drensteinfurt, Westphalia, April 24, 1842, studied theology at the Collegium American in Muenster, and was ordained to the priesthood May 8, 1869, (together with Fathers Joseph Meckel and H. Eggenstein). His funeral occurred at Aviston, Illinois, February 15, 1917, attended by a vast concourse of sympathizing fellow priests and sorrowing parish- ioners. 663 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend Gerard Lueken Reverend Gerard Lueken was born at Ladbergen, Oldenburg, Germany, in the diocese of Muenster, in the year of 1834. At the age of thirty years he was ordained priest on November 22, 1864. He came to America and was appointed Assistant in St. Boni- face parish, Quincy, Illinois. Three years later, on August 18, 1867, he was appointed Rector of SS. Peter and Paul parish, Springfield, Illinois. He built the present brick resi- dence, embellished the church and improved the property. He was pastor in SS. Peter and Paul church from 1867 to October, 1875. He went Hast and died, most likely at Bridge- port, Connecticut. Reverend Patrick Lyons Reverend Patrick Lyons, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Lyons, was born at Carrollton, Illinois, February 18, 1865. His philosophical and theolog- ical studies were made at St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was ordained priest in St. Francis Seminary Chapel on June 22, 1890, by the Archbishop of Mil- waukee. He was immediately made pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Franklin, Illinois. Having labored there zealously for about two years, he was appointed pastor of Saint Stanislaus Church, Macon, Illinois. His next pastorate was at St. Louis Church at Nokomis, Illinois, where he labored with success until his promotion to the pastorate of St. Mary Church, Paris, Illinois, where he succeeded the late lamented Rev- erend Patrick Fallon. The Master's call came to him after a protracted and painful ill- ness which was diagnosed as cancer of the stomach. He died on Monday, January 5, 1925, in Mercy Hospital, Chicago, Illinois. The funeral services were held Jan- uary 9, 1925 in his former church of St. Mary in Paris. Bishop Griffin conducted the services and preached the Eulogy in the presence of a large congregation. Father Lyons had a sunny disposi- tion which attracted friends every- where among the clergy and laity. Wherever he labored, he labored with telling effect for God's honor and the salvation of souls. Reverend Samuel Macke, O.F.M. Reverend Samuel Macke, O.F.M., was born in Germany, December 20, 1851. He entered the Franciscan Order at Teutopolis in 1872, and was ordained priest in St. Louis, on June 22, 1879. Thirty-five of his forty-six years in the priesthood were spent as a Professor in the Franciscan College at Quincy and Teutopolis, Illinois, both institutions being in the Spring- field diocese. He served also as Rector of both institutions, besides acting as Guard- ian of both Monasteries at different times. His gifts as a priest, as a religious, as a teacher, as a Rector, were such that he was universally admired and esteemed. His Golden Jubilee cel- ebrated in Quincy, November 29, 1922, was indeed a tribute of love from hosts of admiring friends. He was twice elected Provincial, serving from 1915 to 1921. His ad- ministration was very able and re- markable for several important move ments. The Santa Barbara Province was established during his adminis tration; the Franciscan Herald was moved from Teutopolis to Chicago; the Missions among the Indians of Arizona and New Mexico were more generously supported. He kindly secured permission for Friars of for- eign birth to visit their old homes and relatives. He attended the General Chapter at Assisi in 1921. He was Canonical Visitor of the Santa Barb- ara Province in 1922, and Guardian 664 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY of the Teutopolis Monastery in that same year. Reverend Peter Joseph Mackin He died in St. Joseph College, Teu- topolis, December 18, 1925. Reverend Peter Joseph Mackin was born in 1847 in Newton, Hamilton County, Armagh, Ireland. When about 16 years old he began the study for the ministry at All Hallows Col- lege, Dublin. During his college life he distinguished himself in his studies, standing at the head of his classes and carrying off many of the first prizes. When twenty-three years of age he was ordained to the priest- hood, June 25, 1870, by Right Rev- erend Bishop Woodlock, who sent him to the Alton diocese with encouraging words as to the success of his minis- try. His first work was assistant to Father Walsh, but he was sent after a short time as pastor to Carrollton, where he remained two years. Next Father Mackin was appointed to Our Saviour parish of Jacksonville, where he worked well for six years, going from thence to Edwardsville. On October 31 he was installed in St. Patrick parish, Decatur, succeeding Father Timothy Hickey. Here he was made an irremovable rector and a dean of the district. The good he has accomplished in Decatur and else- where need not be detailed here. In summing up Father Mackin 's activity in Decatur, the "Review" of that city said of him: "The Catholics of Decatur and all good citizens have reason to be thankful to him." When Henry Ward Beecher was in Decatur one Sunday, he attended Father Mackin 's church. On his re- turn to Brooklyn at the first sermon to his congregation he spoke of the sermon of Father Mackin and eulogized him highly. When approaching death threw its shadows over the life of Father Mackin, he was attended by his broth- er, the late Father M. T. Mackin, of St. Brendan church, Chicago, and Father Alois Teppe, of Decatur. He was conscious to the last and his pass- ing away was peaceful. He died in his arm chair fully prepared to meet his Lord and God, on March 26th, 1898. Reverend Charles Manuel Reverend Charles Manuel was born at Etteln, in the Diocese of Pader- born, Germany, where his father held the position of Burgomaster, on May 25th, 1853 ; studied classics at Pader- born, philosophy in the American College at Louvain, Belgium, and theology in the Grand Seminary at Montreal, under the Sulpician Fath- ers. On December 23rd, 1877, Father Manuel was raised to the priesthood at Alton by Bishop Baltes, who as- signed the neo-presbyter at once as pastor of St. Mary Church, Illiopolis, Illinois. The life of Father Manuel was con- sumed in the exercise of his holy min- istry. Nothing was nearer and dear- er to his heart than his St. Mary par- ish of Illiopolis, together with its two affiliated parishes of Niantic and Buffalo. For the welfare of these he lived, and — we may add — for them he died, for he fell a victim of his as- siduous labors which his position en- tailed. Father Manuel died at Colorado Springs, September 25th, 1901, and was buried at Illiopois. Reverend John A. Mark Father Mark came from Wuerz- burg, in Bavaria, where he was born April 3, 1827, was ordained there August 6, 1859, and came to this country the following year. He served this diocese at Brussels, in Cal- 665 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS houn county, from 1865 to 1867 ; at Marshall from April, 1867 to October, 1872; at Beardstown, from 1875 to 1876, and then a short while at Ed- wardsville, succeeding Father Rus- tige, first at St. Mary, then at St. Boniface, where he was succeeded by Father Charles Kuhlmann. After his removal from St. Boniface it seems that Father Mark joined the Fort Wayne diocese, where he was appoint- ed to the parish of Hammond, In- diana. Here he built a frame church in spite of the advice of wiser men, on a lot undermined by a coal mine. The ground settled, the church was wrecked, the debts remained. He then was removed to Hessen Cassel, near Fort Wayne, where he died in 1897. Reverend J. V. Martin The parishes of Shipman, Neoga, Areola, Shelbyville and Bethany will for many years to come remember the ministrations of Father J. V. Mar- tin. He served them in succession from the time of his ordination until called by his Heavenly Master. With earnest endeavor he tried to shepherd them into the ways of godliness, him- self setting a good example. Father Martin was a man of studi- ous habits, a ripe scholar, modest and unobtrusive. The welfare of his various parishes constituted his chief concern, and success attended his ef- forts. Wherever he labored, there he left imprints of his unselfish endeav- ors, hence his death appeared all too untimely. He was taken away when in the zenith of usefulness and virile strength, both intellectual and physi- cal. Father Martin was the son of John Martin and Mary Kelly, born at Champlain, Minnesota, November 27, 1857, and ordained by Archbishop Edward Fabre in the Grand Sem- inary chapel at Montreal, December 18, 1886. His remains were buried at Beth- any. Reverend Joseph Masquelet One of the oldest parishes of the diocese, next to Quincy, and Ste. Marie, is Teutopolis. Its history dates back to 1833. An organized body of Catholic Cincinnatians, who had been prospecting out west, had started a colony there in 1837. They purchased a tract of land comprising 10,000 acres at $1.25 per acre. With the first settlers came a priest, Reverend Joseph Mas- quelet, a native of Elsace. The first Divine Service was held in this new settlement towards the end of No- vember, 1839. The following year, 1840, a small log church was built, 32x28, and dedicated to St. Peter. Friction and dissension, however, soon broke forth which induced the pastor to build a second log church at a distance of one and a half miles from the former. It was built on his own land, "Masquelet Place." The internal parish dissensions were, however, not allayed. On the con- trary, they continued to grow for many a year, causing much discom- fiture and annoyance to the various pastors, and making the parish rather notorious for its stubborn op- position to the efforts of the clergy. Father Masquelet, tired of the ill- feeling and opposition manifested toward him, left Teutopolis in 1842 for New Orleans. There he was as- signed a parish and built a fine church. Twice he returned on a visit to Teutopolis, in November, 1855, and again in the seventies, when he donated a set of costly vestments to the parish. After his last visit he returned to his native land, where he soon died. 666 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Reverend Thomas Masterson Reverend Thomas Masterson was born February 2, 1850, in County Longford, Ireland. He received his primary education in the National School of his native city. Having completed his humanities he went to All Hallows College, Dub- lin, for his philosophical and theolog- ical courses. He was ordained to the holy priesthood on June 24, 1874. He arrived in America early in September, and was immediately ap- pointed to St. Mary Church, Mound City, Illinois, where he served from 1874 to 1879. In 1879 he was pro- moted to St. Patrick parish, Cairo, Illinois, where he served until 1882. He served in St. Mary parish, Paris, Illinois, 1882-1885. From 1885 until 1892, he labored in St. Patrick, Graf- ton, and from 1892 to 1895 at St. Mark, Winchester ; from 1895 to 1899, in St. Mary, Carlinville ; from 1899 to 1921, in St. Agnes, Hillsboro, and from 1921 to 1927, in Holy Trinity parish, Stonington, Illinois. He celebrated the Golden Jubilee of his holy priesthood January 24, 1924, and on that occasion the Bishop of the diocese and his brother priests, as well as his parishioners, proved how highly he stood in the estimation of all who knew him. God called him home on Thursday, November 17, 1927, at 6:00 P.M., as the Angelus rang out its soul-inspir- ing message to humanity. He died in St. John Sanitarium, Riverton, Illi- nois. His funeral was well attended, both by the clergy and laity. Bishop Griffin Pontificated and preached a sermon that was a fit tribute to the departed priest. Reverend Joseph Mauer Reverend Joseph Maurer was born at Rauenberg in the Archdiocese of Freiburg, Baden, February 12, 1858, studied at the American College of Louvain, and was ordained to the priesthood at Utrecht, Holland, August 15, 1880. He landed on the American shores, October 16, 1880, and at once entered upon his priestly duties, first as assistant at St. Peter Church, Belleville, and then for a short time as pastor of St. Francis- ville. For upwards of 24 years he presided as pastor over St. Stanis- laus parish of Macon, with Oconee and Moweaqua as out-missions at- tached, which positions he reluctant- ly relinquished when ordered to the rectorship of St. Mary, of Quincy, January 1, 1905, where he served un- til May, 1906. Owing to impaired health, Father Maurer was succes- sively assigned to the parishes of Brussels, Brighton, Lillyville and Marine. He died on March 20, 1916. Solemn obsequies were held March 23, 1916, at St. Anthony Church, of Effingham, after which his remains were escorted to St. Anthony Cem- etery, followed by forty of his con- freres and a great concourse of sym- pathizing, sorrowing friends and for- mer parishioners. Reverend James J. McCarthy Reverend James J. McCarthy was born at Youghal, County Cork, Ire- land, July 11, 1884; was educated and ordained in Waterford, Ireland. His first and only assignment was as assistant pastor in St. Mary Church, Paris, Illinois. In September, 1915, Father McCarthy, in company with a parishioner, attempted to cross the railroad tracks near Paris, Illinois, in an enclosed automobile, which collided with a speeding railway train, and both occupants were killed. A shock of horror seized all when the news of this terrible double accident became known. When the day of the funeral ar- rived, Friday, September 17, St. 667 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Mary Church, of Paris, Illinois, was unable to accommodate the thou- sands of Catholic and non-Catholic laity who sought admission to the obsequies. All felt that in the death of Father McCarthy, they had lost a distinguished young priest who had endeared himself to them by his kind and amiable qualities. Men, women and children gathered sadly around his bier and offered fervent prayers for their stricken priest and friend who was ever ready with a helping hand in the face of trials and diffi- culties. Not the least conspicuous among the mourners were his sacer- dotal friends and fellow students of college days at Waterford, Ireland. Reverend Peter McGirr Reverend Peter McGirr was born June 29, 1833, in Fantona, diocese of Clogher, Ireland. In 1848 he and his brothers emigrated to America, set- tling in Massachusetts. Having de- termined to study for the priesthood, the future Quincy pastor entered Holy Cross College for the classical course of studies and later the Grand Seminary of Montreal. Bishop Juncker ordained Father McGirr to the priesthood on April 22, 1862. Pittsfield, in Pike county, was his first charge, but here he stayed but a few months until the following Oc- tober, when he was appointed to the pastorate of St. Lawrence Church, of Quincy. The original St. Lawrence Church was changed to St. Peter when Father McGirr had the present structure erected. His first care was to open a school in a room rented for this purpose. Afterwards a new two story brick building was constructed, adjacent to and south of the church. Sisters of Notre Dame from St. Mary Academy were engaged as teachers. The parochial school at once grew into prominence for within a few years after its opening there were as many as 250 children enrolled as pupils. The next step he took was to purchase a house for a parochial residence, after which came the greatest of all his undertakings, a new church. In this he encountered, however, much opposition from his people. The pastor thought the building too old and dilapidated to serve its purpose much longer, hence to end the heated controversy he ordered the old church to be torn down on Easter Monday, 1868. The new structure to be erected — a $70,000.00 one— is the present St. Peter. As the people were neither numerous nor rich, it is much to the credit of Father McGirr that in spite of vehement opposition he succeeded in building and paying for such a beautiful building. This shows the man's great influence with the con- gregation, his determination and in- domitable will power. Father McGirr passed away in March, 1893. For many years he had been a sufferer from acute rheumatic afflictions occasioned by the con- stant dampness of his residence. As soon as the financial conditions of the parish permitted, he built a new and elegant rectorate which he did not live long to enjoy. His remains were interred at Bloomfield, where many of his friends and relatives were then resting. Reverend Edward McGowan Father McGowan was born at Ballinascreen, County Derry, Ire- land, March 9, 1842, and was or- dained at All Hallows, June 24, 1872. His first mission, where he dis- played his industriousness and re- sourcefulness was that of St. Pat- rick, at Grafton. To this charge he was appointed when first coming from Ireland. He worked for his Grafton people from October 18, 1872, to November 18, 1875, when the Ordinary recognizing his merit and ability, assigned him to St. Stan- 668 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY islaus, of Macon, where he labored equally well from 1875 to 1883. A new congregation was to be started at that time at Dalton City, and Father McGowan was chosen for the task. How success crowned his ef- forts is manifested by the pretty church and rectory which, during the nine years of his incumbency, he erected there (1883-1892). When this new parish had been placed on solid footing and become prosperous and self-sustaining Father McGowan was transferred to the neighboring con- gregation of Bethany, where his stay lasted from 1892 to 1897. Here he was not less active than in previous places, for St. Columkill Church, of Sullivan, was built and Father Mc- Gowan ministered to the little flock on alternative Sundays. Next he was made pastor of Pittsfield, which he soon exchanged, however, for the parish of Murrayville, January 1, 1900. How well this zealous pastor acquitted himself of the various duties which he performed to the very last is known to everyone. When death claimed him at Our Saviour Hospital, of Jacksonville, the fruits of his active and industrious life were ripe. Peacefully he slept away June 26, 1905. His bier was sur- rounded by Bishop, priests and people, all sorrowing over the pas- sage of God's good and faithful steward. He was buried at Murray- ville, June 29, 1905. Reverend William McGuire Germantown, Pennsylvania, a part of greater Philadelphia, was the birth- place of Reverend William McGuire, whose loss in 1914, the diocese, Bishop and priests, greatly deplored. De- ceased was born in 1858 and had com- pleted his studies at Niagara and Allegheny. On the feast of Corpus Christi, June 20, 1889, he was raised to the priesthood in the Franciscan Seminary chapel of Allegheny for the diocese of Alton and at once as- sumed charge of his appointment as assistant to Reverend Peter J. Mackin of St. Patrick Church, Decatur. Two years he was at Decatur, and thence was transferred for a year to Virden. In 1892 Father McGuire acted as as- sistant to Reverend Peter McGirr of St. Peter congregation, Quincy, whence in 1894, he assumed charge of St. Augustine of Ashland. Sickness and misfortune — the burning of the parochial residence — overtook him here. Having sufficiently recuper- ated after some months vacation which he spent in Eastern watering places, decedent was appointed to the Parish of Franklin in 1898, where after years of fruitful labor he passed away in 1914. His remains were in- terred in the Catholic cemetery of Franklin. Reverend Francis McVeigh Father McVeigh was an ex-relig- ious who had spent the greater part of his priestly life in the Chinese missions. He came to the diocese in 1899, and was assigned to Bloomfield with St. Joseph on Columbus road and St. Edward of Mendon, as out- missions. Shortly after he changed Reverend Joseph Reverend Joseph Clement Meckel was born November 10, 1843, in the city of Muenster, Westphalia, Ger- his habitat from Bloomfield to St. Joseph, erecting there a neat and comfortable residence. Serious sick- ness overtook him in the summer of 1906; he entered St. Elizabeth Hos- pital, Chicago, where he died in the fall of that year. Clement Meckel many, of good Catholic parents, whom he lost in his early childhood. Their legacy to him was a mens sana in 669 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS corpore sano, a bright intellect, a determined will and a limitless trust in Divine Goodness. Charitable people took the little orphan boy in charge, raised him in the village of Fucchtorf, far removed from the dangers of a large city. The altar of God and serving Mass in the sanctuary were the light of his eyes and the joy of his soul. At first he was given private lessons by kind tutors, then he entered the Gymna- sium Paulinum in Muenster where he finished his classical studies. Later he attended philosophical and theological lectures at the Royal Academy of Muenster. During all this time lie lived in the American College, Muen- ster, having decided to follow the call of God to the service of His Church in far-off America. He was ordained priest in the Muenster Cathedral on May 8, 1869. He landed in America on October 2, 1869, and he was received into the Diocese of Alton by Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D. His first appointment was at St. Joseph, Olney, Richland County, Illi- nois. From Olney he attended the mission at Bridgeport, Laurence County, there he built the Church of the Immaculate Conception. He also attended the people of Stonington, Richland County, and Assumption in Christian County. In fact his labors extended as far as Wendelin in Clay County, Illinois. All these missions now belong to the Belleville Diocese. He was promoted to the pastorate of the Asumption of the Blesed Vir- gin Church at Litchfield in 1874, where he labored faithfully and well for almost two years. In 1876 he was sent to St. Paul parish, Highland, where he labored zealously for twenty years. One of his many works in Highland was the erection of the St. Joseph Hospital, which he placed in charge of Sisters from St. John Hos- pital, Springfield. He erected a new rectory at Highland, organized par- ishes at Pierron, Troy and St. Jacob. At the last named place he also erected a suitable church building. In 1885 he and his friend, Right Reverend Monxignor W. Cluse, made a tour of Europe, visited the famous shrines of the Old World, and had an audience with Pope Leo XIII. Amid his many activities as pastor he organized Quarterly Conferences for the clergy of neighboring parishes long before the Baltimore Council of 1884 made such obligatory in the United States. His translation of the Baltimore Catechism into German was accepted by his Bishop, Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D. The lamented death of Reverend Peter Peters, pastor of St. Mary, Alton, led Bishop Ryan to promote Father Meckel to the pastorate of the Alton congregation, and Father Meckel arrived in Alton, July 15, 1896. Father Meckel 's record at St. Mary was in keeping wtih his splendid rec- ord wherever he labored. We can speak only of the more important events in his life in a confined sketch like this. In 1903 he began a new parochial residence and completed it in 1904. Father Meckel's love for his Eucharistic Lord was a household word with the clergy and laity who knew him. The Bishop appointed him Diocesan Director of the Priests' Eucharistic Conference, a position which he filled with zeal until he re- tired from the pastorate of St. Mary. His love for the aged poor was as the breath of his life, therefore, he in- vited fifteen Sisters of the Precious Blood from Bosnia to come to Alton in 1906 to open their Mother House and a Home for the aged. The Sisters arrived in Alton, June 23, 1907, and in the following September a house was bought and arranged as a Home for the Aged, which at the end of a year housed eleven inmates. This was the beginning of what was known as Nazareth Home for several years, and which flourished before God and man as a haven of salvation for the aged poor. 670 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY After Father Meckel's resignation these Sisters left the diocese for Columbia, Pennsylvania. The Sisters of St. Francis are now conducting this institution and it is known as St. Anthony Infirmary. Father Meckel resigned his pas- torate of St. Mary in June, 1924. In July of that same year he sailed for Germany and remained in the Father- land until August, 1925. He returned to Alton for a few months, then went to Columbia, Pennsylvania, where he made his home with the Sisters of the Precious Blood, whom he formerly had received into the Alton Diocese. He died in St. Joseph Convent, Gethsemane, close to Columbia, Penn- sylvania, on December 27, 1926, in the 83rd year of his life. He was buried in Alton, Illinois, from St. Mary Church, January 6, 1927. St. Mary Church, the scene of his priestly labors for thirty-five years, was too small to hold the immense crowds that came to honor his life even in death. Two Bishops, several Monsignori and over one hundred priests assembled at the funeral services. Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., Pontificated, assisted by Right Reverend Mon- signor E. L. Spalding, V.G. ; Very Reverend L. W. Lammert, R.D., and Very Reverend H. Degenhardt, R.D., deacon of honor ; Fathers Peter Engle and L. Hufker, deacon and sub- deacon of the Mass. Very Reverend M. A. Tarrent, Master of Ceremonies. Bishop Griffin in his masterly sermon paid a splendid tribute to Father Meckel, showing how hope and con- fidence were ever the guiding stars of his priestly life, lighting him ever onward and upward in his efforts to pattern his life after that of his Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, the model High Priest. Reverend G. Meittinger When on February 1, 1866, the priests of St. John church of Spring- field had discontinued to attend the parish at New Berlin, it received its first resident pastor in the person of Reverend Gustavus Meittinger. He stayed at New Berlin until July 18, 1867, when he was relieved of his charge by Reverend Francis Schrei- ber. Little is known of this priest beyond the fact that he died as pastor of St. Ann parish at Holstein, Calu- met County, Wisconsin. Reverend Joseph Menge When Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, of Dayton, Ohio, was chosen by the Holy See first Bishop of the new diocese of Alton, in 1857, he selected Reverend John Joseph Menge, a priest of Cincinnati, to act as first Cathedral rector and chancel- lor of the diocese. The latter ac- companied the former on his advent to Alton. Father Menge filled the office of pastor and chancellor until October 2, 1862, with great credit and ability. Whilst thus employed he still found time to look after the spir- itual needs of the German Catholics in and around Alton, who then num- bered some twenty-five families. He organized them into a parish, started a Ladies' Altar Society, and said Holy Mass for them on Sunday in a small rented house. These few fami- lies formed the nucleus of the pres- ent strong St. Mary congregation of Alton. Their first resident pastor was Father Ostrop in 1858. Father Menge was recalled by his Ordinary in October, 1862, back to Cincinnati, to become pastor of St. Francis de Sales parish of that city, whilst the office of chancellor was conferred upon Reverend John Janssen, who subsequently became the first Bishop of Belleville, and Reverend Thomas F. Mangan was made rector of the Cathedral. Reverend John Joseph Menge was 671 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS born at Osnabrueck, Hanover, July 12, 1829, ordained to the priesthood October 18, 1854, and died in the early seventies in Cincinnati. Reverend Frederick Metzger, D.D. Reverend Frederick Metzger was born at Waldmohn, Rheinpfalz, Ba- varia, September 22, 1843. From early boyhood days he longed to dedi- cate himself to God's service, to be- come a priest and work for the spir- itual good of mankind. Since, how- ever, young Metzger displayed great aptitude for mechanical skill his par- ents placed him at an early date in a cabinet factory, where at the age of sixteen he had already advanced to the position of foreman. lie couldn't be idle. To make, build or construct something was his delight; this trait accompanied him into the priesthood. The profession which his parents seemed to have chosen for him did not satisfy his yearning, he aspired to be- come one of God's anointed. To at- tain this end he set out for America. At the St. Francis Seminary, near Milwaukee, the future Dean of Ef- fingham completed his classical course and likewise took up the study of philosophy and theology. His fondest desire nurtured since childhood days was realized when on December 23, 1872, Bishop Baltes raised him to the priesthood. At Mishawaka, Indiana, the young neo-presbyter celebrated his first Holy Mass two days later, namely on Christmas morning, 1872. Now he was ready for work, however arduous it might be. Accordingly the Bishop appointed him to Kaskaskia in "Egypt," the oldest Catholic settle- ment in the entire Mississippi valley. Here he remained eight years doing such noble service that even today his name need only be mentioned and it awakens grateful and loving senti- ments in the hearts of the Kaskas- kians. On December 9, 1880, Father Metz- ger was transferred to Pittsfield. Fif- teen years of strenuous work and worry broke down his former robust constitution and caused chronic heart trouble. He was sent abroad, traveled from place to place, consulted the famous Father Kneipp at Woeris- hofen, rested among the peaceful sur- roundings of his home, and early boy- hood scenes, received the most kind and tender care of his nearest rela- tives — and yet all this proved ulti- mately of little or no avail. At the home of a clerical friend at Reifen- berg, where he happened to be a chance visitor, Father Metzger breathed forth his spirit in peace on October 25, 1895. Reverend Francis Albert Meyers Reverend Francis Albert Meyers, son of John L. and Mary A. Meyers, was born in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, August 29, 1871. He was one of five children, three boys and two girls. His father served as a Trustee of the Cathedral parish and filled some very important positions in the life of his city. One of Father Meyers' brothers is at this writing Manager of one of the largest con- cerns in Leavenworth. The father, John L. Meyers, died when only 55 years of age, but the mother, a won- derful Catholic, stepped into his place and saw to it that the five chil- dren received the greatest of all legacies, a good Catholic education. She still lives and is held in high re- gard by all who know her. In spite of her advanced years, she may still be seen morning after morning wend- ing her way to the Cathedral there to assist at Mass and to receive her Eucharistic God in Holy Communion. Needless to state here, all the Meyers children attended the Cathe- dral school and Francis Albert was one of the reliable altar-boys. After he was graduated from the Cathedral school he was sent to the Benedictine College at Atchinson, Kansas, to 672 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY study for the priesthood. From Atchinson he went to St. Meinrad Seminary at St. Meinrad, Indiana, to complete his ecclesiastical studies. While there he applied to the late lamented Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., for adoption into the Alton diocese. Bishop Ryan gladly accepted the promising young levite. Having completed his theological studies with honor, he was ordained a priest on June 4, 1894. He celebrated his first Holy Mass in his home parish church, the Cathedral of Leaven- worth. It was a day of joy and jubila- tion for himself and for the whole family, especially for his dear mother. His first assignment was to SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Alton, Illinois, as Assistant where he served faith- fully for two years. His next appoint- ment was as pastor of Saint Elizabeth Church, Mitchell, Illinois, where he did very effective work which resulted in the spiritual progress of the parish. Then came a break in his health and he almost completely lost his eye- sight. He obtained a leave of absence from his parish and from the diocese in hopes of recuperating. Having re- gained his health and recovered his eyesight he reported to the Bishop for duty. The Bishop appointed him Chaplain of the Infirmary Sainte Marie, conducted by the Sisters from St. John Hospital in Springfield. The Infirmary was a branch of St. John and was used as a Sanitorium for tubercular patients. While Chap- lain there he also assisted Reverend Peter J. Virnich, the pastor of As- sumption parish, Sainte Marie. After four years of splendid work as Chaplain and as assistant pastor at St. Marie, he was promoted to the pastorate of St. Valentine church at Bend, Oblong, P. O. Illinois. On June 4, 1923, he had the great hap- piness to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of his priesthood. A large number of his brother priests joined him in the celebration and his parishioners did all they could to make the day a success. His former pastor, the Rev- erend Peter J. Virnich, was the Jubilee orator and well he acquitted himself on that festive occasion. Again his health began to decline, and about March 1, 1926, he was sent to St. Anthony Hospital, Effingham, Illinois. With characteristic faith, fortitude and hope he bore his suffer- ings most patiently. Feeling the end was near he made his proximate prep- aration for death by receiving the Sacraments of Holy Church with the same faith and devotion that char- acterized him as an altar boy in Leavenworth Cathedral years ago. He peacefully and hopefully sur- rendered his oul to his God on Friday morning, May 21, 1926, in St. An- thony Hospital, Effingham, Illinois. The funeral services were held in St. Anthony church, Effingham, so as to make it easier for the clergy and laity to attend, Bend being an out-of- the-way place and hard to reach. Bishop Griffin Pontificated at the Solemn Services and preached a ser- mon worthy of the departed priest. A brother of the deceased was present at the funeral services in Effingham, and accompanied by Reverend Oscar J. W. Wernet, pastor of Dieterich, Illinois, a most devoted friend of Father Meyers, brought the remains back to Leavenworth. On May 25, the remains were borne in solemn procession to Leavenworth Cathedral where Solemn High Requiem Mass was celebrated, and at which Father Wernet was sub-deacon. The Cathe- dral was filled with friends and relatives and the sanctuary was filled with priests. The preacher of the occasion paid a beautiful tribute to the memory of dear Father Meyers. His friend and admirer, Father Wer- net of Dieterich, had charge of the services at the grave in Calvary Cem- etery where rest the remains of Father Meyers. 673 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend Gerard Mirbach Reverend Gerard Mirbach was born September 8th, 1832, at Gerderhahn, near Aachen; he finished his higher classical studies in 1856, at Neus, and then for three years went to the Uni- versity of Bonn to prepare himself by the study of philosophy and theology for his chosen vocation, the priest- hood. On September 3rd, 1860, he was ordained by the Auxiliary Bishop of Cologne, Monsignor Baudri, and in October of that year sent as Vicar to Raeren, where he stayed until he emigrated to America, May 8th, 1869. Arrived at Alton, where he presented himself to Bishop Baltes, he was at once assigned to the parish of Fay- etteville, Illinois. In 1874, Reverend Theodore Bruener, then pastor of St. Mary parish, accepted the position as Rector of the Pio Nono College, a normal school for the training of Catholic teachers and organists, situ- ated at St. Francis, Wisconsin, near Milwaukee. St. Mary, therefore, be- came vacant. The right man for the position was found when the Bishop's choice fell on Father Mirbach. For and with St. Mary's people, he worked with singular devotion for 21 years, from 1874 to 1895, when on April 2, 1895, he was summoned by the Master whom he had served so faith- fully and so well throughout the years of his exemplary life. Reverend Leopold Moczygemba, O.M.C. In the latter part of the sixties, a member of the Order of the Conven- tual Franciscans, Father Moczy- gemba, a native of Selesia, came to the diocese and was given charge of the parish of Carrollton. He had been for some time an English Confessor at St. Peter's, Rome. From Carroll- ton, Father Leopold was assigned to St. Mary, Litchfield, where he re- gained about four years. This was in 1869. When Father Leopold came to Litchfield, he lost no time in opening a school. On one side of the old rec- tory he added school rooms, on the other he built spacious apartments for a convent and academy for the use of the Ursuline Sisters coming from the Motherhouse of Alton. His zeal and successful labors, which he dis- played in Litchfield, are still vividly remembered and often spoken of by the older members of the parish. The diocese of Chicago holding out prob- ably better prospects to the secular- ized Franciscan Father, he moved to that city in 1873, where on April 15, 1892, he died. Reverend John F. Mohr Reverend John Francis Mohr, a dean of the Springfield deanery, was born at Minster, Ohio, on February 2, 1839. At the age of 24 years he was raised to the priesthood in the Alton Cathedral by the first Bishop of the diocese, Right Reverend Damian Juncker, D.D. After filling minor charges, Father Mohr was appointed in 1870, pastor of the Cathedral par- ish. He acted successfully as such for nearly three years, when the Bishop saw fit to place him at the head of the Diocesan College of Ruma, Illinois, now the convent home of the "Sisters of the Precious Blood." After the short incumbency at Ruma, he was assigned to St. Mary Church of New Berlin, Illinois, in January, 1873. His death occurred at St. John Hospital, Springfield, on Holy Thursday, April 16, 1908. The solemn obsequies were had the following Tuesday. The Right Reverend Or- dinary of the diocese, together with 64 members of the clergy were there to pay their last tribute of love and respect to him whose memory will continue to live and be enshrined in the hearts of all who knew him. 674 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Reverend John Molitor In the cemetery of quiet and peaceful Brussels in Calhoun county, we come upon a small weather-beaten headstone which bears the inscrip- tion : ' ' Sacred to the Memory of Rev- erend John Molitor." He who sleeps beneath the grassy plot and whose name is recalled by the humble monu- ment was the first resident priest of that parish. A fellow-student of the late Bishop Baltes, he was raised to the priesthood with him at Grand Seminary of Montreal on May 21, 1853. He was at once appointed to St. Mary congregation of Brussels. Father Molitor was a native of Bel- gium and in memory of him the Vil- lage was named Brussels. His time of labor, however, was very short, for after some three months it was rudely ended by death. He died at a lone farm house after a very brief ill- ness. Reverend John Molitor, D.D. Forty years pastor of one and the same parish is indeed a remarkable record and seldom equalled in this Diocese. Such extraordinary record stands to the credit of Reverend John Molitor, late pastor of Newton, and Dean of the Effingham Deanery. Quiet and unostentatious in the daily discharge of his duties, during all these years he earned the respect and well wishes of all, both of the clergy and laity. The high regard with which his Ordinary looked upon his systematic and fruitful labors caused his appointment as District Dean, and well did Father Molitor merit such distinction. Everyone heartily sec- onded the unsought promotion. True to his God, he was at all times equally true to his Bishop and confreres. Zeal and devotedness characterized his long pastorate. The parishioners clung to him as children to their father. His dictum was decisive, his words conveyed authority. Keen, therefore, was the pain and deep the wound caused by his death which oc- curred January 17, 1917. A great out-pouring of sorrowful people on the day of funeral attested the uni- versal love and esteem the departed enjoyed at Newton and surroundings. Father John Molitor was born at Germantown, Illinois, December 6, 1845, and was ordained to the priest- hoodJVlarch 25, 1874, by Bishop Bal- tes. His was the distinction of being the first native diocesan priest or- dained for the diocese of Alton. Very Reverend David J. Moroney Very Reverend David J. Moroney, son of John and Catherine Moroney, was born in Jacksonville, Illinois, February 24, 1859. Having completed his primary grades and classical course, he entered St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and there made a brilliant course in philosophical and theolog- ical studies. Young Moroney was only twenty years of age when he had completed his full course of studies for the priesthood. This very rare fact sheds a flood of light upon the intellectual ability and attainments of this young man. He was too young in years to be admitted to ordination so he was obliged to wait patiently until December 27, 1881, when young Moroney was 22 years, 10 months and three days old. He was ordained to the holy priesthood by Right Rever- end Peter J. Baltes, D.D., in SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Alton, Illinois, on December 27, 1881. It was a day of supreme happiness and joy for the young priest to have reached the blessed goal which his ardent soul, keen mind and generous heart had longed so intensely for. While awaiting an appointment by the Bishop, Father Moroney taught 675 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Belles Lettres in St. Joseph College, Teutopolis, Illinois, and later took up a post-graduate course in St. Francis Seminary at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Had Father Moroney the opportu- nities that young priests of today have, how his thirsty soul would have rejoiced. The Bishop was short of priests so he appointed Father Moroney as As- sistant at the Cathedral in Alton, where Very Reverend J. Zwigler was Rector at the time. From the Cathedral he was sent to Charleston as first resident pastor. From Charleston he went to Areola ; from Areola to Marshall; from Mar- shall to Carrollton. While pastor of Carrollton, Bishop Ryan appointed him Dean of the Jacksonville Dean- ery. Wherever Father Moroney labored he was loved, respected and revered. He died on March 11, 1921, in Green Cove, Florida, his winter home. His remains rest in the family plot in Our Saviour Cemetery, Jacksonville, Illi- nois. Father Dave Moroney 's priestly brother, Reverend John Moroney, is pastor of St. Patrick Church, Pana, Illinois. Very Reverend Anselm Mueller, O.F.M. Father Mueller, the Grand old Man of the Franciscan Order, was born at Bonn, Germany, on November 22, 1838. He was educated in his native town and joined the Franciscan Fathers April 5, 1857. He came to America and was sent to Teutopolis in May 1862, and was ordained priest December 19th of that same year by the Bishop of Alton. About that time the Franciscans were seriously considering the advis- ability of abandoning St. Francis College, Quincy, now known as Quin- cy College. In that critical year, 1863, Father Anselm only in his 25th year, only one year in America, and a little over half a year a priest, was appointed rector of St. Francis Col- lege. When he arrived things looked dark, but in 1865 the tide began to turn. On September 4, 1870, the corner- stone of the new college was laid and on September 10, 1871, Bishop Baltes dedicated it. In 1885 the Silver Jubilee of the college foundation was celebrated, and in 1887 Father An- selm celebrated his Sacerdotal Silver Jubilee. In 1892, after thirty years of faith- ful service in Quincy, he humbly sub- mitted to his Superior's will and left for other fields of labor. Father Nicholas resigned as Rector in 1901, and Father Anselm returned to his old post. He celebrated the Golden Jubilee of his reception into the Order April 17-19, 1906, and his 70th birthday November 22, 1908. During his second incumbency he paid off the debt and maintained a high standard of excellency at the college. In 1908 Father Anselm was super- seded by Father Macke and he went to Cleveland where he spent some years; then he went to Joliet where he acted as Spiritual Director of the Franciscan Sisters. He died at Joliet, Illinois, in the Spring of 1924. Father Anselm was a holy priest, a man of God, and an educator par excellence. Intellectual- ly and morally his equals are rare. He was the real founder of Quincy College. Reverend Joseph Patrick Mundat, D.D. Reverend Joseph Patrick Munday, D.D., son of Charles and Bride Mun- day, was born in Litchfield, Illinois, December 19, 1886. His primary grades were made in St. Mary's Parochial School, Litch- field. He then went to St. Francis College at Quincy where he made a brilliant course. From Quincy he went to St. Viator College, Kankakee, 676 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Illinois, where he made an equally brilliant record. From Kankakee he went to the Catholic University at Washington, D. C, and there too he won high honors as a student. The late lamented Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., then Bishop of the Alton diocese, received a letter from the Rector of the Catholic University, in which he wrote these significant words : ' ' Father Munday is one of the very best students in the Univer- sity." He was ordained priest by the Right Reverend D. J. O'Connell, D.D., Rector of the University, Wash- ington, D. C, on October 16, 1908. He sang his first Mass in St. Mary Church, Litchfield, Illinois, on Oc- tober 25, 1908. The following year he entered the American College in Rome and after a brilliant two-year course won his D.D. His thesis which won him his degree was highly praised by those to whom it was submitted for examina- tion and comment. He was appointed pastor of Newton, successor to the late lamented Father Molitor who died January 17, 1917. When his country entered the World War and a call was issued for Catholic Chaplains, Doctor Munday 's ardent young soul was on fire to do his bit for his fellow Catholics on the firing line so he offered his services to his country. He was accepted in 1918 and sent to Fort Sheridan, near Chicago, where he served with fidelity and distinctive honor during that dreadful epidemic of the Flu, until finally he himself fell a victim to the dread disease. He died a martyr to his God and to his country by sacrific- ing himself to the spiritual welfare of the Catholic heroes who faced death that their country might live. He died February 1, 1919, and he was buried with military honors from St. Ambrose Church, Chicago. His re- mains lie in Calvary cemetery near Chicago awaiting the General Resur- rection. The writer of these lines knew Father Munday well and got him to preach the Forty Hours Devotions in Pittsfield, Illinois. Never shall we forget the burning eloquence of his sermon at the closing of the Forty Hours. His words still echo in our ears and warm our heart. He was a noble priest. His death was a sad loss to the diocese. Reverend William Murphy Reverend William Murphy was born April 7, 1865, in London, Eng- land. As a boy he attended the local school at Berkley and later in Prov- idence, Rhode Island. Having grad- uated from the Grade School, he en- tered the Christian Brothers College where he made his classical course. He made his Theological studies in the Grand Seminary at Montreal, Canada, and in Mount St. Mary Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio. He was ordained priest in the Boston Cathe- dral by Most Reverend John Joseph Williams, D.D., on December 21, 1894. His first assignment was that of Assistant at St. Joseph Church, Springfield, Illinois. After having done efficient work in St. Joseph par- ish he was made pastor of Neoga with Edgewood, Trowbridge and Sullivan as Missions. Later he was made pastor of St. Joseph church, Granite City, which in those days meant all of Granite City, as St. Joseph was the only Catholic church there. Father Murphy did good work in Granite City and succeeded in building the combination church and school there. From Granite City he was sent to St. Augustine parish at Ashland, Illinois. For the last two years of his life he was sorely afflicted in health. The trouble started when he had an attack of influenza. He sought relief in Southern Texas, but all in vain. Tu- berculosis wrought such havoc in his system that he gradually grew weaker and on July 19, 1920, he surrendered 677 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS his soul to his Creator after having been fortified with the rights of Holy Church in St. Augustine rectory, Ashland, Illinois. Reverend James Murray Reverend James Murray, son of James Murray and Elizabeth Jane Fitzgerald Murray was born July 6, 1884, in Springfield, Illinois. Having graduated from St. Joseph School, that city, his parents sent him to St. Mary, Kansas, where he stud- ied under the care of the Jesuit Fathers. He next went to Quincy College for his Philosophical course, then to the Grand Seminary of Mon- treal, Canada, and finally to Mt. St. Mary Seminary of the West, Cincin- nati, Ohio, for his Theological course, Sacred Scriptures and Rhetoric. There he was ordained to the Holy Priesthood June 19, 1908. His first appointment was as an assistant at the Cathedral in Alton, where he labored for a year. From Alton he was sent to Mt. Sterling to act as assistant at St. Mary Church. He labored there for two years. From Mt. Sterling he was sent to Carrollton to be assistant to Reverend David Moroney for one year. From Carrollton he went to Ashland, Illi- nois, where he labored for two years as assistant in St. Augustine parish. From Ashland he was sent to Spring- field to become assistant to Reverend P. J. O'Reilly, pastor of St. Joseph Church. He labored in St. Joseph parish for four years, or until his death, Oc- tober 22, 1918. His funeral which was held from St. Joseph Church was well attended both by the clergy and the laity. His bereaved parents were present and had the heartfelt sym- pathy of every man, woman and child in their great sorrow. His remains rest in Calvary Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois. Reverend Vincent Nagler Whilst his predecessor's tenure of Father Nagler was of frail body and office lasted but from September, 1872, to May, 1873, Father Nagler served St. Mary parish of Alton like- wise, but one year, from May, 1873, to May 15, 1874, the date of his death. poor health and unable to perform his manifold duties, although over-anx- ious to comply with them. Dropsy caused his death. He lies buried at Alton. Reverend William Neu In exchange for Reverend Theo- dore Bruener, who on leaving St. Mary Parish of Quincy, in 1874, had accepted the rectorship of the Pio Nono Normal School of St. Francis, Wisconsin, the Archbishop of Milwaukee permitted Reverend William Neu to come to the diocese. He was appointed to Bunker Hill in May, 1874. The new pastor was a born pedagogue and his best exertions were used in that direction. This was evidenced by the flourishing parochial school which at once he opened. He also embellished the church and reformed the choir ac- cording to the Cecilian idea. In 1878 Reverend William Neu un- dertook the building of a small church at Gillespie large enough to accom- modate the small congregation. To raise the means sufficient to carry out his plan, the gifted priest delivered a series of lectures in neighboring places. In 1879 Father Neu returned to Wisconsin to relieve Father Bruen- er of his duties at the Normal. In 1889 Father Neu became a Religious. He joined the Benedictine Order at Atchison, Kansas, and was henceforth 678 THE DIOCESAN CLERGT known to the world as P. Longinus, O.S.B. As such he acted as assistant at the Abbey church until 1891, was pastor of St. Peter church at Council Bluffs, Iowa, July, 1892 to 1897. From January, 1898 to 1899, Father Lon- ginus presided as pastor over the Abbey church of Atchison. On the 3rd day of March, 1899, good Father Neu died at St. Vincent Hospital, Birmingham, Alabama, and was buried in the Abbey cemetery at At- chison, March 7, 1899. He was born at Bocholt, in the Diocese of Muens- ter, July 23, 1846, emigrated with his parents to America in December, 1860, and was ordained to the priest- hood by Bishop Henni of Milwaukee, at St. Francis Seminary, December 21, 1871. Reverend John Neuhaus Practically the whole priestly career of Father Neuhaus was spent in the southern part of the State, now the Belleville Diocese, with the excep- tion of four months, when he acted as pastor of St. Boniface congregation of Edwardsville, and attended St. Michael parish of Staunton, which was then affiliated to St. Boniface of Edwardsville. Reverend John Neuhaus was born February 13, 1844, at Coesfeld in Westphalia ; studied in his native city and at Muenster, and was ordained a priest by the Auxiliary Bishop of Muenster, Right Reverend John Boss- man on June 21, 1870. He was sta- tioned at Red Bud, October 29, 1870 to August 14, 1871 ; at Belle Prairie from August 15, 1871 to March 17, 1875, and attended the missions of McLeansboro, Mt. Vernon, Enfield, Carmi and Flora. At Edwardsville from March 19, 1875 to July 6, 1875, after which he was ordered to act as chaplain of the Sisters of the Precious Blood of Ruma, and attended from there Glasgow City, now Renault. This young Sisterhood is greatly in- debted to his prudent management for its spiritual and material advance- ment. Father John Neuhaus died at Ruma, February 22, 1905, and lies buried in the parish cemetery. Reverend Wimar Oberdoerster In the fall of 1888 a talented and promising young priest, Father Ober- doerster, arrived in the diocese from Germany. But shortly previous there- to he had been ordained to the priest- hood at the American College of Louvain, in Belgium. Reverend Wi- mar Oberdoerster was born March 17, 1860, at Lenhof, near Seelscheidt, in the Archdiocese of Cologne. He fin- ished his classical studies in the schools of his native place, whilst for the completion of the Seminary course, philosophy and theology, he was directed to the American College of Louvain, because of his decision to spend his future priestly life in the American missions. When the time for ordination drew near, he applied for admission into the Alton diocese, where he was readily accepted. On June 24, 1888, the class of young clerics to which Father Oberdoerster belonged, was raised to the priest- hood. A few weeks later the Alton diocese extended a hearty welcome to the genial young man, who was in- troduced as the newly appointed as- sistant at St. Paul of Highland. Dur- ing the lengthy absence of the pastor, Reverend Joseph Meckel, on a Euro- pean journey which was to include a trip to the Holy Land, the young as- sistant was given charge of the parish affairs. How well he carried out his responsible obligations is attested by the fact that immediately upon the return of the pastor to Highland the young man was appointed to the par- ishes of Troy and Black Jack. Here he performed good work and won the love and esteem of every one in a 679 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS marked degree. After several years of fruitful labor the Ordinary saw fit to transfer Father Oberdoerster to the prospering young parish of Pier- ron. Here he completed and em- bellished what his predecessor had to leave in a rather unfinished condition, church, house and cemetery. Hence the Pierron parish under his prudent management signally developed, both materially and spiritually. It grew in numbers and waxed strong, so that in a few years it compared favorably with the best rural congregations of the diocese, thanks to the good men who successively guided its destiny. Sickness, however, dread pneumonia, overtook him and ended the precious life and valued services suddenly, on Friday, July 30, 1897, at St. Louis hospital. He was buried August 1, in the Catholic cemetery of Pierron, follow- ed thither by a vast concourse of peo- ple from his own as well as neigh- boring parishes and many of his de- voted friends and admirers of the clergy. Reverend Charles Oberprantacher Reverend Charles Oberprantacher, after the transfer of Reverend P. Peters to St. Mary, Alton, was ap- pointed to succeed him as pastor of St. Paul. Prior to this he had been pastor of the parish at Millstadt, from August, 1866, to August, 1868, where he succeeded in erecting a $4,000 school house; from 1868 to 1873, pastor at Freeburg, and from November, 1873, to August, 1874, at Edwardsville. At the time when this change of pastors was made, High- land was not a desirable place for any priest to covet. Father Ober- prantacher was eminently a man of peace, and with his coming an era of peace seemed to have dawned upon that parish. At once the new in- cumbent proceeded to make some necessary repairs and purchased two lots adjoining the church property. New spiritual life began to awaken in the parishioners and the schools soon flourished. All this, however, was to be of short duration, for with- in less than two years Father Ober- prantacher sent his resignation as pastor of Highland and asked the Bishop that he not only be relieved of his charge but be permitted to return to his native land, mountainous, beau- tiful Tyrol. At the end of May, 1876, he left Highland and sailed for Europe, never to return. Reverend Charles Oberprantacher was born March 19, 1829, at Biffian, in the Tyrolean Alps. He was or- dained at Brixen, July 15, 1855, and came to America in July, 1866. After his return to Europe, he was assigned a large parish in his native country. We are not in position to state when and where our former diocesan priest died, nor where he was buried. Reverend Joseph H. O'Connor Reverend Joseph H. O'Connor was born at Listowel, County Kerry, Ire- land, on November 19, 1873. He made his preparatory studies in the National School of his native town, and in St. Michael College in that same town. When fourteen years of age he won a three year scholarship for St. Brendan Seminary, Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. At the end of those three years he entered a competitive examination and won a six year scholarship at the Irish Col- lege in Paris, France. Right Rever- end James Ryan, D.D., adopted him for the Alton diocese and ordained him a priest in the Alton Cathedral in December, 1894. His first assignment was that of Assistant to Father Timothy Hickey at the Immaculate Conception Church, Springfield, Illinois, where he served for five years. He was then appointed pastor of St. Benedict 680 THE DIOCESAN CLEKGY Church, Auburn, Illinois, with Glen- arm, Divernon, Pawnee and South Fork as out-missions. This zealous young priest built the church at Pawnee and rebuilt the church at Auburn. He also built the parochial residence, and had planned to build in Divernon when his health failed. This brave, strenuous, zealous young priest went to Colorado in hopes of building up his shattered health, but alas, death claimed him in Colorado. He died January 1, 1905, at the age of 31 years. His remains were shipped to Auburn for funeral services, but interment was in Calvary Cemetery, Springfield. His death was a serious loss to the diocese. He was a profound and brilliant scholar, a student and lover of music, a pa- triotic American, a fearless defender of the Church, an enthusiastic mem- ber of the Ancient Order of Hiber- nians and Knights of Columbus. Very Reverend Patrick J. O'Halloran, Vicar General This popular priest, for more than 25 years pastor of St. Patrick, of East St. Louis, was one of the most prominent clergymen of the state. He was born August 15, 1830, in Bruff, County Limerick, Ireland. At the age of 10 years he was brought to this country by his parents, who settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. He re- ceived his education at Bardstown Seminary, Kentucky, and was finally graduated from Mount St. Mary, Cin- cinnati, and raised to the priesthood in 1862. Father O'Halloran held successively the pastorate of Jackson- ville, Bunker Hill and Cairo, in each of the places building a church. Dur- ing his incumbency at Bunker Hill he erected also St. Michael church of Staunton, in 1873, and greatly dis- tinguished himself for his financial ability in church matters and was made Vicar General of the diocese. He built a parochial residence and the convent at East St. Louis and more- over purchased the present Mount Carmel cemetery for $12,000. Further- more Father O'Halloran organized a building and loan association that has built seventy-two homes for its mem- bers. He died, greatly regretted, December 29, 1898, and was buried in Mt. Carmel cemetery, East St. Louis. Reverend Joseph O'Rourke Reverend Joseph O'Rourke, son of Joseph O'Rourke and Catherine O 'Riley O 'Rourke, was born in Coun- ty Longford, Ireland, June 18, 186-1. His people were farmers whose Irish ancestry extends back for generations. Father O 'Rourke was one of twelve children. The O 'Rourke family never heard of the barn-yard morality back of "regulated" families. The human denizens, whose barn-yard slogan is "Few and good" would be sadly out of place among the O'Rourke family, whose slogan was "The more the mer- rier and the better." Mr. and Mrs. O 'Rourke, rich in faith, strong in their confidence in God, the giver of all good gifts, thanked God each time that He sent a little cherub into their happy home. They felt there was always room for one more. God blessed the O'Rourke family by call- ing Joseph to the sublime, supreme heights of His priesthood. Joseph attended the National school of his native place, made his classical course at Moyne and then en- tered All Hallows College, Dublin, where he graduated with honors. He was ordained priest by the Right Rev- erend Bishop O'Donnell, on June 24, 1892, in All Hallows College Chapel. With him were ordained forty-one other young priests. He and some twelve or fifteen other young priests came to America together and were assigned to different dioceses of the United States. 681 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Father O'Rourke arrived in the Alton diocese in the Fall of 1892, and his first assignment was t hat of As- sistant at Our Saviour Church, Jack- sonville, Illinois. On January 1, 1896, he was promoted to the pastorate of Sacred Heart Church, Dalton City, Illinois, where he did very efficient work for his people. The splendid work done at Dalton City attracted the attention of Bishop Ryan and he was promoted to the pastorate of Farmersville on September 1, 1899. He found the church located four miles out in the country and he at once resolved to make a change for the better. He bought a good site in the city on which he built a church and a rectory that were the pride of the parish. During his twenty years at Farmersville, Father O'Rourke worked faithfully for his people and left a permanent impress on the moral and spiritual life of the community. On June 1, 1919, he was promoted to the important pastorate of the Church of St. Mary, Mt. Sterling, Illinois. For some years his health had been on the decline and every- thing was done to obtain a cure, but God had ordained otherwise and his day's work was done. When reduced to a mere shadow of his former splen- did physique he went to St. Mary Hospital, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He failed to recuperate. Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., Bishop of the diocese, received a wire from the Sister Superior stating that Father O'Rourke had died that morning, Thursday, January 17, 1927. The sad news brought grief to the Bishop, the clergy and the laity who had known him. The remains were shipped to Mt. Sterling and funeral services were held in St. Mary Church on Tuesday morning, January 22nd. The church was crowded with a sorrowing people. The sanctuary was filled with brother priests. His Bishop Pontificated at a Solemn High Requiem Mass and preached a sermon that was indeed a tribute to the dear, good Father O'Rourke. When he left Farmersville for Mt. Sterling his heart remained behind him. He was never the same man afterwards. Reverend Francis Augustine Ostrop Reverend Francis Augustine Os- trop was born at Dorsten in West- phalia, September 1, 1823. From his earliest years he exhibited an ardent desire to enter the holy ministry, but his parents were too poor to enable him to accomplish it. For seven years he worked as painter and cabinet maker. At the age of twenty-one he began the study of classics in his na- tive place, but a few months after- wards removed to Coesfeld. Such was his diligence and application to study that in three years he made double time and went through six classes. At the same time, as a means of support, he gave private lessons to less ad- vanced students. After graduating he repaired to Muenster, there to study philosophy and theology. On leaving Muenster he became for a while a tutor in the family of Count Schmiesing-Kerstenbrock, for two years he acted as teacher at the Osna- brueck High School, giving popular lectures on astronomy. Afterwards for five years he had charge of the Ibbenbueren High School. When in 1857, Bishop Juncker went to Westphalia to recruit aid for his diocese, Francis Ostrop offered his services, which were gladly accepted. He reached Alton, November 11, 1857, was sent to the Carondelet Seminary of St. Louis, and ordained May 1, 1858. His first appointment was to St. Mary church of Alton. He found a two-story building, erected the pre- vious year by Reverend John Menge, with a debt of $3,000. On Trinity Sunday, 1860, a tornado destroyed the building, burying in its ruins priest and housekeeper; both, how- ever, were safely extricated from 682 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY their perilous plight. He was anxious to build anew, but the debt had first to be liquidated. Unable to find suf- ficient help at home he obtained per- mission to seek it abroad. He went, in turn, to Cincinnati, Covington, St. Louis, Quincy and Belleville, and was thus enabled to begin the build- ing of the church, 110x50, with steeple 100 feet high. He also built a rectory which for a time was partly used for a boys' school, the girls at- tending the Ursuline Academy. In 1869 he built a High School at the cost of $11,000. In September, 1872, he was ap- pointed pastor of St. Boniface parish of Quincy. There he soon erected a school, at the time one of the finest parochial school buildings in the West, purchased property and was resolved on building a $100,000 church, which no doubt he would have accomplished had not the debt of $82,000 alarmed the Bishop and aroused opposition and protest from the members. Hence his plan failed. On September 1, 1887, he was trans- ferred to Carlinville, there to become the rector of St. Joseph parish. The congregation had but forty families and the overhanging debt amounted to $10,000. The condition of affairs seemed desperate. The new rector in no way dismayed, went to work with all energy, started four associations, to take in all the members, the re- ceipts going to the benefit of the church. He soon paid the whole debt, built a suitable school for which he purchased ground, bought a rectory for $2,200, and put an addition 30x35 to the sanctuary at a cost of $4,000. In 1891 his health was failing fast. He, nevertheless, during the winter 1891-92, attended to his duties with the occasional help of neighboring priests. His condition continued to grow worse. Father Ostrop realized the nearness of the last summons and duly prepared himself for the last call. He piously died on June 26, 1892. His funeral was held June 30, attended by the Bishop, forty priests and a vast concourse of people. Reverend Adam J. Pennartz To the inscrutable designs of Di- vine Providence it seemed good to call from hence on November 10, 1917, Reverend Adam J. Pennartz, pastor of St. Michael parish of Sigel, Illi- nois, dean of the Effingham district, and member of the board of diocesan examiners. To his parishioners Father Pennartz proved at all times a wise and prudent counsellor, a true father and friend. In the perform- ance of sacred functions no one was more exact and conscientious than he. Great were the results he achieved during the 44 years of his ministry. The various parishes over which he was placed give eloquent testimony of his unflagging zeal and devotion to his holy calling — Areola, Paris, Ste. Marie, particularly however, As- sumption (1881-88) with Taylorville as mission where he constructed the present church edifice, and Spring- field (1886-96). There St. Peter and Paul substantial parochial school building stands a lasting monument to his earnest advocacy of things edu- cational. The splendid condition of St. Michael's congregation of Sigel, both spiritual and material, is pre- eminently due to the efforts of Father Pennartz. Death claimed the good pastor on March 10 at St. Anthony Hospital of Effingham whither he had been brought for treatment and rest, on the evening of November 10, 1896. Father Pennartz was born July 7, 1850, at Trevern in the Archdiocese of Cologne, studied at the American College of Louvain and was ordained a priest at Brussels in Belgium, July 27, 1873, coming to this country and the Alton Diocese in October of that vear. 683 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend George Pesch Reverend George Pesch was born at Aix la Chapelle, July 18, 1862. Having made his regular course of studies in his native land, he went to All Hallows College, Dublin, Ireland, there to put the finishing touch to his education by getting a knowledge of the American language. He was ordained in Dublin for the Alton diocese June 24, 1885, and came direct to the Alton diocese. His first appointment was that of Assist- ant in St. Boniface parish, Quincy, Illinois. His next assignment was that of pastor of St. Brigid Church, Liberty, Illinois. He left the Alton diocese and joined the La Crosse Diocese in Wis- consin, where he was assigned to the parish of Cadott, Wisconsin. In July, 1909, he was promoted to the impor- tant parish of Plain, Wisconsin. There he labored zealously until May 25, 1918, when a furious tornado wrecked the church and rectory. Father Pesch was so seriously injured that he died on June 7, 1918. Reverend Peter Peters Father Peters was born in the town of Keppelen in Rhenish Province, near the border of Holland, on April 15, 1833. He pursued a course in classics in his home town and then entered the Academy of Emmerich for the study of philosophy and the- ology. After two years of close ap- plication to his studies in the Acad- emy the young aspirant emigrated to the United States, and arrived at Al- ton in 1859. Shortly after his arrival, at the solicitation of Bishop Juncker, who had been consecrated first Bishop of the Alton diocese but a short time previously, he embarked for Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and completed his theological course in the Seminary of that place. On April 21, 1861, the' ambitious young cleric was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Juncker, celebrated his first Holy Mass at SS. Peter and Paul church of Springfield, where Father John Janssen, after- wards Bishop of Belleville, a country- man of his, was pastor. Father Peter's first appointment was to St. Mary of Edwardsville. After two years serv- ice at Edwardsville, during which time he erected a substantial resi- dence and started a parochial school, Bishop Juncker sent him to Highland, that there, in the roll of peacemaker, he might succeed in conciliating op- posing factions. His transfer to Highland was in 1863 and he served there eleven years — until 1874. Dur- ing all these years he ministered faith- fully not only to the spiritual needs of his Highland people but likewise to those of the neighboring St. Eliza- beth parish of Marine. At this latter place he was instrumental in having a parochial residence built. Father Peter's firmness of character, to- gether with his model priestly bear- ing, gradually brought harmony. He was a man who for all time left a last- ing impress upon affairs ecclesiastical of Alton. Soon after coming to this new parish he labored zealously to further the status of the parochial school then as now under the efficient management of the Notre Dame Sis- ters. With the combined efforts of priest and teachers excellent results were obtained and today St. Mary school ranks with the best in that city. Father Peters, moreover, was a man of distinct business qualifications. Prudence and sagacity advised the purchase of adjoining property; thus it was that in a quiet and undemon- strative way lot after lot and house after house passed into the ownership of St. Mary, so that before long the parish commanded the entire block. He rested not until the present splen- did $60,000 church was erected, a worthy monument of Reverend Peter 684 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Peters. Quietly and peacefully he lived a most useful life in Alton, and Reverend Michael Prendergast just as quietly and peacefully was his passing on March 5th, 1896. Father Prendergast was born at New Park, County Wexford, Ireland, in the year 1810. He studied for the priesthood at Carlow College and was there ordained for the Archdiocese of Dublin. For some time he was in the mission of Anklow, County Wicklow. After spending ten years on the mis- sion in Ireland, he came to the United States, affiliating himself with the diocese of Chicago, and was sent at once as assistant to Reverend Michael Carroll of Alton. This was in 1853. In the following year, 1854, he was sent to Decatur to become the first resident rector of St. Patrick. He remained two years at Decatur, from where he attended Winchester, Pitts- field and other places until replaced by Reverend Thomas Cusack. Next we find him starting the congregation of Winona, Minnesota. In 1868 he was at Danville, Illinois, which he left to the charge of Batavia, attend- ing at the same time Geneva and St. Charles. He died at Batavia, March 3, 1875, and was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Chicago. Reverend Thomas Quigley, D.D. Reverend Thomas Quigley was or- dained in 1849 by Archbishop Ken- rick of St. Louis. He was a subject of the Bishop of Chicago, in whose diocese he spent almost his entire priestly life. Whilst the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad was being constructed, Father Quigley made many trips filong that line and his success with the workers is said to have been mar- velous. In 1855 he came to Spring- field as pastor of the old St. John church. He soon formed the design of erecting a new building and plac- ing it under the patronage of the Im- maculate Conception B. V. M. Doctor Quigley built the foundation but did not remain to complete the work. When leaving he was replaced by Reverend Patrick McElherne, whilst he assumed charge of parish work in the northern (Chicago and Peoria) part of the state. Reverend Thomas Quigley was known in literary circles as a writer of some note. Reverend Longintjs Quitter Reverend Longinus Quitter was born February 26, 1830, at Daseburg, Westphalia, studied classics at Riet- berg and Warendorf, and philosophy at Muenster. He came to this coun- try in 1863, entered the Seminary of St. Joseph College, Teutopolis and was elevated to the priesthood by Bishop Juncker at Alton, August 8, 1865. His first assignment was to St. Marie, Jasper county as assistant, from 1856 to 1867 ; then became rec- tor of Mt. Carmel, 1867 to 1872, of Westwood, 1872 to 1874, of Vandalia, 1878 to 1882 (during which incum- bency he built St. Lawrence church of Greenville in 1878) ; Madonnaville, 1882 to 1886, and until his retirement on account of protracted illness to St. Mary hospital, East St. Louis, a short time previous to his death, December 5, 1891. He lies buried at Lively Grove. Reverend Charles Raphael Father Raphael was a native of Luxemburg, born at La Rochette, November 3, 1826. He came to Amer- ica in 1853 and was ordained to the the priesthood — very likely at the Seminary of Our Lady of the Lake, by Bishop James Oliver Van de Velde — on June 10, 1854. After his or- 685 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS dination Father Raphael was at once assigned to the parish of Teutopolis, where he stayed from July to Novem- ber, 1854-1856, becoming a successor to Reverend Joseph F. Zoegel. His next appointments were those of Mill- stadt and Mascoutah. In 1859 he suc- ceeded the pastor of St. Mary parish of Brussels, Reverend John Regal. Father Raphael commenced the erec- tion of a commodious two-story resi- dence for the rector ; it was completed in 1862. The following year the pres- ent church was commenced and made ready for Divine Service. Father Raphael was, however, too soon re- moved to accomplish all his designs. Whilst he was pastor of Brussels he succeeded in building the first log church six miles above Hardin, now called Michael. Later on, in 1866, he was in charge of Summit Springs, Butler county, Pennsylvania, and at the time of his death, which occurred in 1900, he was a chaplain in the Convent of the Good Shepherd in Milwaukee. Reverend A. Ratte Father Ratte was an assistant at St. Boniface, Quincy, under its pastor, Father John Reis, in 1857 and 1858, and acted as pastor of the parish a few months until the coming of Father Shaefermeyer. Father Ratte thereupon went to Cincinnati, and later returned to his native country, Germany. He is said to have been an able pulpit speaker. Reverend Francis Nicholas Recouvreur Father Francis Nicholas Recouv- reur was a native of La Belle, France, born in the Diocese of Nancy, Janu- ary 23, 1833, and was raised to the priesthood by Bishop Juncker in the Alton cathedral, August 4, 1859. Father Recouvreur was known as a great organizer and church builder. Almost every parish over which he presided during his long priestly life he left some memento of his zeal and labor. In the dioceses of Alton and Peoria this good man's name will re- main a benediction. In looking over the long record of his accomplish- ments we find him to have been active at Assumption in 1865, Pittsfield, where he erected a church and frame rectory in 1867, and opened a school in 1870; Edwardsville, 1872, from which place he attended Taylorville, where he built a substantial parson- age and bought some choice lots for a new church ; Carrollton, 1873 to 1877, where he built a schoolhouse. After this he displayed his activities in the Peoria diocese, at Clinton, 1879 to 1880; Campus, 1881 to 1882; Dwight, 1882 to 1885 ; Delavan, 1887, and L'Erable, 1887 to 1890. At this juncture Father Recouvreur returned to the Alton diocese and was assigned to St. Ubaldus parish of New Doug- las, where at once he commenced to erect a parish house in which he lived nine years, from 1890 to 1899, the time of his retirement to Kirkwood, Missouri. It was on a Saturday night, Oc- tober 24, 1908, that his niece was awakened by the smell of gas. She investigated and discovered that the fumes came from her uncle's rooms. A new gas stove had recently been placed in his room. It is supposed that the aged priest went to sleep in his arm-chair which stood in front of the gas stove and thus became as- phyxiated. The funeral took place from St. Malachy church, St. Louis, and was attended by many of the clergy who had come to pay their last tribute of respect and pray for the soul of their esteemed venerable confrere. Solemn High Mass was celebrated by Reverend F. X. Zabell, D.D., countryman and former fellow stu- dent of deceased, with Reverend 686 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Charles L. Souvay, CM., as deacon and Reverend William Michael of Pierron, as sub-deacon, whilst Very Reverend Edward Spalding of Alton, delivered the funeral sermon touch- ing on the long and useful career of the departed and his many noble traits of character. Reverend John Regal Father Regal was the second resi- dent pastor of Brussels. He was a native of Nancy, France, and gov- erned the parish of Brussels from Reverend Francis Reinhardt 1853 to 1859. He was the first priest to conduct Divine Services in private houses above Hardin. No further in- formation is available. The subject of this biographical sketch was born April 20, 1834, at Fulda in Hessia, a place forever hal- lowed by the life and death of Ger- many's great apostle, St. Boniface. Ordained to the priesthood on St. Joseph's day, March 19, 1859, by the Bishop of that city and diocese, the young levite exercised his priestly functions in his native land until the year 1864, when, encouraged by the example of so many zealous mission- aries and the appeal for priests by our American Bishops, young Father Reinhardt determined to devote the remainder of his life to the Ameri- can missions. Invited by Bishop Henry Damian Juncker, he came to the Alton Diocese where the sturdy, rugged young man found abundant opportunities for the display of his zeal and talents. He was successively appointed to positions at Quincy with Fathers Sehaefermeyer and Ostrop, to Breese, as assistant to Father Reineke, to Highland with Reverend Joseph Meckel, to "West Woods, Tay- lorville and the chaplaincy at St. John Hospital of Springfield, where at that time the energetic superioress, Venerable Senior Ulrica, O.S.F., was erecting the fine chapel building. It seems that in the latter part of the eighties his health became serious- ly impaired; to seek relief for a shat- tered and broken constitution, Father Reinhardt obtained permission from his ordinary to return to his native country, beautiful Hessia, where after some few years of lingering sickness, he expired on August 25, 1892, at the village of Lettgenbrunn, near the city of Fulda. Reverend John Reis After the death of Father Kuens- ter, pastor of St. Boniface, Quincy, which occurred on September 15, 1857, Bishop Juncker assigned as his successor Father John Reis. This priest had come from Missouri, where at Merrimac, St. Louis county, he had acted as pastor of St. Mary parish. He was frail and sickly. Foreseeing the work which awaited him at Quincy, Reverend The first resident pastor of SS. Peter and Paul congregation of Col- linsville, was Reverend J. W. Repis. He was a Bohemian by birth and was sent to this parish in 1857. He did excellent work until the fall of the appointee begged to be excused, but yielded to his superior's insist- ence. He was however compelled, the next August to resign the pastorate of St. Boniface, as his impaired health broke down under the weight of manifold daily duties. He retired from active pastoral life and died a few years afterwards. W. Repis 1858, when he resolved to go to Ten- nessee, and was admitted into the diocese of Nashville, where he av;is given charge of St. Mary parish in that city. 687 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend P. Michael Richard, O.F.M. Father Michael was born Septem- ber 25, 1844, at Effelder, near Muehl- hausen, in the Province of Saxony, studied at Heilingenstadt and en- tered the Franciscan Order at War- endorf in 1861. Having completed the theological studies, his superiors sent him to their American Missions in 1867. The following year, Decem- ber 4, 1868, the young Franciscan Friar received Holy Orders from Archbishop Kenrick, in St. John Church, St. Louis. The Franciscan Order sustained a severe loss when on June 8, 1916, the Very Reverend P. Michael Rich- ard, O.F.M. , died. A man of extraor- dinary mental endowment and great moral force had passed away. A brilliant pulpit orator, deep theolo- gian, an ideal retreat master, and above all a sincere pious and unaf- fected follower of St. Francis, was mourned not only by the regular but likewise by the secular clergy of this and many other dioceses. Wherever Father Michael was known, there he was honored, respected and loved. The impressions he created are to be lasting. The Alton diocese is par- ticularly affected by his demise, for it was at Teutopolis and Quincy that for many years he was success- fully active not only as College Rec- tor and Convent Guardian but like- wise as pastor of various parishes such as Antonius, St. Joseph and Altamont. When the health of the aged Father began to fail, he was retired to the Convent of Santa Barbara in sunny California, where on above mentioned date he calmly and peace- fully expired at the age of 72 years. Reverend A. B. Rinkes Among the teaching staff of pro- fessors of the former College of Ruma we find the name of Reverend A. B. Rinkes enumerated. Before he took up college work he had been actively engaged in parish work at various places in the diocese. In scanning over the different congre- gations, we meet him as pastor of St. Mary parish of Pittsfield in 1861- 1862. It was he who shortly after coining to that place laid the founda- tion of the present solid brick church in 1862 which was not completed, however, until 1864, when on Christ- mas morning the first Holy Mass was celebrated therein. The next two years, from 1862 to 1864, we find him installed as pastor of Mt. Ster- ling, from which place he was trans- ferred to Bunker Hill where he built the Church of the Annunciation. His stay here lasted but two years. In 1865 and 1866 he served Marshall. From Marshall it seems Father Rinkes was called to the newly created German parish of East St. Louis, which at the time became a factor independent of St. Patrick. He was still young and energetic. Twenty-five adults represented the full parish. Father Rinkes assembled the children for daily instructions and thus soon established the first parish school. Next he purchased a building site, and the erection of a two-story frame building was begun in which the school occupied the first and the church the second floor. The young parish was placed under the protection of St. Henry. At this time Father Rinkes took sick. He left East St. Louis March 9, 1867, and went to Ruma to accept a posi- tion as college professor. He died a priest of the Green Bay diocese. Reverend Professor Anthony Roettger Reverend Anthony Roettger was born at Velen, Westphalia, in 1850, made his classical studies at Cosl'eld, studied philosophy and theology at the University of Muenster and at Cincinnati, Ohio. After having been 688 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY ordained a priest in 1874, at Alton, he was appointed a professor of philosophy at the Sacred Heart Col- lege of Ruma, Illinois, where he taught for two years during which time he also acted as rector of St. Boniface parish of Edwardsville, Illinois. From 1876 to 1878 he taught philosophy at the Theological Seminary of St. Francis de Sales, near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Father Roettger was admired for his pro- ficiency in scholastic philosophy and theology, unusual for such a young priest. His piety, zeal, and cheerful character endeared him to his fellow - professors, priests, students and ac- quaintances. Great was their grief when the telegraph flashed the news that he died July 18, 1878, after but one day's illness at the residence of his clerical friend at Highland, where he intended to spend a part of his summer vacation. Reverend Bernard Rossmoeller Born at Muenster, in Westphalia, he was raised to the priesthood in the venerable Cathedral of his native city in 1868. Coming to this country soon after, the young priest was as- signed as assistant to Reverend II. Schaefermeyer of Quincy, October 5, 1868 and there remained until Jan- uary 22, 1869. In 1874 he was ap- pointed to Fayetteville, a year later to Lebanon, in 1876 to Marine, from 1878 to 1884 to Grafton, and from October, 1884 to August, 1887, to Smithon. At this time Father Ross- moeller petitioned the Bishop for permission to return to his native country. There he died April 10, 1891. Reverend Anthony Rustige Father Rustige 's native country was Westphalia, where he was born near the city of Paderborn in 1841. In that city he completed his clas- sical studies, prepared himself at the American College of Muenster for the priesthood and was ordained at Teutopolis by Bishop Juncker for the Alton diocese in 1866. He was assigned as assistant to St. Patrick's of East St. Louis, and as such, had charge of the congregations of Col- linsville and Lebanon from 1866 to 1868. In the latter part of Decem- ber, 1868, he succeeded Reverend William Kuchenbuch as pastor of St. Mary, of Edwardsville. When St. Boniface parish of that city was started he relinquished his prior charge to Reverend D. Burne. In- cessantly he planned and worked for the good of the new parish some six years and until his frail constitution yielded to undue pressure and he col- lapsed under the continued strain of mental and physical exertion. His physician advised the young priest to seek repose and rest at the St. Mary Hospital of St. Louis. All medical skill and human efforts, however, proved futile. Father Rus- tige had done his work at the ex- pense of his health. Consumption had set in, which claimed the good and zealous worker when but tfiirtv- three years old, September 8, 1874. He was buried in Edwardsville. Reverend Daniel J. Ryan Daniel J. Ryan was the son of Wil- liam Ryan and Margaret, nee Keough, born at Kickapoo, Illinois, August 3, 1852, and ordained at the Alton Cathedral by Bishop Baltes, June 29, 1876. His first appointment was to Grafton, where he labored in 1876-1877, whence he was assigned to Virden, where he remained from 1877 to 1881. At this time it hap- pened that Reverend Manasses Kane, founder and builder of St. Joseph Church, Springfield, resigned. No one was thought more capable to 689 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS handle the affairs of that parish than Father Ryan, who during the next fifteen years proved his unquestioned ability as a wise and prudent pastor and capable administrator. He over- came difficulties in reducing the heavy debt, built a commodious parochial residence and supplied the church with a splendid pipe organ. Father Ryan's heart and mind were centered in the affairs of his beloved St. Joseph's, which increased and developed under his unflagging care and devotion steadily and constantly. In 1896 he was requested to exchange places with Reverend M. Clifford, of St. Mary parish, Mt, Sterling. Father Ryan continued his priestly activity with the same eagerness and zeal in the new parish as he was wont to practice at Springfield. For three years he successfully directed the destinies of the Mt. Sterling charge, when, on November 23, 1899, he met with a serious accident which was to cause his premature death. On that day the parochial residence burned down. In his efforts to extinguish the fire and save his home, Father Ryan sustained injuries which ultimately proved fatal. With the house he lost his library and all the church records. The badly burned pastor was rushed to Our Saviour Hospital at Jackson- ville, where the best of medical treat- ment was given him. For a while the patient seemed to be on the road to re- covery. But this was delusive. He lingered until July, 1900, when he had to yield to the inevitable. Father Ryan's remains were buried in the Catholic cemetery of Jackson- ville. Reverend Lawrence and Reverend Bernard Michael Ryan, Twin Brothers These twin brothers were born on Christmas Day, 1870, in County Kill- kenny. Their parents were Michael Ryan and Mary Tainly Ryan. His- tory has it that they were two lusty, healthy, strenuous Irish babies and the pride of their happy parents who regarded them as God's Christmas presents to them. Divine Providence had marked them as His own to serve Him in far- off America as His priests. Having completed their primary and classical studies, they entered All Hallows College, Dublin, where they were ordained priests in 1873. They came direct to Alton where Bishop Baltes gave them a hearty welcome. Father Lawrence was made pastor of Virden, where also he died in 1877. His brother, Father Michael Ryan survived him and died as pastor of Virginia, Illinois, in 1892. Both brothers were interred in Calvary Cemetery, the funeral from Immac- ulate Conception Church, Springfield, Illinois. Reverend Michael Ryan Reverend Michael Ryan, son of Michael Ryan and Mary Finnally, was placed in the arms of his parents a Christmas gift, 1850. He hailed from Kil Macow, Ireland, and was ordained to the priesthood at All Hal- lows on June 24, 1875. From 1876 to 1892, the year of his death, he proved himself a persistent and faith- ful worker at Virginia A good natured and always jovial man was the late pastor of Virginia, Father Michael Ryan. Tall of stature, habitually wearing a silk hat, he tow- ered above his confreres wherever as- sembled. St. Luke's of Virginia, held out but precarious emoluments to its pastor, and yet he seemed the exemplification of contentment which is best demonstrated by the sixteen long years which he spent in this poor mission without ever insisting upon a change for the better. And Father Ryan's memory remains deeply en- graven upon the hearts of the faithful parishioners of Virginia to this day. 690 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Reverend Thomas Ryan About the year 1852, Reverend Thomas Ryan was appointed a mis- sionary priest of Central Illinois. His territory extends nearly all over the big prairies. He covered nine coun- ties in his ministry. Edgar, Ver- milion, Champaign, Douglas, Clark, Cumberland, Coles, Shelby, Moultrie and part of Macon county. The prin- cipal object of his appointment was to look after the religious welfare of those employed in the construction of the Illinois Central Railroad. Short- ly after his appointment Father Ryan undertook the erection of a brick church at Urbana, (Champaign) which, however, was blown down by a prairie cyclone just as the men were preparing to put on the roof. In 1853, when he lived in Baldwinville, (North Arm), he is known to have attended Areola. Some years later, in 1856, Mattoon was organized as a station. Father Thomas Ryan was appointed its pastor by the Chicago Bishop, and he at once located there. In 1858 he commenced the first church building in that thrifty town, which, however, was not finished until the following year, when it was dedicated by Bishop Juncker. The number of resident Catholic families at that time was but eight. The visits made by Father Ryan over his extensive territory were neither frequent nor regular. When pastor of Mattoon he lived in a small house, and in it he died in June, 1863. The body of this pioneer of religion in the West lies in the little village churchyard of St. Mary of the Woods, Indiana. One day Father Ryan was visited by a young priest, newly ordained, and just starting out on the mission. "When you go back to Alton, tell the Bishop to leave you here with me. I am too old and feeble to attend sick calls. The people don't mind me any more. My pews are rented to them for $2.50 a year, and the blackguards won't pay me." The young priest would have been delighted to help old Father Tom, but the Bishop could not spare him. Physically he was a tall, fine look- ing old gentleman. He had overflow- ing Irish wit and shrewdness under his jokes and funny ghost stories, few gave him credit for. Like Father Alleman in Northern Illinois, Father Ryan traveled most- ly on foot from mission to mission. His historian vouches for the fact that during retreat time he kept his fellow-priests laughing by his funny stories. That Father Ryan was a zealous priest and founder of future churches in Eastern Illinois, no one can dispute. That he made light and merry of his hardships was to his credit as a representative of the buoy- ancy and cheerfulness of his race. Reverend John Sandrock Reverend John Sandrock was born near Paderborn in Westphalia, on November 4, 1833, emigrated to this country August 4, 1858, and was or- dained to the priesthood November 19, 1858. From March 1, 1859, until his transfer to Alton, in 1872, he act- ed as pastor of St. Marie. When, in September, 1872, Rever- end Francis Ostrop was transferred from St. Mary's parish of Alton, to assume the rectorship of St. Boni- face congregation of Quincy, Bishop Baltes appointed Reverend John Sandrock, at the time pastor of St. Marie, in Jasper County, to become his successor at Alton. He was a picture of robust health, though his priestly life of some fourteen years had been spent in hard work, accom- panied by many hardships and trials. A pioneer priest he had been inured to these many austerities and self- denials. Before long he was en- throned in the hearts of the people of Alton. By his earnestness of de- 691 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS meanor, genuine piety and eloquent &ermons, he soon gained their respect and affection in an uncommon de- gree. His countrymen, the people from the Bichsfeld, were justly proud of him. But his administration of the affairs of St. Mary were to be rudely interrupted by premature death. Dur- ing the smallpox epidemic in 1873 he contracted the disease while at- tending some of the small-pox suffer- ers. He exposed himself to the con- tagion more than proper caution would have warranted. The stricken priest, forsaken and alone, died with- out the consolation of his church, on May 10, 1873. His remains were in- terred in the Catholic cemetery of Alton. Reverend Augustine Sauer Reverend Augustine Sauer was born in Baden, Germany, August 28, 1847. Having completed his classical studies he entered the American Theological Seminary of St. Mauritz in Muenster, Germany, which at that time was well patronized for candi- dates for the American Missions. Having finished his ecclesiastical studies to the satisfaction of his supe- riors, he was ordained priest in the Cathedral of Muenster by the Right Reverend Bishop Bossman of Muen- ster Diocese. Shortly after his arrival in the Alton Diocese, Bishop Baltes appointed him Assistant to Reverend L. Hinssen of Belleville, Illinois, in 1872. In the year 1873 he was promoted to the pastorate of Petersburg where he labored most successfully until 1877. He then returned to Belleville where Bishop John Janssen gave him a royal welcome. Father Sauer organized St. Mary congregation, built the brick church and opened a parochial school. Father Sauer presided over the des- tinies of St. Mary in Belleville until 1909, and from 1918 until his death he faithfully ministered to the spir- itual needs of Sisters and patients in St. Elizabeth Hospital, Belleville, Illinois. For the artistic decorations of its beautiful chapel, he himself collected the sum of $7,000.00, simply because he was an enthusiastic lover of the beautiful in Art. His library was stocked with copies of the fore- most masterpieces. He died May 15, 1922, in St. Eliz- abeth Hospital. He was 75 years old. Had he lived until May 25th, he would have celebrated the Golden Jubilee of his ordination. Vert Reverend Herman Joseph Schaefermeyer, V.G. Father Herman Joseph Schaefer- meyer was born July 18, 1818, at Boke, near Paderborn, Germany. He was elevated to the priesthood Au- gust 14, 1843, and worked with groat fervor in the parish of Neiderwern- ger until setting sail for America. He arrived in America September 14, 1858. In the fifties of the last century our young diocese hailed amongst others the advent of a loyal, true and self-sacrificing priest, one who had already labored with apostolic zeal for more than fifteen years in the Fatherland, it was Reverend Her- man J. Schaefermeyer. Highly rec- ommended for efficiency and priestly virtues by his own Ordinary, the new-comer from Europe was cordial- ly welcomed by the Bishop of Alton, and at once assigned to the pastorate of St. Boniface, of Quincy. On De- cember 18, 1858 the new pastor for- mally took charge of its parochial affairs. The loyal people of the parish at once stood by their pastor, seconded his views and helped to carry out his far-reaching plans. In fact, Father Schaefermeyer was just the man these people needed, kind but firm and energetic. Reforms were inaugurated and soon new life began to course through the veins of 692 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY the parish, the obstreperous spirit of former days became subdued and began to fade and vanish. St. Boni- face was on the eve of an era of prosperity and progress. It was at this juncture that Father Schaefer- meyer suggested to the Bishop that he extend an invitation to the Ger- man Franciscans to come and locate in the diocese. In 1859 they came to Quincy, as did likewise the Sisters de Notre Dame. On June 12, 1860, Bishop Juneker appointed Father Schaefermeyer a Vicar General, which appointment was later re-affirmed by his succes- sor, Bishop Baltes. Between the years 1859 and 1867, Father Schaef- ermeyer lent a helping hand in the founding of St. Francis College, St. Mary Hospital and St. Mary Acad- emy ; likewise St. Antonius parish of Melrose, St. Joseph on Columbus Koad and St. Mary parish of Quincy, owe him a debt of gratitude for the interest he took in their beginning and subsequent development. The great work he accomplished at St. Boniface during the fourteen years of his incumbency has been eloquently told by Father Bruener in his "History of the Catholic Church of Quincy." For a long time it had been Father Schaefer- meyer 's desire to retire from the tur- moil of the world into the seclusion of the cloister. Now his work of re- formation in St. Boniface parish had been accomplished, his cherished wish assumed tangible form and on September 23, 1872, he quietly slip- ped away from Quincy to exchange the Carmelite habit for that of the Franciscans. He entered the Fran- ciscan Monastery at Teutopolis, where from thenceforth he became known to the world as Father Lib- orius, O.F.M. After a long and patiently borne illness, he died at St. Francis Monas- tery May 10, 1887, and was buried on the 13th from St. Francis Church. His remains were deposited in St. Boniface Cemetery, of Quincy. ; Reverend William Schamoni Father William Schamoni was a native of Germany, born at Holing- hausen, Westphalia, in 1835 ; studied at Teutopolis and Montreal. At the latter place he was ordained in April, 1868. Among the number of assistant priests who served St. Boniface par- ish of Quincy, we find the name of Reverend William Schamoni enrolled. He proved to be an efficient helper to the pastor, Father Schaefermeyer. His stay there, however, lasted only from April 19 to October 25, 1868, when he was transferred to East St. Louis to assume temporary charge of St. Henry's congregation, succeeding the Reverend Gerhard Leve, who had been ordered to Mascoutah. When, on January 26, 1869, Reverend Chris- topher Koenig was appointed pastor of St. Henry, Father Schamoni was assigned to the parish of Red Bud, in Randolph county. We next find him presiding as pastor over the parish at Lourdes, and later on, in 1877, at Henry and Metamora in the diocese of Peoria, where he became favorably known to Bishop and priests, for his talents and energies were such that success attended his every undertak- ing. This was forcibly put forth by Bishop Spalding, for when Father Schamoni died at Henry in 1882, the learned and eloquent Bishop deliver- ed a most impressive funeral sermon in the course of which he paid un- stinted praise to the efforts and priestly virtues of the deceased. Reverend Augustine Schlegel Sublime in moral courage and exalted in ambition, strictly honor- able in all actions and true in all friendships, Father Schlegel com- bined in his character a multitude of virtues which elevated him far above 693 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS the average man. By his forceful- ness of character and indomnitahle will power he succeeded where others had signally failed. He was a martinet who fearlessly carried out his plans once they seemed plausible and advantageous to the interests of religion in general and his parish in particular. Little did he care for public opinion and he spurned Ihe plaudits of men. Plain and out- spoken, he never tried to hide the meaning of his sayings by equivocal and ambiguous language; he never minced words but called "a spade" by its proper name. Castigating, for instance, the stubborness of his own country people, those hailing from Baden, he hesitated not to call them at times "Badische Kuhhoer- ner, " a well known appellation not very flattering and yet seemingly not hurting the feelings of his lis- teners to any appreciable degree. Both in private and public utter- ances he held to his opinions and followed his convictions. The height of his ambition was to do his duty well. He loved his Church and his country with equal intensity. Be- neath an often blunt and harsh ex- terior there pulsated a soft and tender heart full of sympathy and pity for his fellow men, the destitute. His exalted character, his intellec- tual powers, his extensive and varied learning were united with steady industrious and economic habits. To all these gifts may be ascribed the large measure of success which he attained in the various parishes over which he was sent to preside, Mt. Carmel, Edwardsville and Highland. In a brief historic sketch of the St. Boniface congregation of Edwards- ville, he is spoken of as "the second founder" of that parish. Reverend Augustine Sehlegel was born August 30, 1851, at Allmans- dorf, in Baden, and came to this country when he had finished his classical studies. Here St. Francis Seminary, near Milwaukee, became his Alma Mater. And when his theological studies were ended, he received ordination from Bishop Baltes in the private chapel at Alton, June 24, 1877. Father Schlegcl's first appointment was to Mt. Carmel (now Belleville diocese), where he labored diligently for some four years at the end of which — by mutual agreement — he exchanged places with Reverend Gerard Jans- sen, then pastor of St. Boniface, of Edwardsville. His stay there con- tinued from 1877 until July 15, 1892. Here he is styled — as already men- tioned — "the second founder" of the parish, because it was he who brought order out of chaos, intro- duced a number of necessary reforms and caused many improvements to be made. Thus in 1882 a new school building was erected, in 1889 the leaky church roof covered with slate shingles, in 1890 new altars pur- chased, a Sister's residence con- structed in 1892, a new pipe organ installed in 1894, and a new heating plant two years later. The zealous and untiring priest, however, could not draw upon his strength supply indefinitely. His health became undermined and, a sick man, he was ordered to the pas- torate of St. Paul, of Highland, whose pastor had been transferred to St. Mary, of Alton. Father Sehlegel suffered with cancer of the stomach and it was that painful af- fliction which caused his death at the Hospital of Highland, September 24, 1903, at the age of 52 years. Reverend Adolf Schneider A companionable and good-natured man was Reverend Adolf Schneider, who after a brief illness of but a few weeks, was claimed by death at the rectory of St. Ann parish of Edge- wood, January 26, 1914. An abscess on the brain had caused his early de- mise for when called he was but 40 years old. His birthplace was Frank- fort, in Germany. 694 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY An only child of his parents, Adolf received a splendid education. De- sirous for a higher spiritual life he decided to enter the service of the Church. To that end he applied for admission to the Seminary of Knecht- stretten, conducted by the "Fathers of the Holy Ghost," of which com- munity he soon became a member. Having almost finished his theological course, he decided on coming to America. At St. Francis Seminary, Wisconsin, he completed his unfinish- ed ecclesiastical studies, was or- dained by Bishop Eis, in St. Peter Cathedral, of Marquette, June 1, 1901, whose diocese he had joined, and was appointed to the parish of Grand Marrais, Michigan. Here he remained several years. Not being ac- customed nor acclimated, however, to the severity of the long northern win- ters and the keen, icy blasts that sweep the northern lakes and, im- pelled moreover by rather more per- sonal reasons, Father Schneider, with his Bishop's permission went to Dav- enport, Iowa, to become an assistant to the late Monsignor Niermann. After a stay of about one year, he drifted into the Alton diocese, where at Collinsville and Quincy, (St. Boni- face and St. Mary's) he acted as as- sistant and thereafter was sent as pastor to Edgewood where he was un- expectedly summoned away from the field of his labors by death, as noted in the opening lines of this sketch. Funeral services were held at Car- linville, where he had substituted for a while during the illness of the late Father Ader. His remains were huried in St. Joseph cemetery of that place. Reverend Francis X. Schreiber Father Francis Xavier Schreiber was born at Warsburg, in the diocese of Paderborn, December 16, 1834. He came to this country November 3, 1856, and received Holy Orders from Archbishop Kenriek at St. Louis, June 26, 1858, being ordained for the diocese of Alton. During his activity in this diocese we meet him as pastor of St. Mary of Carlinsville in 1861, and later, July 38, 1867, he takes charge of St. Mary church of New Berlin. The present handsome brick building of that par- ish owes its existence to the efforts of Father Schreiber. Here he remained five years when circumstances com- pelled him to hand in his resignation to the Bishop. Father Schreiber 's next place was Vandalia, 1872 to 1873. From there he moved to Henry and then came the important charge of Bloomington, at St. Mary, where he became the first resident rector of that parish from 1877 to 1881, after which it went over into the hands of the Franciscan Fathers. At this juncture he retired from active pas- toral duty and lived the life of seclusion at Havana, Illinois. When sickness and the accompanying in- firmities of old age crept upon him he betook himself to the Ursuline con- vent of St. Louis, where he peacefully expired June 20, 1905. His remains were interred at Arcadia, Missouri. Reverend John Sheridan But meagre are the details known cf Father Sheridan. He was pastor of St. John church of Carrollton, and its first resident pastor, 1864-1865, succeeding Reverend A. Laurent. Father Sheridan thereupon joined the Cleveland diocese, where he died some years later. Reverend F. X. Smith Father Smith was the son of Wil- liam J. Smith and Alice Whittaker, born December 9, 1869, and ordained at Mt. St. Mary, Cincinnati, by Arch- bishop Elder,* on June 21, 1893. Among the various minor charges 695 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS which he presided over was that of Brighton, 1896-1899. Sickness in- duced him to repeatedly seek a change of climate, but nevertheless, the bright young priest succumbed to an early death at the Alton hospital November 28, 1905. Reverend James P. Smith Reverend James Smith, son of Pat- rick Smith and Mary Galligan, was born August 15, 1848 at Grosser- Laugh, Ireland, and ordained a priest June 29, 1879, at the Alton Cathedral by Bishop Baltes. He was buried at Edwardsville. Reverend Clement Aloys Sommer "God's finger touched him and he slept." That which was mortal of Reverend C. A. Sommer lapsed quiet- ly into death's embrace at St. Clara rectory of Altamont during the mid- night hour on the day before Epiphany, January 5, 1903. His death was wholly unexpected by his parishioners and confreres of the clergy to whom the cruel news came with a force that greatly saddened. Strengthened and fortified by the last sacraments of his Church, consoled by the presence and prayers of a brother priest, Father Louis Lam- mert, and a good Sister of Mercy who knelt by the bedside when the end came, he passed calmly and peacefully away. Dreaded pneumonia, con- tracted during the previous Christ- mas holidays caused his premature demise. And no wonder. In a coun- try parish a priest often has to com- bine the office of pastor and sexton in one person. Aside from long hours in the Confessional and that not in- frequently in a cold, damp and draughty church, he trims the altars, rings the Angelus bell and in the early morning hour kindles the fire in the church stove for the comfort of his people. Father Sommer met in the struggles of his priestly life mul- titudinous demands with unwaver- ing courage and unflagging devotion, not only at Altamont during the three and one-half years of serv- ice, but especially during the four- teen years labor in isolated Calhoun county at Michael, with Kampsville and Hardin as missions attached to his parish, in all of which places, his name has become a household word. The good which he accomplished and the seed he so generously has sown by word and example, and the sac- rifices and privations he so cheerfully made during the 26 years of priestly life surely have earned a generous reward. Father Sommer was a man of a retiring disposition, unostenta- tious and humble in all his doings. Father Sommer was born in An- feld, Westphalia, July 26, 1852, he graduated in his classical studies at Paderborn, became thereupon an alumnus of the College of Muenster and received the grace of Ordination in the venerable Cathedral of Osna- brucek, May 26, 1877. Bishop Baltes directed the young priest for one year to Maynooth in Ireland, there to familiarize himself with the English language ere coming to America. For fourteen years he labored in Calhoun county with those two doughty pioneer priests, Fathers Winterhalter and Without, and on the death of Father Ostrop was transferred to Carlinville. There as pastor of St. Joseph parish he worked nine years until his health broke down and he was given the smaller congregation of Altamont, where after three and one-half years work conscientiously performed he entered eternal rest. His remains were interred in St. Anthony cemetery of Effingham. 696 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Reverend Joseph Spaeth The name of Father Joseph Spaeth will forever remain linked with St. James parish, of Decatur. The Ger- man Catholics prior to 1877 had held membership in St. Patrick, but grow- ing in number and influence Bishop Baltes considered it opportune to gather them into a separate parish. This was done in 1877 with Father Spaeth as organizer and builder. Church, school and rectory were erected and before long St. James enjoyed progress and prosperity. Reverend Joseph Spaeth was born at Blitzenreuthe in the diocese of Rottenburg, in Wuertemburg, Ger- many, February 20, 1849; came to this country May 5, 1867; studied theology at St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, and was ordained at Al- ton, June 24, 1877. From Decatur he was transferred to Southern Illi- nois, became Cathedral choir direc- tor at Belleville, which position, however, he soon relinquished. Early in the nineties (1893), he joined the Detroit diocese, where he displayed his talents to great advantage. He died as pastor of the German St. Joseph parish of Port Huron, Mich- igan, April 19, 1913. He was buried in Decatur. Reverend Ferdinand Stick Reverend Ferdinand Stick was born at Birkesdorf, in the Arch- diocese of Cologne, February 10, 1839. When fifteen years of age he emigrated, with his parents, to this country, landing on our shores July 1, 1854, and settling near Gutten- berg, Iowa. His early classical edu- cation he received at the College of Bardstown, Kentucky. Of his first arrival at the college, he often spoke. "When I presented myself there," he related, "I was but a small little chap and about as green as you could make one. I wore my German cap and carried my few belongings wrapped up in a multicolored big bandana. The rector and professors were much amused at my appear- ance." Young Stick carved his way through college and splendidly ac- quitted himself in his studies. Later he was sent to Teutopolis to finish the prescribed courses in philosophy and theology, at the end of which he was ordained by Bishop Juncker, at Alton, December 6, 1863. With the passing of Father Stick, the ranks of the diocesan clergy ex- perienced a keen void, not that he was one of the few Nestors who of a bygone generation still lingered among them, but more by reason of his general merits, the Bishop ap- pointed him a dean of the district, and later an irremovable rector of St. Paul parish, of Highland. Father Stick's main parochial achievements rest, however, with the parish of Mattoon, where his memory will not die until the oldest member thereof has sunk into the grave. The mo- tives of the well-intentioned man were at times misconstrued by evil- minded persons, such as he experi- enced to his sorrow whilst pastor of Pana. Months prior to his demise, in July, 1911, he had relinquished paro- chial duties and had retired, a patient to the hospital of Highland, where he resignedly bore his afflic- tion, which ultimately culminated in death — dropsy. With a wonderful buoyancy of spirit which never left him, he submitted to God's holy will and calmly awaited the day and moment when the Angel of Death was to beckon him from hence. Sur- rounded by the Community of the Good Sisters, Father Stick expired August 22, 1914, attaining the age of 75 years and six months. After solemn obsequies which were largely attended by Bishop, clergy and laity, his mortal remains were buried in St. Paul Cemetery, of Highland. 697 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend Joseph Still Father Still was born in Uerding- er, Germany, May 25, 1849. He made his philosophical and theological studies at the American College of St. Mauritz, Muenster, and was or- dained to the priesthood May 22, 1875, for the diocese of Alton. He landed in New York, September 8, 1875, and journeyed at once to Alton, where he received the appointment of assistant to Father Bartels of Ger- mantown, which position he held until transferred to Quincy, May 22, 1880. Being told to start there the contemplated new St. John parish, young Father Still flung himself with great ardor and enthusiasm into the projected work. His last achievement shortly before his death, was the purchase — jointly with the St. Francis Parish — of that fine tract of land, now Calvary Cemetery, where he was to find his last resting place. Father Still was undaunted by re- verses. When in February, 1891, St. Mary Church was reduced to ashes he came to the rescue with his money, his advice and his hands. While the embers were still smouldering, he was working with hammer, saw and hatchet, helping to erect a temporary structure to keep the congregation together, which answered its pur- pose while the present beautiful house of worship was being con- structed. Out on North Tenth street stand a number of monuments which will perpetuate his memory, St. John Church, school and rectory, and St. Vincent Home. In his passing the congregation lost the pastor who started it in 1880, the man who loved the people of it and the friend of all who lived with- in it. Hence the universal grief and sorrow on the day of his funeral. Reverend John Storp Reverend John Storp was born at Schapdetten, Westphalia, July 6, 1850. On May 22, 1875, he was raised to the priesthood in the ven- erable St. Ludger Cathedral of Muenster and landed in America on September 20, of the same year. The first charge assigned to the young Levite was that of St. Patrick of Pana. Reverend F. Lohmann, then stationed at Hillsboro, to which this pla?e was affiliated, had just pur- chased a residence there to be used as a rectory. Father Storp then be- came the first resident pastor of Pana, 1875-1877, from where he was transferred to Shelbyville, where, during four years of unremitting toil he wrought a wonderful change, erecting the present brick church at a cost of $6,000, and a handsome brick residence at a cost of $2,000, and causing Shelbyville to become an independent and self-sustaining con- gregation. In 1881 he was assigned to St. Agnes, of Hillsboro, to which No- komis belonged as an out-mission. Giving to both places his attention, he concluded that in order to achieve lasting results, the promising and ever-growing St. Louis Parish of No- komis should have its own perman- ent pastor. With the sanction of the Bishop, Father Storp, in 1884, pur- chased a modest dwelling house and took up his residence in Nokornis, thus becoming its first resident pastor. Lillyville, five miles distant, was attended from Green Creek. It had likewise been relinquished by the Franciscan Fathers and Father Storp attended it not only on Sundays, but likewise often on week days, saying Mass at an early hour. Not wishing to inconvenience the farmers in fur- nishing him a team, especially when the busy season was on, he would walk the distance afoot. A violent attack of pneumonia, 698 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY r- contracted in a drafty railroad car when coming from a visit to St. Marie, ended the precious life and useful career of one of the peers of the Alton diocese on February 8, 1902. He sleeps within the shadow of the cross in the little cemetery ad- joining the church in Green Creek. Reverend James Strembler, D.D., LL.D. In the latter part of the sixties the Cleveland Diocesan Seminary was presided over by a brilliant gifted man, he was Reverend Doctor James Strembler. In 1870, however, this same Seminary Rector offered his services to the diocese. They were promptly accepted and Father Strem- ler was entrusted with the care of the parish of Mattoon, which just then had been made vacant by the resignation of Father Mangan. About one year he managed the temporal and spiritual affairs of Mat- toon, when on December 11, 1870, the Bishop appointed him pastor of the Vandalia parish, which place he held until July, 1872. No further par- ticulars are available. Reverend John H. Stuebe Deceased was the eldest son of Christian Stuebe and his wife Eliza- beth, nee Bergkoetter. He was born March 6, 1873. When eighteen years old he entered St. Francis College, of Quincy, for he had determined to dedicate his life to God and his fel- low-men. Since early childhood the thought of becoming a priest had been uppermost in his mind. Finish- ing the prescribed classical course at St. Francis College, young Stuebe thereupon became an alumnus of St. Mary Seminary, Price Hill, Cincin- nati. March 2, 1901, the young candi- date for Holy Orders saw his fondest hopes realized, for on that day he was ordained a priest by Right Rev- erend Camillus Maes in the Cathedral of Covington, Kentucky. Having filled various appointments as an assistant priest, such as St. Patrick, Decatur; St. John Hospital, Springfield, and St. Mary, of Quincy, Father Stuebe was appointed to the charge of St. Charles congregation at Altamont, January 9, 1903. Dur- ing the nine years of splendid pas- toral work at Altamont he proved himself a power for good and had caused a new church to be built at St. Elmo, a mission attached to the jurisdiction of the pastor of Alta- mont. In the midst of his active and fruitful life, however, the hard- working young pastor was suddenly stricken with appendicitis, and at once rushed to St. Anthony Hospital of Effingham, and there underwent a surgical operation from the effects and shock of which he soon expired, June 2, 1912. After solemn funeral services his remains were interred in St. Barbara Cemetery of Okaw- ville, his native town. Reverend John Sullivan Father Sullivan was a native of County Limerick, Ireland, and a sub- ject of Archbishop Kenrick of St. Louis. The erection of the present spacious St. Malachy Church of St. Louis, is the result of Father Sul- livan's efforts while pastor of that congregation. Coming to the Alton diocese in 1865, he was oppointed to Marshall and some time later to the charge of Paris where he served in 1866 and 1867. Whilst at Marshall and Paris he looked likewise after the spiritual interests of the Cath- olics who lived in and around Charleston. In 1867-1868 Father Sul- livan acted as rector of St. Francis Xavier Church, of Jerseyville. Dur- ing his incumbency he started the building of the present church, a large and solid structure. Before he 699 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS saw it completed, however, he be- came involved in financial difficulties from which the young struggling parish knew not how to free itself. His successor, Father Harty, suc- ceeded in clearing up the trouble. Father Sullivan was sent to Spring- field as pastor of the Immaculate Conception Church to succeed Father Louis Hinssen. The newly appointed pastor enjoyed his stay at Spring- field but a short while, for in the fol- lowing year, 1869, he died. He was buried in the Springfield cemetery. Reverend Miles J. Sweeney Reverend Miles J. Sweeney, of Jacksonville, Illinois, died September 21, 1910, in the twenty-fifth year of his life, and the third of his priest- hood. His mission was at Riverton, near Springfield, where his affability, kindness and zeal won all hearts and endeared him to all who knew him. While at Riverton he superintended the erection of Sacred Heart Church, Dalton City, Illinois, which was to be the scene of his future labors, but God had ordained otherwise. His priestly life was to be grief, but in the language of the Holy Bible he accom- plished much in a short time. Before the completion of Sacred Heart church he fell a victim to his zeal. He returned home to loving ones where everything possible was done to restore him to health. He did recover slightly, but only for a short period. He visited Chicago, there fell ill again and died almost suddenly away from home and dear ones. Only one sister was with him to soothe his dying hour and convey the sad news to his grief-stricken family. Reverend Francis Tecklenburg Reverend Francis Tecklenburg was a native of Germany, born in May, 1851, at Auenshausen, West- phalia. His classical studies the young student pursued partly at Warburg and partly at Paderborn, graduating in 1873. Having deter- mined upon this vocation, the tal- ented young aspirant matriculated the following year at the University of Muenster and a year later at that of Wuerzburg. For the theological studies and the more immediate prep- aration for Holy Orders he became an alumnus of the American College of Louvain, at the conclusion of which he was ordained in the Cathe- dral of Malines, May 27, 1877. In September of that year the young priest landed at Alton and was as- signed at once to the parish of Beth- alto where soon he erected a paro- chial residence, thus becoming the first resident pastor of the place. Mitchell was then affiliated to Beth- alto and depended on his services. After less than two years' faithful labor young Father Tecklenburg was summoned by death in May, 1880. He lies buried in St. Mary Cemetery, of Alton. Reverend Aloysius Teppe Reverend Aloysius Teppe was born in Volkmassen, diocese of Fulda, Ger- many, November 27, 1854, of good Catholic parents. He received his primary education in the Parochial School of his native city, continued his studies in the Preparatory Sem- inary at Maberzell, then six years in the Seminary at Fulda, and finally three years in the American College at Louvaine in Belgium. He was ordained priest by the Papal Nuncio, Most Reverend Arch- bishop Vanutelli, at Brussels, March 31, 1877. He arrived in the United States October 28, 1877. He served as assistant to Reverend Father Kane, pastor of St. Joseph Church, Spring- 700 t» is < O to a ■O to o o S3 e as . C3 »s to ^ «! to S o £* O a .4; C &«o 25 q S ^-2 s ■ e ^ ^ e s> s s ^ s *> ~ "*» * •£ »> s .© © &c it* © 8 fc - - •> .. *< *; *> ^ £ o Ci a '5 -3 '«■* 5* ftN ^ £ •5 e-o ~ s e- JS £ **-T &, "1 3* BQ .- • SB "^ ^ * . * < Ol • L ~» C "^ •«*» &5 it! 5 « ^ „ « « a; e «? v. * a. a e .-.£ 3 ? £ a ^ e o 53 8^«3 S . a g (J' - § «- a. <» » to JS * a. s ^ *> *> 5? »-5 £ ■- o © ^ 8 t £ ^ © 8 P « 6 » 1 • • <$ § ^*. I 1 g » © «C^ as s I» a •e i ^ © 5= as - Ei g o «<» 3 B ft£ HBMflY OF THE DIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS THE DIOCESAN CLERGY priests, and a Solemn High Requiem Mass was offered for his soul's eter- nal rest. His parishioners from Liberty and Camp Point turned out one hundred per cent for his funeral. Interment was made in Calvary Cemetery, Quincy, Illinois. Reverend Sylvester Wegener The years of earnest Church work that he purchased there a residence of Reverend Sylvester "Wegener were productive of good results. He labored in Collinsville, 1867 to 1877 ; Paris, 1871 to 1873 ; St. Marie, 1873 to 1874; Beardstown, 1876 to 1877. After his ordination in 1866, being stationed in East St. Louis, he at- tended Collinsville as out-mission for awhile. It was during this period adjoining the church with a large plot of ground for the sum of $3,000. Whilst at Paris he built a church at Charleston, in 1872. Father Wegener was born at Pad- erborn, April 29, 1833 : came to America in 1856, and was ordained to the priesthood November 22, 1864. He died in Chicago. Reverend William J. Weigand Reverend William J. Weigand, son of John Weigand and Elizabeth Leiser Weigand, was born April 12, 1852, in Zanesville, Ohio. He studied at Ruma College and in St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was ordained priest on November 10, 1878, in the Cathedral at Alton, Illi- nois, by the Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D. His first assignment was to Beards- town, then to Pana ; next to New Ber- lin, where he labored most success- fully until poor health obliged him to relinquish his pastoral charge. He retired to the St. Francis Hospital at Litchfield, Illinois, where he acted as chaplain for some years. Finally his health became so poor that he went to St. John Hospital, where he died June 30, 1925, after having been con- soled and fortified by the Sacraments of Holy Church. His remains lay in state in the Cathedral Thursday evening, and all that night. The Knights of Columbus members acted as a guard of honor. Funeral services were held at 10 :30 Friday morning, July 3rd. Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., was absent from the city attending the Consecration of Right Reverend John Noll, D.D., of Fort Wayne, but he managed to return in time to Pontif- icate at the funeral services and preach a sermon that was indeed a tribute to the memory of the saintly old priest whose remains lay before him. The Cathedral was filled with the members of the laity and the sanc- tuary with the clergy. The remains were shipped to Mt. Sterling for burial on Saturday morning, July 4, 1925. Reverend Michael Weis Father Weis, the seventh pastor of St. Boniface Church, was born in Bavaria, in the town of Nuerbach, June 8, 1838, the oldest of nine chil- dren, seven boys and two girls. At the age of thirteen the family came to America, landing in New York. For the first five years, Michael was employed as a farm hand near New York, when the family moved to Teu- topolis, where he continued to follow the same occupation at the same time devoting all his spare moments to useful study. After a short time he was engaged as teacher in the public school of Teutopolis, and after one year he took a similar position in St. Mary Catholic school of Edwards- ville, remaining two years. Believ- ing himself called to the Sacred Min- 705 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS istry, he entered St. Joseph College of Teutopolis. Here he pursued his studies for three years, and later en- tered the Grand Seminary of Mon- treal, lie was ordained to the priest- hood at Alton, April 4, 1868, and at once assigned to the parish of Van- dal ia, where he labored one year and seven months. He was next trans- ferred to Marine, and a short time later to Effingham, where he re- mained five years, and constructed the present handsome parish church, St. Anthony. In 1877 ill health com- pelled him to seek relief in Califor- nia, but he returned after some time to become chancellor of the diocese, which position held until January 1, 1880, when at his own request, he was sent to Grant Fork, and after- wards to Litchfield and Springfield, whence on November 10, 1887, he came to Quincy, as pastor of St. Boniface and Dean of the district, which double position he very credit- ably filled until his death, which oc- curred November 9, 1909. Reverend Edward Welsh Reverend Edward Welsh was born at Litchfield, Illinois, October 1, 1863, and was the son of Lawrence Welch and his wife, Catherine, nee Mc- Namara. After his preparatory studies he entered St. Francis Sem- inary, Wilwaukee, but before his course was half completed, Bishop Baltes, recognizing the good qualities of the unusually bright student, sent mm to the American College of Rome. There, in the Eternal City, he was elevated to the priesthood on June 26, 1888. Returning to the United States, young Father Welsh was assigned as assistant at the Cathedral of Alton, where he worked with great zeal. There he died on July 11, 1891. His remains were forwarded to Litchfield, where they were interred in the par- ish cemetery on July 15, 1891. Reverend Richard Welsh A native of Ireland, Father Welsh was ordained at All Hallows on June 24, 1864. In 1870 he became the pas- tor of St. Patrick's, Decatur, where he rendered good service during the four years of incumbency. He died there in 1874. Reverend Blasius Winterhalter Reverend Blasius Winterhalter, a native of Baden, was born at St. Peter in the Archdiocese of Freiburg, on the 29th day of January, 1833. Hay- ing made a thorough course of classi- cal studies in his native land, he emigrated at the age of 20 years to America, landing on June 15th, 1853. Eleven years later, April 17, 1864, he was elevated to the priesthood in the Cathedral church of Cincinnati, Ohio, and was assigned at once as assistant priest to SS. Peter and Paul church of Springfield, where he remained one year. His fidelity and prompt re- sponse to duty together with an earnest effort to comply with the manifold demands of his sacred call- ing, soon gained him the affection and confidence of the people. Father Winterhalter was trans- ferred to Piopolis, — "Belle Prairie" as it was called in those days — and thence to Columbia. In these two places he stayed about six years aft- er which he was appointed to St. Mary parish of Brussels, Calhoun county. In the latter part of the sixties, Father Winterhalter made a trip to the old country. Whilst there he was successful in inducing a number of Sisters of the Precious Blood to ac- company him to his American home in Belle Prairie in the Alton diocese 706 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY and be active as teachers in the paro- chial schools. Father Winterhalter's appointment as pastor of St. Mary of Brussels in Calhoun county took place January 19, 1871. Here he rounded out a most active life of rarest merit. When he felt his strength waning and infirmities increasing, he petition- ed the Bishop for permission to resign and retire from active service. His petition was granted and good Father Winterhalter bade farewell to his parishioners on February 18, 1907. He retired to St. Louis, where on De- cember 21, 1907, he died a peaceful death, caused by his chronic malady, bronchitis. Solemn obsequies were held in the Church of St. Mary of Perpetual Help. Right Reverend Bishop James Ryan presiding. Father Winterhalter attained the biblical age. His remains were de- posited in Calvary cemetery of St. Louis. Reverend K. J. Withoff Reverend K. J. Withoff was born at Geffingheim, Baden, Germany, Oc- tober 16, 1846. He was ordained priest in the Cathedral of Freiburg for the Diocese of Alton, July 25, 1874. His first appointment was that of Assistant at St. Boniface Church, Quincy, Illinois. We next find him at Pfeifer, Kan- sas, from which place he went East. For eleven years he acted as Chaplain of St. Francis Old People's Home at Gardenville, New York. From there he went to Lackawanna, New York, where he acted as pastor. He died on February 25, 1925, at St. Mary Hospital, Lackawanna, New York. Reverend Franz Without Father Without was born at Miste, n small town near Paderborn in West- phalia, on July 24, 1831, and was therefore aged 79 years, 6 months and 12 days at the time of his death. He was educated and prepared for his holy calling in his native country, landing here in October, 1863. Dur- ing the following winter he completed his studies and on April 17, 1864, was ordained to the priesthood at St. Mary church, Springfield, Illinois, by Right Reverend Henry Damian Juncker, D.D., first Bishop of Alton. His first appointment was that of as- sistant to Very Reverend Herman Schaefermeyer, pastor of St. Boniface church, Quincy, Illinois. For almost half a century Father Without served his Master and the Church, and thirty-eight years of blessed ministrations were spent by him as spiritual guide of the St. Joseph congregation of Meppen, in Calhoun county. Through all these years he proved himself faithful and zealous in the discharge of the duties of his sacred calling. His long and useful life was a beautiful exemplifi- cation of priestly virtues, of holy zest and zeal for God and the souls of men. Every one liked him. By his humble, unobtrusive manner he gained the esteem and respect of all who came in contact with him. Father Without was a man of uncompromising prin- ciple ; he forgave all wrongs but de- manded and insisted upon his rights from priest or layman. Through his unrelaxed efforts, aided by many per- sonal sacrifices, the members of St. Joseph parish pride themselves upon having one of the best appointed country parishes of the diocese, a sub- stantial rock church (1864), a com- modious rectory (1866), and a flour- ishing parochial school (1874), which was taught in former years, 1865-74, by himself, then by lay-teachers, but more recently is in charge of the Sis- ters of the Precious Blood. Having been for so many years practically isolated in peninsular Calhoun, and rarely coming in close contact with 707 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS the outer world and its pulsating en- ergies, the good priest had his pe- culiarities but he was eminently sound. Reverend John Francis Eberhard Without, who at the time of his death was the Nestor of the Diocesan clergy (1864-1910), passed away at the St. Mary hospital, Quincy, Illinois, on August 6, 1910, being then in his eightieth year of life. He had lived with the good Sisters in quiet, peace- ful retiremet for upwards of eight years, relinquishing parochial work only when obliged to do so by physi- cal infirmities superinduced by old age. Months prior to his death he signally failed from day to day, his condition became such that no hope for ultimate recovery was any longer entertained. A paralytic stroke hastened the end. Reverend Charles Wozniak Reverend Charles Wozniak was born of good Catholic parents, Jan- uary 19, 1892 at Schoppinitz in Upper Silesia, Poland. He made his primary grades and his classical studies in his native land. He came to America in 1911 and entered the Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius at Or- chard Lake, Michigan. Having com- pleted his philosophical and theolog- ical studies there he was ordained priest by Bishop Keely in the Cathe- dral of SS. Peter and Paul, Detroit, Michigan, on June 2, 1917. He celebrated his first holy mass in St. Mary Church, Madison, Illinois. His first assignment was that of As- sistant to Reverend F. J. Ostendorf, pastor of St. James Church, Decatur, Illinois. In December, 1918, when the whole world was ablaze with war and when Polish hearts beat high for Polish in- dependence, the fiery soul of young Father Wozniak carried his body over all obstacles, so he went to his Bishop, Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., and received his permission to be en- rolled as a Military Chaplain in the Polish army. He went to Poland, was sent to the front, saw much fighting, won the hearts of the soldiers and the high regard of General Haller — so great was the General's love for Chaplain Wozniak that he attended the funeral of Father Wozniak 's mother, who died during the war. So brave and so gallant was the conduct of Father Wozniak that he was promoted to the rank of a Com- missioned Officer in which capacity he led many a brilliant charge against the enemy. After the war he became a Profes- sor in a college at Kattokitz in Pol. and. He died December 6, 1923. Very Reverend Francis Hubert Zabel, D.D. Very Reverend Francis Zabel, D.D., D.C.L., R.D., was born Feb- ruary 19, 1839, at Erbeviller, near Nancy, Lorraine. He made his grade studies in the home municipal school up to his eleventh year, when his parents sent him to a private Latin school with a view to the holy priesthood. One year later he was sent to the Pont-a-Mousson Minor Seminary where he studied literature and the sciences for seven years. He made his philosophical studies at the Major Seminary in Nancy. At that time Bishop Juncker, the new Bishop of Alton, visited the Nancy Seminary and appealed for volun- teers to serve in the Alton diocese. Ten warm hearted, zealous young stu- dents accepted the Bishop's invita- tion, among the ten and the youngest was young Zabel. He was sent to all Hallows' Col- lege, Dublin, Ireland, so that he might become proficient in the English lan- guage. He studied there for two 708 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY years, after which he went to Rome for two years more. While in Rome he studied theology at the Gregorian University, Cannon Law in the Ro- man University, in both of which he graduated with honors in 1862. He was ordained priest by his Eminence, the Cardinal Vicar Patrizi. Before leaving Rome for America he witnessed the magnificent ceremony of the canonization of the Japanese martyrs by Pope Pius IX, sur- rounded by more than three hundred bishops from all parts of the Catholic world. Father Zabel reached Alton on No- vember 21, 1862, and remained there, making himself useful until May 13, 1862, when the Bishop sent him to Springfield as Chaplain at the Ursul line Convent, and Assistant at the Immaculate Conception parish, Springfield. Later he was made Ad- ministrator of the Immaculate Con- ception parish until the end of July, 1864, when he was assigned to St. Patrick church, East St. Louis, Illi- nois. There he passed through two sieges of the dread cholera, once in 1866 and again in 1867. Under his auspices the Convent building was erected in 1865, '66, '67, and St. Patrick church was consider- ably enlarged in 1872. Towards the end of 1873 he was sent to St. Pat- rick church, Cairo, Illinois, where he labored until the end of 1879. Dur- ing the awful visitation of 1878, he lived with, labored for, and encour- aged his afflicted people who were decimated by the ravaging yellow fever. In the Fall of 1879, all danger of yellow fever gone, he left for Bunker Hill, Illinois. In the year 1884, Bishop Baltes sent him to represent him at the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, as the Bishop was sick at home. Father Zabel took an active part in 1889 in the First Synod held in the Alton Diocese, taking the part of a Promoter. At the conclusion of the Synod he was appointed Dean of Alton, a Diocesan Consultor, an Ex- aminer of the clergy and Censor of books. On September 29, 1912, he cel- ebrated the Golden Jubilee of his priesthood. He died April 24, 1920. At the time of his death he was Chaplain at the Ursuline Convent, Alton, Illinois. Father Zabel was a good priest, a very able priest — an ornament to the diocese— an honor to the Church and the pride of his people. Reverend Joseph F. Zoegel After the transfer of Reverend Joseph Kuenster from Teutopolis to Quincy, in 1850, Bishop Van de Velde, of Chicago, sent Reverend Joseph Zoegel to be his successor. This priest had lately arrived in the dio- cese from Strassburg, Alsace. His ap- pointment to that parish was by no means an enviable one, as strife, op- position and dissension had been of frequent occurrence and often em- bittered the lives of the various pas- tors. With the advent of Father Zoe- gel, things seemed to take a different turn. In his dealings with obstrep- erous characters he remained firm and assertive and succeeded in bringing many around to espouse his viewpoint of affairs ecclesiastical. Strongly he advocated the building of a large new church to which the people consented. In the selection of the site, however, serious contentions arose which final- ly were adjusted by Bishop Van de Velde. The corner stone to this (the present) church, was placed July 18, 1851, by the Chicago Bishop. Of this ceremony, Bishop Van de Velde 's diary contains the following account : "The sixth Sunday after Pentecost was a happy day for the Catholics of Teutopolis. Early in the morning the people began to arrive from the country. Bishop said Mass at 7 o'clock and the procession was formed about 9 :00 ; it was headed by the chil- 709 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS dren of the parish, these were follow- ed by the members of St. Peter's So- ciety wearing their badges, and the latter by nearly the whole congrega- tion, the men preceding and the women following the Bishop and his attendants. The procession moved amid the discharges of musketry from the old church. The Bishop walked under a canopy, vested in alb and cope, with mitre, and crozier and was attended by the Reverend Mr. Fisher, pastor of St. Mary, in cope; Reverend J. Zoegel in chasuble, and Reverend Father Busschots in stole and sur- plice. The ceremonies of laying the corner stone were performed with the usual solemnities, during which the Bishop addressed the people in Eng- lish, after which Reverend Busschots delivered an appropriate discourse in German on the text: "Thou Art Peter." High Mass was sung by Rev- erend Father Zoegel, at which the Bishop assisted attended by the other two clergymen. All was joy and hap- piness. At night the good people of Teutopolis got up a torchlight pro- cession and came to the priest's resi- dence to thank the Bishop and his at- tendants. Thus terminated the joyful day which will long be remembered by the members of the congregation of Teutopolis." From Teutopolis Father Joseph F. Zoegel returned to Chicago in 1854. In later years he joined the diocese of Buffalo and became stationed in 1860 as pastor of Langford, New York. Reverend Anthony Zurbonsen Reverend Anthony Zurbonsen was born in Warendorf, near Muenster in Westphalia, Germany, August 15, 1860, and was therefore sixty-six years old at the time of his death, January 21, 1927. When in 1874 the Prussian Government inaugurated the so-called "Kulturkampf " against the Catholic Church in Prussia, and all religious Orders were exiled from the Fatherland, the sons of St. Fran- cis, whose Motherhouse at that time was at Warendorf, where they had been established for 250 years from the time of the Reformation, decided to emigrate to North America, where, in 1859, they had already founded missions at Teutopolis and Quincy, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri. Sev- eral young men, among them the sub- ject of this sketch, young Anthony Zurbonsen, fifteen vears old, accom- panied them to their new field of labor in the Vineyard of the Lord. In 1875 they arrived in Teutopolis, Illi- nois, where Zurbonsen took up his classical studies at St. Joseph Col- lege, conducted by the Franciscan Fathers of the St. Louis Province. Having finished his classical .studies there, he affiliated with the Diocese of Alton and was sent by the Bishop, Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, to continue his studies in the Grand Seminary, Montreal, Canada, and he finally completed his theological studies in St. Francis Seminary, Mil- waukee, Wisconsin. Having graduated with high honors, he was ordained Priest June 29, 1885, by the Most Reverend Archbishop Sebastian Mess- mer, in the Chapel of St. Francis Seminary. His first Mass was cele- brated in SS. Peter and Paul Church, Naperville, Illinois, where his father- ly friend and countryman, Reverend August Wenker was pastor. He was assisted by Father Wenker with Father B. Hasse of Petersburg, Illi- nois, as Deacon, and Father C. Krek- enberg of Springfield as Subdeacon, and Father IT. Bangen of Aurora as Master of Ceremonies, all from War- endorf, his own birthplace. His first appointment was at Grant Fork, now Saline, near Highland, Illi- nois, where he worked zealously from 1885 to 1888. From there he was sent to Staunton, Illinois, where he served for ten years to 1898, and later 710 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY at Ashland and Raymond to 1906. From, 1906 to 1920 he worked most zealously and successfully as pastor of St. Mary's congregation, Quincy, Illinois, when finally on account of failing health he was forced to resign his pastorate to the keen regret of his parishioners and his fellow priests to whom he had endeared himself by his kind and genial character, and accepted the Chaplaincy at St. John Sanitarium, Springfield, Illinois. Though a sick man himself, he nev- ertheless, worked among the consump- tives and epileptics at that Institution which is under the direction of the Sisters of St. Francis of Springfield, Illinois, until finally his enfeebled health broke down completely and he died January 21, 1927. His death at St. John Sanitarium was a fitting crown for his kind, priestly and beau- tiful life. His funeral services in the beautiful Chapel were attended by more than forty priests and a large number of people from Springfield, Quincy, Raymond, Ashland and other parishes of the Diocese where he served so faithfully. His Bishop, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, of Springfield, preached the funeral ser- mon in which he paid a high tribute to the noble character of the deceased. "Wherever Father Zurbonsen lived and labored," said the Bishop, "he endeared himself to all, young and old, rich and poor, Catholic and non- Catholic; his life was a poem filled with high and holy ideals." His mor- tal remains were laid to rest at the foot of the cross in the beautiful cemetery of the Sanitarium. Father Zurbonsen was a writer of some renown, a student of art and a lover of books. He was an occasional contributor to the Illinois State His- torical Society and also to the Illinois Catholic Historical Review as well as the Western Catholic of Quincy, Illinois. For the Illinois Catholic Historical Review he had contributed a series of articles concerning the establishment of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis at Springfield, Illinois, and its branch houses in Illinois, Wisconsin and late- ly even in China; and it was only by his death that he was prevented from continuing that series of highly inter- esting articles. He was an interesting writer; his "Rambles Through Europe, the Holy Land and Egypt ; ' ' his trips to "Yellowstone Park, Ore- gon and California," "From Illinois to Rome," and others were published in book form and widely read ; also his articles written for the Western Catholic of Quincy, Illinois. He also published a prayerbook," Ave Maria" which found a wide circulation ; also a book "In Memoriam" of all the priests who had worked in the Dio- cese of Alton and had been called by death from the scenes of their labors, and another "Bead Roll" of the de- ceased Franciscan Sisters. Proofs of his fine artistic taste may be seen at St. Mary Church, Quincy, Illinois, in the beautiful paintings and statuary imported by him from Tyrol, especially in the beautiful "Pieta" and the wonderful scene of the "Last Supper" carved in wood, as antependium of the High Altar in that Church. Father Zurbonsen left three broth- ers, a sister and many other relatives in Germany. Frederick Zurbonsen, formerly Professor at the University of Muenster, now retired; Bernard, formerly Captain of the North Ger- man Lloyd of Bremen, likewise now retired ; Joseph, at home in Waren- dorf , Sister Regulata, Superior of the Motherhouse of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis at Muenster, and many nieces and nephews. One of his nieces, Miss Paula Zurbonsen, entered the Sisterhood of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, Springfield, Illinois, last year and is now Sister Regula. May Almighty God be a merciful Judge to him and grant him eternal rest. This is the pious wish of his lifelong friend and countryman, Rev- erend C. Krekenberg. 711 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS 2. IN THE CHURCH MILITANT Reverend James Ahern Father Ahern was born at Cragg, Birdhill County, Tipperary, Ireland, on March 7, 1882. He received his classical studies in St. Munchin's College, Limerick, Ireland, and the- ological studies in St. Patrick's Sem- inary, Thurles, Ireland. Was ordain- ed priest May 25, 1907, in St. Peter's Seminary Chapel, Wexford, by the Right Reverend James Browne, D.D., Bishop of Ferns, Ireland. His first appointment, October 16, 1907, was that of assistant at the Immaculate Conception Church, Mattoon, Illinois. His subsequent appointments were : October 1, 1912, St. Michael's Church, Hume, Illinois, pastor, and October 15, 1925, St. Alexius Church, Beardstown, Illinois, where he still resides. Reverend Christopher Stephen Bell Father Bell, born of Irish parents in Jersey County, Illinois, February 1, 1866, received his education in St. Meinrad College and Kenrick Sem- inary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Was ordained by the Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D., June 15, 1898, in Kenrick Seminary. His first appoint- ment occurred July 1, 1898, when he was sent as pastor of St. Patrick Church, Grafton, Illinois. His sub- sequent appointments were : Septem- ber 1, 1903, St. Catherine Church, Virden, Illinois; May 15, 1906, St. Mark Church, Winchester, Illinois; November 1, 1921, St. Maurice Church, Morrisonville, Illinois, and June 26, 1926, St. Bartholomew Church, Murrayville, Illinois. Reverend Agnelle John Bleser Father Bleser, born April, 1884, on Dutch River, S. S. "Vanderland" Treis on Mosel, Germany, was edu- cated in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, Franciscan Convent Seminaries of Indianapolis, Cleve- land and St. Louis, and the Vicariate Seminary, Tungyuanfang, China. Or- dained priest by the Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D., in St. An- thony Church, St. Louis, Missouri, June 30, 1905. His first appointment, after his ordination, July, 1905, was that of assistant of St. Anthony Church, St. Louis, Missouri. His sub- sequent activities may be thus enu- merated: August, 1906, St. Mary Church, Memphis, Tennessee, assist- ant; December, 1907, Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Sianfu, China, assistant, acting at the same time as secretary to the Bishop; August, 1909, Holy Trinity Church, Mission District, Meishien, China, pastor; Oc- tober, 1911, Holy Guardian Angels Church, Crefeld, Germany, assistant for five months; March, 1916, St. Michael Indian Mission, Keshena, Wisconsin, assistant for four months ; October, 1917, St. Benedict Church, Jordan, Minnesota, pastor for four months; January, 1918, St. Anthony Church, Mancelona, Michigan, pastor for two months; March, 1918, Cook County Infirmary, Oak Forest, Illi- nois, chaplain for three months; April, 1920, St. Peter Church, Chi- cago, Illinois, and April, 1924, St. Anselm Church, Kampsville, Illinois, pastor. Father Bleser was missionary in China, on and off, between 1907- 1920. In 1914-15-17, he acted as military chaplain with the German and Turkish Army during the World war and Jap Army in Siberia. Father Bleser specialized in Chinese lan- guage and acted as teacher of Eng- lish, German and French in the Japanese College at Sianfu, China, during 1917 to 1919. 712 s 5 3c 5; o» JV •_ 45 ~ ft,*" ~ = 45 -j e « 45 ^a g e S "" ^§ « 45 PQ a a si 4> 5 Rev Bernice Aschenba* h. O.F.M., Ass't, St. Francis, Quincy. Rev. E. A. Burtle, Ad. st Barbara Springfield. Rev. J. J. Bri me, An.. St. Mary's, Minn. Vi kv Rev. ll. B. Den- oenhardi RD St Boniface, Quincy. Rev. Joseph E. Drackert, Ass't, St. Patrick, Pana. l tl \ .1 .! Driscoll, Pastor, St. Peter, Quincy. Rev. J. A. Duval, Chaplain, Catholic Chil- dren's Home, Alton. Rev. Joseph Enright, Ass't, Blessed Sacrament, Springfield. Rev. Isiimiki Kiisski \i w. O.F.M., Teutopolis. THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Reverend John P. Brennan Father Brennan, born at Phoenix- ville, Pennsylvania, June 24, 1863, received his intellectual training in St. Charles College and St. Bonaven- ture Seminary. Was ordained in Al- legheny, New York, June 20, 1889, by the Right Reverend Stephen Vin- cent Ryan, D.D., in St. Bonaventure Seminary. Since his ordination, he has served in the following places : July 4, 1889, St. Peter Church, Quin- cy, Illinois, assistant, and on Feb- ruary 18, 1892, was commissioned to establish a new parish and erect the St. Rose of Lima Church in Quincy, Illinois. Reverend John Sylvester Brockmeier Father Brockmeier, born December 29, 1894, at Covington, Kentucky, was educated in Quincy College, Quincy, Illinois, and Kenrick Sem- inary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Was ordained June 6, 1925, in the Immac- ulate Conception Cathedral, Spring- field, Illinois, by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D. Since his ordination he has filled the position of assistant of St. Mary Church, Venice, Illinois. Father Brockmeier holds the degree, A.B. He is at pres- ent also editor of The Venice Herald, a weekly Catholic Newspaper which he organized. Reverend John Joseph Brune On February 14, 1885, Father Brune was born at Westphalia, Mis- souri, of American parents. Was edu- cated at St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois ,and Mt. St. Mary of the West Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio. Was ordained June 16, 1909, in the Cathedral of Cincinnati, Ohio, by the Most Reverend Henry Moeller, D.D. Reverend Ernest Since his ordination, he has been as- signed to the following churches: June 20, 1909, St. Mary Church, Al- ton, Illinois, assistant; June 16, 1919, St. Mary Church, Brussels, Illinois, pastor, and on June 16, 1924, was ap- pointed administrator of St. Mary Church, Alton, Illinois. A. Burtle Father Burtle was born of Ameri- can parents, October 17, 1895, at Glenarm, Illinois. Was educated at Georgetown University and Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Was ordained June 10, 1923, in the Chapel Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri, by Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D. Was appointed assist- ant at Mattoon, Illinois, July 1, 1923 ; Professor and Director of Discipline at Routt College, Jacksonville, Illi- nois, October 1, 1925, and administra- tor of St. Barbara Church, Spring- field, Illinois, June, 1927. Father Burtle holds the degree, A.B. and is also chaplain in the Reserve Corps. Reverend Edmond D. Butler Father Butler, born at Thurles County, Tipperary, Ireland, April 4, 1891, received his classical education in Rockwell College, All Hallows and St. John Seminary, Waterford, Ire- land. Was ordained by Right Rever- end Bernard Hackett, D.D., in the Cathedral at Waterford City, Ireland, June 11, 1916. Since his coming to the Diocese, he has been appointed to these various places: St. Mary Church, Marshall, Illinois, assistant; St. Ann Church, Edgewood, Illinois, pastor pro tempore St. Mary Church, Mt. Sterling, Illinois, assistant ; St. Sebastian Church, Waverly, Illinois, pastor, with Hagaman as mission, and Sacred Heart Church, Franklin, Illi- nois, with Waverly as mission. 713 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend Edward James Cahill Father Cahill was born December 28, 1889, at Chatham, Sangamon County, Illinois, of Irish parents. He was educated in Quincy College, St. Kenrick Seminary, St. Louis, and the St. Thomas Seminary, Denver, Colo- rado, Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C. He was ordained priest June 14, 1917, at Kenrick Sem- inary, St. Louis, by Most Reverend John J. Glennon, Archbishop of St. Louis, and holds the degrees of A.B., and A.M. Father Cahill has made special studies in Education, Econom- ics, Sociology and Biology and has been appointed Diocesan Superin- tendent of Schools of the Diocese of Springfield, and Chaplain of the Ursuline Academy. Since his ordina- tion, Father Cahill has filled the fol- lowing appointments : June 30, 1917, Church of Our Saviour, Jacksonville, Illinois, assistant. July 1, 1922, Cath- olic University, Washington, D. C, student. September 8, 1924, Routt College, Jacksonville, Illinois, Pro- fessor. June 26, 1926, Ursuline Acad- emy, Springfield, Illinois, Chaplain. Reverend Edmund Aloysdjs Carey Father Carey was born of Irish- American parents, on May 12, 1886, at Springfield, Illinois. Was educated in St. Ignatius College, Chicago, Illi- nois, Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri, and Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Indiana. On June 13, 1916, he was ordained priest by Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D., in the chapel at Kenrick Sem- inary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Since bis ordination, he has given his serv- ices in the following places: July 1, 1IU6, St. Agnes Church, Springfield, Illinois, assistant; July 1, 1918, St. Theresa Academy, Decatur, Illinois, chaplain, September 1, 1920, St. Mary Church, Pawnee, Illinois, assistant ; September 15, 1923, St. Mary Church, Marshall, Illinois, assistant ; April 7, 1924, St. Patrick Church, Pana, Illi- nois, assistant; July 1, 1925, Camp Colgan, Springfield, Illinois, chap- lain; September 1, 1925, St. Joseph Church, Benld, Illinois, administra- tor; October 18, 1927, St. Mark Church, Winchester, Illinois, admini- strator, and in 1928 chaplain to the Bishop. Very Reverend Patrick Francis Carroll, R.D. Dean Carroll, born at Janesville, Wisconsin, of Irish parents, Septem- ber 10, 1855, was educated in St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, Wis- consin. Was ordained priest June 29, 1881, at Alton, Illinois, by the Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D. His first appointment was on July 8, 1881, when he was assigned to the Cathedral at Alton, Illinois, as assist- ant. On June 21, 1882, was appointed pastor of St. Mary Church, Litchfield, Illinois, where he still resides. The Very Reverend Dean is not only the Dean of the Litchfield Deanery but he is also a member of the Diocesan School Board and a Diocesan Con- suitor — a member of the Advisory Board to the Bishop. Reverend John J. Clancy Father Clancy, born June 24, 1867, at Ballyhea, County Cork, Ireland, received his education in St. Patrick College, Carlow, Ireland, St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, Maryland, St. Viator College, Kankakee, Illinois, and the Catholic University of Amer- ica, Washington, D. C. Was ordained by Right Reverend James Ryan, D.D., in SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Al- ton, Illinois, August 15, 1891. Since his ordination, he has been assigned 714 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY to the following places : July 1, 1893, Sacred Heart Church, Dalton City, Illinois, pastor; February 1, 1894, St. Catherine Church, Virden, Illinois; September 1, 1899, St. James Church, Riverton, Illinois, with Buffalo, as a mission, and October 1, 1914, was ap- pointed pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church, Jerseyville, Illinois, with Whitehall and Roodhouse as missions. During his ministrations, Father Clancy completed the Church at Dal- ton City and remodeled and enlarged St. James Church at Riverton, Illi- nois. Reverend John Joseph Connolly Father Connolly, born January 6, 1879, at Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland, was educated in Rockwell College and St. Patrick Seminary, Ireland. The Most Reverend Thomas Fennaly, D.D., ordained him priest at Thurles, Ireland, June 21, 1905. After his arrival in the United States, he was assigned to the following places: October 12, 1905, Immaculate Concep- tion Church, Springfield, Illinois, as- sistant; October 1, 1910, St. Peter Church, Petersburg, Illinois, pastor; August 1, 1918, Chaplain in the United States Army; December 15, 1918, St. Peter Church, Petersburg, Illinois, pastor, and July 1, 1919, St. Charles Church, Charleston, Illinois. Father Connolly served as chaplain in the United States Army at Camp Tay- lor during the war. Reverend John Joseph Corcoran Father Corcoran, born May 6, 1868, at Castlebar, Mayo County, Ireland, was educated in St. Mary College, Emmitsburg, Maryland, St. Vincent Seminary, Beatty, Pennsylvania, and Our Lady of Angels University, Niagara, New York. Was ordained September 25, 1895, in Buffalo, New York by Right Reverend Bishop Ryan, D.D. Since his ordination, he has been assigned to the following places: July 1, 1896, St. Agnes Church, Springfield, Illinois, assist- ant; January 1, 1897, St. James Church, Riverton, Illinois, pastor, with Buffalo as a mission; September 1, 1902, St. Isidore Church, Bethany, Illinois; July, 1904, St. James Church, Neoga, Illinois, with Trowbridge and Edgewood as missions; July 1, 1906, Holy Trinity Church, Stonington, Illinois, and July 1, 1918, St. Mary Church, Taylorville, Illinois. From September, 1895, to July, 1896, at- tended the Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C. Reverend Michael Costello Father Costello, born in County Kerry, Ireland, October 5, 1888, was educated in St. Brendan College, Kil- larney, Ireland; St. Michael College, Listowel, Ireland; All Hallows Col- lege, Dublin, Ireland; and American College, Rome, Italy. Was ordained priest June 1, 1912, in Rome, Italy, by His Eminence, Cardinal Respighi. Since his coming into the Diocese, he has received the following appoint- ments : October 1, 1912, SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Alton, Illinois, assistant; November 1, 1920, St. Michael Church, Mitchell, Greenfield, Illinois, pastor; July 1, 1922, St. Elizabeth Church, Mitchell, Illinois, and September 1, 1924, Right Rever- end James A. Griffin, D.D., sent him to Granite City to establish a new parish and erect a combination school and church. Father Costello succeeded and is now the proud pas- tor of the Sacred Heart congrega- tion. 715 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend Thomas Costello Father Costello, born September 7, 1868, at Springfield, Illinois, of Irish- American parents, was educated in St. Joseph College, Teutopolis, Illi- nois, and Kenriek Seminary. Was or- dained by Most Reverend John J. Kain, D.D., June 12, 1896, in St. Louis, Missouri. Since his ordination, he has labored in the following places : June 12, 1896, St. Bridget Church, Liberty, Illinois, pastor ; July 5, 1899, St. Mary Church, Carlinville, Illi- nois ; May 9, 1907, St. John the Bap- tist Church, Areola, Illinois, and November 12, 1925, St. John the Evangelist Church, Carrollton, Illi- nois, where he now resides. He re- modeled the Church at Liberty and Carlinville, Illinois, and the rectory at Areola, Illinois. Reverend William M. Costello Father Costello, born in County Kerry, Ireland, August 23, 1869, re- ceived his intellectual training in St. Brendan's College, Killarney and Irish College, Paris, France. Was or- dained September 24, 1893, by Right Reverend Bishop Coffey, D.D., in the Cathedral at Killarney. Since his or- dination, he has filled the following positions : November 1, 1893, SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Alton, Illinois, assistant ; January 6, 1894, Immaculate Conception Church, Mat- toon, Illinois; June 1, 1895, Immacu- late Conception Church, Pittsfield, Illinois, pastor; January 1, 1898, St. Isidore's Church, Bethany, Illinois; September 1, 1900, Immaculate Con- ception Church, Springfield, Illinois; assistant; May 1, 1903, St. Charles Borromeo Church, Charleston, Illi- nois, pastor; May 15, 1919, St. Mary Church, New Berlin, Illinois, pas- tor. While still holding this pos- ition, he was appointed on August 1, 1924, vice president of Routt College, Jacksonville, Illinois, and member of the Diocesan School Board. Father Costello spent one year at the Mission House and Catholic University, Washington, D. C. He built a beautiful brick rectory and remodeled the church at New Berlin. Reverend Jeremiah Cronin Father Cronin, born at Cork, Ire- land, August 20, 1880, received his education in St. Colman College, Fer- moy, County Cork, and St. Patrick Seminary, Carlow, Ireland. Was or- dained by Most Reverend Archbishop Bruchesi, D.D., in Montreal, Canada, December 17, 1904. His first appoint- ment was on December 22, 1904,when he was appointed assistant of St. Peter Church, Quincy, Illinois. His subsequent appointments were : Nov- ember, 1906, St. Rose of Lima Church, Quincy, Illinois, assistant ; October 1, 1908, St. Luke Church, Virginia, Illi- nois, pastor; October 1, 1915, Sacred Heart Church, Effingham, Illinois; September 12, 1918, St. Thomas Church, Newton, Illinois, and Janu- ary 20, 1925, St. Mary Church, Paris, Illinois, a position he still fills. Reverend John Crosson Father Crosson, born December 3, 1871, at Carrigallen, Ireland, was educated in All Hallows College, Dub- lin, and St. Mary Seminary, Long- ford, Ireland. Was ordained priest June 24, 1902, in All Hallows College, by Right Reverend Bishop Nicolaus, D.D. Since his ordination he has been appointed to these various places : October 1, 1902, St. Mary Church, Paris, Illinois, assistant, and April 1, 1905, SS. Simon and Jude Church, Gillespie, Illinois. Father Crosson now resides at Gillespie, Illinois. 716 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Reverend Michael Joseph Crowley Father Crowley, born November 24, 1889 in Castlegregory, County Kerry, Ireland, received his education in St. Brendan College, Killarney, and St. John Seminary, Waterford, Ireland. Right Reverend Richard Sheehan, D.D., ordained him priest June 21, 1914, in the Cathedral of Waterford. Since his coming into the Diocese, he has labored in the following places : October, 1914, St. Mary Church, Mar- shall, Illinois, assistant ; November 25, 1914, St. Patrick Church, Decatur, Illinois; July, 1919, Immaculate Con- ception Church, Shelbyville, Illinois, pastor; November, 1919, St. John Church, Coffeen, Illinois, with Pan- ama and New Douglas as missions and in April, 1926, was assigned pastor of St. Mary Church, Neoga, Illinois, with Trowbridge for a mission. Father Crowley built the Sacred Heart Church at Panama, decorated St. John Church at Coffeen and enlarged the parochial residence of that place. Reverend Matthew Joseph Cummins Father Cummins, born at Bally- bach, Wexford, Ireland, on November 11, 1877, was educated in St. Joseph Abbey and St. Melleray Abbey, Ire- land. Was ordained by Most Rever- end Michael Fogarty, D.D., Lord Bishop of Killaloe, Ireland, in St. Joseph Abbey, Roscrea, Ireland, De- cember 17, 1904. Since his ordina- tion, he has labored in these various places: St. John Church, Hill City, Minnesota, pastor; Cathedral Church, Duluth, Minnesota; Italian Church, Duluth, Minnesota; St. Mary, Keus- ten, Minnesota ; St. Anthony Church, Cumberland, Wisconsin ; Blessed Sac- rament Church, Springfield, Illinois, assistant; St. Theresa Academy, De- catur, Illinois, chaplain, and St. Pat- rick Church, Grafton, Illinois, pastor, with Beltress as a mission. Reverend Francis Curran Father Curran, born May 17, 1874, in Ireland, was educated in Mt. Mell- ray, County Waterford, and Mt. St. Mary of the West Seminary, Cincin- nati, Ohio. Was ordained priest June 18, 1905, at Cincinnati, Ohio, by Most Reverend Henry Mueller, D.D. On July 1, 1905, he was appointed assist- ant of the Immaculate Conception Church, Springfield, Illinois; on July 1, 1908, pastor of St. Mary Church, Neoga, Illinois, with Trowbridge for a mission, and in July, 1917, pastor of the Immaculate Conception Church, Pittsfield, Illinois. Reverend Peter D. Curran Father Curran, born April 11, 1884, at Cavan, Ireland, was educated in St. Mary College, Longford and St. Kieran Seminary, Kilkenny, Ireland. Was ordained by Right Reverend Bishop Brownrigg, D.D., at Kilkenny, June 14, 1908. Since his coming to the Diocese, he has been assigned to the following places : October 8, 1908, St. Francis Navier Church, Jersey- ville, Illinois, assistant; October 1, 1910, St. Rose of Lima Church, Quincy, Illinois, and October 5, 1914, Sacred Heart Church, Dalton City, Illinois, pastor. Reverend Thomas Edward Cusack: Father Cusack, born at Indian Creek, Monroe County, Missouri, August 20, 1872, received his intellec- tual training in St. Joseph College, Teutopolis, Illinois, Mt. St. Mary of the West Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio, 717 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS and Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C. Was ordained at the Catholic University, Washington, D. C, by Right Reverend J. J. Kain, D.D., on June 20, 1895. Since his or- dination, he has been assigned to the following places: July 15, 1895, SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Alton, Illi- nois, assistant; July 15, 1903, St. Mark Church, Winchester, Illinois, pastor; May 15, 1906, St. Maurice Church, Morrisonville, Illinois; Nov- ember 1, 1921, St. John the Evange- list Church, Carrollton, Illinois, and November 29, 1925, Immaculate Con- ception Church, Mattoon, Illinois. Father Cusack built a modern brick convent for the Sisters at Carrollton, Illinois and remodeled the school building. In Mattoon, Illinois he built a magnificent brick rectory. Father Cusack is a Diocesan Con- suitor and a Prosynadal Judge. Reverend Daniel F. Daly Father Daly, born at Abbeyfeale, County Limerick, Ireland, December 21, 1892, made his classical studies in St. Michael College, Listowel, Ireland, and his seminary studies in St. Pat- rick Seminary, Carlow, Ireland. On June 2, 1917, Right Reverend Patrick Foley, D.D., ordained him priest in St. Patrick Seminary Chapel, Car- Reverend Michael Father Davis was born in County Sligo, Ireland, on August 15, 1853. Was educated in the College and Uni- versity of Niagara, New York. Was ordained on the Feast of the Holy Name, 1880, at Toronto, Canada, by Most Reverend Archbishop Lynch, D.D. His first appointment was at St. Denis Church, Shipman, Illinois, Very Reverend Henry B. low, Ireland. Since his coming into the Diocese, he has served at the fol- lowing places : January 1, 1918, St. Theresa Academy, Decatur, Illinois, chaplain; July 1, 1918, St. Patrick Church, Alton, Illinois, assistant, and on July 1, 1922, Right Reverend Bishop appointed him pastor of St. Norbert Church, Hardin, Illinois. Jefferson Davis in 1891. His subsequent appoint- ments were : 1897, St. Bernard Church, Auburn, Illinois, pastor; 1902, St. Luke Church, Virginia, Illi- nois; 1910, St. Isidore Church, Beth- any, Illinois; 1916, St. Patrick Church, Grafton, Illinois, and 1925, Holy Family Church, Athens, Illi- nois. Degenhardt, R.D., M.R. Dean Degenhardt, born May 16, 1855, at Alton, Illinois, was educated in St. Joseph College, Teutopolis, Illinois, and St. Francis Seminary, Wisconsin. Was ordained August 15, 1879 in SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Alton, Illinois, by Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D. Since his ordination, he has served faithfully in the following places : September 1, Reverend John Father Dolack, born January 10, 1901, at Pueblo, Colorado, of Slo- venian parents, was educated in the Josephinum College and Seminary, Columbus, Ohio. Was ordained priest on June 11, 1927, in the Chapel of St. Joseph Home for the Aged, Spring- 718 1879, SS. Peter and Paul Church, Al- ton, Illinois, pastor, and on July 1, 1910, was transferred to Quincy, Illi- nois, as pastor of St. Boniface Church. Was made irremovable rector cf St. Boniface Church in July, 1910. In 1912, was appointed Dean of the Quincy Deanery. Dean Degenhardt is a Diocesan Consultor. P. Dolack field, Illinois, by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D. Owing to the crying need of a Slovenian speaking priest, he was at once appointed pas- tor of Sacred Heart Church, Virden, Illinois, where he now resides. THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Reverend Michael F. Donahue Father Donahue, born June 20, 1889, in County Cavan, Ireland, was educated in St. Kieran College and St. Patrick Seminary, Ireland. Was ordained priest by Right Reverend Bishop Brownrigg, D.D., of Ossory, June 13, 1915, at Kilkenny, Ireland. Since his coming into the Diocese, November 1, 1915, has acted as assist- ant at St. Mary Church, Paris, Illi- nois, and on November 1, 1921, was appointed pastor of St. Church, Macon, Illinois, now resides. Stanislaus where he Reverend James J. Dougherty Father Dougherty, born July 8, 1864, at Rochester, New York, of Irish-American parents, was educated in Assumption College, Canada, and St. Bonaventure Seminary, Alle- gheny, New York. Was ordained priest, June 21, 1892, by Right Rever- end Stephen V. Ryan, D.D., Bishop of Buffalo, New York. Since his com- ing to the Diocese, he has served in turn the following places : July, 1892, Immaculate Conception Church, Springfield, Illinois, assistant ; Aug- ust, 1892, St. Raymond Church, Ray- mond, Illinois, pastor; February, 1895, Immaculate Conception Church, Shelbyville, Illinois; July, 1897, St. Athanasius Church, Roodhouse, Illi- nois; July, 1904, St. Isidore Church Bethany, Illinois, and on September, 1924, owing to ill health, was appoint- ed Chaplain of St. Mary Hospital, De- catur, Illinois. Reverend Edward J. Douglas Father Douglas, born May 16, 1885, at St. Louis, Missouri, was educated in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, and Mt. St. Mary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio. Was or- dained, June 16, 1909, in the Cathe- dral at Cincinnati, Ohio, by Most Rev- erend Henry Moeller, D.D. His first appointment on July, 1909, was that of assistant at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Alton, Illinois. His subse- quent appointments were : October, 1911, St. Anselm Church, Kamps- ville, Illinois, pastor; October, 1919, St. Elizabeth Church, Mitchell, Illi- nois, and October, 1919, he was sent to Wood River, Illinois, to organize a new parish and built the present com- bination St. Bernard Church and school building. Reverend Daniel Joseph Doyle Father Doyle, born January 6, 1886, at Killarney, Ireland, received his education in St. Brendan College, Killarney, and St. Patrick Seminary, Carlow, Ireland. Was ordained June 11, 1911, by Right Reverend Bishop Foley, D.D. Since his coming into the Diocese, he has filled the following places: September 20, 1911, St. John's Church, Carrollton, Illinois, assistant ; June 10, 1912, Our Saviour Church, Jacksonville, Illinois; Nov- ember 4, 1912, St. Mary Church, Pittsfield, Illinois, pastor; April 6, 1913, St. Patrick Church, Grafton, Illinois; November 10, 1913, St. Charles Church, Charleston, Illinois; September 5, 1914, St. Ann Church, Edgewood, Illinois, and October 1, 1918, Sacred Heart Church, Effing- ham, Illinois. Reverend Joseph Edward Drackert Father Drackert, born September 23, 1896, at Altamont, Illinois, was educated in St. Joseph College, St. Louis, Missouri, Quincy College, Quincy, Illinois, and Kenrick Sem- inary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Was 719 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ordained by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., in the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Springfield, Illinois, June 6, 1925. Since his or- dination, he has served as assistant in St. Patrick Church, Pana, Illinois, where he now resides. Reverend John Joseph Driscoll, M.R. Father Driscoll, born May 19, 1867, at Alton, Illinois, of Irish-American parents, was educated in St. Meinrad College, Meinrad, Indiana, Kenrick Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, and Mission House, Washington, D. C. "Was ordained by Most Reverend John Joseph Kain, D.D., in Kenrick Sem- inary, St. Louis, Missouri, May 19, 1894. His first appointment was in May, 1894, when he was sent as assist- ant to St. John Church, Carrollton, Illinois. His subsequent appoint- ments were : March, 1895, Immacu- late Conception Church, Springfield, Illinois, assistant; January 1, 1896, St. Maurice Church, Morrisonville, Illinois, pastor pro tempore ; October 16, 1897, St. Charles Church, Charles- ton, Illinois; July, 1903, St. John Church, Carrollton, Illinois; July, 1 907, St. Francis Xavier Church, Jer- seyville, Illinois, and October 14, 1914, was assigned as irremovable rec- tor of St. Peter Church, Quincy, Illi- nois. Father Driscoll was on the Apostolic Mission Band for six years. He built the church and rectory in Charleston, Illinois, and a school house in Carrollton, Illinois. Father Driscoll is one of the Diocesan Pro- synodal Judges. Reverend Joiin August Duval Father Duval was born at Col- linsville, Illinois, June 17, 1872, of American parents. Was educated in St. Joseph College, Teutopolis, Illi- nois, Mt. St. Mary of the West, Cin- cinnati, Ohio, and Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri. On June 18, 1895, was ordained priest by Most Reverend J. Kain, D.D., in the chapel at Kenrick Seminary. After his or- dination he labored in the following places : June 15, 1895, St. Boniface Church, Edwardsville, Illinois, assist- ant; August 15, 1895, St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois, assistant; June 1, 1897, St. Anselm Church, Kampsville, Illinois, pastor; March I, 1901, St. Gertrude Church, Grantfork, Illinois; June 1, 1907, St. Michael Church, Staunton, Illinois, and on June 1, 1924, owing to near blindness, he became a patient in the Alexian Brothers Hospital, St. Louis, Mis- souri. On his return to active duty, was assigned on June 11, 1926, to St. Mary Church, Paris, Illinois, as ad- ministrator; October 10, 1926, St. John Hospital, Springfield, Illinois, assistant chaplain, and on October 26, 1926, was appointed Diocesan Direc- tor, Superintendent and Chaplain of the Catholic Children's Home, Alton, Illinois. Father Duval bears a repu- tation as a builder, having to his credit the following buildings: St. Agnes Church, Belview, Illinois; St. Anselm, School, Kampsville, Illinois; Sacred Heart Church, Livingston, Illinois, and rebuilt St. Gertrude Church, Grantfork, Illinois. Reverend Ernest John Eckhard Father Eckhard, born at Alton, Illinois, of German parents, Novem- ber 9, 1880, received his classical edu- cation in the Josephinum College, Columbus, Ohio, and his theological education at the same place. Was or- dained by Right Reverend James Hartley, D.D., June 9, 1906, at Col- umbus, Ohio. His first appointment, June 15, 1907, was that of assistant chaplain in St. John Hospital, Spring- field, Illinois. On October 1, 1912, was assigned to the Holy Ghost Church Jerseyville, Illinois, as pastor, with 720 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY "Westwoods as a mission and on May 25, 1919, was appointed pastor of St. Boniface Church, Edwardsville, Illi- nois, a church which he completely renovated shortly after his appoint- ment. Reverend Joseph Anthony Enriqht Father Enright was born of Irish parents, in Chicago on the 27th day of April, 1900, and was educated in Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Chi- cago; St. Mary Seminary, Baltimore, Maryland, and the Catholic Univer- sity of America, Washington, D. C. Was ordained December 19, 1925, in the Crypt of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Brook- land, D. C, by Right Reverend Thomas J. Shanan, S.T.D., J.U.L., LL.D. At the Catholic University he specialized in Sociology and Psychol- ogy and holds a degree of Master of Arts. On June 6, 1926, was appoint- ed assistant pastor of the Blessed Sac- rament Church in the Episcopal City, a position which he still fills. Reverend John J. Enriqht Father Enright, born at Listowel, assigned to the following places: Oc- Ireland, March 25, 1883, was edu- cated at St. Michael College, Listowel, Ireland, and All Hallows College, Dub- lin, Ireland. Was ordained priest June 24, 1906, by the Right Reverend P. J. O'Connor, D.D., in All Hallows Seminary, Dublin, Ireland. Since his coming into this Diocese, he has been tober, 1906, St. Benedict Church, Au- burn, Illinois, assistant; March, 1907, St. Joseph Church, Springfield, Illi- nois; November, 1907, St. Mary Church, Paris, Illinois, and was cre- ated pastor of St. Lawrence Church, Greenville, Illinois, in October, 1910. Reverend Michael Enriqht Father Enright, born October 1, 1886, at Listowel, Ireland, received his classical education in St. Michael 's College, Listowel, and his seminary training in All Hallows College, Dub- lin, Ireland. Right Reverend Bishop Gilmartin, D.D., of Clonfert, or- dained him priest in All Hallows Col- lege, Dublin, Ireland, June 24, 1910. His first appointment after his or- Reverend George Father Faller, born at Newton, Illinois, September 2, 1889, was edu- cated in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, and Kenrick Sem- inary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Was ordained priest June 13, 1918, at St. Louis, Missouri, by Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D. Since his or- dination he has labored in the follow- ing places: July 1, 1918, St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois, assistant ; April 25, 1919, SS. Simon and Jude Church, Gillespie, Illinois; July 1, 721 dination was that of assistant at the Immaculate Conception Church, Springfield, Illinois, October 1, 1910. Since then he has filled the following two places as pastor : December 1, 1915, St. Norbert Church, Hardin, Illinois, and July 1, 1922, St. Michael Church, Greenfield, Illinois, with Hagaman for a mission. Elmo Faller 1919, St. Mary Church, Alton, Illi- nois; July 15, 1922, St. Anselm Church, Kampsville, Illinois, pastor; April 11, 1924, St. John Hospital, Springfield, Illinois, chaplain; Nov- ember 5, 1926, Immaculate Concep- tion Cathedral, Springfield, Illinois, assistant ; July 7, 1927, Sacred Heart Church, Springfield, Illinois, admini- strator, and August 21, 1927, St. Michael Church, Sigel, Illinois, pas- tor. DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend Charles Joseph Panning Father Fanning, born October 8, 1882, at Castlepollard, Ireland, was educated in St. Finian Seminary, Navan, and St. Peter College, Wex- ford, Ireland. Was ordained June 24, 1909, by Right Reverend Bishop Kelly, D.D., in All Hallows College, Ireland. Since his ordination, he has labored in the following places : Oc- tober 1, 1909, St. John Church, Car- rollton, Illinois, assistant ; March 17, 1910, St. Mary Church, Mt. Sterling, Illinois; October 1, 1913, St. Patrick Church, Grafton, Illinois, pastor, and May 1, 1919, St. Isidore Church, Bethany, Illinois, the position which he still fills. From Bethany, Father Fanning attends the spiritual needs of the Catholics at Lovington, Illi- nois. Reverend John Raphael Fannon Father Fannon, born November 17, 1874, of Irish-American parents, at Zanesville, Ohio, received his scholas- tic training in St. Thomas School, Zanesville, Ohio, and theological studies in the Dominican House of Studies, Somerset, Ohio, by the Right Reverend Sebastian Martinelli, D.D., September 28, 1899. For twenty-four years he worked as missionary throughout the United States. On May 29, 1924, he was appointed by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., chaplain of St. Theresa Acad- emy, Decatur, Illinois, and on April 28, 1925, was assigned to the pastorate of St. John Church, Coffeen, Illinois, with New Douglas and Panama as missions. Reverend Thomas Fennessy Father Fennessy was born in Coun- ty Tipperary, Ireland, on December 21, 1875. After receiving his college education at Killaloe, and his sem- inary training at St. Patrick Sem- inary, Carlow, Ireland, was ordained June 1, 1901, in St. Patrick College Chapel, Carlow, by Right Reverend Patrick Foley, D.D., Bishop of Kil- dare and Leighlin. He served as sec- retary to the late Bishop James Ryan, of Alton, Illinois, from 1901 to 1908. October 1, 1908, he was sent to Springfield, Illinois, to organize a new congregation under the patronage of St. Patrick. In 1926, was appointed "Procurator Fiscalis" by Right Rev- erend James A. Griffin, D.D., and also Diocesan Director of the Holy Name Society. Reverend Charles John Flori Father Flori, born at Carlinville, Illinois, of German-Swedish parents, April 9, 1885, was educated in the Pontifical College and Seminary, Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio. Was ordained priest June 13, 1912, by Right Reverend James J. Hartley, D.D., in Columbus, Ohio. Since his ordination, he has been assigned to the following places : July 1, 1912, St. Anthony Church, Effingham, Illinois, assistant ; October 15, 1913, St. Val- entine Church, Bend, (Oblong) Illi- nois, pastor, and April 15, 1919, St. Joseph Church, Paloma, Illinois, with Bloomfield and Mendon for missions. Very Reverend Monsignor Martin Joseph Foley Monsignor Foley, born December 22, 1872, at Ballinvalley, County Sligo, Ireland, was educated in St. Mary Colltcje, Dunkirk, New York, and St. Joseph Seminary, Baltimore, Mary- land. Was ordained in Baltimore, by His Eminence, James Cardinal Gib- bons, D.D., Di'fomber 8, 1898. From 1898 to 1907, was engaged in conduct- ing missions and delivering lectures 722 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY throughout the United States and Canada. In 1907, was appointed to St. Peter Church, Quincy, Illinois, as assistant. His subsequent appoint- ments were : 1913, Immaculate Con- ception Church, Pittsfield, Illinois, pastor, and in 1917, was appointed chaplain of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, Quincy, Illinois, in order to better enable him to edit the Western Catholic, a Catholic paper which he started on May 29, 1919. Father Foley was raised by Pope Pius XI to the dignity of Monsignor and invest- ed by Right Reverend James A. Grif- fin, D.D., in the chapel of Quincy Col- lege, August 3, 1927, in recognition of his work in the field of journalism and as editor of the Western Catholic. Very Reverend Francis F. Formaz The subject of this sketch, the Very Reverend Dean Francis F. Formaz, son of Francis E. Formaz and Marie Michellod, was born in the French part of Switzerland in the year 1874. Shortly afterwards, Mr. and Mrs. Formaz, taking with them their fam- ily, emigrated (for the second time) to the United States and settled in St. Louis, Missouri. By the time young Francis reached the age of seven both his parents were dead, whereupon he was entrusted to the care of a near relative, a Mr. Tissier, whom he still remembers with gr/ateful affection. He made his grade and high school studies at the local Grammar School and the St. Louis University Acad- emy, respectively, and at the age of seventeen was ready to enter college. At this highly speculative and roman- tic period of every normal boy's life, Francis was called upon (without the kindly advice of parents) to settle the puzzling problem of a future pro- fession. But the intelligent young lad was equal to the occasion as sub- sequent events proved, for, after due deliberation, he decided that his mis- sion in life was to be a priest, and having once put his hand to the spir- itual plow there was no turning back. With the priesthood in view he made his classical and philosophical studies at Quincy College, and from there went to Price Hill, Diocesan seminary of Cincinnati, where, after complet- ing a distinguished theological course, he was ordained priest on June 17, 1898. His first mission in this diocese was the assistantship in St. Anthony par- ish at Effingham, Illinois. After a stay there of little more than a year he was sent by the Bishop, Right Rev- erend James Ryan, to the Catholic University, Washington, D. C, where he received the degrees of S.T.B. and S.T.L., his specialty being Church his- tory. On his return from the Catho- lic University he became assistant to the well known Dean Crowe, pastor of Our Saviour Church, Jacksonville, Illinois. And now begins that part of his career as a priest and educator with which we are here particularly concerned. Because of the revealing light it throws upon the personality and work of Father Formaz during 22 years of service in Jacksonville, I take the lib- erty of quoting extensively from an appreciatory article which appeared in the "Wag" of 1923 (The "Wag" is a paper written and edited by the Routt students and published month- ly during the school -year) on the oc- casion of his silver jubilee to the priesthood. "In August of the year 1901," writes Joe Dollar, the author of the article, and one of Routt's most bril- liant students, "a young man came to Our Saviour Church at Jacksonville, Illinois, to take up his duties as an as- sistant. Small of stature, long raven hair brushed back in pompadour style, intelligent brown eyes framed in glasses, his whole appearance be- spoke culture and scholarship. An earnest and hard worker, he put his shoulder to the wheel, and Dean Crowe the Pilot, then in failing health, gladly dropped the burden of 723 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS his work upon the shoulders of his able assistant. He went about his duties in a quiet but effective way. . . . "He was in the parish not quite a year when Dean Crowe voiced his in- tentions of starting a Catholic High School. After much doubt and hesi- tation on his part, and a great deal of encouragement on the part of Father Formaz, the school was open- ed. For fifteen years, acting in every capacity from principal to janitor, he labored in the school. So occupied was he in the performance of these duties and so seldom did he have time for social intercourse, that the people of the parish described him as 'wear- ing a path from the rectory to the college. ' "At the death of Dean Crowe in 1915, Father Formaz took his place in the parish and school. What could be more fitting than that the man who had accomplished so much for the advancement of the parish and school should ultimately be placed at the head of both ? "A few years ago he was offered a seat in the University of Illinois, as Professor of Religion. The same year he was made Dean by the Bishop." Continuing, the writer sums up his intellectual qualities and attainments thus: "He is a student, can converse in Latin, French, Spanish, German and Italian, can play the violin and organ, can draw; is an able teacher, a splendid talker, a good imperson- ator, and an interesting conversation- alist," Well, the passage of years has ef- fected no great change in Father For- maz, either physically or mentally. In body, he maintains the same student- like proportions, and in mind he is given to the same intellectual pur- suits, as those which characterized his early youth and priesthood. He has & great fondness for books, regarding them as his most delightful and in- formative friends. Music with him is almost a passion, and practically every evening he may be seen in the church, for hours at a time, playing the pipe organ, which to him is the monarch of musical instruments. What impresses one most in the study of Father Formaz' labors in Jacksonville, is his unselfish and ef- ficient work in the field of Catholic higher education. His name and that of Routt College are inseparably en- twined. To speak of the one can scarcely be done without a mention of the other. True indeed, it was the venerable Dean Crowe that sowed the plant of learning known as Routt Col- lege. But who diligently cultivated that plant and brought it to bounte- ous fruition if it be not Reverend Francis F. Formaz? For was he not, during almost two dozen years, Routt's guiding genius, sacrificing on the altar of its welfare every power of his versatile mind and every un- selfish interest ! Few people now fully realize the discouraging difficulties presented by the infant institution. It had a small and weak beginning — two ill-furnish- id rooms in the present Boarding House, half a dozen pupils between boys and girls, and the energetic Father Formaz as sole teacher. Many were the doubting Thomases who looked upon the venture as doomed to a speedy and dismal failure. But like most skeptics they were wrong, for soon the school, under the inspiring leadership of the young priest showed signs of growth and stability. It had evidently come to stay, and, within a few years, broadening its scope, it had added a College department to a full High School course. Then along: came the Routt family, the most notable convert family to the Catholic Faith that Jacksonville, or perhaps this diocese, ever had. This wealthy and generous family offered to defray half the expenses of a suit- able new school building provided the parish would pay the other half. The proposition was gladly accepted by Dean Crowe and the present fine building was erected. Later the same family in conjunction with Our Savior parish, put the College on a secure financial basis by establishing 724 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY a liberal endowment fund, the inter- est from which covers current ex- penses. Thus it has come to pass that if, today, the wolf of institutional poverty should find its way to the door of Routt it must be because he has been given the wrong address. Most appropriately the College bears the name of its generous bene- factors, and that honored name, "Routt" shall ever be held in grate- ful benediction by all who know and appreciate what good it has meant to advanced Catholic education in this diocese. That Routt College has thus far made steady progress will appear from a comparison of the following interesting figures. It began twenty- six years ago with five or six pupils and one teacher, in a small room with soap boxes for seats. Today, it has a large, modernly equipped class-build- ing; a floating average of one hun- dred fifty students; a staff of eleven teachers, made up of seven Domini- can sisters, three priests, and one lay teacher; and quite a valuable prop- erty in lands and houses. The growth, if you will, has not been phenomenal, but it has been substantial and en- couraging, bearing with it the prom- ise of a bright future. The main cause of this consoling progress, few will dispute, is found in the teaching and administrative ability of Father Formaz. Time — and time only can reveal the value of a teacher 's work — has proven conclusively that Father Formaz dur- ing his years in the class-room was a most successful teacher. To be con- vinced of this fact one has only to consider the number of his students of both sexes who have gone forth and made for themselves honorable names in the different callings of life. Then too, mention must be made of the substantial success he has had with the Summer School he founded for the Dominican sisters of Spring- field in 1912. Every summer many of the Sisters of St. Dominic avail them- selves of the courses offered, and all are enthusiastic in praise of the excel- lent and helpful quality of the work done. Through this Summer School, even yet so little known, the peda- gogical ideas of its founder are be- ginning to have a widespread influ- ence. In the light of his past work it can be truly stated that he has the quali- ties, innate and acquired, demanded of a good teacher. He knows his sub- jects thoroughly, and a habit of wide reading coupled with a keen power of selective assimilation gives to his thoughts and words a rich fullness evocative of the pupils' interest and respect. He approaches all debatable questions objectively, but with that nice sympathy of heart so invaluable to a true and living interpretation of things human. Among his other splen- did teaching assets are : a judicious sympathy with his students, a pene- trating insight to their individual needs, and a happy faculty for com- municating his thoughts. Towards the various teaching methods that glut the forum of modern American ped- agogy and loudly clamor for atten- tion, his attitude closely follows that wise old precept : "Be not the first by whom the new is tried, nor yet the last to lay the old aside." In short, Father Formaz has the gift of teaching, and that is no small or common gift among men. And it is to his undying credit that he has used that gift to the best of his abil- ity in promoting the interests of Catholic education. It is exceedingly gratifying to the author of these lines to find that the high estimation he has formed of Father Formaz, as a priest, scholar and teacher, on a short but intimate acquaintance, is in full accord with the written and verbal testimony of trustworthy witnesses. The love and respect his parishioners and students bear him were demonstrated in a very practical manner some years ago when they presented him with a check for twenty thousand dollars on the occasion of his twenty-fifth anniver- sary in the priesthood. 725 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Finally, whatever future glory shall accrue to Routt as a higher in- stitution of Catholic learning — and our hopes and praj'ers are ardent in that respect — will be in no small measure attributable to the gallant and almost single-handed efforts of Father Formaz in the difficult past. Reverend August Forster Father Forster, born in the Pala- tinate, Germany, November 15, 1866, received his education in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, and Mt. St. Mary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio. Was ordained in the Cathedral at Cincinnati, Ohio by Most Reverend William Henry Elder, D.D., June 21, 1 894. Since his ordination he has re- ceived the following appointments: July 12, 1894, St. Jerome Church, Troy, Illinois, pastor, with Black Jack for a mission; August 28, 1895, St. Mary Church, Quincy, Illinois, assist- ant; Octoberr 1, 1895, St. Ubaldus Church, New Douglas, Illinois, pas- tor; later he served St. John Church, Coffeen, Illinois, and finally on April 4, 1904, was appointed pastor of St. Joseph Church, Ramsey, Illinois. Father Forster holds the degrees, A.B., and A.M. Reverend Patrick Joseph Fox Father Fox, born in County Leit- rim, Ireland, March 17, 1878, was educated in St. Joseph College, and Carlow Seminary, Ireland. Was or- dained June 4, 1911, at Carlow, Ire- land, by Right Reverend Patrick Foley, D. D. His first appointment in this diocese was in October, 1911, when he was sent as assistant to St. Patrick Church, Pana, Illinois. In 1918, he served in the World War as Chaplain. October, 1919, was made pastor of the Sacred Heart Church, Divernon, Illinois, with Glenarm as a mission and in April, 1927, was transferred to the pastorate of St. Mary Church, Mt. Sterling, Illinois, with Bluffs as a mission. Reverend John Baptist Franz Father Franz, born of German- American parents, at Springfield, Illinois, October 29, 1896, received his classical studies in Quincy College, Quincy, Illinois, and his theological studies in Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri. He was ordained June 13, 1920, by Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D., in Kenrick Seminary Chapel, Webster Grove, Missouri. Since his ordination, his activities have been numerous and various: July 1, 1920, St. Theresa Academy, Decatur, Illinois, chaplain, and October 1, 1920, St. Joseph Church, Granite City, Illinois, assist- ant. On October 1, 1920, Right Rev- erend Bishop James Ryan, D.D., of happy memory, sent him to the Apos- tolic Mission House and the Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C, to prepare for mission work in the Diocese. In June, 1921, he was appointed a member of the Diocesan Mission Band. In January, 1927, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., appointed him secretary-treas- urer of the Jubilee Cathedral Fund, and in May, 1927, he was appointed administrator of St. Mary Church, Farmersville, Illinois. Father Franz holds the degrees A.B. and A.M. Reverend Jesse L. Gatton, Ph.D. ; S.T.L. On May 17, 1889, Father Gatton was born of American parents at Pawnee, Illinois. After receiving his college training in St. Francis Solan- us College, Quincy, Illinois, he went to Rome, and attended the North American College and University of "Propaganda Fidei," where he earn- ed the degrees Ph.D., and S.T.L. On December 22, 1917, he was ordained 726 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY in Rome by Most Reverend Americo Bevilacque, D.D. Upon his return to the States, August 12, 1918, Rever- end Doctor Gatton was appointed chaplain of St. John Hospital, Springfield, Illinois. On April 10, 1924, he was sent as director of the Diocesan Catholic Children's Home, Alton, Illinois, and on June 26, 1926, was transferred again to St. John Hospital, Springfield, as assistant director. Reverend Anthony Gerken Father Gerken was born on Sep- tember 27, 1884, in Hegensdorf County, Bueren, Germany. He re- ceived his college training at Bueren, Brilon, and Paderborn, Germany. Right Reverend Charles Joseph Schulte, D.D., ordained him April 7, 1911, at Paderborn, Germany. After his ordination, he was assigned to the following places: April, 1911, St. Gertrude Church, Wattenscheid, Ger- many, assistant ; July, 1915, Sacred Church, Werne-Bochum, Germany, assistant. Whilst on a mission to the United States, he was appointed Chaplain of St. John Hospital, Springfield, Illinois, January, 1926. Very Reverend Monsignor Amos E. Giusti, J. CD. Monsignor Giusti, born at Oneta, Lucca, Italy, on January 19, 1885, was educated in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, Mt. St. Mary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Appollinaire, Rome, Italy. He was ordained priest June 20, 1913, in the Cathedral at Cincinnati, Ohio, by Most Reverend Henry Moeller, D.D. His first appointment, June 28, 1913, was that of assistant at St. Peter Church, Quincy, Illinois. His subse- quent appointments were : March, 1919, St. Mary Church, Mt. Sterling, Illinois, administrator; June 28, 1919, St. Sebastian Church, Waverly, Illinois, pastor, with Hagaman for a mission; December 1, 1922, St. James Church, Riverton, Illinois, with Buf- falo and Sangamon County Poor Farm for missions. Father Giusti specialized in Canon Law at the Uni- versity of Appollinaire during the years 1924-25. Upon his return to the Diocese on November 1, 1925, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., ap- pointed him Vice Chancellor of the Diocese, Actuarius of the Matrimonial Court, and chaplain of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Convent, Spring- field, Illinois. In June, 1927, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., ob- tained for him the dignity of Mon- signor (Private Chamberline to His Holiness). On November 1, 1927, was appointed "Censor Liborum. " Mon- signor Giusti holds the degrees A.B. ; A.M. and J.C.D. Reverend John J. Goff Father Goff, born November 22, 1895, at Virginia, Illinois, received his college training in Quincy College, Quincy, Illinois, and theological train- ing in Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri. On June 24, 1924, Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D., ordained him priest in St. Fran- cis Xavier Church, St. Louis, Mis- souri. Since his ordination, he has been serving in the capacity of assist- ant at St. John Church, Quincy, Illi- nois. Father Goff holds the degree, A.B. Reverend John Henry Gramke Father Gramke, born at Quincy, Illinois, June 7, 1881, of Irish-Ger- man parents, received his college edu- cation in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, and his seminary training in Mt. St. Mary of the West Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio. Was or- dained priest May 21, 1910, in the 727 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS chapel of the Josephinum Pontifical College, Columbus, Ohio, by Right Reverend James J. Hartley, D.D. His first appointment in the Diocese oc- curred June 8, 1910, when he was sent as assistant at St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois. His subsequent appointments were : July 1, 1911, St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois, as administrator, and July 1, 1919, Holy Ghost, Jersey ville, Illinois, pastor, with Westwoods as a mission. Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., ap- pointed him member of the Diocesan Building Commission in 1926, and Diocesan Director of the Priests' Eucharistic League. Father Gramke holds the degree, A.B. Reverend Francis Joseph Gribbin Father Gribbin, born May 12, 1888, at Drumee, Castlewellan County, Down, Ireland, was educated in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illi- nois, and Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Was ordained June 6, 1920, in Kenrick Seminary by Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D. Since his ordination he has received the following appointments : July 1, 1920, SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Alton, Illinois, assistant; October 4, 1920, Sacred Heart Church, Livings- ton, Illinois, pastor; June 26, 1926, St. Elizabeth Church, Robinson, Illi- nois, and August 22, 1927, Mother of Dolors Church, Vandalia, Illinois, where he now resides. Reverend Alphonsus James Harte Father Harte, born of American parents, at Chicago, Illinois, April 22, 1901, was educated in the Cathedral College, Chicago, Illinois, St. Mary of the Lake, Chicago, Illinois, and Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Was ordained priest June 6, 1925, at Springfield, Illinois, by the Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D. After his ordination, he was as- signed assistant at St .Patrick Church, Decatur, Illinois. Reverend George Hensey Father Hensey, born March 29, 1877, at Farmingdale, Illinois, of American parents, was educated in St. Joseph College, Teutopolis, Illi- nois, St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, Mt. St. Mary Sem- inary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Catholic University, Washington, D.C. Was ordained priest June 21, 1903, in the Cathedral at Cincinnati, Ohio, by Most Reverend Henry Moel- ler, D.D. Since his ordination, he has been assigned to the following places: July 1, 1903, SS. Peter and Paul Church, Alton, Illinois, assist- ant; July 1,1904, St. Patrick church, Pana, Illinois; July 1, 1905, St. Michael Church, Hume, Illinois, pas- tor; July 1, 1909, St. Michael Church, Greenfield, Illinois, with Hagaman as a mission ; October 1, 1910, St. Alexius Church, Beards- town, Illinois, and October 1, 1925, St. Mary Church, Carlinville, Illinois. Father Hensey was a member of the Diocesan Mission Band for six years, having graduated at the Mission House, Washington, D. C. He holds the degrees, A.B. and A.M. Reverend James Q. Heslin Father Heslin, born February 12, 1895, at Cloone, County Leitrim, Ire- land, was educated in St Kieran Col- lege, Kilkenny, Ireland, St. Mary Seminary, Moyne, and in the Nation- al University of Ireland. Was or- dained in St. Mary Cathedral, Kil- kenny, Ireland, June 8, 1919, by Right Reverend George J. Burton, D.D., Bishop of Bristol, England. Since coming to the Diocese, he has served the following places : January 728 Rev. John J. Coin,. Ass't St. John. Quincy. Rev. .John II. Gramke, Pctstor, Holy aiiust. ■hfsiiii-iUc. Hi\. Fuwt'is Gribbin, Pastor, \ \. Pastor, st. Mary, Garlinville. Rev. Georgi B. Hobbs, Ass't, Our Savior, Jacksonville. Rev. Josepb M. a. Hoffman, Ass't. si. Boniface, (.nun,,, . . . Rev. John J. Hogan, Ass't, SS. Peter awl Paul, Collinsville. Rev. .1. .1. Hoi mes, Ass't, st. Mom. vt. Sterling. Rev. Egbert Hi stei:. O.F.M., Ass't, st. Francis, Quim THE DIOCESAN CLERGY 17, 1920, Immaculate Conception Church, Mattoon, Illinois, assistant; October, 1924, St. Joseph Home for the Aged, Springfield, Illinois, chap- lain; January 1, 1926, St. Anthony Hospital, Effingham, Illinois, chap- lain, and, at the same time, pastor of St. Mary Church, Shumway, Illinois. Reverend John Murphy Heslin Father Heslin, born at Carrigallen, Leitrim, Ireland, May 1, 1882, was educated in St. Mary College, Moyne, and St. John Seminary, Waterford, Ireland. Was ordained at Water- ford, Ireland, bv Right Reverend Bishop Sheehan, D.D., June 21, 1908. Since his coming to this Diocese, he has served in the following places: October, 1908, St. Mary Church, Marshall, Illinois, assistant; Septem- ber, 1913, Immaculate Conception Church, Shelbyville, Illinois, pastor; July, 1919, Holy Trinity Church, Stonington, Illinois, and November, 1921, St. Agnes Church, Hillsboro, where he now resides. Reverend Daniel Joseph Higgins Father Higgins, born at Limerick, Ireland, March 17, 1881, was edu- cated in St. Patrick Classical School, Bruff, County Limerick, Ireland, and St. Patrick College, Thurles, Ireland. Was ordained June 16, 1907, by Most Reverend Archbishop Thomas Fen- nally, D.D., in St. Patrick Cathedral, Thurles, Ireland. Since his ordina- tion, he has been appointed to the fol- lowing places : September 10, 1907, St. Agnes Church, Springfield, Illi- nois, assistant; October 1, 1914, An- nunciation Church, Bunker Hill, Illi- nois, pastor, July 1, 1919, Assumption Church, Assumption, Illinois. Reverend George Eustace Hobbs Father Hobbs, born at Jacksonville, Illinois, November 8, 1898, was edu- cated in Routt College. Jacksonville, Illinois; Quincy College, Quincy, Illi- nois; Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri, and DePaul Univer- sity, Chicago. Was ordained by Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D., in Kenrick Seminary Chapel, June 10, 1922. On July 1, he was appointed assistant of Our Saviour Church, Jacksonville, Illinois. Father Hobbs has the degree, A.B. Reverend Joseph M. A. Hoffmann Father Hoffmann, born March 27, 1877, at Quincy, Illinois, was edu- cated in Quincy College, Quincy, Illi- nois ; Mt. Angel, Oregon, and Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Was ordained June 11, 1927, by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., in the Chapel of St. Joseph Home for the Aged, Springfield, Illi- nois. Since his ordination he has been laboring as assistant of St. Boni- face Church, Quincy, Illinois. Reverend John J. Hogan Father Hogan, born at Kilmallock, Ireland, on July 21, 1896, was edu- cated in St. Munchin College, Lim- erick, Ireland, and St. John College, Waterford, Ireland. Was ordained priest June 15, 1919, in the Cathedral at Waterford, Ireland, by Right Rev- erend Bernard Hackett, D.D., Bishop of Waterford and Lismore. Since his coming to the Diocese, he has been assigned to the following places : November 18, 1919, St. Mary Church, 729 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Marshall, Illinois, assistant; Septem- ber 15, 1923, St. Mary Church, Paw- nee, Illinois, assistant, and July 4, 1924, SS. Peter and Paul Church, Collinsville, Illinois, where he now resides. Reverend August M. Hohl Father Hohl, born of German par- ents at Springfield, Illinois, August 26, 1880, received his education in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy Illi- nois, and the Grand Seminary, Mon- treal, Canada. Most Reverend Henry Moeller, D.D., ordained him priest June 21, 1907, in the Cathedral at Cincinnati, Ohio. Since his ordina- tion Father Hohl has labored in the following places: June 21, 1907, St. John Church, Quincy, Illinois, assist- ant, and November 30, 1917, Forty Martyrs Church, Tuscola, Illinois, pastor, with Villa Grove for a mis- sion. Since that time he has erected a beautiful brick church at Tuscola. He is now, in 1927, pastor of St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois, with St. Jacob and Pocahontas as missions. ,i> James Joseph Holmes Father Holmes, born January 5, 1899, in the County of Limerick, Ire- land, received his education in the Christian Brothers College, St. Kier- an Seminary, and the University of Dublin. Was ordained by Right Rev- erend Bishop Downey, D.D., of the Diocese of Ossory, in Kilkenny, Ire- land, June 10, 1923. Since his com- ing into the Diocese, he has served as assistant of St. Mark Church, Venice, Illinois, September 10, 1923, and St. Mary Church, Mt. Sterling, Illinois, July 7, 1925, a position which he now holds. Reverend James Joseph Howard, D.D., M.R. Reverend Doctor Howard, born August 19, 1859, of Irish parents, at St. Paul, Minnesota, was educated in the Sacred Heart College, Ruma, Illi- nois, Diocesan College, of the Diocese of Alton, Alton, Illinois, St. Theresa Academy, Grand Seminary, Montreal, Canada, and North American College, Rome, Italy. Was ordained priest on June 3, 1882, by his Eminence Car- dinal Monaco Le Valletta. Whilst at- tending the pontifical College "De Propaganda Fidei," he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity. On his return to the United States in August, 1883, was appointed assistant at the old Cathedral, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton, Illinois, was made pastor of St. Catherine Church, Virden, Illi- nois, November, 1887, and in October, 1888, was assigned pastor of St. Ag- nes Church, Springfield, Illinois. In 1925 Right Reverend Bishop James A. Griffin, D.D., declared his parish an irremovable rectorate. Reverend Doc- tor Howard is not only a member of the Diocesan School Board and a member of the Board of the Examin- ers of the Clergy, but also a member of the Advisory Board to the Bishop — a Diocesan Consultor. Doctor How- ard built a beautiful up to date school building and rectory in St. Agnes parish. Reverend Louis Hufker Father Hufker was born March 9, 1885, of German-American parents at Alton, Illinois. He received his edu- cation in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, and the University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck Tyrol. Was ordained priest June 19, 1908, in the Cathedral at Cincinnati, Ohio, by Most Reverend Archbishop Henry Moeller, D.D. He holds the degrees A.B. and A.M.. Since his ordination, he has filled the following appoint- 730 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY ments: July 1, 1908, SS. Peter and ition which he still holds. During Paul Church, Springfield, Illinois, as- sistant. June, 1927, he was created pastor of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Springfield, Illinois, a pos- this time, he was active in Boy Scout work and directed the activities of the Catholic Instruction League and other social agencies. Reverend Anton Maria Jaschke On December 6, 1883, Father Jaschke was born at Bendorf, (Rhein) Germany. Was educated in the Gym- nasium in Ehrenbreitstein, Mission- ary Seminary at Limburg (Lahn) and Mt. St. Mary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio. Was ordained priest June 21, 1907 by Most Reverend Henry Moel- ler, D.D. Father Jaschke was assign- ed to the following places after his or- dination : July 2, 1907, St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois, assistant ; October, 1907, St. Joseph Hospital, Highland, Illinois, chaplain, attend- ing at the same time the missions, St. Jacob and Pocahontas; December 1, 1910, St. Gertrude Church, Grant- fork, Illinois, pastor ; July 1, 1918, St. Jerome Church, Troy, Illinois, with Black Jack as a mission; July, 1920, St. Joseph Church, Mt. Sterling, Illi- nois ; October, 1924, St. Anthony Hos- pital, Effingham, Illinois, chaplain, with Shumway as a mission, and Jan- uary 6, 1925, St. Joseph Home for the Aged, Springfield, Illinois, chaplain. Father Jaschke specialized in church music and in 1925, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., appointed him Diocesan Director of Music. Reverend Clement H. Johannes Father Johannes, born at Quincy, Illinois, of German-American parents, April 10, 1860, received his intellec- tual training in St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Major Sem- inary and Laval University, Montreal, Canada. Right Reverend Edward Charles Fabre, D.D., Bishop of Mon- treal, ordained him priest at Mon- treal on December 20, 1884. Since his ordination, he has labored in the following places : February 8, 1885, Our Saviour Church, Jacksonville, Illinois, assistant, May 10, 1885, St. Mary Church, Mound City, Illinois, pastor. May 24, 1885, St. Joseph Church, Bloomfield, Illinois, pastor, with Liberty and Camp Point for missions; October 1, 1888, St. Bridget Church, Liberty, Illinois, with Camp Point for a mission; June 30, 1892, St. Michael Church, Michael, Illinois, with Kampsville, and Hardin for mis- sions; November 1, 1895, St. Anselm Church, Kampsville, Illinois, and July 1, 1897, was appointed pastor of St. Louis Church, Nokomis, Illinois. Father Johannes built a beautiful modern school and convent at Noko- mis. He holds the degree, S.T.B. He is a Diocesan Consultor and the Diocesan Director of the Apostleship of Prayer. Since his appointment to Nokomis, he has erected a modern brick school building and Sisters' Convent at that place. Reverend Joseph P. Jordan Father Jordan, born November 28, 1887, at Farmersville, Illinois, was educated in St. Viator College and Seminary, Bourbonais, Illinois. Was ordained September 18, 1920, in the Cathedral at Peoria, Illinois, by Right Reverend Edmund M. Dunn, D.D. Since his ordination, he has served as assistant of St. Mary Church, Taylor- ville, Illinois; pastor of St. Patrick Church, Grafton, Illinois, and on August 27, 1927, was appointed pas- tor of the Forty Martyrs Church, Tuscola, Illinois, with Villa Grove as a mission. 731 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend Michael Kearns Father Kearns first saw the light of day at Sligo, Ireland, on February 23, 1898. Received his College training in Maynooth College, and made his Theological studies in St. Muredach Seminary, Ballina, Mayo. He was or- dained priest on April 22, 1923, at Ballina, Mayo, by Right Reverend James Naughton, D.D. He holds a degree A.B. of the National Univer- sity, Dublin. April 29, 1923, he served as assistant in St. Constantine Church, Govan, Glasgow; May 1, 1926, St. Anthony Church, Govan, Glasgow, and April 29, 1927, in St. Agnes Church, Springfield, Illinois. Reverend Francis Bernard Kehoe Father Kehoe was born March 17, 1869, at Waverly, Illinois. Was edu- cated in St. Mary College, St. Mary, Kansas; Mt, St. Mary of the "West, Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C. Was ordained priest June 17, 1896, in the Seminary Chapel, Cin- cinnati, Ohio, by the Most Reverend William H. Elder, D.D. Father Ke- hoe has attended the Catholic Univer- sity for two years, during which time he specialized in Moral Theology, and Scripture, also held the position as Auditor in English under Stoddard and Egan. Upon the completion of his studies, he was assigned to the fol- lowing places: July 1, 1896, St. Mary Church, Shelbyville, Illinois, admini- strator; June 20, 1897, St. Augustine Church, Ashland, Illinois; July 1, 1898, St. Mary Church, Shelbyville, Illinois; August 1, 1899, St. Joseph Church, Springfield, Illinois, assist- ant; July 1, 1901, St. Mary Church, Neoga, Illinois; September 1, 1902, St. Denis Church, Shipman, Illinois; August 1, 1903, St. Michael Church, Greenfield, Illinois, and September 1, 1907, St. Patrick Church, Alton, Illi- nois. Father Kehoe holds the degrees A.B. and S.T.B. While pastor of Greenfield, he built the present frame church of St. Catherine at Hagaman, Illinois, which he afterwards attended from Greenfield as a mission. Reverend George Joseph Kenney Father Kenney, born February 28, 1889, at Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, re- ceived his training in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, and Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri. The Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D., ordained him priest June 14, 1917, in Kenrick Seminary. Since his ordination, he has been as- signed to the following places: July 1, 1917, Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Springfield, Illinois, assist- ant, and January 24, 1925, St. Cath- erine Church, Virden, Illinois, pastor, with Girard and Standard City, for missions. Reverend Linus G. Kipping Father Kipping, born at Bahner, Pittis County, Missouri, May 22, 1884, of German-American parents, was educated in Conception College, Conception, Missouri, St. Francis Seminary, Wisconsin and Mt. St. Mary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio. Was ordained priest June 16, 1909, by the Most Reverend Henry Mueller, D.D., in the Cathedral at Cincinnati, Ohio. Since his ordination, he has served in the following places: July 1, 1909, St. John Hospital, Spring- field, Illinois, assistant, July 1, 1910, St. Boniface Church, Edwardsville, Illinois, assistant; March 1, 1911, St. Michael Church, Michael, Illinois, pastor; October 1, 1912, St. Elizabeth Church, Mitchell, Illinois; October 1, 1919, St. Alphonsus Church, Brigh- ton, Illinois, with Beltress for a mis- sion, and March 1, 1921, St. Mark's Church, Venice, Illinois, where he now resides. 732 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Reverend John Joseph Klaes Father Klaes, born December 15, 1887, at Weidenbach, Germany, was educated in St. Francis Solanus Col- lege, Quincy, Illinois, American Col- lege, Louvain, Belgium, and Canis- ianum, Innsbruck, Austria. Was or- dained by Right Reverend Sigismund Waitz, D.D., in the Holy Trinity Church, Innsbruck, Austria, June 30, 1915. On October 15, 1915, he was sent as assistant to St. Mary Church, Quincy, Illinois; on April 25, 1919, St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois, and on July 1, 1920, was appointed pastor of St. Jerome Church, Troy, Illinois, with Black Jack as a mission. Father Klaes holds the degrees A.B. and A.M. Reverend Fred W. Klasner Father Klasner, born at Alton, Illi- nois, of German parents, May 24, 1899, was educated in Quincy College, Quincy, Illinois, and Kenrick Sem- inary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Was ordained by the Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D., June 10, 1922, in the chapel of Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Since his ordination, he has been assistant at St. James Church, Decatur, Illinois. Reverend Charles F. Knaperek Father Knaperek, born of Slo- venian parents at Jablonka, Slovakia, September 10, 1896, received his train- ing in St. Procopius College and Ken- rick Seminary, Webster Grove, Mis- souri, was ordained June 13, 1920, by Right Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D., in Kenrick Seminary Chapel, Webster Grove, Missouri. Since his ordination, he has filled the following places : June 30, 1920, SS. Peter and Paul Church, Collinsville, Illinois, as- sistant, and on August 18, 1921, was appointed pastor of the Slovenian Church, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive, Illi- nois. Father Knaperek holds the degree A.B. Reverend Charles H. Krekenberg Father Krekenberg, born in Waren- dorf, Province Westphalia, Septem- ber 2, 1859, made his classical studies at the Gymnasium of his home town and his philosophical studies at the American College, Louvain, Belgium. Was ordained at Simpelfeld, Holland, May 19, 1883, by Right Reverend Bishop Laurent, D.D., exiled Bishop of Luxemburg. Since his ordination, he has been assigned to the following Reverend Anthony Father Kunsch, born in St. Louis, Missouri, of German-American par- ents, January 14, 1882, was educated in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, and Grand Sem- inary, Montreal, Canada. Was or- dained by Most Reverend Paul Bru- chesi, D.D., in St. Jacob Cathedral, Montreal, Canada, December 17, 1904. Since his ordination, he has places : September 22, 1883, SS. Peter and Paul Church, Springfield, Illi- nois, assistant ; February 22, 1884, Sacred Heart Church, Springfield, Illi- nois, first pastor and founder, and July 1, 1920, owing to ill health, was appointed chaplain of St. Vincent Home for the Aged in Quincy, Illi- nois. Father Krekenberg built the Sacred Heart Church, its rectory, school and Sisters' house. George Kunsch, S.T.L. been appointed to these various places: December 29, 1904, St. Boni- face Church, Quincy, Illinois, assist- ant, and March 15, 1920, Immaculate Conception Church, Pierron, Illinois, pastor. Father Kunsch holds the de- grees A.B., A.M., and S.T.L. , and built the present school building at Pierron. 73J DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Revekend Joseph Albert Labno Father Labno, born July 11, 1901, at Chicago, Illinois, of Polish parents, received his education in St. Ignatius College, Chicago, Polish Seminary, Orchard Lake, Michigan, and St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota. Was ordained to the priesthood December 21, 1926, in St, John Hospital Chapel, Springfield, Illinois, by Right Rever- end James A. Griffin, D.D. On Janu- ary 4, 1927, he was appointed assist- ant of St. Mary Church, Madison, Illi- nois, a position which he now holds. Right Reverend Monsignor Louis W. Lammert, R. D. Right Reverend Monsignor Lam- mert was born April 10, 1852, at Iser- lohn in Westphalia, Germany. He was educated in Iserlohn Magdeburg College, Erfurt, in Fulda Seminary and St. Francis de Sales Seminary, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Was or- dained June 29, 1876, in SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Alton, Illinois, by Right Reverend Peter Joseph Baltes, D.D. His first appointment was on July 2, 1876, as pastor pro tempore of St. Henry Church, East St. Louis, Illinois. His subsequent appointments were: August 16, 1876; St. Joseph Church, Cairo, Illinois, pastor; August 1, 1897, St. James Church, Decatur, Illinois, pastor, and January 1, 1896, St. Anthony Church, Effingham, Illinois, where he is still doing splendid work. Monsignor Lammert was appointed member of the Diocesan Matrimonial Board on February 27, 1889, and appointed "Officialis" of the same Tribunal in January, 1926, an office he held up to July, 1927. Was appointed Dean of the Effingham Deanery, November, 1917. He is a member of the Diocesan Board of Examiners of the Clergy and up to November 1, 1927, held the position, "Censor Libro- rum. " His Golden Sacerdotal Jubilee was celebrated in 1926. Father Lam- mert was elevated by Pope Pius XI to the dignity of Domestic Prelate, at the request of Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D. The Bishop invest- ed him with the purple in Aiigust, 1927, in St. Anthony Church, Effing- ham, Illinois, before a large gathering of monsignors, priests and people. Reverend James Landers At Annascaul, County Kerry, Ire- land, on July 31, 1902^ Father Lan- ders was born. He was educated at St. Brendan, Killarney, and in St. Kieran, Kilkenny, Ireland. He was ordained priest by Right Reverend James Downey, D.D., in St. Mary Cathedral, Kilkenny, Ireland, on May 30, 1926. Since his adoption to this Diocese, September 10, 1926, he has served as assistant at St. Patrick, Springfield, Illinois. Reverend Francis J. Lawler Father Lawler, born June 10, 1895, at Quincy, Illinois, was educated in Quincy College, Quincy, Illinois, St. Viator College, Bourbonnais, Illinois, and St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota. Was ordained May 29, ]926, by Right Reverend James A. Reverend George Father Link, born August 17, 1896, at Gillett, Wisconsin, of German American parents, was educated in Griffin, D.D., in the Immaculate Con- ception Cathedral, Springfield, Illi- nois. Since his ordination he has served as assistant in St. Francis Xavier Church, Jerseyville, Illinois. Father Lawler holds the degree A.B. Matthew Link Quincy College, Quincy, Illinois; Kenrick Seminary and St. Louis Uni- versity. Was ordained by Most Rev- 734 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY .■•end John J. Glennon in the chapel <,f Kcnrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri, June 12, 1921. His first nppointment was in July, 1921, when he was sent as assistant to St. Boni- face Church, Quincy, Illinois. His .subsequent appointments were : July, 1922, St. Mary Church, Alton, Illi- nois, assistant, looking after, at the same time, the mission at Brighton, and in 1927, St. Joseph Church, Benld, Illinois, pastor. Father Link holds the degrees of A.B. and A.M. Reverend Optatus Loefler, O.F.M. Father Loeffler, born at Effelder, Cermany, September 19, 1872, was educated in St. Joseph College, Teu- topolis, Illinois, in their House of Studies, Quincy, Illinois, and in St. Louis, Missouri. Was ordained priest by Most Reverend John Joseph Kain, D.D., July 4, 1896, in St. Louis, Mis- souri. Since his ordination, he has filled the following positions : 1897, Indian Missions, Ashland, Wisconsin ; 1900, Indian Missions, Harbor Springs, Michigan; 1908, Indian Mis- sions, Odanah, Wisconsin. In 1918, he was appointed pastor of St. Fran- cis Solanus Church, Quincy, Illinois, with St. Antonius, Illinois, for a mis- don. In 1927, Father Loeffler was appointed Vice Provincial of the Franciscan Fathers of the Sacred Heart Province. Reverend Francis Augustine Lucius Father Lucius was born on July 30, 1882, at Bismarck, Missouri, of Ger- man-Irish parents. Was educated in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, and St. Mary Seminary, Bal- timore, Maryland. Was ordained priest June 19, 1908, by the late James Cardinal Gibbons, D.D., at Bal- timore, Maryland. Since his ordina- tion, he has labored in the following places : July 1, 1908, St. Boniface Church, Quincy, Illinois, assistant ; September 1, 1908, St. Thomas Church, Newton, Illinois, with Die- terich as a mission; March 1, 1910, St. Mary Church, New Berlin, Illi- nois, and January 1, 1911, Church of the Visitation, Alexander, Illinois, pastor. Father Lucius holds the de- grees A.B. and A.M. Reverend John Lupton Father Lupton, born at Newry, Ireland, June 14, 1874, received his education in St. Colman College, \ewry, Ireland ; Irish College, Rome, and Propaganda College, Rome, Italy. Was ordained June 4, 1898 by His Eminence, Cardinal Cassetta in St. John Lateran Basilica, Rome. His first appointment took place in July, 1898, when he was sent as assistant to Annaclone and Drumballaroney, Ire- land. His subsequent appointments were : October, 1900, Banbridge, Ire- land, assistant; March, 1903, Lough- briekland, Ireland ; November 3, 1905, St. Augustine Church, Ashland, Illi- nois, assistant; February 19, 1909, St. Mary Church, Pawnee, Illinois, pas- tor, with South Fork for a mission and on January 22, 1925, St. Thomas Church, Newton, Illinois, a position which he now fills. Reverend Dominic Francis Lydon Father Lydon, born August 28, 1891, in Shammar County, Mayo, Ire- land, was educated in St. Nathy Col- lege, Ballagliaderrin and All Hallows, Dublin, Ireland ; Catholic University of Ireland, and Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C. Was or- dained June 20, 1920, in All Hallows College, Dublin, Ireland. Since his coming to the Diocese, he has labored in the following places: 1921, Visita- tion Church, Illiopolis, Illinois, assist- 735 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ant, and 1922, St. Mary Church, Mt. Sterling, Illinois. During his scholas- tic term, 1925-26, he attended the Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C, and in 1926-27, specialized in school administration work in St. Louis University. In the fall of 1927, he was sent to Routt College, by Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., and took up his duties as Dean of Studies and professor. Father Lydon holds the degrees A.B. and A.M. Reverend Patrick J. Mallot Father Malloy, born October 25, 1889, in Queen's County, Ireland, was educated in St. Thomas Aquinas Col- lege, Columbus, Ohio, and Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D., ordained him priest December 21, 1918, in Kenrick Seminary Chapel. Since his ordination, Father mission. Reverend Bernard N. Manning Malloy has been assigned to the fol- lowing places : January 15, 1919, St. Mary Cathedral, Lincoln, Nebraska, assistant; October 20, 1921, St. Pat- rick Church, Alton, Illinois ; June 29, 1924, St. Alphonsus Church, Brigh- ton, Illinois, with St. John the Evan- gelist Church, Medora, Illinois, as a Father Manning, born February 20, 1886, at Ballymahon, County Long- ford, Ireland, received his education in St. Mel College, Longford, Ireland, and St. John Seminary, Waterford, Ireland. Was ordained priest June 19, 1910, in St. Patrick Seminary, at Maynooth, by Most Reverend William J. Walsh, D.D. Since his coming to the Diocese, he has served the follow- ing places : October 30, 1910, St. Pat- rick Church, Alton, Illinois, assistant, and on July 1, 1910, pastor of St. Barbara Church, Witt, Illinois, where he now resides. Reverend Marc S. Marangos, Ph. D. Father Marangos,, born February 2, 1894, at Sira, Greece, of Hellenes parents, was educated in the Lyceaum Leonianum, Collegium Urbanum and Propaganda University, Rome. Was ordained by His Eminence, Basilio Cardinal Pompili, D.D., in Rome, Italy, March 30, 1918. Since his com- ing into the Diocese, has worked in the capacity of a missionary and later assigned administrator of the Sacred Heart Church, Livingston, Illinois, where he now resides. Reverend John Marion Father Marion, born of American parents, January 13, 1883, at Leroy, Wisconsin, received his classical edu- cation in St. Lawrence College, Cal- ven, Illinois, and theological training in Mt. St. Mary Seminary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio. Most Rever- end Henry Moeller, D.D., ordained him priest in St. Peter Cathedral, Cincinnati, Ohio, June 21, 1907. His first appointment was to St. Thomas Church, Newton, Illinois, assistant, on June 30, 1907. His subsequent ap- pointments were assistant of St. Boni- face Church, Quincy, Illinois, June 29, 1908; pastor of St. Alphonsus Church, Brighton, Illinois, June 30, 1911, and pastor of St. Ann Church, Edgewood, Illinois, July 1, 1919. 736 ^> ^1 ■ -* F. C. WcHLEPPHORST, Ass't, St. Anthony, Effingham. THE DIOCESAN CLERGY him priest at St. Louis, Missouri, on June 9, 1899. Since his ordination, he has labored in the following par- ishes : June 9, 1899, St. Anthony Church, Effingham, Illinois, assist- ant; July 1, 1903, St. Mary Help of Christians Church, Green Creek, Illi- nois, pastor, and September 1, 1911, St. James Church, Decatur, Illinois. Father Ostendorf not only beautified the Church property, but also erected a magnificent school at Decatur. Reverend William O 'Sullivan Father 'Sullivan, born at Coach- ford, County Cork, Ireland, Septem- ber 20, 1888, was educated in the Christian Brothers College, Cork, and St. Patrick Seminary, Carlow, Ire- land. Was ordained by Right Rever- end Patrick Foley, D.D., Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, in the College Chapel at Carlow, Ireland, May 25, 1913. His first appointment after coming to the Diocese was October 1, 1913, when he was sent as assistant to St. Mary Church, Marshall, Illinois. His subsequent appointments were : October 1, 1915, Immaculate Concep- tion Church, Springfield, Illinois, as- sistant ; November 6, 1926, St. Patrick Church, Pana, Illinois, administrator, and May, 1927, Holy Trinity Church, Stonington, Illinois, a position which he now fills. Reverend Maximilian Joseph Philipp Father Philipp, born April 29, 1873, at Springfield, Illinois, of Ger- man parents, received his entire train- ing in the Pontifical College Joseph- inum, Columbus, Ohio. Was ordain- ed priest, July 2, 1900, in the Pon- tifical College Josephinum, by His Excellency, Sebastian Martinelli, Apostolic Delegate. On July 15, 1900, he was appointed professor in the Pontifical College Josephinum and chaplain of the Sisters of Notre Dame at Columbus, Ohio. Father Philipp taught Natural History, Zoology, Botany, Universal History, German and Higher Geography. Whilst at Josephinum, he founded a Natural Science Museum. Reverend William Arthur Pietsch Father Pietsch, born at Berlin, Germany, on February 7, 1875, was educated in the Royal Gymnasium, Germanicum, Germany, and the Gre- goriana University, Rome, Italy. Was ordained priest September 1, 1906, in St. Patrick Cathedral, Lead, South Dakota, by Right Reverend John N. Stariha, D.D. His first appointment was at St. Mary Church, Alton, Illi- nois, in July, 1907, as assistant. His subsequent appointments were : July, 1908, SS. Peter and Paul Church, Collinsville, Illinois, assistant; Oc- tober, 1910, St. Paul Church, High- land, Illinois ; December, 1910, Holy Ghost Church, Jerseyville, Illinois, pastor; August, 1914, Sacred Heart Church, Lillyville, Illinois; August, 1918, St. Mary Church, Pierron, Illi- nois; August, 1920, St. Bridget Church, Liberty, Illinois, and August 7, 1927, St. John the Baptist Church, Areola, Illinois. Father Pietsch has specialized in Archaeology. Reverend Joseph Postner Father Postner, born May 27, 1861, at Dayton, Ohio, of German-Ameri- can parents, was educated in St. Francis Gymnasium, Cincinnati, Ohio, and St. Francis Seminary, Mil- waukee, Wisconsin. Was ordained priest June 24, 1884, by Right Rever- end Peter J. Baltes, D.D. Since his ordination, he has labored in these various parishes : August 5, 1884, St. 745 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS W, | H JV Mary Church, Shawneetown, Illinois, pastor ; January 23, 1885, St. Mary Church, Paris, Illinois ; July 15, 1898, St. Michael Church, Staunton, Illi- nois, and June 1, 1907, St. John the Baptist Church, Quincy, Illinois. In 1927, he built a large modern convent for his school Sisters. Reverend George Harold Powell Father Powell, born at Alton, Illi- nois, of Irish-American parents, May 5, 1894, was educated in Quincy Col- lege, Quincy, Illinois, Kenrick Sem- inary, Webster Grove, Missouri, Apos- tolic Mission House and Catholic Uni- versity of America, Washington, D. C. Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D., ordained him priest June 10, 1922, in Kenrick Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. Since his ordination he has been appointed to the following places: July 1, 1922, St. Michael Church, Staunton, Illinois, assistant; October 1, 1923, St. Joseph Church Granite City, Illinois, assistant, and member of the Diocesan Mission Band. He served in the Army Infan- try, May, 1918, to November of the same year and qualified for commis- sion. Reverend William Lawrence Quatman On April 3, 1877, Father Quatman was born at Altamont, Illinois, of Ger- man-Irish parents. Was educated in St. Joseph College, Teutopolis, Illinois; St. Francis College, Quincy, Illinois, and Mt. St. Mary of the West Sem- inary, Cincinnati, Ohio. On June 21, 1903, was ordained priest in the Chapel of Mt. St. Mary Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio, by Most Reverend Archbishop Henry Moeller, D.D. As i'.ssistant, he served July 1, 1903, St. Anthony Church, Effingham, Illinois ; September 1, 1903, St. Patrick Church, Decatur, Illinois; July 1, 1905, St. Patrick Church, Pana, Illi- nois ; on June 1, 1906, he was appoint- ed first resident pastor of the Forty Martyrs Church, Tuscola, Illinois, or- ganizing at the same time the Sacred Heart congregation at Villa Grove, Illinois; December 1, 1917, was trans- ferred to the pastorate of St. Michael church, Sigel, Illinois, and August 21, 1927, pastor of the Sacred Heart church in the Episcopal City. Since his appointment to Sigel, he has served as the ' ' Defensor Vinculi ' ' on the Matrimonial court of the Diocese. Reverend Daniel J. Quinn Father Quinn was born July 4, 1881, of American parents at Spring- field, Illinois. He made his classical studies in St. Francis Solanus Col- lege, Quincy, Illinois; his theological studies in St. Meinrad, Indiana. Was ordained June 5, 1909, in the Sem- inary Chapel of St. Meinrad, by Right Reverend Dennis O'Donaghue, D.D. Since his ordination, he has labored in the following places : June 15, 1909, St. Benedict Church, Auburn, Illi- nois, assistant, and November 1, 1913, was appointed pastor of the same church, a position which he still holds. Father Quinn built the St. Joseph brick church at Chatham, Illinois. Chatham is a mission of Auburn. Reverend Joseph A. Reis Father Reis, born November 2, 1884, at Quincy, Illinois, was educated in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, St. Nicolaus Convic- tus, Innsbruck, and Imperial Univer- sity, Innsbruck, Austria. On July 26, 1911, he was ordained priest by Right Reverend Francis Larand, D.D., Bishop of Brixen, Tyrol, Aus- tria, in the Church of the Holy Trin- 746 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY ity, Innsbruck, Austria. Since his or- dination, he has been appointed to these various places: October 1, 1911, St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois, assistant; November 10, 1915, St. Vincent Home for the Aged, Quincy, Illinois, first resident chaplain, De- cember 1, 1917, St. John the Baptist Church, Quincy, Illinois, assistant, and on July 5, 1924, he was appointed pastor of the Sacred Heart Church, Oconee, Illinois, where he still re- sides. Reverend Lubert Riesen, M.R. On July 10, 1852, Father Riesen was born of German parents at Sten- dal, Saxony. He was educated in the German Gymnasium, Mt. St. Mary Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio, Wurz- burg and Tubingen in Germany, and in the University of Louvain, Bel- gium. On the completion of his studies, he came to Alton, Illinois, and on June 29, 1876, was ordained priest by Right Reverend Peter J. Baltes, D.D., Bishop of Alton. He remained with Bishop Baltes about two years, and attended poor missions. In 1879, he was appointed to Flora, Illinois, and attended the missions, Edgewood, Salem, Fairfield and Enfield, Illinois. Tn ten years he was transferred to Murphysboro, Pinkneyville, Dubois and Freedom; October, 1887, Sigel, Illinois. In October, 1896, was ap- pointed irremovable rector of SS. Peter and Paul Church, Springfield, Illinois, where he still resides. Father Riesen celebrated his Golden Sacer- dotal Jubilee, June 27, 1926. On this occasion, the Papal Blessing, cabled from Rome, was read. Solemn Mass Coram Episcopo was celebrated by the Jubilarian. Reverend Andrew Elliott Robinson, S.T.L. Father Robinson, born at Cleator, Moor, England, December 22, 1892, of Irish parents, was educated in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illi- nois, Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri, and the Catholic University of America. He was or- dained December 21, 1918, in Kenrick Seminary Chapel, Webster Grove, Missouri, by Most Reverend Arch- bishop John J. Glennon, D.D. His first appointment occurred January 1, 1919, when he was sent as assistant to St. Patrick Church, Pana, Illinois. His subsequent appointments were : June, 1924, chaplain of Camp Col- gan, Springfield, Illinois; August 15, 1926, St. Mary church, Carlinville, Illinois, pastor pro tempore, and on October 13, 1926, St. James Church, Riverton, Illinois. Father Robinson specialized in Church History and Canon Law in the Catholic Univer- sity of America and Rome. He holds the degrees, S.T.L. and J.C.B. Very Reverend Dennis J. Ryan, R.D. Dean Ryan, born August 5, 1876, at Alton, Illinois, of Irish-American par- ents, was educated in St. Joseph Col- lege, at Teutopolis, Illinois, Our Lady of Angels Seminary, Niagara Falls, N. Y., and the Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C. Was or- dained priest June 1, 1901, at Buffalo, New York, by Most Reverend Arch- bishop Quigley, D.D. His first ap- pointment was that of assistant of St. Joseph Church, Springfield, Illinois, July 1, 1901. His subsequent ap- pointments were : June, 1902, St. Denis Church, Shipman, Illinois, pas- tor; June, 1903 St. Mark Church, Winchester, Illinois; 1904, St. Bene- dict Church, Auburn, Illinois. From Auburn, Illinois, aided by Father Quinn, he took care of St. Bernard's Church, Glenarm, Illinois, Sacred Heart Church, Divernon, Illinois, St. Mary Church, Pawnee, Illinois, and St. Michael Church, South Fork, Illi- 747 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS nois. In 1913, he was appointed pas- tor of St. Joseph Church, Granite City, Illinois. Dean Ryan has the dis- tinction of being the first member of the Diocesan Mission Board and later becoming its leader. In 1925, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., ap- pointed him Dean of the Alton Dean- ery. Dean Ryan holds the degrees A.B. and S.T.B. He built the new combination Church and School at Granite City. Reverend Lawrence C. Ryan Father Ryan was born at Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland, on April 23, 1883 ; was educated in St. Patrick College and St. Peter Seminary, Ire- land, and ordained priest on June 14, 1908, by Most Reverend Abraham Brownrigg, D.D., in the Cathedral of St. Kieran, Kilkenny. Since his or- dination he ministered at the follow- ing places : October 1, 1908, Immacu- late Conception Church, Springfield, Illinois; October 12, 1912, St. Sebas- tian Church, Waverly, Illinois; and St. Catherine Church, Hagaman, Illi- nois; June 1, 1919, St. Mary Church, Farmersville, Illinois. During his pastorate at Farmersville, he erected a magnificent combination grade and high school. In the early part of 1927 he took ill and is now on sick leave. Reverend Morgan Ryan Father Ryan, born January 12, 1888, in Upper Church, Thurles County, Tipperary, Ireland, received his college training in Mount Mellray, "Waterford, and his theological train- ing in St. John Seminary, Waterford, Ireland. On June 21, 1914, he was ordained by Right Reverend Bishop Sheehan, D.D., in St. John Church, Waterford, Ireland. Since his com- ing to this Diocese, he has served in the following places : October 1, 1920, St. Theresa Academy, Decatur, Illi- nois, chaplain ; June 2, 1925, St. Fran- cis Hospital, Litchfield, Illinois, chap- lain, and January 2, 1926, St. Vincent Hospital, Taylorville, Illinois, chap- lain, a position which he now holds. Reverend Charles Cornelius Sandon Father Sandon, born March 7, 1897, at Decatur, Illinois, was educated in Quincy College, Quincy, Illinois, and Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri. His first appointment as priest, June 30, 1922, was that of as- sistant at St. Clara Church, Alta- mont, Illinois, attending at the same time the missions Shumway, St. Elmo, and Avena. His subsequent appoint- ments were : September 1, 1924, Sac- red Heart, Springfield, Illinois, chap- lain ; January 14, 1925, Immaculate Conception Church, Springfield, Illi- nois, assistant ; May 1, 1926, St. Theresa Academy, Decatur, Illinois, chaplain, and on June 1, 1926, was appointed assistant at Our Saviour Church, Jacksonville, Illinois, filling at the same time the position of Direc- tor of Athletics at Routt College of that city. Father Sandon holds the degree A.B. Reverend Edmund Joseph Scanlan Father Scanlon, born October 30, 1892, at Gurtmagee, Killaloe, County Clare, Ireland, was educated in St. Flannan College, Ennis, All Hallows College, Dublin and the National Uni- versity of Ireland. He was ordained May 5, 1918, in All Hallows College, by Right Reverend Edward Mulhern, D.D. In April, 1918, he was appoint- ed assistant at St. Peter Church, Quincy, Illinois, and in 1927, pastor of St/ Bridget Church, Liberty, Illi- nois. He is at present acting as as- sistant editor of the Western Catholic, published at Quincy, Illinois. He holds the degree A.B. 748 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Reverend Stephen Father Schauwecker, born at West- phalia, Missouri, January 29, 1876, of German-American parents, was edu- cated in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, and Mt. St. Mary- Seminary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio. Was ordained by Most Rever- end Henry Mueller, D.D., in St. Peter C. Schauwecker Cathedral, Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 16, 1909. On July 1, 1909, was ap- pointed assistant in Alton Illinois, and on June 1, 1919, pastor of St. Joseph Church, Meppen, Illinois. Father Schauwecker built a large school at Meppen. Reverend Francis Clement Schlepphorst Father Schlepphorst, born at Quincy, Illinois, December 30, 1897, of German American parents, re- ceived his classical education in Quincy College and Seminary, Quincy, Illinois, and Kenrick Sem- inary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D., or- dained him priest June 10, 1922, in Kenrick Seminary Chapel, Webster Grove, Missouri. Since that time, he has served as assistant of St. Anthony Church, Effingham, Illinois. He holds the degree A.B. Reverend Henry Bernard Schnelton Father Schnelten, born January 31, 1892, of German-American par- ents, at Quincy, Illinois, was educated in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, and Mt. St. Mary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio. Was or- dained May 29, 1915, in the Cathe- dral at Cincinnati, Ohio, by Most Reverend Henry Moeller, D.D. Since his ordination, he has served in the following places: June 10, 1915, St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois, as- sistant, attending at the same time the two missions, St. Jacob and Pocahon- tas; July 1, 1918, St. Gertrude Church, Grantfork, Illinois, pastor; June 1, 1919, St. Mary Church, Alton, Illinois, assistant, and July 1, 1924, St. Mary Church, Brussels, Illi- nois, pastor. Reverend David L. Scully Father Scully, born May 6, 1893, at Ballyagrou, Limerick, Ireland, re- ceived his education in St. Viator Col- lege, Kankakee, Illinois, Mt. St. Mary of the West Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Catholic University and Apostolic Mission House, Washing- ton, D. C. Was ordained June 17, 1916, in the Cathedral at Cincinnati, Ohio, by Most Reverend Moeller, D.D. Since his ordination he has filled the following positions : June 1, 1916, St. Joseph Church, Granite City, Illi- nois, assistant, and November 1, 1924, St. Mary Church, Madison, Illinois, pastor. Since his appointment to Madison, Illinois, he has built a mag- nificent combination school and church building. Father Scully has written a book, "My Master's Busi- ness," published by Herder Book Company and for four years labored as a member of the Diocesan Mission Band. Reverend Michael Sheehy Father Sheehy, born September 27, 1895, at Ballingam, Limerick, Ire- land, was educated in St. Munchins College, Limerick, Ireland, and St. John Seminary, Waterford, Ireland. Was ordained by Right Reverend Bernard Hackett, D.D., June 15, 1919, at the Cathedral at Waterford, Ireland. Since his coming to the Dio- cese, he was appointed assistant at St. John Church, Carrollton, Illinois, on December 28, 1919, and on November 1, 1921, was appointed pastor of St. Michael Church, Michael, Illinois, where he now resides. 749 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend Francis Sheils Father Sheils was born on March 28, 1883, in Crosskeys, County Cavan, Ireland. Was educated in St. Patrick College, Kilmore; St. Patrick Sem- inary, Carlow, and Royal University. Was ordained priest June 14, 1908, in St. Patrick Seminary Chapel, Ire- land, by Right Reverend Patrick Foley, D.D. Since his ordination, he has filled the following appointments : October 8, 1908, as assistant at St. Patrick Church, Pana, Illinois; Oc- tober 1, 1910, St, Barbara Church, Witt, Illinois; October 1, 1915, assist- ant at St. Francis church, Jerseyville, Illinois; February 14, 1926, assistant at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Springfield, Illinois. He is now absent on sick leave. Very Reverend Monsignor William Thomas Sloan Monsignor Sloan, born at Long View, Illinois, May 6, 1884, of Irish- American parents, was educated in St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, St. Francis College, Quin- cy, Illinois, Kenrick Seminary, Web- ster Grove, Missouri, and Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C. Was ordained priest June 13, 1916, in Kenrick Seminary Chapel, by Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D. His first appointment July 1, 1916, was that of assistant of Our Saviour Church, Jacksonville, Illi- nois. His subsequent appointments were : August 11, 1919, Sacred Heart Church, Livingston, Illinois, pastor; May 1, 1921, St. Joseph Church, Granite City, Illinois, assist- ant, and June 20, 1924, St. Catherine Church, Virden, Illinois, pastor. Monsignor Sloan prepared himself for mission work in the Mission House at Washington, D. C, and be- came a member of the Diocesan Mis- sion Band, a position which he filled for three years with his headquarters at Granite City, Illinois. In January, 1925, Right Reverend James A. Grif- fin, D.D., appointed him Diocesan Director of the Propagation of the Faith with his headquarters at 1301 West Monroe St., Springfield, Illi- nois. Under his wise management the Propagation of the Faith has made great strides. Computation shows that this Diocese leads all others in per capita donations. In June, 1927, he was elevated by Pope Pius XI to the dignity of Monsignor. (Private Chamberline to His Holi- ness.) Monsignor Sloan holds the degrees A.B. and A.M. Reverend Andrew Smith Father Smith, born August 6, 1880, at Kill, County Kaven, Ireland, was educated in St. Malachy College, Belfast, and Carlow, Ireland. Was ordained in June, 1907, by Right Reverend Bishop Foley, D.D., at Car- low, Ireland. Since his domicile in America, he served the following places: October, 1907, St. Patrick Church, Decatur, Illinois, assistant, and December, 1914, Sacred Heart Church, Franklin, Illinois. In 1925, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., commissioned him to create a new parish in Decatur, Illinois, a task which he successfully accom- plished. He is now pastor of this new combination church and school, known as St. Thomas Church. Reverend Timothy G. Smith Father Smith, born at Butterant, County Cork, Ireland, January 14, 1891, was educated in St. Colman College, Fermoy, County Cork, and St. John College, Waterford, Ireland. Was ordained priest by Most Rev- 750 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY erend Richard Alphonsus Sheehan, D.D., at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, Waterford, Ireland, June 20, 1915. Since his arrival in the Diocese, he has served the follow- ing places: October 26, 1915, St. Mary Church, Marshall, Illinois, as- sistant ; October 23, 1916, St. Theresa Academy, Decatur, Illinois, chaplain ; December 12, 1917, St. Agnes Church, Springfield, Illinois, assistant, and 1927, Sacred Heart Church, Diver- non, Illinois, with Glenarm as a mission. Reverend Peter J. Smyth Father Smyth was born at Ban- agher, Kings County, Ireland, on July 30, 1895. He made his studies in Mt. St. Joseph College, Roscrea; All Hallows, Dublin, and in the Na- tional University of Ireland, where he received his A.B. degree. Was ordained priest, June 22, 1919, in All Hallows, by Right Reverend Bishop Gorman, D.D., of Sierra Leone, Africa. Upon his arrival in the Diocese, the late Bishop Ryan as- signed him on March 1, 1920, to the Visitation Church, Uliopolis, Illinois, assistant; November 9, 1920, SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Alton, Illinois, assistant. In 1926 Father Smyth attended the St. Louis Univer- sity, and today is superintendent of the Marquette Catholic High School at Alton, Illinois. Under his direc- tion, the High School has made un- usual progress. Reverend Christian Augustas Snyder SS. Peter and Paul, 1888, in St. Mein- rad Seminary Chapel by Right Rev- erend Bishop Chatard, D.D. Since his ordination, he has worked in va- rious places throughout the Diocese. Right Reverend Monsignor Edward L. Spalding, V.O. Father Snyder, born at Altoona, Pennsylvania, February 8, 1855, re- ceived his education in St. Joseph College, Teutopolis, Illinois, St. Mary, Kansas, and St. Meinrad, In- diana. Was ordained on the Feast of The history of the Diocese of Springfield for the seventy-five years of its existence would be but poorly and imperfectly assembled unless there was written into its pages a generous and genuine appreciation of the long and fruitful career of its present Vicar General, the Right Reverend Monsignor Edward L. Spalding. Monsignor Spalding is a member of that celebrated family of Ken- tucky Spaldings whose sons have spread such lustre upon the history of the Church in America — Most Reverend Martin John Spalding, Archbishop of Baltimore, author, orator and churchman; Most Rever- end John Lancaster Spalding, Bish- op of Peoria, and later Titular Archbishop of Scitopolis, philos- opher, lecturer, essayist and cultured scholar — and others whose works and accomplishments for God and Church are buried in the seclusions of Religious Life. Of this great family the gifted Maurice Francis Egan writes, "To American Cath- olics, Kentucky has, next to Mary- land, an air of that romance which is, as a rule, the glamor of historical traditions. The position of the Spaldings and other families who stood unfaltering among the perils of faith and patriotism, will always be a point of light in the chronicles of their neighborhood and their states. Kentucky has always stood for manliness, boldness and simplic- ity, and the old family seems to have valued culture rather than mere ped- igree, and character than wealth or intrinsic things. In almost every State of the Union one can find the descend- 751 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ants of the Kentuckians whose Fathers kept the Faith and they are still fighting the good fight." Monsignor Spalding traces his an- cestry back to the family of that name whose members came to Ken- tucky from Maryland shortly after the Revolutionary War ; and still farther back to the Catholics who came to Maryland in the middle of the Seventeenth Century to escape the persecutions in England. He was born at Bardstown, Kentucky, at the beginning of the Civil war, August 17, 1860, the eldest of nine children. As a boy he served Mass in the old Cathedral at Bardstown (now St. Joseph Church), and after finishing his grades in the parochial school, en- tered St. Joseph College in his native town. This institution was for many years the glory and pride of Bards- town. To this seat of learning stu- dents came from many States of the Union, especially from the South ; but after the Civil War it lost much of its patronage. However, when young Edward Spalding sought ad- mission as a student, St. Joseph was still well known as a center of higher learning. After the completion of his course of studies at St. Joseph College, Ed- ward Spalding made application to Bishop John Lancaster Spalding of Peoria to study for that diocese. He was accepted and sent to the Amer- ican College, Louvain, Bulgium, for his philosophical and theological studies. On returning to the United States after his ordination to the priesthood, on June 24, 1887, he was sent as assistant, first to the Very Reverend Dean Weldon, pastor of Holy Trinity Church, Bloomington, Illinois, and after a few months was transferred as assistant to Father James Ryan, pastor of St. Columbia 's Church, Ottawa, Illinois. Realizing the character and worth of his young assistant, Father Ryan when conse- crated Bishop of Alton, three months later, took Father Spalding with him to his See City. Monsignor Spalding was Bishop Ryan's Chancellor throughout his long Episcopate of thirty-five years during the last ten of these, his Vicar General also. At the death of Bishop Ryan he was named by the Consultors Administra- tor of the Diocese. Right Reverend Bishop James Griffin upon his in- stallation as Bishop and the transfer of the See to Springfield, immediately reappointed Monsignor Spalding Vicar General; and at the new Bishop's request, on his Jubilee Visit to Rome in August, 1925, Father Spalding was named Domestic Pre- late to Pius X. The appointment met the most hearty approval of the clergy, who assembled almost to a man at his investiture in the old Cathedral at Alton. Monsignor Spalding's official life in the Diocese extending as it does over more than half the Diamond years, of which this book is a record, has made him the idol and inspiration of the Clergy. A priest of Apostolic spirit and guided by Apostolic stand- ards, he has developed a character re- plete with gentleness and kindness, a disposition always genial and courte- ous and yet with all, possessed of an administrative ability which wins con- fidence, and makes compliance a pleasure. Always the thoughtful, perfect gentleman, cultured and hos- pitable ; always the amiable pastor, gentle, considerate, respected, ad- mired and emulated by each of his many assistants, who were to him always co-workers, never inferiors ; al- ways the patient, prompt and prudent Chancellor, smoothing the difficulties of many a priest; able, tireless and willing at every personal sacrifice to second and support his Bishop with a loyalty that knew no wavering. Monsignor Spalding is today the pride of his Diocese, the idol of its clergy, the priestly priest, the fruit of whose labors, the example of whose priest- hood and the influence of whose per- sonality will long endure and bear fruit in the Diocese of Springfield and far beyond its confines. In the Dia- f52 Rev. Francis Shiels, Ass't, Cathedral, Springfield. Rev. Peteb J. Smyth. Ass't, SS. Peter arid Paul. Alton. Rev. John J. SVi.i.iv.w. Ass't, St. Mam. Paris . Rev. \Y. A Toomky. Ass't St. Mary. Taylorville. Rev. W. 1!. Whalen, Ass't, SS. Peter and Paul. Alton. Rev. A. J. Wolf. Ass't, SS. Peter ami Paul. Springfield. . . . Rev. William Ckoke, Ass't. Cathedral. Springfield. Rev. Victob C. Goyke, Director of Charities Springfield. THE DIOCESAN CLERGY mond Jubilee celebration much of the blessings for which we are today grateful, much of the history of which we are today proud, should be a spe- cial joy to him, for many of the bless- ings and much of the History are of his making, certainly of his inspira- tion. The Diocese would be lonesome without Eight Reverend Monsignor Edward L. Spalding, Vicar General. Reverend Walter Henry Speeman Father Speeman, born at Krefeld, Rhineland, Germany, January 25, 1881, received his education in King William College, Krefeld, Germany, and Holy Cross College, Udem, Hol- land ; Grand Seminary, Montreal, and Laval University, Montreal, Canada. Was ordained on June 29, 1906, by Most Reverend A. Langevin, D.D., in Canada. From 1906-11, he was off duty on account of illness. His first appointment was in 1911, when he was assigned assistant at the Church of St. Louis, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His subsequent ap- pointments were as follows : 1912- 1917, worked as a missionary in Mass- achusetts ; from 1917-1920, assisted at the Holy Family Church, Jefferson Place, Union Hill, New Jersey; in 1921, St. Mark Church, Venice, Illi- nois, assistant; 1921-1923, St. Al- phonsus Church, Brighton, Illinois, pastor; 1924, St. Joseph Church, Springfield, Illinois, and Our Saviour Church, Jacksonville, Illinois, where he substituted; October 15, 1925, Mother of Dolors Church, Vandalia, Illinois, pastor, and 1927, was ap- pointed pastor of St. Elizabeth Church, Robinson, Illinois. Father Speeman holds the degree A.B. Reverend Anthony John Stengel Father Stengel, born September 22, 1874, of German parents in Sanga- mon County, State of Illinois, was educated in St. Francis Solanus Col- lege, Quincy, Illinois, and Kenrick Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. Was crdained priest in the Seminary chapel by Most Reverend John J. Kain, D.D., June 9, 1899. Since his ordination he has labored in the fol- lowing places : July 15, 1899, St. John Church, Quincy, Illinois, assist- ant; June 1, 1907, St. Gertrude Church, Grant Fork, Illinois, pastor; December 1, 1910, St. Mary Church, Brussels, Illinois, and, July 1, 1919, St. Aloysius Church, Litchfield, Illi- nois. Reverend Clement Thomas Stolze, D.C.L. Reverend Doctor Stolze, born April 25, 1890, of German-American par- ents at Edwardsville, Illinois, was educated in St. Francis Solanus Col- lege, Quincy, Illinois, University of Innsbi-uck, Austria, and Leonianum University, Rome, Italy. Was or- dained by the Right Reverend Prince- Bishop Francis, D.D., Bishop of Brixen, Tyrol, on June 27, 1913, at Innsbruck, Austria. Returning to America, he was assigned to the fol- lowing places: August 1, 1913, St. Jerome Church, Troy, Illinois, ad- ministrator ; October 1, 1915, St. John Hospital, Springfield, Illinois, chap- lain ; June 1, 1918, St. Boniface Church, Edwardsville, Illinois, pas- tor, and July 1, 1918, Annunciation Church, Bunker Hill. Doctor Stolze is responsible for the new mission of Wilsonville, Illinois, a mission which lie serves at the present time. Doctor Stolze holds the degree D.C.L. Reverend Joseph Charles Straub Father Straub was born on Novem- ber 4, 1873, at Burgstadt, Bayern, Germany. He was educated in St. Andrew College, Rochester, New York, St. Bernard Seminary, Roch- ester, New York, taking one year post- 753 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS graduate work at the University of Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria. Was or- dained June 11, 1898 at Rochester, New York, by Right Reverend Ber- nard McQuaid, D.D. Since his or- dination he has filled the following places: July, 1899, SS. Peter and Paul Church, Springfield, Illinois, as- sistant ; May, 1905, St. John Hospital, Springfield, Illinois. In September, 1905, he was appointed director of St. John Hospital, and since that time has so enlarged that building as to make it one of the largest hospitals in the Country. He also built a large hospital for the crippled children and those suffering from the White Plague and a Mother house for the Sisters of the III Order of St. Francis, with a chapel costing over a quarter of a million dollars. Reverend Jorw Joseph Sullivan Father Sullivan, born July 6, 1899, in County Kerry, Ireland, received l.is training in St. Brendan College, Killarney, Ireland, and Kenrick Sem- inary, Webster Grove, Missouri. On May 29, 1926, Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., ordained him priest in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Springfield, Illinois. On June 18, 1926, he was appointed as- sistant of St. Mary Church, Paris, Illinois, where he now resides. Reverend James A. Telken Father Telken, born August 2, 1884, at St. Louis, Missouri, of Ger- man parents, was educated in St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illi- nois, Mt. St. Mary Seminary, Cincin- nati, Ohio and St. Louis University. Was ordained priest, June 19, 1909, in the Cathedral at Cincinnati, Ohio, by Most Reverend Henry Mueller, D.D. Since his ordination, he has been appointed to these various places : St. Mary Church, Quincy, Illinois, assistant; St. Aloysius Church, Litchfield, Illinois, pastor; St. Anselm Church, Kampsville, Illi- nois; St. Boniface Church, Quincy, Illinois, assistant; St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois, assistant, and St. Theresa Academy, Decatur, Illinois, chaplain. Right Reverend Monsignor Michael A. Tarrent Monsignor Tarrent was born on July 7, 1879, at Springfield, Illinois. He was educated in St. Francis Sol- anus College, Quincy, Illinois, and St. Mary Seminary, Baltimore, Mary- 1 md. He was ordained priest by the lite James Cardinal Gibbons, D.D., in the Cathedral in Baltimore, Mary- land, on June 21, 1904. The late James Ryan, D.D., Bishop of Alton, assigned him as temporary assistant at the Immaculate Conception Church, Springfield, Illinois, on June 28, 1904. On July 9, 1904, he was called to Alton Illinois, as assistant at the Cathedral. In 1908, he was made secretary to Bishop Ryan. In 1919 he was entrusted with the erection of the much needed new Diocesan Catho- lic Children's Home, a project which he carried successfully to completion in 1922. From 1922 to March 17, 1924, while still secretary to the Bishop, he was appointed superin- tendent of the Home. After the in- stallation of Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., as Bishop of the Dio- cese of Springfield, in Illinois (the old Alton Diocese) Monsignor Tar- rent was appointed Chancellor of the Diocese, and on September 1, 1924, was commissioned to establish a new parish in the southwest part of the Episcopal city. Recognizing his abil- ity and the wonderful works done in the Diocese, the Pope at the instance of Right Reverend James A. Griffin, D.D., elevated him to the rank of Do- mestic Prelate in June, 1927. Mon- signor Tarrent holds the degrees, A.B.; A.M. and S.T.B. 754 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Reverend William A. Toomey Father Toomey was born at Green- hills, Crecora, Limerick, Ireland, on May 3, 1883. Was educated in St. Munchins College, Limerick and St. John Seminary, Waterford, Ireland. Was ordained by Right Reverend Richard Sheehan, D.D., in the Cathe- dral at Waterford, Ireland, June 21, 1908. Since his arrival in the Di- ocese, he has been assigned to these various places : October 1, 1908, St. Rose Church, Quincy, Illinois; Oc- tober 1, 1910, St. Joseph Church, Granite City, Illinois; May 31, 1911, Ascension Church, Mt. Olive, Illi- nois; July 4, 1924, Holy Trinity Church, Stonington, Illinois; October 12, 1924, St. Mary Church, Carlin- ville, Illinois ; June 30, 1925, Immac- ulate Conception Church, Mattoon, Illinois; December 1, 1925, St. John the Baptist Church, Areola, Illinois, and October, 1927, St. Mary Church, Taylorville, Illinois, where he now resides. Reverend Arthur John Vanspeybroeck Father Vanspeybroeck, born at Lille, France, of Belgium-French parents, November 6, 1875, was edu- cated in St. Mary College, Kansas, Grand Seminary, Montreal, and St. John Memramcook, New Brunswick, Canada. Was ordained priest April 20, 1902, at Valley Field, Province of Quebec, Canada, by Right Rev- erend Medard Emrad, D.D. After his ordination, he worked in the Diocese of Concordia, Kansas, and when, on June 26, 1924, he came to this Diocese, he was assigned as as- sistant at St. Patrick Church, Alton, Illinois. On February 2, 1925, was appointed Administrator of St. Mary Church, Pawnee, Illinois, and on July 6, 1925, administrator of St. Rita Church, Kincaid, Illinois. Be- fore his ordination, he was professor of French, English and Latin at the Holy Cross College, Farnham and St. John University, Memramcook, Canada. Father Vanspeybroeck built and paid for a large brick school at Kincaid. Reverend Peter Joseph Virnich Father Virnich, born at Lenders- dorf, County Dueren (Rhineland) of German parents, June 22, 1848, was educated in the Gymnasium at Duer- en; Louvain American Seminary, and Louvain University, Belgium. Was ordained priest July 27, 1873, at Brussels by the Papal Nuncio. Since his ordination he has labored in the following places: December 3, 1873, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Mt. Carmel, Illinois, pastor with St. Francisville, Grayville and St. Sebas- tian as missions; March 23, 1876, St. Agnes Church, Hillsboro, Illinois, pastor, with Nokomis and Raymond as missions and October 25, 1881, was appointed pastor of the Assumption Church, Ste. Marie, Illinois. Father Virnich is Dean of the Diocesan Clergy. He built a church at Ste. Marie which was dedicated on May 24, 1894. In the fall of 1893 he opened a parochial school and in 1926 he saw the completion of a mag- nificent hall. Father Virnich is greatly loved and respected by all and that accounts for his long pas- torate at Ste. Marie, where he still resides. Reverend James P. Walsh Father Walsh was born February 3, 1877, of Irish-American parents at Decatur, Illinois. He was educated at St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, Mt. St. Mary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Creigh- 755 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ton University, Omaha, Nebraska. Was ordained June 21, 1907 by Most Reverend Henry D. Moeller, D.D., in the Cathedral at Cincinnati, Ohio. His first appointment was to St. Benedict Church, Auburn, Illinois, June 25, 1907. His subsequent ap- pointments were: pastor of St. Michael Church, Hume, Illinois, July 1, 1909, then pastor of St. Clare Church, Altamont, Illinois, October 1, 1912, a position he still fills. Reverend John Bernardine Wardein Father Wardein, born March 13, 1870, at Pausram, Moravia, Austria, of German parents, was educated in St. Joseph College, Teutopolis, Illi- nois, St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, and Kenrick Sem- inary, St. Louis, Missouri. Most Rev- erend John J. Kain, D.D., ordained him priest June 12, 1897 in Kenrick Seminary Chapel, St. Louis, Mis- souri. His first appointment was on July 11, 1897, as assistant of St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois, with St. Jacob, Illinois for a mission. His subsequent appointments were : Sep- tember 14, 1905, St. Michael Church, Michael, Illinois, pastor; September 1, 1910, St. Joseph Church, Meppen, Illinois, and June 1, 1919, St. Ger- trude Church, Grantfork, Illinois, a position which he now fills. Reverend Oscar John Wendel Wernet Father Wernet, born of Alsatian parents, December 2, 1877, at Can- ton, Stark County, Ohio, received his college training in St. Jerome Col- lege, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, and theological training in St. Mary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio. Was ordained June 22, 1906, in St. Peter Cathedral, Cincinnati, Ohio, by Most Reverend Henry Moeller, D.D. He received his first appointment July 1, 1906, as assistant of St. Patrick Church, Decatur, Illinois, and Chap- lain at the Wabash Railroad Hospital of that city. His subsequent appoint- ments were : August 1, 1906, St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois, as- sistant; July 1, 1907, SS. Peter and Paul Church, Springfield, Illinois; July 1, 1908, Sacred Heart Church, New Berlin, Illinois; March 1, 1910, St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Newton, Illinois, with Dieterich as a mission, and on November 1, 1910, was appointed pastor of the Immac- ulate Conception Church at Dieter- ich, Illinois. Father Wernet holds the degree, Ph.B. Reverend William B. Whalen Father Whalen was born October 25, 1896, at Grafton, Illinois, of American parents. Was educated at Quincy College, Quincy, Illinois, and Kenrick Seminary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Ordained June 10, 1922, in Kenrick Seminary Chapel by Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D. Since his ordination he has filled the following positions: June 13, 1922, St. Patrick Church, Pana, Illinois, as- sistant, and chaplain of the Huber Memorial Hospital ; March 25, 1923, SS. Peter and Paul Church, Alton, Illinois, assistant and chaplain of the Ursuline Convent of the Holy Fam- ily. Father Whalen has the degree A.B. Reverend Anton Wieneke Father Wieneke, born at Benning- hausen, Germany, January 15, 1869, received his education in the Gymna- sium in Paderborn, Germany, St. Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois, and Mt. St. Mary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio. Ordained by Most Reverend William Henry Elder, D.D., in the Cathedral at Cin- cinnati, Ohio, June 19, 1895. Since 756 THE DIOCESAN CLERGY his ordination he has filled the fol- lowing positions : June 22, 1895, St. Mary Church, Quincy, Illinois, assist- ant; July 13, 1899, St. Jerome Church, Troy, Illinois, pastor, and August 8, 1914, St. Elizabeth Church, Marine, Illinois, pastor. Father Wieneke holds the degrees A.B. and A.M. Reverend Lawrence H. Winking Father Winking, born November 3, 1895, at Quincy, Illinois, received his college training in Quincy Col- lege, Quincy, Illinois, and his the- ological training in Kenrick Sem- inary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Was ordained June 14, 1919 by Most Rev- erend John J. Glennon, D.D., in Kenrick Seminary. He received his first appointment July 1, 1919, when he was sent as assistant to St. Mary Church, Quincy, Illinois. His subse- quent appointments were : July 1, 1920, St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois; July 1, 1923, St. Anthony Hospital, Effingham, Illinois, chap- lain, and September 1, 1924, Immac- ulate Conception Church, Shelby- ville, Illinois, with Sullivan as a mis- sion. Father Winking holds the degrees A.B. and A.M. Reverend Joseph Aloysius Mary Wilson Father Wilson, born September 17, 1864, at East Boston, Massachusetts, was educated in the North American College and Propaganda University, Rome, Italy. Was ordained May 24, 1902, in St. John Lateran, Rome, Italy, by His Eminence Cardinal Respighi. His first appointment, July 10, 1902, was that of assistant to St. Joseph Church, Springfield, Illinois. His subsequent appoint- ments were: March 24, 1905, First Resident Pastor, St. Mary Church, Pawnee, Illinois, with South Fork for a mission; February 15, 1908, Sacred Heart Church, Effingham, Illinois, and October 1, 1915, St. Mary Church, Marshall, Illinois, where he now resides. Reverend Albert John Wolf Father Wolf was born August 23, 1899, Alton, Illinois, of American parents. He was educated in Quin- cy College, Quincy, Illinois, in Ken- rick Seminary, Webster Grove, Mis- souri. On June 24, 1924, Most Rev- erend John J. Glennon, D.D., or- dained him priest in the Cathedral of St. Louis, Missouri. Since his or- dination he has been assigned to the following places: July 12, 1924, St. Boniface Church, Quincy, Illinois ; July, 1927, SS. Peter and Paul Church, Springfield, Illinois. Reverend Bernard Wubbe Father Wubbe, born February 11, 1886, at the Hague, Holland, received his collegiate training in Holland and his theological training in Mt. St. Mary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio. Was ordained priest May 21, 1910, at Columbus, Ohio, by Right Reverend James Hartley, D.D. Since his ordination, he has labored in the following places: 1910, St. Mark Church, Venice, Illinois, assistant ; 1911, St. Mary Church, Quiricy, Illi- nois, assistant; 1912, St. John Hos- pital, Springfield, Illinois, chaplain; 1915, Sacred Heart Church, Oconee, Illinois, pastor; 1924, St. Rita Church, Kincaid, Illinois; 1924, Ur- suline Academy, Springfield, Illinois, chaplain; 1926, Catholic Children's Home, Alton, Illinois, director and chaplain, and 1926, St. Valentine Church, Bend, Illinois, where he still resides. Father Wubbe constructed the school at Oconee. 757 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend Stanislaus Otto Yunker On February 16, 1894, Father Vunker was born of German-Lith- uanian parents at Alexandrowa, Lithuania. He was educated at Til- sit, Germany, in Quincy College, Quincy, Illinois, and Kenriek Sem- inary, Webster Grove, Missouri. Most Reverend John J. Glennon, D.D., ordained him in the chapel of Kenriek Seminary, Webster Grove, on June 10, 1923. Since his ordination he has served the fol- lowing places : June 15, St. Paul Church, Highland, Illinois, assistant ; December 1, 1924, St. Vincent de Paul Church, Springfield, Illinois, pastor. Father Yunker holds a de- gree A.B. Since his appointment as pastor of St. Vincent Church, Father Yunker has had the Church beauti- fully decorated and the Rectory remodeled. 758 CHAPTER XIII THE DIOCESAN SOLDIERY "War is under no circumstances a pleasant or agreeable thing to contemplate, but realities must be bravely confronted, and Catholics would fail in the dis- charge of their duty, both to God and country, if they shirked their responsi- bilities as citizens and proponents and defenders of the right. It is gratifying that Catholics of this country have no apologies to make in this connection. In every war in which our country has been involved, they have played their full part. Men of distinction have arisen out of the Catholic ranks in every such emergency, and it is a matter of just pride that more than the quota of man- power has always been recruited from the Catholic ranks. In another Chapter will be found references to the part played by some distinguished Catholics in other wars, but here it seems sufficient to say that in the great World War of recent memory, although the Catholics are credited with less than one-fifth of the population of the United States, the military forces of the late war were in excess of thirty-five per cent Catholic, and the naval forces in excess of forty-five per cent Catholic according to the reports of the War Department. On this data more than one million Catholics were in the service. Thanks to several earnest men in and out of public office, a fairly accurate record of the late war is in existence and is being put in understandable and permanent order. If we are not able now to give accurate data for the whole of the country, which, no doubt, we soon will be, we at least have been fortunate in securing quite satisfactory data with reference to service men from the Dio- cese of Springfield in Illinois. At the instance of the National Catholic Welfare Association, the Dioceses and Parishes throughout the country were set to work to gather names and records of service men, and, under the direction of Right Reverend James A. Griffin, Bishop of the Diocese, Monsignor Martin J. Foley, Editor and Publisher of "The Western Catholic," prosecuted the work vigor- ously, and, with general co-operation and the assistance of all the pastors and many others, procured the list of names of service men which follows. It is feared that many of the young men who went to the Colors from the Diocese of Springfield are omitted, and if that be so, it is the source of sincere regret. This account is made in no spirit of boasting, but is primarily intended as a tribute to the valiant young men who served their country, and as a recog- nition and appreciation of their labors and sacrifices as well as of the love and patriotism of their parents and families. The records of Catholic men who entered the military or naval establishments of the United States during the World War were accrued from the parishes and societies of the Diocese. No record of the religious affiliations of service men 759 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS generally is maintained by the Government. In order to have such records of our Catholic men, the data had to be gleaned from local sources so as to know who were Catholics. With the approval of the Bishop, the Western Catholic maintained a lively campaign of publicity in behalf of this data throughout 1924. The results were filed with the Bureau of Historical Records of the National Catholic Welfare Conference. This list of recorded service men as it appears was obtained from the N. C. W. C, Bureau of Historical Records. The State of Illinois gave 318,301 men to the Colors. This was five per cent of the War-time population. The population of this diocese at that time of the war was 87,000 souls. On the basis of the state's population under arms, namely five per cent — our representative contribution in the way of man power could not be said to be greater than such per cent of our population, which would call for about 4350 Catholic men from our parishes. There are here listed 5038. The graves of our Catholic dead in the American World War cemeteries overseas have been searched out by the Bureau of Historical Records, N. C. W. C, and blessed by a chaplain at the direction of the N. C. W. C. DIOCESAN WAR CHAPLAINS Xo war service made a greater impression upon the men in the service than that of the chaplains, and while all chaplains won the love and esteem of the boys in the camps and in the ranks, none was more truly loved or highly respected than the Catholic priest who was at all times and under all conditions at the behest of the soldier boys, planning and executing for their welfare and well-being. The government recognized the value of a great Chaplaincy and, immedi- ately upon the opening of the war, provided for such a service. Fairness was observed in the distribution of chaplains amongst various religious denomina- tions, and equality in the treatment was reasonably enforced. The Knights of Columbus, with the approval of Church authorities, early offered assistance in supplying chaplains and with the consent of the several Bishops sent priests designated by the Bishop as chaplains in the service, pay- ing the necessary expense of their transportation and maintenance. These chap- lains called "Knights of Columbus Chaplains" were afterwards made official government chaplains and everyone of them rendered valuable service. Several such chaplains were selected from the Diocese of Springfield and served to the best of their ability and opportunities. The following sketches are given both for the interest they must elicit and in honor of the distinguished Diocesan Priests : Reverend Edward A. Broadman Reverend Edward A. Broadman commissioned Chaplain in the U. S. Navy on March 28, 1910, served on the U. S. S. New York in Alongapo, P. I. ; U. S. S. 760 THE DIOCESAN SOLDIERY Maine ; U. S. S. Missouri ; U. S. S. New Hampshire ; U. S. S. Vermont and was for a time at the U. S. Training Station, Great Lakes, Illinois. During the World War, was stationed at Paris Island, C. S. with the United States Marines and at Charleston, South Carolina training camp as Chaplain of the United States Navy in charge of twelve thousand to eighteen thousand men. After the War he served thirty-eight months on the U. S. S. New York, was then sent to Mar Island, California and from there to the U. S. S. West Virginia, becoming Fleet Chaplain of the United States Atlantic Fleet on the Staff of Admiral McKean, U. S. N. in 1925. In September, 1926, he was ordered to the Receiving Ship at San Francisco, California and then to the Training Station, Newport, Rhode Island. Father Broadman has been honored five times by the President of the United States with a commission and now holds the rank of Captain. Prior to receiving his commission in the Navy, he served as Assistant for three years in Mattoon, Illinois, and as pastor of Witt, Illinois, for five years. Captain Edward A. Broadman is now fifty years of age. Reverend John Joseph Connolly Father Connolly enlisted in the United States Army on July 5th, 1918. After extensive training at Camp Taylor, Kentucky, he was assigned to hospital work in both Camp Taylor and Camp Grant. During service he held the rank of First Lieutenant. Reverend James Joseph Dunne Reverend James Joseph Dunne was born in Thurles, Tipperary, Ireland, in the year 1887. He made his primary studies in the National School of his native town, and, being a bright boy, his parents sent him to College. He was ordained a priest in St. Patrick College Chapel, Thurles, Ireland, in 1912. He immediately came to America, reached Alton in September, 1912, and immediately upon arrival was appointed as Assistant to Father Higgins, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, Mattoon, Illinois. On February 8, 1913, he applied for his American Citizenship papers, and on March 6, 1918, his final hearing was held in presence of Judge McNutt in the Mattoon City Court. Towards the end of the war he volunteered to act as a Knights of Columbus Chaplain. His intentions were to go to France as a Chaplain under the auspices of the Knights of Columbus. But the Armistice was signed November 11, 1918, and in December that same year Father Dunne fell a victim to the dreaded Flu. While on a mission of mercy at the beds of stricken ones, he himself was struck down and he died a victim to Influenza-pneumonia on December 7, 1918. His funeral services were held in Mattoon and were largely attended by the clergy and laity. Over forty priests were present at his funeral. Reverend Charles J. Flori Father Flori, now pastor of Saint Joseph's Church, Paloma, Illinois, was accepted as Chaplain of the United States Army in October, 1918, but failed to receive his call to active duty, owing to the armistice. 761 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Reverend Patrick J. Fox During the World War, Father Fox served as Knights of Columbus Chap- lain at Mesves Hospital Center in France from October, 1918, to October, 1919. During this time he was also attached to the Evacuation Hospital No. 24. In April, 1919, he was attached to the Base Hospital 108 at Mesves. Father Fox now holds the Commission of Lieutenant in the Reserve Corps of the United States Army. Reverend Amos E. Giusti Father Giusti was accepted as Chaplain of the United States Army in October, 1918, but owing to the cessation of war, failed to see service. Reverend Joseph P. Munday. Father Munday was born of Charles and Bride Munday, in Litchfield, Illinois, on December 19, 1896. He was educated in the Parochial school in Litchfield, St. Francis College, Quincy, St. Viator, Kankakee, and the Catholic University, Washington, D. C, where he was ordained on October 25, 1908. In 1909, he entered the American College in Rome and made a two year course. When he came back to his home Diocese, he was assigned to Newton as pastor. When the World War came, with the approval of the Bishop, he offered his services as Chaplain. He was accepted in 1918, assigned to Fort Sheridan and served with great fidelity in the Flu epidemic and unfortunately he himself fell a victim and gave his life. 7< THE DIOCESAN SOLDIERY GOLD STARS Killed in Action BAST, John K., St. Boniface, Edwards- yille. BEIERMAN, Frank H., St. Raymond, Raymond. BENSON, Leo W., St. Mary, Pawnee. BENSON, Richard, St. John, Carrollton. BEYERS, Bernard J., St. Patrick, Pana. BINGAMON, Alfred T., St. Patrick, Deca- tur. BROXTON, Geo., St. Alexius, Beards- town. CASSIDAY, Hugh R., St. Louis, Nokomis. CASSIDAY, Leo, St. Louis, Nokomis. CONLIN, Edw. Pius, St. Isadore, Bethany. COOK, Harvey J., St. Michael, Green- field. DEISS, Herman Robt, St. Joseph, Car- linville. DELKER, Ferd, St. Francis, Teutopolis. DEVLIN, Chas. J., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. FERRARI, Henry J., St. James, Riv- erton. FISCHER, Thos., St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. FITZGERALD, Frank, Immaculate Con- ception, Mattoon. FITZGIBBONS, Robt., St. Francis, Jer- seyville. FRISSE, Theo., St. Gertrude, Grantfork. HERKHAUS, Henry W., St. Mary, Alton. HERMAN, Frank, St. Joseph, Carlinville. HOFFMAN, Theo., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. JAGODZENSKI, Joseph, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. JURKOVICH, Samuel, Ascension, Mt. Olive. KEANE, Theo., St. Mary, Alton. KEEFE, Wm., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. KELLEY, John F., St. Peter, Quincy. KELLY, John F., St. Francis, Quincy. KHATZ, Frank, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. KNIERY, Edw. A., Assumption, Litch- field. LACHNY, Geo., Sacred Heart, Virden. LIPPOLDT, Jos. C, St. Mary, Alton. LUBBE, George W., St. Boniface, Quincy. McCABE, Leo, St. Peter, Quincy. MCLAUGHLIN, Peter, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie (Canadian Forces). MAGUIRE, Chas. E., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. MAGUIRE, Geo., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. MAHONEY, Martin, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. MEINHART, John L., St. Joseph, Island Grove. MILEWSKI, Ignatius, O. L. Czestochowa, Madison. MOGAN, Chas., St. Agnes, Springfield. MULRANEY, Wm., St. Barbara, Witt. MURPHY, John J., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. OSTENDORF, Henry N., St. Mary, Ed wardsville. POHLMAN, Francis, St. Mary, Brussels PRANCHEVICH, Ant., St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. REILLY, John And., St. Joseph, Spring field. SCHERER, Carl H., SS. Peter and Paul Alton. SCHROEDER, Henry H., St. Boniface Quincy. SIEPKER, Clem W., St. Peter, Quincy. SIMON, Chas. Henry, St. Patrick, Spring field. SLEKIS, , St. Vincent De Paul Springfield. SOMMERS, Jos. C, St. Joseph, Spring field. SPINNER, Jos., St. Agnes, Hillsboro. STREAKER, Henry, St. Mary, Quincy. SVAGZDJS, Stephen, St. Vincent de Paul Springfield. TERFORD, Arthur C, St. Boniface Quincy. TIMKO, Louis, Sacred Heart, Virden. TOMSCO, Joseph, Holy Trinity, M t Olive. WALSH, Jos. L., St. Mary, Edwardsville WHALEN, Thomas M., St. Patrick, Graf ton. YURKOVICH, Sam, Ascension, Mt. Olive. YURKOVICH, Matthew, Ascension, Mt Olive. 763 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Soldiers Wounded in World War AMBURG, Fred, St. Patrick, Grafton. BARCUS, Peter, Sacred Heart, Divernon. DACY, Wm., St. Joseph, Springfield. DAY, Walter, St. Joseph, Springfield. FELLHAUER, Erwin, St. Paul, Highland. FREEMAN, Curtis, St. Patrick, Grafton. GORMAN, Martin L., St. Isadore, Far- mersville. GREELEY, John, St. Paul, Highland. LYNCH, Stanley, St. Patrick, Alton. McCLINTOCK, Lawrence, St. Patrick, Grafton. MAMMOSSER, Bernard, St. Francis, Teutopolis. OZANIC, Henry, Ascension, Mt. Olive. PETERS, Chas., St. Mary, Neoga PALLFY, Henry, O. L. Czestochowa, Madison. REAVY, Earl, St. Joseph, SpringfleM. REAVY, Geo., St. Joseph, Springfield. RYAN, John, Sacred Heart, Franklin. STEPHENS, Rogers, St. Joseph, Spring- field. WESTENDORF, Aloysius, Immaculatn Conception, Dieterich. Reported Dead ADELMAN, Frank, Sac. Heart, Spring- field. CASSELMAN, Louis, St. Charles, Casey. CLARK, John, SS. Simon and Jude, Gil- lespie. COLEMAN, Matthew, St. Patrick, Alton. DOWLING, Jos. J., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. FEHRENBACH, John, St. Mary, West- woods. FITZGIBBONS, Robert Earl, St. Francis, Jerseyville. FITZSIMONS, Robert, St. Michael, Greenfield. FRANZ, Arthur, Imm. Conception, Springfield. HOGAN, Arthur, St. Patrick, Decatur. KAHRHOFF, Wm. H., St. Louis, No- komis. LOBMIER, Urban G., St. Thomas, New- ton. McBRIDE, Harry, St. Patrick, Alton. RISSI, Bernard, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. SCHNELTEN, Herman, St. John, Car- rollton. VOSS, Henry, St. Aloysius, Bishop Creek. ZIPPRICH, Frank A., Imm. Conception, Carlinville. Died From Effects of War ANERINO, Frank, St. Peter, Quincy. ARTER, Harold, St. Patrick, Alton. BADAMO, Anthony, St. Peter, Quincy. BERGSCHNEIDER, W. J., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. BETZ, Adolph, St. Mary, Alton. BIERMAN, Frank X., Assumption, Litch- field. BOCKHOLD, Jerome, St. Anthony, Quincy. BOEING, Anthony, St. Francis, Quincy. BOGDAJEWICZ, Henry, O. L. Czesto- chowa, Madison. BORDENKIRCHER, Geo., St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. BOUREY, Jos. O., St. Patrick, Pana. BOUREY, Michael R., St. Barbara, Witt. BRAY, Martin, Assumption, Litchfield. BRAY, Wm., Assumption, Litchfield. BROHAMER, Lawrence, St. John, Cof- feen. BUENKER, Edw. J., St. Francis, Teu- topolis. CAMPBELL, Orville, St. Boniface, Quincy. CANNON, Edw. E., Immaculate Concep- tion, Carlinville. CHRISTOPHER, John, St. Barbara, Witt. COAKLEY, Jas. M., St. Louis, Nokomis. COLE, Wilson, St. Louis, Nokomis. CONNOR, Arthur C, St. Ann, Niantic. DERWIN, Edw. SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. DREW, Frank E., St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. DUNIGAN, Mark, St. Elizabeth, Rob- inson. DUNLOP, Geo. A., St. Mary, New Berlin. DUNN, Chas. E., St. Joseph, Springfield. EPLEY, John H., St. Louis, Nokomis. EVANKE, Michael, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. EWEN, Tim, St. Michael, Michael. FEDERER, Edgar W., St. Paul, High- land. FELDHAKE, Otto, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. FERENBACH, John F., St. Francis, Jer- seyville. FITZGIBBONS, John Edw., St. Alphon- sus, Brighton. 764 THE DIOCESAN SOLDIERY GALLAGHER, John, St. Elizabeth, Rob- inson. GANNINGER, Geo. W., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. GILMARTIN, John H., St. Louis, No- komis. GORDEN, Chas. R., St. Elizabeth, Rob- inson. GRAVES, Frank D., St. Joseph, Spring- field. GRIFFIN, Henry J., St. Ann, Niantic. HANNING, Wm., St. Augustine, Ashland. HARNEY, Jos. M., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. HAUGH, Wm. J., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. HAWKINGS, Wm., Ascension, Mt. Olive. HENDRICKS, Gerhard, St. Mary, Brus- sels. HILDEBRAND, Chas., St. Peter, Quincy. HILL, John B., St. Patrick, Springfield. HIRBE, Leo, St. Mary, Alton. HOEFLINGER, Ed., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. HUBERT, Adam, St. Francis, Teutopolis. JONES, John Q., Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. JURGENS, Harry, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. KAHRHOFF, Wm., St. Louis, Nokomis. KELTER, Jas. C, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. KINSELLA, Raymond, St. Joseph, Spring- field. KLEINSNITTGER, Edw., St. Patrick, Alton. KLUG, Edw. Wm., St. Valentine, Bend. KNEBEL, Albert L., St. Paul, Highland. KNOFSKI, Theophil, St. James, Decatur. KOWLOSKY, Jos., St. Patrick, Pana. LAHEY, Robert Leo, St. Francis, Jersey- ville. LIEBLER, Albert, St. Gertrude, Grant- fork. LONG, David, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. LONG, Robert, St. Mary, Edwardsville. McMEANS, Clarence, St. Mark, Win- chester. MANNIX, Walter, St. Mary, Pawnee. MATTHEWS, Dudley, Immaculate Con- ception, Mattoon. MEYER, John, St. Anslem, Kampsville. MEYERS, Alfred, St. Francis, Teutopolis. MICRL, Eugene X., St. Valentine, Bend. MILLER, Chas. Jos., St. Thomas, Newton. MONCKTON, Richard, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. MONCKTON, Thos., St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. MOORE, John M., St. Ann, Niantic. MOSCHENROSE, Edw., St. Thomas, New- ton. MOSES, Jos. F., St. Mary, Brussels. MULVANEY, Dore, St. Thomas, Newton. NIEMERG, Henry J., St. Aloysius, Bishop Creek. NOLAN, Wm., St. Mary, Paris. PERKS, Chas. Pat, St. Catherine, Virden. PETROVICH, Frank, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. PHALM, John S., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. QUATTO, Frank, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. RAEF, Severine A., Assumption, Ste. Marie. REDING, John A., St. Elizabeth, Marine. REISACHER, Frank, St. Louis, Nokomis. RICE, Lorenzo, St. John Baptist, Quincy. ROBB, Francis V., St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. ROURKE, Richard J., Immaculate Con- ception, Mattoon. RUDDEN, Emmet, St. Rose, Quincy. SAUER, Francis C. J., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. SCHERER, Cecil, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. SCHMITT, Chas. J., St. Joseph, Granite City. SCHNEIDER, Henry L., St. Michael, Michael. SCHORLE, Otto, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. SCHUELTEN, Herman, St. John, Carroll- ton. SCHUTTE, John, St. Michael, Sigel. SCHWEHR, Henry L., St. Gertrude, Grantfork. SEROCKEY, Michael, St. Patrick, Pana. SHERLOCK, F., Immaculate Conception, Shelbyville. SKINNER, Wm. Doy, St. Patrick, Girard. SMENT, Jos. Leo, St. Joseph, Springfield. SMITH, Geo., St. Mary, Lovington. SNADDEN, John J., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. SPINNER, Jos., Assumption, Litchfield. SPINNER, Tony, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. STABEN, Carl, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. STISCHAK, Frank, Ascension, Mt. Olive. STRUIF, Leo, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. STUCKER, Frank, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. SUDKAMP, Lawrence, St. Michael, Sigel. TAGGART, Peter, St. Joseph, Buffalo. TIIOELE, Chas., St. Anthony, Effingham. TOPPMEIER, Jos., St. Mary, Brussels. 765 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS VERCRUYSEE, Adolph, St. Clara, Alta- mont. VERNEUIL, Jos., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. VERNICK, Paul, St. Patrick, Pana. VOGEL, Jos. A., St. Peter, Quincy. The Diocesan ABRAMS, Thos. E., St. Patrick, Decatur. ACKER, Ambrose, St. Mary, Alton. ACKER, Andrew, St. Mary, Alton. ACKER, Clement, St. Mary, Alton. ACKER, Frank P., St. Mary, Alton. ACKERMAN, Chas., St. Michael, Staun- ton. ACKERMANN, Aug., St. Michael, Staun- ton. ACKERMANN, Wm. B., St. Michael, Staunton. ADAM, Albert, St. Francis, Teutopolis. ADAM, Hubert, St. Francis, Teutopolis. ADAM, Leo, St. Anthony, Effingham. ADAM, Louis, St. Anthony, Effingham. ADAMS, George, Assumption, Ste. Marie. ADAMS, Harry L., St. James, Riverton. ADELHARDT, George, St. Jerome, Troy. ADOLFS, Frank W., St. Mary, Quincy. ADOLFS, Wm., S., St. Peter, Quincy. AGLES, Chas., St. Mary, Edwardsville. AIELLO, Phil, St. Joseph, Springfield. ALBLINGER, Gus, Assumption, Ste Marie. ALBLINGER, John J., Assumption, Ste. Marie. aLBRECHT, Joseph, St. John, Carrollton. ALBRIGHT, Henry, St. Patrick, Spring- field. ALBRIGHT, Robert W., St. Peter, Quincy. ALBRIGHT, Theodore Jos., Sacred Heart, Springfield. ALBRIGHT, Walter, St. Maurice, Mor- risonville. ALDINGER, Rich., St. Mary, Alton. ALEWELT, Carl, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. ALEWELT, Wm., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. ALHIANS, Jos., Assumption, St. Marie. ALLEN, Chas. L., St. Peter, Quincy. ALLEN, John Cullen, Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. ALLISON, Cornelius, St. Joseph, Spring- field. ALLISON, Joseph, St. Joseph, Spring- field. ALTHAUS, Elmer, Assumption, Ste. Marie. ALTHAUS, Joseph, Assumption, Ste. Marie. ALTHOFF, Ben, St. Francis, Teutopolis. VOGT, Ernest Carl, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. WEIBRING, Herman J., St. Francis, Quincy. WILLIS, Leo, St. Mary, Alton. ZIPPRICH, Frank, St. Michael, Michael. Roll op Honor ALTHOFF, Geo., St. Anthony, Effingham. ALTHOFF, Gerry A., St. John, Quincy. AMAN, Ray L., St. Joseph, Decatur. AMBERG, Frank, St. Peter, Quincy. AMBS, John J., St. Agnes, Springfield. AMBS, Leo J., St. Agnes, Springfield. AMBURN, Thomas H., St. Peter, Quincy. AMEN, Donald P., St. Peter, Quincy. AMKAMP, Walter, St. Boniface, Quincy. AMMANN, Robert H., St. Paul, Highland. AMRHEIN, Carl, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. AMRHEIN, John, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. AMRHEIN, Nic, Sacred Heart, New Ber- lin. AMRHEIN, Wm., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. ANDERSON, George M., St. Peter, Quincy. ANDERSON, John, St. Sebastian, Wav- erly. ANDERSON, Thomas, St. Patrick, Trow bridge. ANDERSON, Wm. H., St. Peter, Quincy. ANDREAS, Henry eleven, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. ANDREAS, John, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. ANDREAS, William, SS. Simon and Jude. Gillespie. ANDREWS, Howard, St. Mary, Paris. ANDRIGHETTI, Louis, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. ANGELL, Herman, St. Joseph, Spring- field. ANGELL, Raymond, St. Joseph, Spring- field. ANTENEN, John, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. ANTEY, Frank J., Assumption, Ste. Marie. APKEN, John H., St. Paul, Highland. APPENZELLAR, Albert, St. James, De- catur. ARDISON, Peter, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. ARING, Robert, St. John, Quincy. ARMBRUSTER, O., St. Joseph, Granite City. ARMSTEAD, Robert, (Colored), St. Patrick, Alton. 766 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR ARMSTRONG, D. Dwight, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. ARMSTRONG, James S., St. Peter, Peters- burg. ARMSTRONG, Ray, Assumption, St. Marie. ARNOLD, Louis, St. Mary, Brussels. ARNOLD, Roman J., St. Francis, Quincy. ARSENAU, Stanislaus, St. James, De- catur. ARTER, Charles, St. Patrick, Alton. ARTH, Edward, St. Jerome, Troy. ARTH, Louis C, SS. Peter & Paul, Col- linsville. ARTH, Raphael A., SS. Peter & Paul, Collinsville. ARTH, Rudolph C, SS. Peter & Paul, Collinsville. ARTH, Walter, St. Jerome, Troy. ARTHUR, Ethrun, St. Maurice, Morrison- ville. ASCHAUER, Albert, SS. Peter & Paul, Springfield. ASCHBACHER, J. O., St. Michael, Staun- ton. ASCHEMANN, Albert, St. Anthony, Quincy. ASCHEMANN, John, St. Anthony, Quincy. ASCHEMANN, Lawrence, St. Anthony, Quincy. ASCHEMANN, Ralph, St. Francis Sola- nus, Quincy. ASCHEMANN, Rudolph, St. Anthony, Quincy. AUFENORDE, Henry J., St. Francis, Quincy. AUFFENORDE, Henry, St. Patrick, Trowbridge. AUSTIN, Jas., Sacred Heart, Effingham. AVENA, Sandro, St. Barbara, Witt. AYLWARD, James, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. AYLWARD, John R., St. Francis, Jer- seyville. AYLWARD, Nich. W., St. Louis, Nokomis. BAALMAN, Herman, St. Mary, Brussels. BACH, Andrew, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. BAHN, George, St. Michael, Staunton. BAILEY, Clarence, St. Patrick, Pana. BALCHIUNAS, Charles, St. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. BALINAS, Stanley, Holy Family, Athens. BALLARE, John E., St. Peter, Quincy. BALTER, John P., St. Peter and Paul, Springfield. BALTHROPE, Edwin, St. Boniface, Quincy. BALTZ, George, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. BANGE, George, St. Mary, Edwardsville. BANGHAT, John, St. Norbert, Hardin. BANNON, Edw. F., St. Patrick, Pana. BANNON, M., St. Patrick, Pana. BANNON, Thomas, St. Patrick, Pana. BANOVIC, John, Ascension, Mt. Olive. BANSBACH, Otto, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. BANTNER, Wm. Emmet, Assumption, Assumption. BARBATTI, Joseph, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. BARBUSCH, Andrew, St. Patrick, Pana. BARCELINO, John, St. Mary, Pawnee. BARCH, Joseph, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. BARGBAUER, Cornelius, Assumption, St. Marie. BARGER, Leo, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. BARGER, Robert Lee, St. Francis Sola- nus, Quincy. BARLAGE, Harry St. Anthony, Effing- ham. BARLOW, John, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. BARRETT, Edw. H., St. Peter and Paul, Alton. BARRETT, Geo. F., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. BARRETT, John, St. Peter and Paul, Alton. BARRY, Joseph F., Assumption, Litch- field. BARRY, Ralph, St. Isadore, Farmersville. BARRY, Richard, St. Patrick, Decatur. BARRY, T. F, St. Boniface, Quincy. BART, Fred, St. Joseph, Springfield. BARTHELME, Lester L., Assumption, Ste. Marie. BARTLING, Chas. A., St. Peter and Paul, Springfield. BARTMAN, Wm. C, St. Aloysius, Litch- field. BARTSCH, Chas., St. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. BARTSCH, Gabriel, St. Joseph, Spring- field. BARUZZINI, Louis, St. Catherine, Vir- den. BARY, Jas. E., Jr., St. Patrick, Decatur. BASLER, Edgar, Immaculate Conception, Pierron. BASSHAMM, Ben M., St. Michael, Green- field. BASSO, Louis, Sacred Heart, Panama. BASSOLO, John, St. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. BAST, Prank M., St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. BAST, Michael, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. BAST, Phillip J., St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. 767 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS BASTIAN. Albert, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. BALER, Frank Joseph, St. Anthony, Effingham. BAUER, George H., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. BAUER, Irvin, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. BAUJAN, F. W., St. Alexis, Beardstown. BAUJAN, G. O., St. Alexis, Beardstown. BAUJAN, H. C, St. Alexis, Beardstown. BAUJAN, P. C, St. Alexius, Beardstown. BAUJAN, Raymond, St. Alexius, Beards- town. BAUM, Edgar, St. Peter, Quincy. BAUM, Louis, St. Peter, Quincy. BAUMANN, Anthony, St. Francis Sola- nus, Quincy. BAUMANN, Ralph, St. Francis, Quincy. BAUMGARDNER, Roy, St. Alexius, Beardstown. BAUREY, Michael, St. Barbara, Witt. BAYER, Earl, St. Mark, Venice. BAYER, J., St. Joseph, Granite City. BEAGHAN, John F., St. Joseph, Spring- field. BEAGHAN, Peter A., St. Joseph, Spring- field. BEALL, John R., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. BEAN, Charles R., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. BEARDEN, Alfred, St. Benedict, Auburn. BEARDEN, William, St. Benedict, Au- burn. BEASLER, Frank, St. Valentine, Bend. BEATTY, Leroy, St. Catherine, Virden. BEAVER, Harry, St. Patrick, Alton. BEAVER, Walter, St. Patrick, Alton. BECHDOLT, Henry B., St Francis, Jer- seyville. BECHLER, Joseph, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. BECK, Alfred, St. Peter and Paul, Alton. BECKER, August, St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. BECKER, Henry C, Sacred Heart, Springfield. BECKER, John J., St. John, Carrollton. BECKER, Joseph, Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. BECKER, Louis, St John Evangelist, Carrollton. BECKER, Roman, St. Patrick, Pana. BECKER, Valentine, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. BECKER, Wm., Sacred Heart, Divernon. BECKER, Wm. J., St. James, Riverton. BECKMIER, Henry, St. Ann, Edgewood. BECKS, Joe, St. John, Quincy. BECKS, Theodore, St. John, Quincy. BEDNAR, Fred, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. BEDNARCHIK, And., Sacred Heart, Virden. BEDUHN, Frederic, Sacred Heart, Springfield. BEEDLE, Harry, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. BEEKER, Roman, St. Patrick, Pana. BEELER, Leon, St. Louis, Nokomis. BEGAN, Jos. M., Sacred Heart, Effing- ham. BEGAN, Louis E., Sacred Heart, Effing- ham. BEHRENDT, Frank J., St. Joseph, Car- linville. BEHRENS, Herman, St. Mary, Brussels. BEISER, Louis, St. Peter and Paul, Alton. BELGER, Arthur, St. Boniface, Quincy. BELL, John, St. Vincent de Paul, Spring- field. BELL, Ray, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. BELL, Wm., St. Vincent de Paul, Spring- field. BELL, Wm., St. Peter and Paul, Alton. BELLAR, Frederick, St. Peter, Quincy. BELLM, John V., St. Gertrude, Grant- fork. BELLM, Arthur, St. Gertrude, Grantfork. BELLM, Philip, Immaculate Conception, Carlinville. BELLM, William, St. Michael, Michaels. BELUIM, John, St. Joseph, Benld. BEMER, Leo, St. Mary, Alton. BENDER, Frank, St. Louis, Nokomis. BENKEN, Bernard B., St. Mary, Brus- sels. BENNES, Frank, St. Patrick, Alton. BENSON, Anthony Leo, St. Isadore, Farmersville. BENTLEY, David L, Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. BENZ, Frank, St. Anthony, Quincy. BERG, Frank L., St. Peter and Paul, Alton. BERGANIA, Alfred, St. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. BERGBOWER, Cornelius, St. Thomas, Newton. BERGBOWER, Leo B., St. Thomas, New- ton. BERGBOWER, Urban B., St. Thomas, Newton. BERGENER, Chas., St. Patrick, Decatur. BERGER, Chas., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. BERGER, Henry L., St. Mary, Alton. BERGFELD, John, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. 768 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR BERGFELD, Vincent, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. BERGHOWER, Hebert, Assumption, Ste. Marie. BERGIN, D. J., St. Patrick, Decatur. BERGIN, Joseph, St. Patrick, Pana. BERGMAN, Herman N., St. Peter, Quincy. BERGSCHNEIDER, Anton, St. Mary, Alexander. BERGSCHNEIDER, D. J., Our Saviour, Jacksonville. BERGSCHNEIDER, Arche, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. BERGSCHNEIDER, Sylvester, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. BERNARD, Emil L., St. Peter and Paul, Springfield. BERNARD, Wm. E., St. Peter and Paul, Springfield. BERNER, Leo, St. Mary, Alton. BERNING, Herman W., Immaculate Con- ception, Mattoon. BERROYER, Emil, St. Patrick, Pana. BERROYER, Wm. L., St. Patrick, Pana. BERSIG, John, St. Rose, Montrose. BERSIG, Henry, St. Rose, Montrose. BERTER, Karl, St. John, Quincy. BERTIN, Henry, St. Patrick, Pana. BERTMAN, Alois, St. Mary, Alton. BERTMANN, Leo E., St. Maurice, Mor- risonville. BERTOLINO, Ernest, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. BERTORELLO, Mike, St. Joseph, Benld. BERTRAM, Frank, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. BERTRAM, John, St. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. BESS, M., St. Joseph, Granite City. BESSING, Herbert, St. John, Quincy. BESSLING, John, St. Boniface, Quincy. BEYERS, Benjamin, St. Patrick, Pana. BEYERS, Henry C, St. Patrick, Pana. BEYERS, Paul L., St. Patrick, Pana. BIAGO, Antonacci, St. James, Riverton. BIANCO, Francis, St. Barbara, Witt. BIANCO, Joseph, St. Barbara, Witt. BIBECKS, Peter, St. Barbara, Witt. BIERMANN, Theo., St. Aloysius, Bishop Creek. BIERSCHENK, Edw., St. Michael, Staun- ton. BIESER, Albert, St. Rose of Lima, Col- linsville. BIGGANE, Jos., F., St. Lawrence, Green- ville. BILECKS, Milse, St. Barbara, Witt. BILLHARTZ, Wm., St. Paul, Highland. BILPUSH, Geo., St. Michael, Staunton. 769 BILUNAS, John, St. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. BINGAMON, Daniel P., St. Patrick, Decatur. BINGAMON, George E., St. Patrick. Decatur. BIRCH, Francis, Immaculate Conception, Springfield. BIRCH, Thomas F., St. Peter, Peters- burg. BIRCHER, Xavier, St. Elizabeth, Marine. BIRES, George, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. BIRES, Michael, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olivr. BITTERBERG, Henry E., St. Raymond. Raymond. BLACKBURN, William, St. Mark, Wiv Chester. BLACKMAN, Everett, St. Mary, Paris. BLACKMAN, Hunter U., St. Mary, Paris. BLAESING, Albert, St. Francis, Quincy. BLAHA, Wm., St. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. BLAIR, Andy J., Visitation, Illiopolis. BLAKE, John, St. Barbara, Witt. BLAKELY, Walter, St. Peter and Paul. Alton. BLANCHFIELD, Frank, St. Benedict. Auburn. BLASCEK, Wm., St. Joseph, Springfield. BLEAKLEY. Ben J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. BLICKHAN, Albert, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. BLOEMER, Ben, St. Anthony, Effingham. BLOEMKE, Joseph, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. BLONDIAN, Andrew, Assumption, As- sumption. BLOOMFIELD, Bernard, Immaculate Conception, Carlinville. BLOOMFIELD, Chas. B., Immaculate Conception, Carlinville. BLOOMFIELD, James R., St. Mary, Car- linville. BLOOMFIELD, Thomas, St. Mary, Car- linville. BOARMAN, James, St. Agnes, Spring- field. BOCHM, Adam, St. Maurice, Morrison- ville. BOCKE, Henry, St. Boniface, Quincy. BOCKE, Henry J., St. John, Quincy. BOCKENFELD, Bernard, St. Francis, Quincy. BOCKENFELD, Herman, St. Francis, Quincy. BODAMA, Anthony, St. Peter, Quincy. BOECKE, Albert, St. John, Quincy. BOEDIGE, Henry, St. Boniface, Quincy. BOEDIGE, Herman H, St. Boniface, Quincy. DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS BOEHL, Hiram, St Valentine, Bend. EOEHL, Noe, St. Valentine, Bend. BOEHNING, J. W. SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. BOENTE, Joseph, Immaculate Concep- tion, Carlinville. BOENTE, Frank Joseph, St. Mary, Car- linville. BOENTE, Hugo, Immaculate Conception, Carlinville. BOES, Edw. L., St. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. BOES, Frank P., SS. Peter and Paul, Col- lin sville. BOES, Herman S., S. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. BOGDAJEWICZ, Ladislaus, O. L. Czes- tochowa, Madison. BOHNE, Cyril, St. John, Quincy. BOLANDER, Alex, Assumption, S t e . Marie. BOLANDER, Andrew J., Asumption, Ste. Marie. BOLANDER, C. Charles, Assumption, Ste. Marie. BOLANDER, Louis, Assumption, Ste. Marie. BOLL, Henry J., St. John, Quincy. BOLSHITUS, Carl, St. Mary, Pawnee. BONANSINGA, Robert S., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. BONKAMP, Henry, St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. BOOTH, Jos. A., St. Joseph, Springfield. BORGIC, John A., St. Patrick, Pana. BORRIES, Edward, St. Francis, Teutop- olis. BOSCHERT, Albert A., St. Mary, Alton. BOSCHERT, Herbert, St. Peter, Quincy. BOTT, Mathew, St. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. BOTTS, Louis, Sacred Heart, Divernon. BOTWINIS, James, St. Joseph, Spring- field. BOTWINIS, F. W., St. Joseph, Spring- field. BOTWINIS, Joseph, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. BOULANFER, Henry, St. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. BOULIAS, Peter, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. BOUMAN, Arthur W. ( Forty Martyrs, Tuscola. BOURGEOIS, Leo, St. Francis, Teutop- olis. BOUSE, Charles, St. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. BOUSE, Jos., St. Mary, Edwardsville. BOWEN, George E., St. Joseph, Spring- field. BOYLE, Packey, Immaculate Conception, Springfield. BOYLE, Richard, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. BOYLE, Wm., St. John, Coffeen. BOZDECK, John Clarence, Sacred Heart, Villa Grove. BRADAC, Anthony J., St. Peter, Peters- burg. BRADAC, Laurence F., St. Peter, Peters- burg. BRADLEY, Francis E., St. Patrick, Pana. BRADLEY, Emmett, St. Patrick, Pana. BRADY, Francis O, St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. BRADY, Frank D., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. BRADY, James, St. Joseph, Springfield. BRADY, James T., St. Patrick, Pana. BRADY, Joseph, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. BRADY, Robert, St. Patrick, Springfield. BRADY, T. M., St. Patrick, Pana. BRADY, Thomas, St. Joseph, Springfield. BRAMMEIER, Robert, Holy Ghost, Jer- seyville. BRAND, Louis, St. James, Decatur. BRANDLEY, Martin, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. BRANMANN, Webster C, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. BRAUN, Frank, St. Anthony, Effingham. BRAUN, Herman, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. BRAUN, Wm. J., St. Mary, Quincy. BRAUNAGEL, J. A., St. Mary, Alton. BRAUNAGEL, Louis, St. Mary, Alton. BRAXMEIER, Milton, St. Peters, Quincy. BRAY, Edward L., St. Francis, Jersey- ville. BRAY, John F., St. Mary, Marshall. BRAY, Laurence, St. Isadore, Farmers- ville. BRECKA, Edward, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. BREDEN, Leo, St. Norbert, Hardin. BREITBARTH, Albert, St. Francis, Quincy. BREMER, Peter, St. Michael, Sigel. BRENDEL, Albert, St. Jerome, Troy. BRENNAN, Edward, Assumption, Litch- field. BRENNAN, James, St. Joseph, Spring- field. BRENNAN, Jos., St. Joseph, Granite City. BRENNAN, Joseph, Ascension, Mt. Olive. 770 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR BRENNAN, Patrick J., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. BRENNAN, Thos. P., St. Joseph, Granite City. BRENNAN, Walter, St. Joseph, Spring- field. BRENNAN, Wm. J., St. Joseph, Granite City. BRETZ, Edward, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. BRETZ, Elmer J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. BRETZ, H. J., Sacred Heart, Springfield. BRETZ, John P., St. James, Decatur. BREW, Joe, Immaculate Conception, Pittsfield. BREW, Mike, Immaculate Conception, Pittsfield. BREWER, Allen, St. Francis, Teutopolis. BRICE, Donat, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. BRICHMILLER, German, St. Lawrence, Greenville. BRIMBERRY, Edgar, St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. BRINGAZE, W. L., St. Peter, Quincy. BRINK, Eugene, St. Francis, Quincy. BRINK, Joseph, St. Mary, Brussels. BRINKMAN, Edward, St. Joseph, Paloma. BRINKMANN, John, St. Anthony, Quincy. BRITT, John, St. Ubaldus, New Douglas. BRITT, Robert E., St. Peter, Quincy. BRITT, Thomas, St. Mark, Venice. BRITZ, John, St. Joseph, Springfield. BROCKER, Richard Wm., St. Francis, Quincy. BRODERICK, J. R., St. Catherine, Vir- den. BRODERICK, Wm., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. BRODMAN, Rev. R. A., St. Patrick, Pana. BROERINGSMEYER, Anthony, St. Fran- cis, Teutopolis. BROERKEN, Henry, St. Francis, Quincy. BROKAMP, Albert, St. Boniface, Quincy. BROOKS, Fred, St. Elizabeth, Robinson. BROOKS, John, St. Louis, Nokomis. BROOKS, Will, St. Elizabeth, Robinson. BROOKS, William, St. Louis, Nokomis. BROSE, John A., St. Clara, Altamont. BROST, Lawrence, St. Alexius, Beards- town. BROUX, Frank, St. Patrick, Pana. BROWER, Bernard, St. Francis, Jersey- ville. BROWN, Geo. Leo, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. BROWN, Gregory, St. Joseph, Springfield. BROWN, John Thomas, St. Mary, Alton. BROWN, Joseph, St. Mark, Winchester. BROWN, Lawrence, St. Clara, Altamont BROWN, Michael Eugene, St. Clara, Alta- mont. BROWN, Sylvester, St. Isadore, Farmers- ville. BROWN, W. H., St. Isadore, Lovington. BROWN, Walter, St. Mark, Winchester. BROWN, Walter A., St. Alexius, Beards- town. BROWN, Wm., St. Peter, Quincy. BROWN, Wm. R., St. Isadore, Farmers- ville. BRUCH, Edwin, St. Joseph, Granite City. BRUEMMER, Theodore, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. BRUENING, John H., St. John, Quincy. BRUESKE, Robert J., St. Peter, Peters- burg. BRUMLEVE, A. J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. BRUMLEVE, August, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. BRUMLEVE, Ferd, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. BRUMLEVE, Ralph H, Immaculate Con- ception, Mattoon. BRUMLEVE, Ralph, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. BRUMLEVE, Sylvester, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. BRUNK, Pacific, St. Francis, Teutopolis. BRUNO, Charles, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. BRYCE, Allan T., St. Joseph, Springfield. BRYCE, James D., St. Joseph, Springfield. BRYCE, Norman F, St. Joseph, Spring- field. BUCHEK, Stephen, St. Joseph, Granita City. BUCHHEIM, Oscar, St. Paul, Highland BUCHHEIM, Paul L., St. Paul, Highland. BUCHHEIM, Wm. B., St. Paul, Highland. BUCHMILLER, Fremont, Immaculate Conception, Pierron. BUCHMILLER, German, St. Lawrence, Greenville. BUCHMILLER, Wm., St. Paul, High- land. BUCHHOLZ, Frank, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. BUCHHOLZ, Anthony, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. BUCHHOLZ, Philip, SS. Peter and Paul Alton. BUCKLES, Eddie, St. Mary, Pawnee. BUCKLES, Herman, St. Barbara, Witt. BUCKLES, Joseph, St. Barbara, Witt. BUCKLES, Ray, St. Mary, Pawnee. BUCKSHOT, Edward, St. Denis, Ship- man. BUDDE, Henry, St. Mary, Alton. 771 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS BUDDE, Walter, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. BUDKE, Otto, St. Mark, Winchester. BUDKE, Frederick H., St. Boniface, Quincy. BUEDEL, Antony, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. BUENKER, John, St. Francis, Teutopolis. BUESCHER, Clement, Sacred Heart, Lillyvllle. BUETER, Anton A., St. Francis, Quincy. BUGGER, Zeno, St. Jerome, Troy. BUHNEKEMPER, Frank, St. Anthony, Effingham. BULGER, Harlan, St. Benedict, Auburn. BULGER, Harris, St. Benedict, Auburn. BULY, Leo, St. Louis, Nokomis. BUND, William, St. Patrick, Alton. BUOTHETE, D. I., St. Mary, Taylorville. BURDZUS, Karolius, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. BURFORD, Lawrence, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. BURG, Edw. C., St. Patrick, Decatur. BURG, Lee, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. BURGENER, Chas., St. Patrick, Decatur. BURGER, Chas. Sacred Heart, New Ber- lin. BURGER, Robert L., St. Peter, Quincy. BURGUND, Clemence J., Assumption, Ste. Marie. BURKHART, Norman J., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. BURNS, Daniel, St. Joseph, Springfield. BURNS, Dan F., Assumption, Litchfield. BURNS, Dan, Sts. Simon and Jude, Gil- lespie. BURNS, Earl, St. Francis, Jerseyville. BURNS, George, St. Bartholomew, Mur- rayville. BURNS, Harry E., St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. BURNS, John, St. Joseph, Springfield. BURNS, Leo R., St. Francis, Jerseyville. BURNS, Louis, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. BURNS, Maurice, St. Francis, Jersey- ville. BURNS, Robert, St. Joseph, Springfield. BURNS, Thomas, St. Joseph, Springfield. BURNS, Thomas E., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. BURNS, Virgil, St. Catherine, Waverly. BURNS, Wm. E., St. Augustine, Ashland. BURTLE, Ernest A., (now Rev.) St. Ber- nard, Glenarm. BURTLE, Ralph, St. Bernard, Glenarm. BURTLE, Joseph, St. Mary, Taylorville. BURTSCHI, Dan, Mother of Dolors, Van- dalia. BUSBOR, John, St. Mary, Effingham. BUSBOR, Joseph, St. Mary, Effingham. BUSCH, Henry E., St. Patrick, Decatur. BUSCHMANN, Maurice, St. Boniface, Quincy. BUSCHUR, Stephen, St. Michael, Slgel. BUSHUE, Geo., St. Anthony, Effingham. BUSHUE, Geo., Sacred Heart, Effingham. BUSSE, Edward, St. Francis, Teutopolis. BUTLER, John E., St. Francis, Jersey- ville. BUTLER, Thomas, St. Francis, Jersey- ville. BUTSCHER, August, Sacred Heart, Springfield. BUTSCHER, Wm., Sacred Heart, Spring- field. BUTTER, Harry, St. Mary, Lovingtou. BUZAN, Thomas E., St. Patrick, Decatur. BYERS, Bernard, St. Patrick, Pana. CABALEK, Thomas George, Sacred Heart, Villa Grove. CABALEK, Wenzel Joseph, Sacred Heart, Villa Grove. CADIGAN, Frank, St. Joseph, Springfield. CAFFERTY, Eugene, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. CAFFERY, Eugene, Imm. Conception, Dieterich. CAHILL, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. CAHILL, David, SS. Peter and Paul, Al- ton. CAHILL, Jas. F., St. Patrick, Decatur. CAHILL, Raymond, St. Patrick, Alton. CAIN, Edward, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. CAIN, George, St. Joseph, Springfield. CAIN, George R., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. CAIN, J. Oliver, Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. CAIN, James H., St. Joseph, Springfield. CAIN, John Leo, St. Joseph, Springfield. CAIN, Joseph, St. Joseph, Springfield. CAIN, Leo, St. Joseph, Springfield. CAIN, Louis A., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. CAIN, Muriel E., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. CAIN, Thomas D., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. CAIRNS, Charles, St. Denis, Shipman. CALAFETT, Peter, Sacred Heart, Panama. CALCIO, Frank J., St. Louis, Nokomis. CALDWELL, Frank, St. Mary, Alton. CALDWELL, Henry, St. Mary, Alton. CALDWELL, Leonard, St. Mary, Alton. CALDWELL, Raymond J., St. Mary, Al- ton. 772 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR CALL, Charles C, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. CALL, James, J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. CALL, Hubert Bryan, Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. CALL, John M., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. CALL, Ronald J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. CALLAGHAN, James, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. CALLAGHAN, Zita, St. Peter, Petersburg. CALLAHAN, Jas. T., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. CALLAHAN, Jesse, St. Patrick, Grafton. CALLAHAN, John, St. Bernard's, Wood River. CALLAHAN, John, St. Patrick, Grafton. CALLAHAN, Jos., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. CALLAHAN, Wm, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. CALUL, David, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. CALVIN, Andy, St. Joseph, Benld. CALVO, Horace L., St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. CALVO, William, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. CALZA, August, Sacred Heart, Panama. CAMERATA, Mariano, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. CAMERON, James, St. Joseph, Spring- field. CAMPBELL, James, St. Patrick, Pana. CAMPBELL, John, St. Patrick, Pana. CAMPION, M., St. James, Decatur. CAMPO, Nick, St. Mary, Pawnee. CANTLON, Walter, St. Mary, Paris. CANTON, Peter, Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. CANTWELL, Wm. T., St. Patrick, De- catur. CAPAK, John, Sacred Heart, Virden. CAPAK, Stephen, Sacred Heart, Virden. CAPELLE, Paul, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. CAPELLE, Paul, St. Jerome, Troy. CAPEN, Ralph A., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. CAPP, Louis, St. Joseph, Springfield. CAPPEL, Charles, St. Mary, Brussells. CARBONETTI, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. CARDONI, Chas., St. James, Riverton. CARDWELL, Edward, St. Mark, Venice. CAREY, Donald J., Sacred Heart, Ef- fingham. CAREY, Henry, St. Patrick, Grafton. CAREY, Michael, St. Raymond, Ray- mond. CARMODY, Daniel, St. John Evan., Car- rollton. CARMODY, David, St. John Evan., Car- rollton. CARMODY, Jos. D., St. John, Carrollton. CARMODY, Malachi, St. John Evan., Carrollton. CARMODY, Paul, St. John, Carrollton. CARMODY, Robert T., St. John Evan., Carrollton. CARMODY, Stephen E., St. Joseph, Car- linville. CARMODY, Thomas, St. John, Carrollton. CARNELLO, Joe, St. Mary, Pawnee. CARNEY, James, St. Joseph, Springfield. CARNEY, Martin L., St. Joseph, Spring- field. CARPENTER, Elmer, St. Mary, Brussels. CARPENTER, Leo J., St. Mary, Brussels. CARPENTER, Wm., St. Peter and Paul, Alton. CARR, Edward, St. Michael, Hume. CARR, Thomas, St. Michael, Hume. CARR, Jerry J., St. Michael, Hume. CARRIGAN, Arthur, St. Joseph, Spring- field. CARRIGAN, Edw. A., St. Joseph, Spring- field. CARRIGAN, Jos. F., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. CARRIGAN, Leo L., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. CARRIGAN, Nick, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. CARRIGAN, Wm. E., St. Joseph, Spring- field. CARRILLON, Henry F., St. Paul, High- land. CARROLL, Charles, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. CARROLL, D. M., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. CARROLL, Dan B., Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. CARROLL, Hugh, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. CARROLL, Edw., St. Michael, Staunton. CARROLL, Edward Bley, Annunciation, Bunker Hill. CARROLL, George A., SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. CARROLL, George E., Our Saviour, Jacksonville. CARROLL, Hugh, St. Peter, Quincy. CARROLL, James, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. CARROLL, John, Immaculate Conception, Shelbyville. CARROLL, Leo., St. Michael, Staunton. 773 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS CARROLL, Martin, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. CARROLL, Mike, Immaculate Conception, Pittsfield. CARROLL, Wm. J., Assumption, Litch- field. CARROLL, Wm., Annunciation, Bunker Hill. CARSON, Dr. O. E., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. CARSON, Wm. P., SS. Peter and Paul Alton. CARTER, Frank, St. Mary, Edwardsville CARTER, John, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. CARTNYVELO, Dan L., St. Agnes Springfield. CARTWRIGHT, Edward, St. Joseph Springfield. CASEY, Charles, Assumption, St. Marie CASEY, Wm., Immaculate Conception Carlinville. CASHEN, Peter L., St. Maurice, Mor risonville. CASHIN, Vincent E., Assumption, As sumption. CASHIN, Peter, St. Isidore, Farmers ville. CASSELMAN, Clarence, St. Anthony, E fingham. CASSELMAN, John, St. Anthony, Effing ham. CASSIDY, Jas. P., St. Louis, Nokomis. CASSIDY, Jerome, St. Louis, Nokomis. CASSTEVENS, Francis, Immaculate Con- ception, Mattoon. CASSTEVENS, Michael, Immaculate Con- ception, Mattoon. CAULEY, Aloysius, St. Elizabeth, Rob- inson. CAVENY, Lawrence S., Immaculate Con- ception, Carlinville. CAVENY, Malcom P., Immaculate Con- ception, Carlinville. CEAS, Chas. F., St. Mary, Taylorville. CENTKO, Michael, Sacred Heart, Virden. CERELLO, Peter, Sacred Heart, Panama. CHAMBERS, John S., St. Joseph, Spring- field. CHAMPLEY, James, St. Barbara, Witt. CHANDLER, Lawrence, St. Barbara, Springfield. CHARLES, John T., St. Agnes, Spring- field. CHENVINKO, John, St. Barbara, Witt. CHENVINKO, Stephen, St. Barbara, Witt. CHERVANAK, Michael, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. CHESKY, Julius, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. CHESTNUT, John, St. Joseph, Spring- field. CHESTNUT, Orlen J., St. Thomas, New- ton. CHEWENSKI, John, St. Barbaras, Witt. CHOVANEC, George, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. CHRISTENSEN, Cyris, St. Alexius, Beardstown. CHRYSTEL, George M., St. Mary, Lov- ington. CLAFLIN, John, St. John, Carrollton. CLANCY, John, St. Patrick, Decatur. CLANCY, Leo J., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. CLANCY, Thos., St. Patrick, Decatur. CLARE, Eugene, St. Paul, Highland. CLARK, Ernest, Immaculate Conception, Carlinville. CLARK, Jas. Wm., Immaculate Concep- tion, Carlinville. CLARK, Patrick, St. Bridget, Liberty. CLARKE, Arthur T., St. Isidore, Far- mersville. CLAUSEN, John, St. Mary, Pawnee. CLER, Henry Anthony, Sacred Heart, Villa Grove. CLIFFORD, Francis Victor, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. CLIFFORD, Leo Phayer, St. Mark, Venice. CLINTON, Geo., St. Patrick, Springfield. CLYNES, August, St. Michael, Michael. COADY, Edmond P., St. Mary, Paris. COADY, Edward J., St. Mary, Greenview. COADY, Frank, St. Mary, GreenviewT COADY, John, St. Joseph, Springfield. COADY, John H., St. Mary, Paris. COADY, John L., St. Mary, Taylorville. COADY, Jos. S., St. Mary, Taylorville. COADY, Martin, St. Michael, South Fork. COADY, Michael, St. Joseph, Springfield. COADY, Patrick Francis, Holy Trinity, Stonington. COAKLEY, Arthur, St. Louis, Nokomis. COALSON, Forman, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. COCAGNE, Jos., Assumption, Assumption. COCHRAN, Leo, St. Peter, Quincy. CODEMO, Frank, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. CODEMO, John, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. CODEMO, Laurence, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. CODERKO, Anthony, St. Agnes, Hilla- boro. CODY, Thomas, Sacred Heart, Effingham. COENS, Frank, St. Francis, Quincy. COFFEY, Wm., St. Clara, Atlamont. 774 THE DIOCESAN BOLL OF HONOR COLBERT, James, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. COLBROOK, William P., Holy Trinity, Stonington. COLBURN, Ray, Sacred Heart, New Ber- lin. COLEMAN, Alexander And. Aloy., St. Patrick, Springfield. COLEMAN, Bernard J., St. Joseph, Springfield. COLEMAN, Eugene, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. COLEMAN, Joe, St. Michael, Staunton. COLEMAN, Martin, St. Joseph, Spring- field. COLEMAN, Michael Henry, St. Francis Xav., Jerseyville. COLEMAN, Patrick L., St. Francis Xav., Jerseyville. COLGAN, Howard E., St. Agnes, Spring- field. COLLEBRUSCO, Louis, St. James, Riv- erton. COLLEBRUSCO, Julius, St. James, Riv- erton. COLLIGAN, Walter J., St. Joseph, Granite City. COLLINS, C, St. Joseph, Granite City. COLLINS, Jos. E., St. Patrick, Decatur. COLLINS, Jas. Marion, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. COLLINS, W., St. Joseph, Granite City. COLOMACO, Peter, St. James, Riverton. COMERFORD, Augustin, A., St. Patrick, Pana. COMERFORD, B., St. Patrick, Pana. COMERFORD, James B., St. Patrick, Pana. COMERFORD, Wm. L., St. Patrick, Pana. COMISKEY, Geo. A., St. Patrick, Pana. COMMERFORD, Laurence L., St. Isidore, Farmersville. COMMERFORD, William A., St. Isidore, Farmersville. CONCIDINE, Thomas, Assumption, Litch- field. CONDERS, Andrew, Sacred Heart, Di- vernon. CONDON, Ed. T., St. Patrick, Decatur. CONDON, F. H, St. Patrick, Decatur. CONDON, James Leo, St. Patrick, Pana. CONDON, Joseph, SS. Simon & Jude, Gillespie. CONDON, Leo J., St. Patrick, Pana. CONLEY, John, St. Patrick, Alton. CONLEY, Maurice, St. Patrick, Alton. CONLEY, Raymond E., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. CONLIN, Felix, St. Benedict, Auburn. CONLIN, John, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. CONLON, M. T., St. Catherine, Virden. CONNAGHAN, Francis, St. Isidore, Bethany. CONNAGHAN, Joseph Leo, St. Ann, Ni- antic. CONNELLY, Louis M., St. Patrick, De- catur. CONNELLY, Raymond V., Our Saviour, Jacksonville. CONNELLY, Thomas, St. Joseph, Spring- field. CONNELLY, Wm. T., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. CONNER, Paul, SS. Simon & Jude, Gil- lespie. CONNOLE, Leo J., St. Marks, Venice. CONNOLLY, Daniel, Assumption, As- sumption. CONNOLLY, Ernest F, St. Mary, As- sumption. CONNOLLY, James, St. Joseph, Spring- field. CONNOLLY, John, St. Joseph, Spring- field. CONNOLLY, Rev. John J., St Peter, Petersburg. CONNOLLY, Louis E., St. Patrick, De- catur. CONNOLLY, Michael, St. Joseph, Spring- field. CONNOLLY, Raymond, St. Bartholomew, Murrayville. CONNOLLY, Thomas D, St. Mary, As- sumption. CONNOLLY, Thomas Patrick, Immac- ulate Conception, Springfield. CONNOR, Arthur E., St. Patrick, De- catur. CONNOR, Paul, Sts. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. CONNOR, Thomas, Sacred Heart, Di- vernon. CONNOR, Thomas, St. Patrick, Spring- field. CONNOR, Vincent, St. Joseph, Spring- field. CONNOR, Wm. F., St. Ann. Niantic. CONNOTO, Steve, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. CONRAD, Albert, St. Mary, Shumway. CONRAD, Frank, St. Mary, Shumway. CONRAD, Clarence, St. Charles, Charles- ton. CONRAD, John, St. Charles, Charleston. CONROY, A., St. Joseph, Granite City. CONROY, Edward, St. Joseph, Spring- field. CONROY, James F, Sacred Heart, Villa Grove. 775 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS CONWAY, Arthur, St. Mark, Venice. CONWAY, Charles, St. Mark, Venice. CONWAY, John, St. Mark, Venice. CONWAY, Thos. J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. COOK, Bernie, St. John, Medora. COOK, Edward, St. John, Medora. COONEY, Leo, Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. COONEY, Thos. J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. COPP, Frank, St. Barbara, Springfield. COPP, Louis, St. Barbara, Springfield. COPPINGER, Faustinus E., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. COPPINGER, Lucian B., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. COPPINGER, Walter, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. CORAZZA, Adolph, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. CORBETT, J. J., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. CORCORAN, Leo, St. Peter, Quincy. CORCORAN, Thomas, St. Patrick, Spring- field. CORDER, Paul Leo, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. CORDES, Jos. John, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. CORLAS, Frank, St. Barbara, Springfield. CORRIGAN, Ed. J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. CORRIGAN, Geo., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. COSGRIFF, Edw. T., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. COSGROVE, Paul, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. COSGROVE, Wm. Thomas, Immaculate Conception, Pittsfield. COSTELLO, Lewis, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. COSTELLO, Louis, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. COSTELLO, M. D., St. Patrick, Decatur. (""OSTELLO, Mark W., St. Joseph, Buffalo. COSTELLO, Wm. L., Immaculate Con- ception, Carlinville. COSTELLO, Wm., St. Catherine, Haga- man. COUGHLAN, John G., Assumption, As- sumption. COURTNEY, Daniel, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. COUSHER, Peter, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. COUSINS, Clarence, St. Patrick, Alton. COUSINS, Leo, St. Patrick, Alton. COVERLEY, Jos. H., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. COVI, Joseph, Sacred Heart, Divernon. COX, Edw. B., St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. COYNE, C, St. Joseph, Granite City. CRAMSEY, E. W., St. Joseph, Paloma. CRAUGH, Jos. P., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. CRAWFORD, Thomas, Jr., St. Agnes, Springfield. CRAWFORD, William, St. Agnes, Spring- field. CREAMER, John, Assumption, Assump- tion. CREANE, John T., St. Mary, Edwards- ville. CREIGHTON, James, St. Patrick, Sj ring- field. CRIMMINS, Frank, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. CRINIGAN, John F., St. Patrick, Decatur. CRIVELLO, August, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. CRIVELLO, Gasper, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. CRONAN, Leo Jos., St. Peter, Peters- burg. CRONEY, Wm. B., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. CRONIN, Frank A., St. Mary, Assump- tion. CRONIN, J. Everett, St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. CRONIN, John P., St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. CRONIN, Patrick H., St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. CRONIN, Philip, St. John, Carrollton. CRONIN, Thos. J., St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. CRONIN, Thomas, St. John, Carrollton. CROOKS, Francis R., St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. CROWLEY, Edward, St. Joseph, Spring- field. CROWLEY, James, St. Joseph, Spring- field. CROWLEY, Joseph, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. CROWLEY, Patrick, St. Joseph, Spring- field. CRUCIANO, Antonio, Sacred Heart, Panama. CRUISE, Leo, St. Catherine, Hagaman. CRUISE, Michael L, Immaculate Con- ception, Carlinville. CRUISER, Michael, St. Catherine, Hag- aman. CRUZ, Francis, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. CULLEN, Matthew Dominic, Immaculate Conception, Springfield. CULLEN, Thomas F, Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. 776 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OP HONOR CTJLLEN, Walter, St. Joseph, Springfield. CUMMINGS, John, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. CUMMINGS, Thos., St. Joseph, Spring- field. CUNNANE, George, St. Peter, Quincy. CUNNINGHAM, Charles, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. CUNNINGHAM, Eugene, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. CUNNINGHAM, James, Mother of Dol- ors, Vandalia. CUNNINGHAM, William Joseph, S t . Agnes, Springfield. CURRAN, Charles, St. Mary, Paris. CURRAN, William, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. CURREN, John W., St. Agnes, Spring- field. CURREN, Robert T., St. Agnes, Spring- field. CURRY, Adolph, St. Rose, Quincy. CURTIN, George, St. Maurice, Morrison- ville. CURVIN, Charles, St. Patrick, Alton. CUSHAM, Clyde E., St. Joseph, Spring- field. CVENGROS, John J., St. Patrick, Pana. CYVAHAM, Peter, St. Barbara, Witt. D'ARCY, Arthur, St. Peter, Quincy. D'ARCY, John F., St. Peter, Quincy. DE TALLEUR, Otto, St. Elizabeth, Marine. DACEY, Harry, St. Mary, Marshall. DACEY, Jos., St. Mary, Marshall. DACY, Patrick, St. Joseph, Springfield. DAGON, John, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. DAHMUS, E., St. Joseph, Granite City. DAIBER, Leo, St. Elizabeth, Marine. DAIL, Leo M., St. Anthony, Effingham. DAILY, William H., St. Ann, Niantic. DAILY, Wm. L., St. Patrick, Decatur. DALEY, Charles, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. DALEY, James, St. Patrick, Pana. DALEY, James, Holy Family, Athens. DALEY, John, St. Patrick, Pana. DALEY, Joe, Holy Family, Athens. DALGOTO, Zach, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. DALY, Frank, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. DAMHORST, Clarence F., St. Francis, Quincy. DANDREA, Angelo, St. James, Riverton. DANIELS, Patrick J., St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. DANIS, Antone, Sacred Heart, Divernon. DANIS, Joseph, Sacred Heart, Divernon. DANNER, Edmond J., St. Mary, Quincy. DANTEL, John, St. Benedict, Auburn. DARBY, John J., St. Joseph, Springfield. DARDA, Ben, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. DARDA, Henry, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. DARDA, Jerry, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. DARFADO, Frank, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. DASENBROCK, Clem, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. DASENBROCK, William, St. Anthony, Effingham. DAUGHERTY, John, Annunciation Bunker Hill. DAUGHTON, Chas. E., St. Joseph, Spring- field. DAUGHTON, Robert, St. Joseph, Spring- field. DAUGHTON, Wm. Allen, St. Joseph Springfield. DAVEY, Frank, St. Augustine, Ashland DAVEY, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. DAVIS, Frank M., St. Agnes, Springfield. DAVLIN, John J., St. Joseph, Springfield. DAVLIN, Marcus R., St. Joseph, Spring- field. DAY, John J., St. Joseph, Springfield. DAY, Vincent S., St. Joseph, Springfield. DEACH, Leon, St. Anthony, Effingham. DEAN, Joseph, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton DEBERNARDI, Joseph, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. DEBRUN, John, Assumption, Assump- tion. DEBRUN, Thos. J., Assumption, Assump- tion. DE CARLI, Angelo, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. DECAROLI, Louis, St. Barbara, Witt. DEE, Thomas C, St. Joseph, Springfield DEEMS, Roy, St. Mary, Alton. DEGENHARDT, A. J., Jr., Immaculate Conception, Alton. DEGENHARDT, E. A. (Dr.) Immaculate Conception, Alton. DEGENHARDT, J. A., Immaculate Con- ception, Alton. DEGENHARDT, Louis H., Immaculate Conception, Alton. DEHNER, Hugh, St. Peter, Quincy. DEIL, Alphonsus, St. Mary, Paris DEISCHLER, Joseph, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. DEKARZ, William, 0. L. of Czestochowa. Madison. DELAHANTY, Ed, St. Catherine, Virden DELANEY, Charles R., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. DELANEY, Edward E., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. DELANEY, G., Immaculate Conception, Shelbyville. 777 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS DELANEY, Henry, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. DELANEY, James P., St. Patrick, De- catur. DELANEY, Leo, St. Patrick, Decatur. DELANEY, Ted, Sacred Heart, Divernon. DELANEY, Thos. J., St. Patrick, Decatur. DELANEY, Walter L., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. DELANEY, Wm. C, St. Patrick, Decatur. DE LARCHE, Rene, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. DELEHANTY, Cecil, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. DELEHANTY, Earl, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. DELEHANTY, Edw., St. Catherine, Vir- den. DELMASTRO, Moreno, Sacred Heart, Livingston. DELMORE, Myles, St. Joseph, Springfield. DEMPSEY, Edward J., St. Patrick, Graf- ton. DEMPSEY, Herbert L., St. Peter, Quincy. DENNISON, John, SS. Peter and Paul. Alton. DENO, Angels, St. James, Riverton. DENTON, Charles, Sacred Heart, Diver- non. DERHAKE, Henry, St. Francis, Quincy. DERIGHT, Cush, Sacred Heart, Panama. DERIGHT, Peter, Sacred Heart, Panama. DERLER, Aloys, Assumption, St. Marie. DERLER, Geo., Assumption B. V. M , Ste. Marie. DERRICK, C. J., Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. DESWEYSEN, Gabriel, St. Benedict, Auburn. DETERS, B. F., Immaculate Conception B. V. M., Dietrich. DETERS, George, Immaculate Concep- tion B. V. M., Dietrich. DETERS, Wm., St. Michael, Sigel. DETTERT, Anthony, St. Clara, Altamont. DEVANEY, Patrick Jos., St. Mark, Venice. DEVLIN, Henry, St. Catherine, Virden. DEVLIN, Tom, St. Barbaras, Witt. DEVLIN, Thos. A., Assumption, Assump- tion. DEVLIN, Wm. J., St. Augustine, Ashland. DHESSE, Louis, St. Joseph, Benld. DIAL, Leo, St. Clara, Altamont. DI BATTISTE, Luigi, St. James, River- ton. DICHEY, Alfred F., St. Mary, Assump- tion. DICKERSON, Harry E., St. Joseph, Springfield. DIEGNAN, John, St. Patrick. Alton. DIEKER, Ed, St. John, Quincy. DIEKER, John, St. John, Quincy. DIEL, Alphonsus, St. Mary, Paris. DIERKES, Joe G., St. John, Quincy. DIESEN, Christ, St. Paul, Highland. DIETERICH, Joseph, St. Aloysius, Bishop Creek. DILKS, Albert, St. Patrick, Alton. DILKS, Roy, St. Patrick, Alton. DILLEN, Leo, St. Denis, Shipman. DILLON, Edward, St. Mary, Paris. DILLON, George, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. DILLON, Homer, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. DILLON, Joseph J., St. Agnes, Spring- field. DILLON, Leo, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. DILLON, Norris F., St. Mary, Pittsfield. DILLON, Thos., SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. DILLON, Victor, St. Peter, Quincy. DILLON, Victor, Immaculate Conception, Pittsfield. DILLS, R. J., St. Patrick, Decatur. DIRKS, Joseph, St. Anthony, Effingham. DIRKSEN, Anthony F., St. Joseph, Springfield. DIRKSEN, Louis W., St. Joseph, Spring- field. DIRKSMEYER, John M., St. Anselm, Kampsville. DIRKSMEYER, Martin, St. Anselm, Kampsville. DIXON, Paul G., St. Agnes, Springfield. DIXON, Walter, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. DOBAS, Geo., St. Mary, Green Creek. DOBER, Chas., St. Fidelis, Arenzville. DOBROWOLSKI, Alexander, 0. L. Czes- tochowa, Madison. DOBROWOLSKI, Stanislaus, 0. L. Czes- tochowa, Madison. DOCHERTY, Charles, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. DODDS, Giles, St. Alexius, Beardstown. DOEDTMANN, Henry, St. Mary, Green Creek. DOEDTMAN, Herman, St. Mary, Green Creek. DOEDTMAN, Wm., St. Mary, Green Creek. DOEGBES, Wm. H., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. DOENGES, Albert, St. Joseph, Spring- field. DOEPEL, Paul, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. 778 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR DOEPEL, Robert, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. DOERFLER, Joseph H., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. DOERSON, Adam J., St. Mary, Quincy. DOLAN, Lenard, St. Mark, Winchester. DOLAN, Thos., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. DOLL, Frank, St. Paul, Highland. DOLLEAR, Bernard, Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. DOLLMAN, Wm., St. John, Quincy. DOLSON, S. J., St. Patrick, Decatur. DOMAS, Justin, Immaculate Conception, Shelbyville. DOMAS, L. A., Immaculate Conception, Shelbyville. DOMBRUSKI, Dominic, St. Mary, Paw- nee. DOMEN, Valcusin, Sacred Heart, Virden. DOMINCO, Andrew, St. Mary, Pawnee. DOMINIC, Henry, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. DONALD, Butler C, Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. DONATTI, Frank, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. DONATTI, Louis, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. DONATTI, Jos., SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. DONDERIA, M., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. DONDERIA, J., SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. DONELAN, James C, St. Joseph, Spring- field. DONHARDT, Bernard, St. John, Quincy. DONNELLEY, Charles Leo, St. Anne, Edgewood. DONNELLY, Jas. F., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. DONNELLY, Chas., St. Clara, Altamont. DONNELLY, Howard E., St. Maurice, Morrisonville. DONNELLY, Hugh, St. Mary, Pawnee. DONNELLY, John, St. Joseph, Benld. DONNELLY, Michael, Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. DONOVAN, Aden M., St. Mary, Assump- tion. DONOVAN, Jas. P., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. DONOVAN, Michael, St. Joseph, Spring- field. DOOLIN, Francis P., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. DOOLIN, John, St. Denis, Shipman. DOOLING, Clarence R., Assumption, Litchfield. DOOLING, Philip, Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. DOOLING, Robert, St. Patrick, Alton. DOONER, Thomas C, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. DORAN, Carl, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. DORAN, Peter Joseph, St. Patrick, De- catur. DORFLER, Joseph, St. Patrick, Spring- field. DORGAN, Chas. E., St. Patrick, Decatur. DORR, Frank C, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. DORWART, Chas., Sacred Heart, Frank- lin. DORWART, James, Sacred Heart, Frank- lin. DOSSIL, Carl, All Saints, Whitehall. DOUGHERTY, Charles, St. Patrick, Alton. DOUGHERTY, Leo, St. Mary, Taylor- ville. DOUGHERTY, Patrick, St. Joseph, Springfield. DOUGIS, Irwan Geo., Sacred Heart, Hart- ford. DOWD, Arthur F., St. Peter, Quincy. DOWER, John, St. Patrick, Springfield. DOWER, Jos. L., St. Patrick, Spring- field. DOWLING, John, St. Patrick, Decatur. DOWLING, John E., St. Agnes, Spring- field. DOWNING, Jos. R., St. Patrick, Decatur. DOWNING, Louis, St. Patrick, Decatur. DOWNING, W. P., St. Patrick, Decatur. DOYLE, Bernard, Sr., St. Mary, Loving- ton. DOYLE, Edw. J., St. Maurice, Morrison- ville. DOYLE, Frank, St. Mark, Winchester. DOYLE, James, St. Mark, Winchester. DOYLE, Patrick John, Holy Trinity, Stonington. DOYLE, Philip J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. DOYLE, Robert, Holy Trinity, Stoning- ton. DRABANT, Michael, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. DRACKERT, Aloysius M., St. Clara, Al- tamont. DRACKERT, Louis Irwin, St. Clara, Al- tamont. DRAKE, Wm. E., St. Patrick, Decatur. DRANGINUS, Chas., St. Catherine, Virden. DRDA, Albert, St. Mary, Edwardsville. DREIER, George, St. Anthony, Quincy. DREIER, Henry, St Anthony, Quincy. 779 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS DRESSENDORFER, J., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. DREXELIUS, August, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. DREXELIUS, John, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. DREW, Daniel, St. Denis, Shipman. DREW, Edgar, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. DREW, Henry, St. Denis, Shipman. DREW, John, St. Denis, Shipman. DRIER, Herbert, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. DRISCOLL, James J., Assumption B.V.M., Litchfield. DRISCOLL, John M., Assumption B.V.M., Litchfield. DRISCOLL, Mike, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. DROEGE, John B., St. Joseph, Meppen. DROEGE, Peter, St. Mary, Brussels. DROERGE, Frank H., St. Mary, Brussels. DROMGOOLE, Jos., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. DRUFFEL, Henry Frank, St. Francis, Quincy. DRUFFEL, Wm., St. Francis, Quincy. DUAN, John J., St. John, Quincy. DUBINICK, John, St. Catherine, Virden. DUCEY, Clayton James, Immaculate Conception, Pittsfield. DUCEY, Edwin J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. DUCEY, Emmett P., St. Mary, Lovington. DUCEY', Mikp, Jr., Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. DUCEY, Virgil William, Immaculate Con- ception, Pittsfield. DUFFEY, Walter, St. Denis, Shipman. DUFFY, William, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. DUGGAN, Chas., Immaculate Conception, Carlinville. DUGGAN, Ed. J., St. Joseph, Carlinville. DUGGAN, Eugene F., St. Joseph, Buffalo. DUGGAN, John F., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. DUGGAN, Thos., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. DUKER, Laurence C, St. Boniface, Quincy. DUMONT, Arthur, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. DUMONT, Jos., Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. DUNCAN, Frank L., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. DUNCHEON, Frank, St. Peter, Peters- burg. DUNCHEON, Louis, St. Luke, Virginia. DUNHAM, John L., St. Joseph, Spring- field. DUNHAM, Harry, St. Patrick, Spring- field. DUNHAM, Thomas, St. Patrick, Spring- field. DUNIGAN, Harry, St. Elizabeth, Robin- son. DUNIGAN, James W., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. DUNIGAN, Richard, St. Elizabeth, Rob- inson. DUNIGAN, Walter, St. Elizabeth, Robin- son. DUNKER, Frank, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. DUNKER, Joseph, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. DUNKER, Leonard, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. DUNLAP, Leo W., Sacred Heart of Mary, New Berlin. DUNN, Homer J., St. Patrick, Decatur. DUNN, John R., Immaculate Conception, Carlinville. DUNN, R. E., St. Patrick, Decatur. DUNN, Thomas M., St. Joseph, Spring- field. DUNNE, Rev. J. J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. DUNNIGAN, Garrett K., St. Joseph, Springfield. DUNNIGAN, James W., St. Joseph, Springfield. DUNSWORTH, Clement, St. John Evan- gelist, Carrollton. DUNSWORTH, James, St. John Evan- gelist, Carrollton. DUNSWORTH, Leo, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. DURAKO, John J., St. James, Riverton. DURAND, Frank, St. Mary, Quincy. DURANT, Chas. H., St. Mary, Quincy. DURBIN, Edward, St. Maurice, Morrison- ville. DURBIN, Paul, St. Mary, Taylorville. DURCHOLST, Maurice, St. Ann, Niantic. DURHAM, B. O., St. Mary, Quincy. DURKIN, Bernard, St. Joseph, Spring- field. DUTCHIK, J., St. Joseph, Granite City. DUVELIUS, Ed, St. Francis, Quincy. DUWALL, Joseph T., St. Patrick, Pana. DWIGGINS, Leonard, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. DWIGGINS, Sydney, St. Mary, Alton. DWYER, Joseph, St. Patrick, Alton. DWYER, Thomas J., St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. DZUVRUS, George, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. DZUVRUS, William, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. 780 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR EARNEST, Joseph, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. EBBERS, Al Carl, St. Boniface, Quincv. EBERLE, Bernard, St. John, Quincy. EBERLINE, Arthur, St. Norbert, Hardin. ECHILLS, Wm., SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. ECKHARDT, John, St. Mary, Alton. ECKJANS, Joseph H., St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. EDERER, Henry, Assumption, Ste. Marie. EDWARD, Ross, St. John, Carrollton. EFCINSKI, Leo, St. James, Decatur. EGAN, James, St. Joseph, Springfield. EGAN, John, St. Joseph, Springfield. EGGER, John, St. Barbara, Springfield. EGGER, Jos., St. Barbara, Springfield. EGGERMAN, Albert, St. Francis, Teutop- olis. EGGES, John, St. Joseph, Springfield. EGLIN, Wm. F., St. Joseph, Springfield. EHLING, Hy, St. Francis, Quincy. EHLING, Herman, St. Francis, Quincy. EHNIE, Wm. S., Jr., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. EHRHARDT, Edward, St. Patrick, De- catur. EHRHARDT, Herbert, St. Boniface, Quincy. EHRHARDT, Theodore, St. Boniface, Quincy. EICHELBERGER, Fred, St. Mary, Tay- lorville. EICKELSCHULTE, Jos., St. John, Quincy. EICKHOFF, William, St. Maurice, Mor- risonville. EILER, A., Jr., St. Joseph, Granite City. EINHOIN, John M., St. Joseph, Island Grove. EINIG, Geo. W., St. Patrick, Pana. EISING, John N., St. John, Quincy. ELBUS, Fred, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. ELBUS, George J., St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. ELFGEN, Henry, St. Mary, Alton. ELINANCHOS, Chas., Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. ELLHOFFER, Frank, St. John, Carroll- ton. ELLIOTT, Ralph, Immaculate Concep- tion, Shelbyville. ELM, John, St. Patrick, Pana. ELSBECK, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. ELSEBECK, Jos., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. ELSHOFF, Arthur, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. ELSHOFF, Carl H., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. ELSHOFF, Gerard, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. ELSHOFF, John, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. ELSHOFF, Vincent C, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. ELY, Elden, Annunciation, Bunker Hill. ELY, Howard, SS. Simon and Jude, Gil- lespie. ELY, Richard Harrington, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. ELZI, Alois H., St. Francis, Quincy. ELZI, L. A., St. Boniface, Quincy. EMMERICH, William G., St. Joseph, Island Grove. EMMIG. August, St. Barbara, Spring- field. EMMIG, Joseph, St. Barbara, Springfield. EMST, Frank A., St. John, Coffeen. ENDRIS, Frank L., St. Patrick, Pana. ENDRIS, Otto L., St. Patrick, Pana. ENDRIS, Paul A., St. Patrick, Pana. ENGBRING, Henry C, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. ENGEL, William, SS. Peter and Paul, Snringfield. ENGEL, Wm. J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. ENGELMAN, John, St. Mary, Effingham. ENGELS. John W., St. John, Quincy. ENGLAND, D. T., St. Patrick, Decatur. ENLOW, Leo F., St. Agnes, Springfield. ENRIGHT, Francis, St. Peter, Quincy. ENSCH, Chas., Sacred Heart, Spring- field. ENSCH, Henry, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. ENSCH, John, Sacred Heart, Springfield. ENSCH, Matthias, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. ENTRUP, George, St. Boniface, Quincy. EPLEY, Frank, St. Louis, Nokomis. EPLEY, William, St. Louis, Nokomis. EPPING, Geo., St. Francis, Quincy. ERENGIS, Geo., St. Barbara, Springfield. ERHARDT, Joseph, St. Boniface, Quincy. ERLEY, Joseph, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. ERMOVICK, Michael, St. Patrick. Pana. ERNEST, Albert, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. ERNEST, Carl B., St. Barbara, Witt. ERNEST, Frank, Immaculate Concep- tion, Shelbyville. ERNST, Carl, St. John, Coffeen. ERNST. Harry, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. ERNST, V. R., St. Patrick, Decatur. ERUSER, Harry, St. Mary, Alton. ERWIN, Chas. M., St. Ann, Niantic. 781 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ESELA, Edward, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. ESELE, Jack, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. ESKER, Alphonse, St. Francis, Teutop- olis. ESKER, Harry, St. Francis, Teutopolls. ESPER, Leonard W., St. James, Riverton. ESSENPREIS, Albert, Immaculate Con- ception, Pierron. ETZKORN, Albert, St. Paul, Highland. EVANKE, Michael, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. EVANS, Charles, St. Paul, Highland. EWANS, William, St. Jerome, Troy. EWEN, Frank, St. Michael, Michael. EWERS, Frank, St. Anthony, Effingham. FABISZAK, Jan, O. L. Czestochowa, Madison. FACTOR, Fred G., St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. FACTOR, Jacob, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. FACTOR, John, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. FACTOR, Raymond, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. FAG AN, John, St. Anthony, Effingham. FAGAN, Ray, St. Elizabeth, Robinson. FAHAY, Wm. M., St. Patrick, Decatur. FAHEY, Murty M., St. Agnes, Spring- field. FAHRENBACHER, Edw. L., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. FAINES, Harry, St. Anthony, Quincy. FALETTI, Battista, Sacred Heart, Pan- ama. FALETTI, Michael, Sacred Heart, Pan- ama. FALK, Harry A., St. Patrick, Decatur. FALLER, R. L., St. Thomas, Newton. FANNIKOS, Joe, Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. FARRARI, Antonio, Sacred Heart, Pan- ama. FARRELL, James J., Jr., St. Patrick, Pana. FAUST, Fred, St. Benedict, Auburn. FEAR, Joseph J., St. Thomas, Newton. FEATHERINGILL, Michael, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. FEDERER, John J., St. Paul, Highland. FEDERER, Jos. A., St. Paul, Highland. FEDERLE, Albert, St. Mary, Alton. FEDOR, John, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. FEDERER, Oscar, St. Paul, Highland. FEERY, Frank P., Mother of Dolors, Vandalia. FEHRENBACHER, Albert, St. Thomas, Newton. FEHRENBACHER, Chris, St. Thomas, Newton. FEHRENBACHER, Jas., St. Thomas, Newton. FEHRENBACHER, Justin, St. Thomas, Newton. FEHRENBACKER, Howard T., Assump- tion, Ste. Marie. FELCHNER, Edw., St. Michael, Staun- ton. FELCHNER, Wm., St. Michael, Staun- ton. FELDHAKE, Chas. J., St., Anthony, Ef- fingham. FELDHAKE, Frank, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. FELDHAKE, Fred B., St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. FELDHAKE, Leo J., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. FELDHAKE, Paul B., St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. FELDHAKE, Wm. H., St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. FELDHAUS, John, Holy Ghost, Jersey- ville. FELDHAUS, Laurence, Holy Ghost, Jer- seyville. FELLER, Edw., Assumption, Litchfield. FELLHAUER, Elmer J., St. Gertrude, Grant Fork. FELLHAUER, Otmar, St. Paul, High- land. FELTES, Wm. H., St. Mary, Alton. FERANDO, John, St. Louis, Nokomis. FERAUD, A., St. Joseph, Granite City. FERENBACH, Ernest L., Holy Ghost, Jerseyville. FERENBACH, Theo. L., St. Francis, Jerseyville. FERGUSON, George, St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. FERGUSON, Walter, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. FERGUSON, William, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. FERNANDES, John S., St. Alexius, Beardstown. FERREE, Harry, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. FERREE, Virgil, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. FERRY, Francis J., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. FESS, John, St. Bernard, Wood River. FETTER, Chas. A., St. Mark's, Venice. FETTERER, Jos. A., St. Paul, Highland. FICHS, William, St. Mary, Alton. FIELDING, Edward, St. Joseph, Spring- field. 782 THE DIOCESAN EOLL OF HONOR FIELDING, William, St. Joseph, Spring- field. FIELDS, A. W., St. Mark's, Venice. FIETSAM, A., St. Joseph, Granite City. FIETSAM. B.. St. Joseph, Granite City. FINES, William, St. Mary, Taylorville. FINGLETON, J. L., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. FINK, Anthony, St. Mary, Edwardsville. FINK, Frank, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. FINK, Leroy, St. Mary, Edwardsville. FINKENHOEFER, Alois, St. Francis, Quincy. FINKES, Joe, St. Francis, Jerseyville. FINLEY, Clifford, Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. FINLEY, Joseph, St. Mary, Alton. FINN, John D., St. Patrick, Decatur. FINN, Ignatius, St. Luke, Virginia. FINNEGAN, John, Assumption, Assump- tion. FINNERTY, Bert, St. Patrick, Girard. FIOCCHI, Eugene, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. FISCHER, C. C, St. Michael, Staunton. FISCHER, Clarence, St. Michael, Michael. FISCHER, Chas., St. Patrick, Alton. FISCHER, Frank A., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. FISCHER, George, St. Francis, Quincy. FISCHER, John, St. Patrick, Alton. FISCHER, Jos. H, St. Peter, Quincy. FISCHER, Jos. John, St. Francis, Quincy. FISCHER, William, St. Patrick, Alton. FISCHER, Wm. J., St. Francis, Quincy. FISCHERKELLER, Carl, Sacred Heart, Springfield. FISCHERKELLER, Leo, Sacred Heart, Springfield. FISHER, Joseph John, St. Peter, Quincy. FITZGERALD, Dan, St. Michael, Hume. FITZGERALD, Francis J., St. Augustine, Ashland. FITZGERALD, John, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. FITZGERALD, Jerry, St. Michael, Hume. FITZGERALD, Joseph, St. Isidore, Farm- ersville. FITZGERALD, Leo, St. Patrick, Alton. FITZGERALD, R. Emmett, St. Patrick, Alton. FITZGERALD, Thomas, St. Peter, Quincy. FITZGERALD, Thomas, St. Michael, Hume. FITZGIBBON, Maurice, St. Agnes, Springfield. FITZPATRICK, James, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. FITZPATRICK, John R., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. FLACH, Arthur, St. Rose, Montrose. FLAHERTY, John, Assumption, Assump- tion. FLAMM, James A., Holy Ghost, Jersey- ville. FLAMM, John Elston, Holy Ghost, Jer- seyville. FLAMM, Thomas J., Holy Ghost, Jersey- ville. FLAMM, Wm. Fred, Holy Ghost, Jersey- ville. FLAMMINI, Jos., St. James, Riverton. FLANAGAN, Chas, St. Sebastian, Wav- erly. FLANAGAN, Robt. E., St. James, River- ton. FLATLEY, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. FLAVIN, Martin, St. Mary, Edwardsville. FLECK, L. Emil Brown, St. Patrick, Pana. FLEISCHLI, Earl, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. FLEISCHLI, Joseph, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. FLEMING, Bryan, St. Norbert, Hardin. FLEMING, Thomas J., St. Francis, Jer- seyville. FLEMMING, Frank A., St. Francis, Jer- seyville. FLEMMING, Joseph, St. Denis, Shipman. FLESCH, Alfred, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. FLESCH, Charles, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. FLESCH, Chas., St. Louis, Nokomis. FLESCH, Charles, Sacred Heart, Oconee. FLESCH, Edw. A., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. FLESCH, Harry, Sacred Heart, Oconee. FLESCH, Leonard R., Sacred Heart, Oconee. FLESCH, Leonard, St. Patrick, Pana. FLITCHER, Edward, St. Joseph, Spring- field. FLOOD, Leo J., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. FLOOD, Simon, St. Benedict, Auburn. FLORI, Aloysius, St. Mary, Alton. FLORI, Jos., St. Mary, Alton. FLORI, William Francis, Immaculate Conception. Carlinville. FLYNN, Edward, St. Mary, Edwardsville. FLYNN, Frank, St. Benedict, Auburn. FLYNN, George, St. Bartholomew, Mur- rayville. 783 DIOCESE OF SPKINGFrELD IN ILLINOIS FLYNN, George W., Assumption, Litch- field. FLYNN, George Wm., St. Patrick, Springfield. FLYNN, Jas. E., St. Mary, Edwardsville. FLYNN, John, St. Joseph, Springfield. FLYNN, Leo, St. Benedict, Auburn. FLYNN, Robert E., St. Francis, Jersey- ville. FLYNN, William, St. Patrick, Decatur. FLYNN, Wm. H., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. FLYNN, William R., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. FLYNN, Wm. Thomas, St. Mary, Ed- wardsville. FOBBE, Joseph A., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. FOEDERER, Oscar, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pierron. FOEHRKALB, A. J., St. Mary, Edwards- ville. FOEHRKOLB, Andrew, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. FOEHRKOLB, William, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. FOGARTY, Wm., Ray, Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. FOLEY, Harold F., St. Patrick, Decatur. FOLEY, Edward, Immaculate Concep- tion, Hannibal. FOLEY, James J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. FOLZ, Lawrence A., St. Peter, Quincy. FOOTE, Wheeler, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. FORAN, W. A., St. Patrick, Decatur. FORD, Edward, St. Joseph, Springfield. FORD, Fred F., St. Patrick, Pana. FORD, Leo, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. FORD, Robert, St. Joseph, Springfield. FORD, Thomas, St. Joseph, Springfield. FORESTER, Paul, St. Peter, Petersburg FORMEO, Joseph, Immaculate Concep- tion, Carlinville. FORSTHOVE, Marion, St. Peter, Quincy. FORSYTHE, Elmer, St. Mary, Taylor- ville. FORSYTHE, Rual, St. Mary Taylorville. FORTSCHNEIDER, Henry, St. Mary, Brussels. FOSSELMAN, Rev. Isadore, St. Francl3, Teutopolis. FOSTER, Edward, St. Denis, Shipman. FOSTER, Francis, St. Denis, Shipman. FOSTER, Fred, St. Denis, Shipman. FOSTER, Jas. E., St. Denis, Shipman. FOSTER, Jos , St. Peter, Quincy. FOULK, W. L., St. Michaei, Staunton. FOWLER, Geo. Wm., St. Valentine, Bend. FOX, Rev. Patrick J., St. Patrick, Pana. FRAIN, Martin, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. FRAIN, Daniel, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. FRANCAVICH, Albert, St. Patrick, Pana. FRANCIS, Edgar, St. Peter, Quincy. FRANEK, F. J., St. Mary, Edwardsville. FRANK, Carl, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. FRANK, Fred, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. FRANK, Godfrey, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. FRANKE, Dr. F. E., St. Thomas, Newton. FRANKE, Gertrude, St. Thomas, Newton. FRANKE, Neil, St. Thomas, Newton. FRANKLIN, Geo. G., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. FRANTER, John, Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. FRANZ, Arthur, St. Michael, StauntoL. FRANZ, Joseph A., SS. Peter and Pail, Springfield. FRANZ, Walter, St. Michael, Staunton. FRANZE, Charles, SS. Peter and Pau , Collinsville. FRECH, Elmer H., St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. FREEMAN, Raymond J., St. Patrick, Grafton. FREEMAN, William Porter, St. Mary, Assumption. FREEPARTNER, Henry, St. Anthony, Effingham. FREER, John B., St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. FREIBURG, Jos. A., St. Francis, Quincy. FREIBURG, Max E., St. Boniface, Quincy. FREIBURG, Otto, St. Boniface, Quincy. FREITAG, J., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. FRENCH, James K., St. Joseph, Spring- field. FRESE, Albert H., St. Francis, Quincy. FRESE, John, St. Francis, Quincy. FRESH, Elmer, St. Francis, Jerseyville. FREY, Alvin L., St. Paul, Highland. FREY, Bernard B., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. FREY, Florian, SS. Simon and Jude, Gil- lespie. FREY, John P., St. Gertrude, Grant Fork. FREY, Joseph, Immaculate Conception, Pierron. FREY, Oscar, Immaculate Conception, Pierron. FREY, Paul J., Immaculate Conception, Pierron. FRICHTL, John J., St. Thomas, Newton. FRIEDEL, George E., St. Mary, Brussels. FRIEDERICHSON, Carl, Annunciation. Bunker Hill. (84 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR FRIES, Albert, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. FRIES, Frank, SS. Simon and Jude, Gil- lespie. FRIETAG, John B., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. FRIPP, Chas., St. Charles, Charleston. FRISO, John, Sacred Heart, Panama. FROELICH, Isadore Edward, Immacu- late Conception, Springfield. FUCHS, Wm., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. FUENDO, John, St. Louis, Nokomis. FUHLER, Wm., St. Mary, Brussels. FUHRMAN, Odo F., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. FULGENZI, Louis, St. James, Riverton. FUNCHEON, Louis, St. Luke, Virginia. FUNK, Leo, St. Elizabeth, Marine. FUNKE, Frank, St. Francis, Quincy. FUNNEMANN, Edward, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. FURGUSON, Walter, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. FUTTERER, Alex. J., St. Francis, Quincy. FUTTERER, Zeno, St. Francis, Quincy. GAA, Carl, Sacred Heart, Springfield. GAA, Charles A., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. GABALIS, Leo, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. GABRIEL, H. B., St. Joseph, Granite City. GADDO, John, St. Joseph, Benld. GAFFIGAN, Wm., St. Joseph, Springfield. GAFFNEY, Charles, St. Rose, Quincy. GAGEN, Chas. A., St. Mary, Paris. GAGEN (Dewey) Frank, St. Mary, Mar- shall. GAINES, Harry, St. Peter, Quincy. GAIUTICOS, Jos., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. GAIUTICOS, Tony, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. GAIZAT, Joseph, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. GAIZAT, Tony, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. GALL, John, Sacred Heart, Virden. GALL, Leonard, Immaculate Conception, Pierron. GALLAGHER, Edward T., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. GALLAGHER, John L., St. Thomas, New- ton. GALLOWAY, Paul D., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. GAMBINO, Pietro, St. Joseph, Spring- field. GANER, John V., St. Maurice, Morrison- ville. GANER, Joseph J., St. Maurice, Morrlson- ville. GANER, Otto M., St. Maurice, Morrison- ville. GANEY, Hugh, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. GANEY, Hugh R., Assumption, Litchfield. GANEY, Louis, SS. Simon and Jude, Gil- lespie. GANGLOFF, Maurice Hugh, Assumption, Ste. Marie. GANNON, Chas. J., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. GANNON, Thos. J., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. GARDEWINE, Fred, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. GARDNER, Benjamin, St. Mary, Ed- wardsville. GARNER, Henry, St. John, Quincy. GARRISON, C. E., St. Peter, Quincy. GARRISON, E. J., St. Peter, Quincy. GARTHAUS, Joe, St. John, Quincy. GARUMBEK, Steve, Assumption, Litch- field. GARVIN, John, St. Bartholomew, Mur- rayville. GARVIN, Harry, St. Augustine, Ashland. GASPEROTTI, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. GASPEROTTI, Thos., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. GATTON, Jasper, St. Mary, Pawnee. GATTON, Louis A., St. Mary, Pawnee. GAUTNER, Albert M., St. Paul, High- land. GAVIN, Thos., SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. GAVRUN, Andrew, Holy Trinity, Mt Olive. GAWLIK, Adalbert, O. L. Czestochowa, Madison. GAYGUS, Tony, Sacred Heart, Divernon. GEBAUER, Charles W., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. GEBAUER, Theodore, St. Jerome, Troy GEBBEN, Henry H., St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. GEBHARDT, Joseph, St. Boniface, Ed wardsville. GEERS, Geo. F., St. John Evan., Car rollton. GEERS, Herman, Holy Ghost, Jerseyvill3 GEHEB, John, St. Mary, Marshall. GEHLAUSEN, Edw., St. John Evangelist Carrollton. GEHRING, Arthur, St. Boniface, Quincy GEHRING, Herbert W., St. Boniface Quincy. GEHRING, Ralph, St. Boniface, Quincy GEHRS, Frank, St. John, Quincy. 785 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS GEIGER, Erwin, St. Jerome, Troy. GEIGER, Geo. V., St. Valentine, Bend. GEIGER, Dr. John, St. Valentine, Bend. GEISLER, Clarence S., St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. GEISMANN, Frank, St Paul, Highland. GEIST, John, Sacred Heart, Springfield. GELONEK, Fred, St. Mary, Taylorville. GELS, John, St. John, Quincy. GELS, Lawrence, St. John, Quincy. GELTZ, Joseph Charles, Assumption, Ste. Marie. GENT, Leo, St. Mary, Edwardsville. GEOD, Anthony E., St. Paul, Highland. GERBER, Clarence, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. GERBER, Henry, St. Patrick, Alton. GERLACH, Fred P., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. GERMICH, Paul, St. Bernard, Wood River. GERNER, Charles, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. GIACOLETTI, Tony, SS. Peter and Paul. Collinsville. GIBBONS, John F., St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. GIBBONS, Joseph, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. GIBLIN, Cornelius J., St. Joseph, Spring- field. GIEDRA, Joseph, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. GIEFING, Ferd, St. Boniface. Quincy. GIER, Ant., St. Charles, Casey. GIESELMAN, J., St. Joseph, Granite City. GIESING, Lawrence J., St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. GIESING, Law. Jos., St. Boniface, Quincy. GILBER, Wilbert, St. Mary, Taylorville. GILL, J., St. Joseph, Granite City. GILLEN, Clifford, St. Alexius, Beards- town. GILLEN, Francis, St. Alexius, Beards- town. GILLEN, Matthew J., St. Joseph, Spring- field. GILLES, George W., Sacred Heart, Villa Grove. GILLIG, George, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. GILLMORE, Fred J., St. Agnes, Spring- field. GINDER, Odillo, Assumption, Ste. Marie. GIRARD, Albert, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. GIRTH, Bernard, St. Mary, Alton. GIRTH, Henry G., St. Mary, Alton. GIRTH, Jos. G., St. Mary, Alton. GISSAL, John A., St. Mary, Alton. GISSAL, Louise, St. Mary, Alton. GLAHN, Joseph, St. Boniface, Quincy. GLANCY, John, St. Mary, Lovington. GLANCY, Thos., St. Patrick, Decatur. GLASS, Simon, St. Boniface, Quincy. GLAVAN, John, St. Joseph, Springfield. GLAVEN, Maurice, St. Joseph, Spring- field. GLAVEN, Michael, St. Joseph, Spring- field. GLEASON, Stanley, St. Joseph, Spring- field. GLEASON, Wm. J., St. Joseph, Spring- field. GLEESON, Francis J., Visitation, Illiopo- lis. GLEESON, Walter J., Visitation, Illiopo- lis. GLEIBER, John, St. Joseph, Carlinville. GLEICH, Clarence, St. Louis, Nokomis. GLENZA, Anthony, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. GLIESNER, Ed., St. Francis, Teutopolis. GLYNN, Edw. E., St. Agnes, Springfield. GLYNN, Frank P., St. Agnes, Springfield. GODAR, Andrew, St. Norbert, Hardin. GODAR, Louis, St. Norbert, Hardin. GODAR, Raymond, St. Norbert, Hardin. GODAR, Theodore, St. Norbert, Hardin. GODZAK, Walter, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. GOEBEL, Edwin, St. Maurice, Morrison- ville. GOEBEL, Leonard, St. Maurice, Mor- risonville. GOEDEREIS, Joe, St. John, Quincy. GOEHE, Ben. J., St. Michael, Staunton. GOEHE, Jacob, St. Michael, Staunton. GOEHL. B. H., St. Joseph, Paloma. GOESTENKORS, Stephen, Immaculate Conception, Pierron. GOETTEN, John, St. Mary, Jerseyville. GOINS, A. B., Sacred Heart of Mary, New Berlin. GOLDEN, Robert, St. Joseph, Spring- field. GOLDSTEIN, Ben, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. GOLDSTEIN, Clem, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. GOMES, Earl, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. GOODALL, F. C, St. Patrick, Pana. GOODRICH, John, St. Mark, Venice. GOODRICH, Rector, St. Patrick, Grafton. GOODRICH, Robert, St. Patrick, Grafton. GORI, Dominic, Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. GORMAN, Daniel, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. GORMAN, Frank, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. GORMAN, John A., St. Joseph, Spring- field. 786 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OP HONOR GORMAN, Maurice T., St. Joseph, Spring- field. GORMAN, Tony, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. GORMAN, Richard, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. GORMELY, Frank, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. GORMELY, W. ( Sacred Heart, New Ber- lin. GORMLEY, Fred, St. Patrick, Alton. GORMLEY, Fred, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. GORMLEY, George, St. Patrick, Alton. GORY, Brominicke, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. GORY, Lester, Sacred Heart, Livingston. GOSSMAN, August W., St. Patrick, Pana. GOSSMAN, Paul C, St. Patrick, Pana. GOSSMAN, Wm., St. Patrick, Pana. GOULET, A. E., St. Agnes, Springfield. GOULET, J. E., St. Agnes, Springfield. GOULET, Marie, St. Agnes, Springfield. GOURLEY, John, St. Louis, Nokomis. GOURLEY, Wm. L., St. Louis, Nokomis. GOVEIA, John, St. Joseph, Springfield. GRABOWSKI, Louis, Mother of Dolors, Vandalia. GRADL, Jos., St. Mary, Alton. GRADY, Henry, St. Aloysius, Litchfield. GRADY, James T., St. Mary, Carlinville. GRAEFF, Edward, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. GRAFF, Harry, St. Peter, Quincy. GRAFF, Joseph, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. GRAHAM, John D, Visitation, Illiopolis. GRAHAM, Mathew Francis, Holy Trinity, Stonington. GRAHAM, Peter, St. Barbara, Witt. GRAJCIAR, Andrew (Grice), Holy Trin- ity, Mt. Olive. GRAMMON, A. F., St. Alexius, Beards- town. GRANDA, William, St. Patrick, Pana. GRANT, John E., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. GRANT, Thos. Jos., St. Mary, Taylor- ville. GRANT, Troy, St. Mary, Taylorville. GRASER, Mike, St. Francis, Teutopolis. GRAY, Chesleigh, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. GRAYSON, W. F, (M.D.), St. Joseph, Granite City. GREBIL, Clem, St. Mary, Edwardsville. GREBIL, Kenneth, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. GREELEY, James P., St. Joseph, Spring- field. GREELEY, Timothy A., St. Paul, High- land. GREEN, Timothy, St. Ubaldus, New Douglas. GREEN, Walter, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. GREENAN, James, Ascension, Mt. Olive. GREENAN, Patrick, St. Louis, Nokomis. GREENAN, William, Ascension, Mt. Olive. GREGER, James, St. Thomas, Newton. GREGOR, Leo, St. Thomas, Newton. GREMER, Joseph, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. GREMO, Frank, St. Catherine, Virden. GRENZEBACH, Fred, St. Bernard, Wood River. GRESS, Roman, St. Michael, Michael. GRESSA, Ed. A., St. Michael, Staunton. GRETHER, Albert E., St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. GREUEL, Alfred, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. GREUEL, Chas. P., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. GREUEL, Joseph, St. Mary, Green Creek. GREVING, Clem, St. Francis, Quincy. GREY, John, St. Norbert, Hardin. GRIESSER, Frank J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. GRIFFIN, John T., St. Joseph, Spring- field. GRIFFIN, John P., St. Isidore, Lovington. GRILL, Frank, Sacred Heart, Springfield. GROETING, Jos. A., St. Francis, Quincy. GROH, Frank, St. Mary, Pawnee. GROOSHEIM, Chas., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. GROSS, Leonard A., St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. GROSS, Sylvester, St. Patrick, Alton. GROSSHEIM, Carl I., St. Mary, Alton. GROSSHEIM, John, St. Mary, Alton. GROSSMAN, N. G., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. GROUNDS, Dave, St. Mary, Paris. GROVES, John W., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. GRUBER, Chas., Sacred Heart, Franklin. GRUENFELDER, Jos., Immaculate Con- ception, Pierron. GREUENENFELDER, Jos. E., St. Paul, Highland. GRUENENFELDER, Raymond, St. Paul, Highland. GRUETER, Joseph, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. GUENNEWIG, Anton, St. Michael, Staun- ton. 787 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS GUENTHIER, Theodore, SS. Peter and Paul. Collinsville. GUERNSEY, Laurence, St. Peter, Peters- burg. GUERTLER, Walter P., St. Mary, Alton. GUESEN, Herman, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. GUINAN, Arthur, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. GUINAN, Stephen, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. GUINEE, James E., St. Patrick, Pana. GUINAN, Andrew, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. GURS, Otto F., St. Boniface, Quincy. GUSSWEIN, Frank F., St. Agnes, Spring- field. GUSSWEIN, Ralph, St. Agnes, Spring- field. GUST, Geo., St. Bernard, Wood River. GUST, Urban, St. Bernard, Wood River. CUTMANN, Nicholas, St. Augustine, Ashland. GUTOWSKI, Alexander, St. Patrick, Pana. GUTOWSKI, Frank, St. Patrick, Pana. GUTOWSKI, John, St. Patrick, Pana. GUTOWSKI, Stanley, St. Patrick, Pana. GUTTMAN, N. L., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. GUYON, Arthur, Sacred Heart, Effing- ham. GUZY, John, St. Patrick, Pana. GVAZDOW, Walter, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. HAASE, Jos. B., St. Mary, Paris. HACKER, Fred A., St. John, Quincy. HACKETHAL, Frank J., St. Elizabeth, Mitchell. HACKETHAL, Peter, St. Elizabeth, Mitchell. HACKETT, Danie J., St. Joseph, Spring- field. HACKETT, James E., St. Joseph, Spring- field. HACKMANN, Law J., St. Francis, Quincy. HADE, John Thos., St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. HAFFEY, Robert J., St. Patrick, Decatur. HAFFNER, Louis L., St. Mary, Assump- tion. HAFFNER, Carl F., St. Patrick, Decatur. HAGAN, Lucien, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. HAGEL, Ernest H., St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. HAGELE, Arnold J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. HAGEN, Chas., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. HAGEN, Charles, St. Mary, Brussels. HAGEN, Chas. L, Visitation, Illiopolis. HAGEN, Frank, St. Mary, Brussels. HAGEN, Joseph, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. HAGEN, William, St. Mary, Brussels. HAGERLY, Frank, Assumption, Litch- field. HAGGERTY, Francis, St. Peter, Quincy. HAGGERTY, Frank, Assumption, Litch- field. HAGGERTY, L., St. Joseph, Granite City. HAGNAUER, Robert, St. Mark, Venice. HAHLING, Carl, St. Fidelis, Arenzville. HAHLING, Frank, St. Fidelis, Arenzville. HAHLING, Jos. St. Fidelis, Arenzville. HAHN, Frank Jacob, Assumption, Ste. Marie. HAHN, Jos. Philip, Assumption, Ste. Marie. HAIGH, Frank, St. Louis, Nokomis. HAINES, F. E., St. Alexius, Beardstown. HAIRE, Arnold J., St. Peter, Quincy. HAIRE, Everett, Sacred Heart, Franklin. HAIRE, Paul, Sacred Heart, Franklin. HALEY, W. F, St. John, Areola. HALEY, John, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. HALEY, Patrick, St. Louis, Nokomis. HALL, Dennis J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. HALL, Edward, St. Joseph, Springfield. HALL, Franklin R., St. Louis, Nokomis. HALLIGAN, Edison J., St. Peter, Quincy. HALLORAN, Bernard, St. Bernard, Wood River. HALLORAN, Dan, St. Bernard, Wood River. HALLORAN, Fred, St. Mary, Paris. HALTSHAUS, Henry St. Patrick, Pana. HAMILTON, Robert, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. HAMILTON, Roy F, St. Boniface, Quincy. HAMMER, Chas., Mother of Dolors, Van- dalia. HAMMON, Chas. Henry, St. Agnes, Springfield. HAMMOND, John J., Jr., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. HAMPSON Ferdinand J., St. Bernard, O'i-Ucirm. HAMRAK, Michael, St. Barbara, Witt. HAMUNN, Harry, St. Barbara, Witt. HANAK, Milse, St. Barbara, Witt. HAND, Joseph, Sacred Heart, Divernon. HANEKAN, Ben, St. Joseph, Ramsey. HANIE, Herman, St. Mary, Alton. HANLEY, Chester, Holy Ghost, Jersey- ville. 788 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR HANLEY, Edward, St. Joseph, Spring- field. HANLEY, William F., Holy Ghost, Jer- seyville. HANLON, Edward, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. HANLON, Francis R., St. John, Carroll- ton. HANLON, Roy, St. Mary, Pawnee. HANLON, Tim, St. Mary, Pawnee. HANN, Albert, Assumption, Ste. Marie HANN, Eugene, Assumption, Ste. Marie. HANNEKAN, Ben, St. Joseph, Ramsey. HANNING, George, St. Augustine, Ash- land. HANNING, John, St. Augustine, Ash- land. HANON, Raymond, St. Isadore, Farmers- ville. HANRAHAN, Harry T., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. HANRAHAN, John, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. HANRAHAN, Ed., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. HANRAHAN, John, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. HANSON, Jack, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. HANTLE, Henry, St. Maurice, Morrison- ville. HARDY, Albert G., St. Francis, Jersey- ville. HARE, Phil, St. Catherine, Virden. HARGIAS, Cecil, St. Patrick, Alton. HARIG, Herman, St. Francis, Quincy. HARMON, Edwin G., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. HARMON, Wm. T., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. HARNEY, James H., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. HARRINGTON, J. E., St. John, Areola. HARRINGTON, James J., St. John, Areola. HARRINGTON, Jos., St. John, Areola. HARRINGTON, Wm., J., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. HARRIS, Bulgar, St. Benedict, Auburn. HARRIS, John, St. Thomas, Newton. HARRIS, Joseph, St. Thomas, Newton. HARRISON, Peter, St. Barbara, Witt. HARTLIEB, Philip J., St. Paul, High- land. HARTMAN, Albert, St. Mary, Alton. HARTMAN, Berhard Frank, St. Boniface, Quincy. HARTMAN, Henry, Forty Martyrs, Tus- cola. HARTMAN, Joseph, St. Mary, Alton. HARTMAN, Killian G., Forty Martyrs, Tuscola. HARTMANN, Harry, St. Mark, Venice. HARTNETT, Daniel, St. Mary, Paris. HARTNETT, Wm., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. HARTUNG, Frank, St. Mark, Winchester. HARTUNG, Fred, St. Mark, Winchester. HARTUNG, Fred, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. HARVEY, Arthur, St. Patrick, Spring- field. HARVEY, James M., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. HASELHORST, Jos., St. Joseph, Meppen. HASHMAN, Jos. L., St. Agnes, Spring- field. HASSE, Henry, St. Michael, Staunton. HASSE, John, St. Michael, Staunton. HASSE, Wm., St. Michael, Staunton. HASSETT, Wm., Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. HASSETT, Joseph N., Immaculate Con- ception, Pittsfield. HATFIELD, Robert, St. Joseph, Spring- field. HAUBENREISER, Louis, St. Patrick, Pana. HAUGH, J. J., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. HAUGH, John L., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. HAURHAN, Harry, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. HAUSER, Clyde J., St. Mary, Taylorville. HAUTY, Joseph, St. Patrick, Alton. HAVEN, Norbert, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. HAVIKORST, Daniel, St. Mary, Neoga. HAVRILKA, Edward, St. Patrick, Pana. HAVRILKA, John F., St. Patrick, Pana. HAWICKHORST, John, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. HAWKEY, Frank A., St. Anne, Edge- wood. HAWKEY, Rudolph, St. Anne, Edge- wood. HAYES, Edw. A., St. Patrick, Decatur. HAYES, Frank E., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. HAYES, Dr. John M., St. Patrick, De- catur. HAYES, Lawrence, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. HAYES, Lloyd P., St. Francis, Jersey- ville. HAYES, Thos., St. Patrick, Decatur. HAYS, Arnold, St. Patrick, Decatur. HAYS, Lloyd, St. Patrick, Grafton. 789 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS HAZELHORST, Jos. A., St. Paul, High- land. HAZELWONDER, Guy, St. Michael, Mi- chael. HAZZARD, Frank, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. HEALY, Francis, St. Joseph, Spring- field. HEALY, John H., St. Joseph, Springfield. HEAVENRIDGE, Thos., St. Patrick, Springfield. HEBENSTRIET, Louis, St. Michael, Staunton. HEBERLEIN, Frederick, St. Bridget, Lib- erty. HEBERLING, Fred, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. HECHMAN, F., St. Joseph, Granite City. HECKENKAMP, Albert, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. HECKENKAMP, Geo., St. Mary, Quincy. HECKENKEMPER, Ben, St. Clara, Alta- mont. HECKER, Anthony, St. Francis, Teutop- olis. HECKLE, Bert, St John, Quincy. HEDDEN, Wm. G., St. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. HEFFERNAN, Thomas, St. Bernard, Glenarm. HEFFNER, Emil, St. Mary, Alton. HEFFRON, Mabel, St. Francis, Jersey- ville. HEGER, Clarence M., St. Patrick, De- catur. HEID, Joseph P., St. Joseph, Carlinville. HEIDENREICH, Mr., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. HEIDENREICH, Roland, St. Anselm, Kampsville. HEIDRICK, Bartholas, St. Mary, Alton. HEIDRICK, Edward, St. Mary, Alton. HEIM, Bernard, St. John, Quincy. HEIM, Wm., St. John, Quincy. HEIMBOUGHER, Albert, St. Alexius, Beardstown. HEIMBOUGHER, Chas., St. Alexius, Beardstown. HEIMERICH, Frank, Assumption, Ste. Marie. HEINE, Conrad, St. Boniface, Quincy. HEINE, John H., St. Francis, Quincy. HEINE, Wm. J., St. Francis, Quincy. HEINEMAN, Wm. G., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. HEINER, L. P., St. Patrick, Decatur. HEINER, Lawrence, St. Mary, Paris. HEINTZ, Frank, St. Mary, Alton. HEINTZ, Leo G., St. Mary, Alton. HEINZ. Arthur, St. John, Quincy. HEINZE, Frank L., St. Francis, Quincy. HEINZE, Herbert O., St. Francis, Quincy. HEISCHMIDT, Otto, St. Clara, Alta- mont. HEISE. Charles J., Assumption, Litch- field. HEISE, Fred, Assumption, Litchfield. HEISE, Leo, Assumption, Litchfield. HEITMANN, Bro. G., St. Francis, Teu- topolis. HEITZIG, Edw., Holy Ghost, Jerseyville. HELBRUNG, Herbert, St. Mary, Alton. HELDE, Jos., SS. Peter and Paul, Collins- ville. HELFRICH, Andrew, St. Francis, Quincy. HELUAKE, Edw. Jerome, St. Francis, Quincy. HELLER, C, St. Joseph, Granite City. HELLER, E., St. Joseph, Granite City. HELLER, H., St. Joseph, Granite City. HELLER, J., St. Joseph, Granite City. HELLER, M., St. Joseph, Granite City. HELLHAKE, Anthony, St. Francis, Quincy. HELLHAKE, Wm. H., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. HELLRUNG, John, St. Mary, Alton. HELLSTERN, Frank, St. Peter, Quincy. HELMERS, Geo., St. Mary, Taylorville. HELMERS, Henry, St. Mary, Taylorville. HELMERS, Wm. T., St. Mary, Taylor- ville. HELMINK, Peter, Sacred Heart, Lilly- ville. HEMERLING, Ray, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. HEMMEN, Bernard, Sacred Heart, Lilly- ville. HEMMER, Arthur, St. John, Quincy. HEMRICH, Ben, Assumption, Ste. Marie. HENDREN, James, Ascension, Mt. Olive. HENDREN, Thomas, Ascension, Mt. Olive. HENDRICKS, Andrew, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. HENDRICKS, Edw. P., St. Patrick, De- catur. HENDRICKS, Louis, Sacred Heart, DIvernon. HENDY, James, St. Bernard, Wood River. HENDY, Martin, St. Bernard, Wood River. HENEBRY, Edw. A., St. Ann, Niantic. HENEGHAN, Leo P., St. Francis, Jer- seyville. HENEGHAN, James F., St. Francis, Jer- seyville. HENKELMAN, George, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. 790 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR HENKHAUS, Edward, St. Mary, Alton. HENN, Frank, St. Augustine, Ashland. HENN, John R., St. Augustine, Ashland. HENNIGAN, Geo. E., St. Francis, Jersey- ville. HENNING, Edw., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. HENNING, William, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. HENRY, Albert, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. HENRY, Geo., St. James, Decatur. HENSLER, Edward, Holy Ghost, Jersey- ville. HENTERSHER, Leo J., St. Thomas, Newton. HENTZ, Chas. J., St. Mary, Edwards- ville. HENTZ, Dennis, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. HENTZ, Edward, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. HEOMES, Will, Sacred Heart, New Ber- lin. HEPPLEWHITE, George, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. HERBERT, Carl, St. Fidelis, Arenzville HEREGEL, Aloysius P., Assumption, Ste Marie. HEREGEL, John J., Assumption, Ste Marie. HERGENROTHER, Leo, St. Augustine Ashland. HERGENROTHER, Wm., Sacred Heart Springfield. HERKERT, Minard, St. Michael, Michael HERLIHY, Donald, St. Joseph, Spring field. HERMAN, Andrew, Assumption, Litch field. HERMANN, Carl Frederick, St. Mary Quincy. HERMANNS, Leonard, Sacred Heart Springfield. HERMANNS, Nicholas, Sacred Heart Springfield. HERMES, Edward A., St. Mary, Alex ander. HERMES, Wm. J., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. HERMESMEYER, Mathew, St. Francis, Quincy. HERR, Frank, Sacred Heart, Springfield. HERR, Joseph, St. Barbara, Springfield. HERRIN, James, SL Joseph, Springfield. HERRING, Lawrence, St. Francis, Quincy. HESS, Benjamin W., St. Elizabeth, Marine. HESS, Clem J., Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. HESS, Joseph, St. Francis, Teutopolis. HESS, Louis, St. Francis, Teutopolis. HESSE, Leo, St. Mary, Alton. HESSE, Maurice, St. Joseph, Springfield. HESSELDINZ, Albert J., St. Joseph, Carlinville. HESSELDINZ, Paul, St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. HEYNEN, L. J., St. Patrick, Decatur. HICKEY, Herman, St. Francis, Quincy. HICKEY, Thos., St. Francis, Quincy. HIETMANN, Bro. Giles, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. HIGGINS, Andrew, St. Mary, Mt. Ster ling. . HIGGINS, Earl, St. Mary, Pawnee. HIGGINS, Geo. R., Immaculate Concep tion, Springfield. HIGGINS, Geo. W., St. Joseph, Spring field. HIGGINS, Henry Floyd, St. Patrick Pana. HIGGINS, Harold, St. Rose of Lima ; Quincy. HIGGINS, Dr. J. R., SS. Simon and Jude Gillespie. HIGGINS, James, St. Mary, Pawnee. HIGGINS, James, SS. Simon and Jude Gillespie. HIGGINS, James, St. Joseph, Springfield HIGGINS, Matthew, St. Peter, Quincy. HIGGINS, Orville, St. Mary, Pawnee. HIGGINS, Thomas, St. Joseph, Spring field. HIGGINS, Wm. T., St. Peter, Quincy. HIGHLAND, E., St. Joseph, Granite City HILBE, Joseph, St. Paul, Highland. HILDEBRAND, Leslie, St. Francis Quincy. HILDEBRAND, Leo A., St. Francis Quincy. HILDEBRAND, Leo J., St. Peter, Quincy HILFRINK, Chas. E., St. Francis, Quincy HILGELBRINK, Frank, St. John, Quincy, HILGER, Edward B., St. Aloysius, Litch- field. HILL, Theodore, St. Mary, Taylorville. HILL, Joseph, St. Mary, Taylorville. HILL, Wm., St. Patrick, Springfield. HILLA, Frank, St. Mary, Edwardsville. HILLA, John, St. Mary, Edwardsville. HILLE. William, St. Anthony, Effingham. HILLEN, John, St. Mary, Brussels. HILLIARD, Thomas C, Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. HINES, Emmet P., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. HINES, Eugene, St. Thomas, Newton. HINES, Raymond, Assumption, Ste. Marie. HINES, Urban, Assumption, Ste. Marie. 791 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS HIPP, James Sebastian, Assumption, Ste. Marie. HNY, Leslie J., St. Paul, Highland. HOAG, Francis A., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. HOBAN, John J., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. HOBAN, W., St. Joseph, Granite City. HOCK, E., SS. Peter and Paul, Collins- ville. HOCK, Francis, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. HOCK, Isadore J., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. HODACK, John, St. Joseph, Springfield. HODALSKI, Alexander M., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. HODALSKI, Frank, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. HOEBBING, Anton, St. Anthony, Quincy. HOECHERL, George Andrew, Assump- tion, Ste. Marie. HOEDEBECKE, Ben, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. HOEDEBECKE, Fred, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. HOEHN, Anthony, St. Mary, Alton. HOEHN, Edw., Dr., Sacred Heart, Oconee. HOEHN, John, St. Mary, Alton. HOEHN, John, Jr., St. Louis, Nokomis. HOEHN, Walter, Sacred Heart, Oconee. HOELKER, Joseph, St. Mary, Westwood. HOETTGER, Harry, St. Mary, Alton. HOFFERKAMP, August, Sacred Heart, Springfield. HOFFMAN, Charles, St. Elizabeth, Marine. HOFFMAN, Ed, St. Anthony, Effingham. HOFFMAN, John, St. Marie, Ste. Marie. HOFFMAN, Joseph J., St. John, Quincy. HOFFMAN, Walter F., St. Francis, Quincy. HOFFMAN, Willie, Assumption, Ste. Marie. HOFFMANN, Edgar, St. Paul, Highland. HOFMAN, Clem, St. Michael, Sigel. HOGAN, John E., Assumption, Litchfield. HOGAN, W. E., St. Patrick, Decatur. HOGAN, Walter, Sacred Heart, Dalton City. HOGAN, Wm. G., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. HOGEL, Earnest H., St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. HOHNSTEDT, Fred, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. HOHNSTEDT, Leo, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. HOLKENBKINK, Frank, Sacred Heart, Lillyville. HOLLOWAY, John, St. Patrick, Pana. HOLTHAUS, Barney C, Sacred Heart, Oconee. HOLTHAUS, Henry, Sacred Heart, Oconee. HOLZGANA, Joseph, St. Paul, Highland. HOLZINGER, Lawrence, Immaculate Conception, Pierron. HOOD, Chas. L., St. Joseph, Springfield. HOOLEY, Thos. C, Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. HOOLEY, Wm.. Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. HOPLEY, Owen, St. Barbara, Witt. HOPLEY, Philip, St. Barbara, Witt. HOPPE, Anthony, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. HOPPER, Frank, St. Mary, Neoga. HORAT, Frank, SS. Peter and Paul Alton. HORBELT, Roman, St. Francis, Quincy. HORBELT, Geo., St. Francis, Quincy. HORN, Edward, St. Elizabeth, Marine. HORN, Louis, St. Mary, Alton. HOTZ, B. J., St. Mary, Edwardsville. HOTZ, Norbert, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. HOTZ, Wilfred, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. HOULIHAN, Geo. J., Assumption, Litch- field. HOURAN, C. F., St. Patrick, Decatur. HOURAN, D. V., St. Patrick, Decatur. HOURAN, V. E., St. Patrick, Decatur. HOUSEN, C. J., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. HOVANEC, Geo. W., Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. HOVANEC, Andy, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. HOWARD, Chas. P., St. Mary, Pawnee. HOWARD, Edgar M., St. Mary, Pawnee. HOWARD, Emmet, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. HOWIE, James, Immaculate Conception, Carlinville. HOWLEY, John M., St. Patrick, Decatur. HOYE, Emmett L., St. Peter, Quincy. IIUBER, Anthony, St. Alphonsus, Bright- on. HUBER, Arnold B., St. Peter, Quincy. HUBER, Carl, St. Paul, Highland. HUBER, Clarence, St. Paul, Highland. HUBER, Emil, St. Peter, Quincy. HUBER, Frank, St. Alphonsus, Brighton. HUBER, Fred, Assumption, Ste. Marie. IIT ; BER, George, St. Anthony, Quincy. HUBER, Otto A., St. Thomas, Newton. HUBER, Raymond, St. Peter, Quincy. 792 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR HUBER, William Christ, St. John, Cof- feen. HUBER, William F., St. Paul, Highland. HUBNER, Anthony, St. Mary, Alton. HUCK, Oscar P., St. Boniface, Quincy. HUEBNER, John, St. Alphonsus, Brigh- ton. HUELSBUSCH, Henry, St. Anthony, Effingham. HUELSBUSCH, William, St. Anthony, Effingham. HUFF, Timothy, Assumption, Ste. Marie. HUGHES, Dr. Edmund, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. HUGHES, Edward, St. Patrick, Spring- field. HUGHES, Edward, St. Michael, Michael. HUGHES, Herbert Henry, Immaculate Conception, Springfield. HUGHES, Hugh J., Assumption, Litch- field. HUGHES, James P., St. Patrick, Spring- field. HUGHES, Martin, St. Patrick, Pana. HUGHES, Patrick, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. HUGHES, Walter Scott, St. Francis, Jer- seyville. HUGHES, William Earl, St. Francis, Jer- seyville. HULTER, Dr., St. Patrick, Pana. HUMMELT, Frank, St. Boniface, Quincy. HUMMERT, Edw. W., St. Francis, Quincy. HUMMERT, Gerhard, St. John, Quincy. HUMMERT, Lawrence, St. John, Quincy. HUNT, James, St. Alexius, Beardstown. HUNT, Lisle, St. Patrick, Decatur. HUNT, Luke N., St. Patrick, Decatur. HUNTER, Earl, St. Mary, Paris. HURLEY, John, St. Patrick, Alton. HURT, Elmer, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. HUSS, Edward, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. HUSS, Frederick, Assumption, Ste. Marie. HUTCHENS, Norbert, St. John, Carroll- ton. HUTCHESON, Roy Wm., St. Patrick, Decatur. HUTCHESON, W. L., St. James, Decatur. HUTMACHER, Albert, Immaculate Con- ception, Dieterich. HUTMACHER, Carl, St. Boniface, Quincy. HUTMACHER, Edward L., Immaculate Conception, Dieterich. HUTMACHER, Joseph C, Immaculate Conception, Dieterich. HUTMACHER, P. Joseph, Immaculate Conception, Dieterich. HUTTON, Thomas, St. Joseph, Spring- field. HUYEAR, Harry Tony, St. Joseph, Car- linville. HYLE, Raymond A, St. Paul, Highland. IMMENGA, Fred, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. IMMING, Edward, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. IMMING, Harry, St. Joseph, Meppen. IMMING, Leo G., St. Anthony, Effingham. IMMING, William H., St. Joseph, Meppen. INTSCH, Albert, St. Fidelis, Arenzville. IPPOLITO, Joseph, St. James, Riverton. IPPOLITO, Louis, St. James, Riverton. IPPOLITO, Pasquel, St. James, Riverton. IRELAND, Eugene, Mother of Dolors, Vandalia. ISERT, John A., St. Paul, Highland. ISERT, John J., Immaculate Conception, Pierron. JACOBY, Albert, St. Barbara, Springfield. JAEGER, Albert Adam, St. Mary, Quincy. JAKUBIAK, Boleslaus, O. L. Czestochowa, Madison. JANSEN, August, St. John, Quincy. JANSEN, Ben, St. Mary, Green Creek. JANSEN, Rev. Cyprian Wm., St. Francis, Quincy. JANSEN, Fred, St. John, Quincy. JANSEN, John, St. John, Quincy. JARBAC, James, St. Mary, Taylorville. JARDOT, Emil, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. JAROS, John, St. Louis, Nokomis. JASECKO, John, St. Barbara, Witt. JASECKO, Michael, St. Barbara, Witt. JASECKO, Thomas, St. Barbara, Witt. JASECKO, Wm., St. Barbara, Witt. JASPER, John, St. Boniface, Quincy. JASSECK, Carl A., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. JAVENSON, Joe, Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. JENKINS, John Joe, St. Augustine, Ash- land. JENNINGS, Arnold, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. JENOT, John, Sacred Heart of Mary, New Berlin. JENOT, John F., St. Agnes, Springfield. JENSON, Clem, St. Mary, Quincy. JESSECKO, John, St. Barbara, Witt. JESSECKO, Thomas, St. Barbara, Witt. JESSECKO, Mike, St. Barbara, Witt. JESSECKO, Will, St. Barbara, Witt. JOCCA, Tito, St. Joseph, Benld. 793 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS JOEHL, Albert, St. Mary, Alton. JOEHL, Walter, St. Mary, Alton. JOEHL, J. J., St. Mary, Alton. JOEING, Jos., Sacred Heart, Effingham. JOHANNESMEYER, Henry, St. John, Quincy. JOHN, Edgar G., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. JOHN, Kenneth, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. JOHN, Ralph H., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. JOHNDROWS, Jos. H., St. Mary. Alton. JOHNS, George, O. L. Czestochowa, Madison. JOHNS, John G., St. Jerome, Black Jack. JOHNSON, Frank P., St. Mary, Alex- ander. JOHNSON, Jos. P., St. Patrick, Decatur. JOHNSON, Michael, Sacred Heart, Frank- lin. JOHNSON, Michael T., Our Saviour, Jacksonville. JOKUBAITIS, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. JOLIE, Leon, Sacred Heart, Livingston. JOMBAK, John, Sacred Heart, Virden. JONES, Christy, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. JONES, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. JONES, Paul, St. Benedict, Auburn. JONES, Philip Bernaid, St. Alphonsus, Brighton. JONES, Robert William, St. Joseph, Springfield. JORDAN, Jas. A., St. Isidore, Farmers- ville. JORDAN, John, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. JORDAN, John, Jr., Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. JORDAN, Thos., St. Patrick, Girard. JORDAN, Walter, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. JOSEN, Wm. St. Peter, Quincy. JOSEPH, Wm., St. Peter, Quincy. JOSEPH, Edwin, St. Boniface, Quincy. JOSEPH, Oscar, St. Boniface, Quincy. JOSHU, Fred, Sacred Heart, Livingston. JOSHU, Henry, Sacred Heart, Livingston. JOSHU, Toney, Sacred Heart, Livingston. JOSSECK, C. A., SS. Peter and Paul. Springfield. JOTTE, Alvin E., St. Paul, Highland. JUDA, Ben, SS. Peter and Paul, Collins- ville. JUDA, Wm., SS. Peter and Paul, Collins- ville. JUGANS, John, St. James, Riverton. JUN, Henry, St. Mary, Alton. JUNE, Leo, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. JURCAK, Ladisl, Sacred Heart, Virden. JURCH, Andrew, Sacred Heart, Virden. JUREK, John, Sacred Heart, Virden. JURGENS, Frank, St. Francis, Teutop- olis. JURGENS, H. J., Dr., St. Peter, Quincy. KABBES, Henry, St. Mary, Green Creek. KABBES, Joseph, St. Mary, Green Creek. RACIER, Edw., St. Patrick, Pana. KAESSEN, Arthur H., St. Boniface, Quincy. KAHTS, Louis, St. Anthony, Effingham. KAHTZ, Louis, St. Francis, Teutopolis. KAHTZ, William, St. Francis, Teutopolis. KAISER, Anton, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. KAISER, John J., St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. KAISER, Wm., St. Joseph, Benld. KAKOWSKI, Alexander, 0. L. Czest- ochowa, Madison. KALAHER, Martin F., St. Mary Carlin- ville. KALENDRO, Alphonso, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. KALINA, Chas. J., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. KALLAL, Benedict J., St. Mary, Jersey- ville. KALLAL, John F., Holy Ghost, Jersey- ville. KALTENBACH, Herbert A., St. John, Quincy. KALVIN, Andrew, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. KALVIN, Geo., Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. KAMOR, Thomas, Assumption, Litchfield. KAMP, Albert, St. Mary, Brussels. KAMP, Arthur F., St. Anselm, Kamps- ville. KAMPHAUS, Sylvester, St. Anthony, Quincy. KAMSCHRADER, Irwin, Sacred Heart, Effingham. KANDER, Andrew, Sacred Heart, Virden. KANE, Francis, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. KANE, George A., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. KANE, Jas. P., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. KANE, Luke J., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. KANE, Matthew, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. KANE, Patrick L„ St. Joseph, Spring- field. r94 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR KANSTEINER, Carl G., St. Francis, Quincy. KANSTEINER, Leo L., St. Francis So- lanus, Quincy. KANSTEINER, Ruben, St. Francis So- lanus, Quincy. KANSY, Ignatius A., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. KANTNER, George F., St. Paul, High- land. KANTNER, Henry E., St. Paul, High- land. KANTNER, Theo. F., St. Paul, Highland. KAPP, Aug., St. Michael, Staunton. KAPUSTA, Pete, St. Joseph, Benld. KASIR, Edward Joseph, St. Patrick Pana. KASTL, Carl, Immaculate Conception Mattoon. KASTL, George, Immaculate Conception Mattoon. KATEIVA, Frank, Sacred Heart, Liv ingston. KATHMANN, Oscar, St. Boniface, Quincy KAUFFMAN, Joseph, St. Michael, Sigel KAUFFMANN, Eugene, Assumption, Ste Marie. KAUFMANN, John, St. Joseph, Carlin ville. KAUFMANN, John F., St. Thomas, New ton. KAUSTEINER, Leo L., St. Francis Quincy. KAVANAUGH, John, St. Augustine, Ash land. KAWALESKY, Joseph, St. Patrick, Pana KEANE, Jos. T., Sacred Heart, Effing ham. KEARNEY, Morris, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. KEARNEY, Thomas, St. Peter, Quincy. KEARNEY, Thos. M., St. Peter, Quincy. KEARNEY, Wm., St. Mary, Edwards- ville. KEATING, Wm., St. Bernard, Wood River. KECK, Sylv., St. John, Quincy. KECKEISEN, Carl F., St. James, Deca- tur. KEEFNER, Edward, Sacred Heart, Springfield. KEEFNER, Hugh, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. KEEFNER, John, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. KEEFNER, Irwin J., St. Joseph, Spring- field. KEEGAN, Frank, St. Patrick, Spring- field. KEEGAN, Wm., St. Patrick, Springfield. KEELY, William, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. KEENE, Thos., St. Mary, Alton. KEFALAS, P., St. Joseph, Granite City. KEHOE, Edw. F., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. KEHOE, James, Immaculate Conception, Springfield. KEIFER, Geo., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. KEIM, Charles, St. Mary, Brussels. KEIM, Henry, St. Mary, Brussels. KEINTZLE, Gus, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. KEKEISEN, Carl F., St. Patrick, Decatur. KELAHAN, J., St. Joseph, Granite City. KELLER, Edward H., Assumption, Litch- field. KELLER, Fred, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. KELLER, John A., Assumption, Ste. Marie. KELLER, Stephen, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. KELLERMAN, Leo, St. Elizabeth, Mitchell. KELLETH, John, St. Barbara, Witt. KELLEY, Basil J., St. Patrick, Pana. KELLEY, Edward M., St. John, Areola. KELLEY, Leo, St. Rose, Quincy. KELLEY, S. C, St. Mary, Alton. KELLY, Dan, Jr., Mother of Dolors, Van- dalia. KELLY, Ed, St. John Baptist, Areola. KELLY, Daniel, St. Michael, Michael. KELLY, Frank, St. Patrick, Pana. KELLY, Frank G., Mother of Dolors, Vandalia. KELLY, George J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. KELLY, James J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. KELLY, John, Ascension, Mt. Olive. KELLY, John T., St. Peter, Quincy. KELLY, Robert L., St. Peter, Petersburg. KELLY, Thomas, St. Peter, Petersburg. KELLY, Wm. T., St. Peter, Petersburg. KELLY, Robert E., Assumption, Litch- field. KELLY, Thos. A., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. KELLY, Vincent Michael, St. Mary, Car- linville. KELMEL, Earl N., St. Raymond, Ray- mond. KEMM, Aloys., St. Anthony, Effingham. KEMME. Allie, St. Francis. Teutopolis. KENN, Frank, St. Augustine, Ashland. KENNEDY, James C, Forty Martyrs, Tuscola. KENNBDY, Lester, St. Alexius, Beards- town. 795 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS KENNEDY, Philip, St. Patrick, Alton. KENNEDY, Wm. D., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. KENNEDY, Michael J., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. KENNEDY, Roy, St. Joseph, Springfield. KENNEY, John, St. Patrick, Alton. KENNEY, Wilfred, St. Mary, Paris. RENTER, Bernard, St. Francis, Teutop- olis. KENTER, Joseph, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. KENTER, William, St. Francis, Teutop- olis. KERNER, Leo J., St. Thomas, Newton. KERNS, Leo C, Immaculate Conception, Springfield. KERVIN, Dennis J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. KERVIN, Lawrence, St. Agnes, Spring- field. KERWIN, Lawrence F., Imm. Concep- tion, Springfield. KESL, Joseph, Jr., St. Mary, Edwards- ville. KESSLER, James F., Assumption, Ste. Marie. KESTENDORF, Aloys. H., St. Anthony, Effingham. KETTERER, Walter, St. Peter, Quincy. KIDWELL, James, St. Mary, Alton. KIECHER, Hugh Thomas, St. Rose, Quincy. KIEL, Joseph, St. Mary, Brussels. KIELY, Richard Earl, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. KIENTZLE, Augustus J., St. Mary, Pitts- field. KIENTZLE, Emmett, St. Boniface, Quincy. KIENTZLE, Fred, St. Boniface, Quincy. KIENZLER, George J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. KIENZLER, William P., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. KILCUMMINGS, John, St. Joseph, Spring- field. KILCUMMINGS, Thomas, St. Joseph, Springfield. KILDUFF, Dan, St. Jerome, Troy. KILGORE, Bernhard, St. Joseph, Ramsey. KILGORE, Chas., St. Joseph, Ramsey. KILHOFFER, Dr. H. L., St. Joseph, Springfield. KILIAN, Edw., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. KILINA, Leo, Our Saviour, Jacksonville. KILKEARY, Edw. F., St. Patrick, Deca- tur. KILL, Lawrence, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. KILL, Louis, St. Peter, Quincy. KILORAN, F. D., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. KIMUTIS, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. KINDLER, Henry, St. Aloysius, Litch- field. KINGSTON, R., Imm. Conception, Shel- byville. KINNEY, Leo Edw., St. Maurice, Mor- risonville. KINSELLA, James F., St. Jossph, Spring- field. KINSELLA, Richard B., St. Joseph, Springfield. KINSELLA, W. L., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. KIRBY, Wm., Imm. Conception, Mattoon. KIRCHGESSNER, Carl J. , SS. Petei and Paul, Springfield. KIRCHGESSNER, John G., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. KIRTS, Lorin, Assumption, Ste. Marie. KISSELL, John, SS. Simon and Jude, Gil- lespie. KITTEL, Frank, St. Mark. Venice. KITZMILLER, Warren, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. KLAAS, Wm., John Jr., St. Joseph, Mep- pen. KLAES, Rev. Jos. J., St. Mary, Quincy. KLAHOLT, Harry, St. Joseph, Spring- field. KLAHOLT, H. T., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. KLANS, Albert J., St. Paul, Highland. KLANS, Robert Q., St. Paul, Highland. KLAUSEN, George, St. Mary, Taylorville. KLEBAN, Frank L., St. James, Riverton. KLEBAN, John, St. James, Riverton. KLEFFNER, Fred W., Holy Ghost, Jer- seyville. KLEFNER, Warren, St. Patrick, Alton. KLEIN, Joseph M., St. Patrick, Pana. KLEIN, Paul, St. Boniface, Quincy. KLEINSNITTGER, Leo, St. Patrick, Al- ton. KLENE, Othmar C, St. Francis, Quincy. KLENE, Rudolph F, St. John, Quincy. KLIESNER, Edward, St. Francis, Teu- topolls. KLINNER, Henry, St. Francis, Quincy. KLINNER, Frank, St. Francis, Quincy. KLOEVER, William, St. Patrick, Pana. KLOPPENBURG, Carl, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. KLOPPENBURG, Geo. J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. 796 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OP HONOR KLOPPENBURG, Harry M., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. KLOPPENBURG, C. J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. KLOTZ, Fred, St. Michael, Staunton. KLUNK, Charles, St. Anselm, Kamps- ville. KLUNK, Michael, St. Michael, Michael. KLUNK, Wm., St. Michael, Michael. KNABE, Louis, St. Francis, Teutopolis. KNAPP, Eugene, St. Mary, Alton. KNAPP, Oswald, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. KNEBEL, Elmer P., 1mm. Conception, Pierron. KNEBEL, Osmar, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pierron. KNEBEL, Walter, Imin. Conception, Pier- ron. KNEPLER, Henry, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. KNES, Henry, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. KNES, Joseph, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. KNETZER, Adam, St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. KNETZER, Edward, St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. KNOTTS, Bernard, St. Joseph, Spring- field. KNOUS, Joel W., St. Mary, Alexander. KNOWLES, J. Douglas, St. Patricks, Alton. KNOWLES, Wm., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. KNOX, Wm. Geo., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. KNOX, Thomas B., St. Peter, Quincy. KNUF, Frank H., St. Francis, Quincy. KOCH, Adam, St. Francis, Quincy. KOCH, Frank, St. Paul, Highland. KOCH, Amiel J., St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. KOCH, John A. Dr., St. Peter, Quincy. KOCH, John P., St. Paul, Highland. KOCH, Leo, St. Paul, Highland. KOCH, Walter, Sacred Heart, Livingston. KOCHIS, John, St. Louis, Nokomis. KOEBBLE, Stephen, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. KOEBELE, Adolph W., St. Joseph, Island Grove. KOEBELE, Florent J., St. Joseph, Island Grove. KOEHL, C. J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. KOEMAN, Geo. Hy, St. Mary, Quincy. KOENIG, Joseph, St. Anselm, Kamps- ville. KOENIG, John, St. Mary, Alton. KOENIG, Henry, St. Mary, Alton. KOEPPING, Leo, St. John, Quincy. KOESJAN, John, St. Francis, Quincy. KOESTER, Lawrence, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. KOESTERIR, E., St. Joseph, Granite City. KOETTERS, Geo., St. John, Quincy. KOETTERS, Theodore, St. John, Quincy. KOFPELI, Rev. John B., St. Francis, Quincy. KOHLBECKER, Edmund, Sacred Heart, Springfield. KOHLBECKER, Wm., Sacred Heart, Springfield. KOHNEN, Frank, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. KOLB, Joseph, Assumption, Ste. Marie. KOLB, Sylvester, Assumption, Ste. Marie. KOLBERER, Albert, St. Fidelis, Arenz- ville. KOLBERER, Walter, St. Fidelis, Arenz- ville. KOLDA, Francis, St. Patrick, Pana. KOLEJNIC, Andrew, Sacred Heart, Vir- den. KOLLMAN, Louis, St. Clara, Altamont. KOLLMEYER, Carl, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. KOLLMEYER, Marcelline, St. John, Quincy. KOLODZIEJ, Joseph, O. L. Czestochowa, Madison. KOMAR, Joseph, St. Louis, Nokomis. KOMAR, Thomas, Assumption, Litchfield. KONIAK, John, St. Joseph, Benld. KONRAD, David H., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. KOPJO, John, Sacred Heart, Virden. KORBAR, Francis, St. Barbara, Witt. KORDE, John Lve (?), St. Mary, Alex- ander. KORTE, Joseph, St. Mary, Green Creek. KOSALKO, Andrew, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. KOSLOWSKI, August, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. KOSLOWSKI, Wm., St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. KOTTENDORF, Jos., St. Francis, Quincy. KOVAL, John, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. KOVAL, Stephen, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. KOYNE, Thomas, St. Bartholomew, Mur- rayville. KOZIELEK, Franciscus, O. L. Czes- tochowa, Madison. KRAEMER, C, St. Joseph, Granite City KRAEMER, J., St. Joseph, Granite City. KRAJUAK, John, Sacred Heart, Virden. KRASAUSKIS, Frank, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. KRATCHNER, Fred, St. Mary, Alton. KRATZMEYER, Raymond Sylvester, As- sumption, Ste. Marie. 797 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS KRAUS, Andrew J., Sacred Heart, Springfield. KRAUS, John, Sacred Heart, Springfield. KRAUS, L. H., Our Saviour, Jacksonville. KREID, Chas. St. Mary, Brussels. KRE1D, Joseph Frederick, St. Mary, KREINBERG, Edw. H., St. Boniface, Quincy. KREMER, Bernard, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. KREMER, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. KREMPASKI, John, Sacred Heart, Vir- den. KRENIG, Henry, St. Mary, Alton. KRESS, Walter, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. KREUITER, Henry, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. KREUITER, John, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. KRISTIAN, John, St. Patrick, Pana. KRITE, Wm., SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. KRIVAN, Paul, Sacred Heart, Livingston. KRIVEN, Joe, Sacred Heart, Livingston. KROEGER, Geo. L, St. Boniface, Quincy. KROEGER, Henry J., St. Francis, Quincy. KROEGER, Joseph, St. Francis, Quincy. KROES, John, Jr., St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. KROGEMAN, Walter, St. John, Quincy. KRONER, Albert F., St. Boniface, Quincy. KRONER, August, St. Francis, Quincy. KRUEGER, Bernard, Sacred Heart, Springfield. KRUEGER, John, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. KRUEGER, Wm., Sacred Heart, Spring- field. KRUG, Frank, St. Joseph, Springfield. KRUG, Robert E., St Patrick, Alton. KRUGER, Joseph, St. Patrick, Spring- field. KRYSTIAN, John, St. Patrick, Pana. KRYSTIAN, Matthew, St. Patrick, Pana. KUBAYKO, John, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. KUBAYKO, Andrew, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. KUBAYKO, Leo, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. KUCHAR, Harry F., St. Patrick, Pana. KUDERKO, Anthony, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. KUEPLER, Henry, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. KUERSCHER, Albert, St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. KUERSCHER, Joseph, St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. KUHNS, Ruben, Sacred Heart, Effing- ham. KUKOVICH, Joseph, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. KUMLE, Fred, St. Mary, New Berlin. KUNKEL, Charles E., St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. KUNTZ, Joseph, St. Patrick, Pana. KUNZWEILER, Carl, Sacred Heart, Springfield. KURMAN, B. J., St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. KUROPACK, Andrew, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. KURTZ, Virgil, St. Peter, Quincy. KURZ, Fred W., St. Boniface, Quincy. KURZ, Frank, St. Boniface, Quincy. KURZ, L. Herbert, St. Boniface, Quincy. KUSTERMAN, Edward, St. Paul, High- land. KUTCHMA, John, St. Mary, Pawnee. KUTCHMA, Joe, St. Mary, Pawnee. KUTZERA, Thomas, O. L. Czestochowa, Madison. KUZNAIR, Roman, St. Louis, Nokomis. KUZNIK, Albert, St. Barbara, Spring- field. KWIATKOWSKI, Alexander, O. L. Czes- tochowa, Madison. KYLE, Wilbert, St. Paul, Highland. LAAKE, A. J., St. Boniface, Quincy. LACEY, James, Mother of Dolors, Van- dalia. LACEY, Leo J., St. Mary, Taylorville. LACSON, Henry, Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. LAFAUCE, Anthony, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. LAFEVERE, John, St. Benedict, Auburn. LAFFEY, John H., St. Joseph, Spring- field. LAFLEN, Paul O., St. Joseph, Springfield. LAHEY, Charles, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. LAHEY, Harry, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. LAHEY, George T., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. LAHY, Leo, St. Luke, Virginia. LAKE, Ben, St. John, Carrollton. LA MARSH, H. E., St. Patrick, Grafton. LAMOTTE, Edmund J., St. Thomas, Newton. LAMY, Anthony, St. Francis, Quincy. LAMY, Arthur, St. Boniface, Quincy. LAMY, Edmund, St. Boniface, Quincy. LAMY, Maurice, St. Boniface, Quincy. LANAHAN, Silverius, St. Louis, No- komis. LANAHAN, T., St. Joseph, Granite City. 798 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR LANAHAN, S., St. Joseph, Granite City. LANAHAN, Thomas, St. Louis, Nokomis. LANAUSKAS, Geo., St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. LANDENBERGER, Albert, St. Joseph, Springfield. LANDMAN, Henry, St. Paul, Highland. LANDOLT, Emll, St. Paul, Highland. LANG, Chas. J., Assumption, Litchfield. LANGAN, Edward, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. LANGAN, Francis, St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. LANGAN, Michael, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. LANGEL, Florent A., St. Thomas, New- ton. LANGEL, Frank J., St. Thomas, Newton. LANGEL, Paul B., St. Thomas, Newton. LANGEN, Cletus, St. Maurice, Morrison- ville. LANGEN, John L., St. Raymond, Ray- mond. LANGEN. S. C, St. Boniface, Quincy. LANGEN, William, St. Maurice, Mor- risonville. LANGER, Edward, St. Anselm, Kamps- ville. LANGER, Louis, St. John, Carrollton. LANGHEIM, Paul, St. Catherine, Vir- den. LANSING, Albert B., St. John, Quincy. LANSING, Ralph, St. John, Quincy. LANZA, Bruno, St. Peter, Quincy. LAPINSKI, Victor, O. L. Czestochowa, Madison. LAPPIE, Leo, St. Mary, Pawnee. LARABEE, Edw., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. LARCHER, Frank, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. LARCHER, John, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. LARKIN, Ford, St. Peter, Quincy. LARKINS, William F., St. Mary, Taylor- ville. LARNS, Stanley, St. Mary, Lovington. LASCODY, Michael F., St. Barbara, Springfield. LASHMET, Earle, St. Mark, Winchester. LAU, Theodore, St. Francis, Teutopolis. LAUER, Harry T., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. LAUER, John, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. LAUERS, Henry, St. Joseph, Springfield. LAUGEL, Chas., St. Clara, Altamont. LAUGEL, Frank, St. Clara, Altamont. LAUGEL, Francis P., Sacred Heart, Panama. LAUGEL, Paul, St. Thomas, Newton. LAUGHLIN, M. T., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. LAUGHLIN, Thomas, St. Patrick, Girard. LAUNDRZ, Edw., St. Mark, Winchester. LAURANT, Louis, St. Francis, Jersey- ville. LAURENCE, Allen E., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. LAUX, Carl, St. Patrick, Decatur. LA VERY, Vincent, Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. LAW, John A., Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. LAWLER, Frank, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. LAWLER, Frank (now Rev.) St. Peter, Quincy. LAWLER, J. Warren, St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. LAWLER, Roy, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. LAWLESS, James, St. Bartholomew, Murrayville. LAWLESS, Moran, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. LAWLESS, Richard, St. Mark, Win- chester. LAWLISS, Edward, St. Patrick, Alton. LAWRENCE, Allen E., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. LAWSON, Charles, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. LAWSON, Grant, St. Mary, Neoga. LAYENDECKER, Frank, Sacred Heart, Springfield. LAYENDECKER, John H., Sacred Heart, Springfield. LAZZERI, David, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. LEACH, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. LEACH, Leon, St. Clara, Altamont. LEADY, Henry P., St. Mary, Alton. LEADY, John, St. Mary, Alton. LEADY, Jos., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. LEAHEY, Frank T., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. LEAHY, E., St. Joseph, Granite City. LEAHY, Frank, Sacred Heart, New Ber- lin. LEAHY, Jos., St. Augustine, Ashland. LEANE, Edward, St. Peter, Quincy. LEARY, Wayne, St. Alexius, Beardstown. LECHTENBERG, Leo, St. Franc i 8, Quincy. LECHTENBERG, Wm. T., St. Mary, Quincy. LECOCQ, Jules, St. Patrick, Pana. LEE, James, St. Joseph, Benld. 799 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS LEE, John M., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. LEESON, James L., St. Francis, Jersey- vllle. LEESON, John L., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. LEGIUNE, Lee, St. Elizabeth, Robinson. LEGRU, Florimond T., St. Patrick, Pana. LEHENY, Everett F., St. Mary, Pawnee. LEHNEN, Carl, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. LEHNEN, Fred P., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. LEHNEN, Hugo B., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. LEHR, Edward, St. Anselm, Kampsville. LEINHART, Alex. J., Assumption, Ste. Marie. LEISE, John W., St. Michael, Staunton. LEITNER, Frank R., St. Mary, Edwards- ville. LEITSCHUH, Edward, St. A 1 o y s i us, Litchfield. LEITSCHUH, Otto, Assumption, Litch- field. LENANE, John, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. LENANE, Thomas, St. Peter, Quincy. LENZ, Charles W., Holy Ghost, Jersey- ville. LENZ, Edward, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. LENZ, Nicholas, St. Anthony, Quincy. LEONARD, Edw., St. Patrick, Decatur. LEOTTA, Joseph, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. LESCH, Bernard, St. Francis, Quincy. LESMAN, Elmer W., St. Raymond, Ray- mond. LEUTENMEYER, Carl T., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. LEVO, Edward, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. LEVORA, Joseph, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. LEVORA, L. C, St. Mary, Edwardsville. LEVORA, Leo, St. Mary, Edwardsville. LEVORA, Wm., St. Mary, Edwardsville. LEX, Frank J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. LEX, John A., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. LEX, Leonard, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. LEYDEN, E., St. Joseph, Granite City. LEYDEN, S., St. Joseph, Granite City. LIBBY, John, St. Patrick, Springfield. LIDDLE, Clyde, Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. LIDSTER, Clifford, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. LIEBLER, Samuel, St. Gertrude, Grant- fork. LIEBLER, Walter G., St. Jerome, Troy. LIESEN, Henry, St. Mary, Quincy. LIKONZONE, Dore, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. LILEIKIS, Wm., St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. LINGIS, Jos., St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. LINK, Albert, SS. Peter and Paul, Spring- field. LINK, Dr. E. K., Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. LINK, James A., Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. LINK, Dr. Joseph, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. LINK, Stephen J., St. Mary, Taylorville. LINNEMAN, Otto C, St. Francis, Quincy. LIPPOLOT, Jos., St. Mary, Alton. LIPSMIRE, George F., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. LIPSMIRE, Wm. M., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. LISCH, Louis, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. LITZELMANN, Justin, Assumption, Ste. Marie. LITZELMANN, Eustace, Assumption, Ste. Marie. LITZELMANN, Leo, Assumption, *te. Marie. LOBMIER, Arthur, St. Thomas, Newton. LOBMIER, Frank J., St. Thomas, New- ton. LOCHRANE, John, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. LOCKER, Joseph N., Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. LOCKHART, Leo J., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. LOCKMAN, Leo T„ Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. LOENKER, Hy F., St. Boniface, Quincy. LOESER, Edward J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. LOFTUS, E. J., St. Patrick, Decatur. LOFTUS, Ernest, St. Ann, Niantic. LOGGINS, Frank, St. Patrick, Alton. LOGNER, Frank, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. LOGNER, Louis, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. LOHEY, Robert L., Holy Ghost, Jersey- ville. 800 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR LOHMANN, P. A., Jr., St. Joseph, Granite City. LOHMANN, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. LONDRIGAN, James, St. Joseph, Spring- field. LONDRIGAN, Jos. A., St. Joseph, Spring- field. LONDRIGAN, Wm, St. Joseph, Spring- field. LONEGRAN, Thomas, St. Bartholomew, Murrayville. LONEGRAN, William, St. Bartholomew, Murrayville. LONERGAN, W. P., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. LONG, Albert, St. Joseph, Springfield. LONG, Earl, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. LONG, Jos. A., St. Mary, Edwardsville. LONG, William, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. LORDEN, Raymond, St. Joseph, Spring- field. LORETH, Jacob, St. Mary, Taylorville. LORETH, Jos., St. Mary, Taylorville. LORSBACH, Geo., St. Norbert, Hardin. LORSCH, John, Immaculate Conception, Springfield. LORSCHEIDER, Carl, Sacred Heart, Springfield. LORSCHEIDER, Joseph, Sacred Heart, Springfield. LOVEJOY, Lester, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. LOVETT, Joseph, St. Mary, Taylorville. LOYET, Ben J., St. Jerome, Black Jack. LUBBE, Albert J., St. Anthony, Quincy. LUBBE, Rudolph, St. Anthony, Quincy. LUCAS, Pierce, St. Michael, Hume. LUCEKER, Frank, St. Alphonsus, Brigh- ton. LUCKEN, Fred, St. Michael, Sigel. LUDWIG, Edward A., St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. LUDWIG, Fred, Sacred Heart, Franklin. LUDWIG, John H., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. LUDWIG, Wm., St. Michael, Sigel. LUKEMAN, Elmer, Sacred Heart, Frank- lin. LUNDACK, Jos., SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. LUNEEN, Clement, St. John, Carrollton. LUSCODY, Michael, St. Joseph, Spring- field. LUSTIG, Edgar E., Immaculate Concep- tion, Dieterich. LUSTIG, George, St. Joseph, Island Grove. LUSTIG, Herbert J., St. Joseph, Island Grove. LUSTIG, Lawrence, Immaculate Concep- tion, Dieterich. LUTRICHS, Edw., Sacred Heart, Spring- field. LUTZ, John P. Immaculate Conception, Springfield. LUX, Emil, St. Elizabeth, Mitchell. LUX, Joseph, St. Elizabeth, Mitchell. LUZZIE, Raymond, Sacred Heart, Pan- ama. LYMAN, Edward, St. Jose-h, Springfield. LYMAN, Frank, St. Joseph, Springfield. LYNCH, Allan, St. Joseph, Springfield. LYNCH, James, St. Patrick, Alton. LYNCH, John, St. Joseph, Springfield. LYNCH, John W., St Patrick, Pana. LYNCH, William, St. Patrick, Alton. LYNCH, Wm. Michael, St. Joseph, Spring- field. LYONS, A. J., St. John, Areola. LYONS, Edward, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. LYONS, Edwin, St. Michael, Hume. LYONS, Harry, All Saints, Whitehall. LYONS, Jas., All Saints, Whitehall. LYONS, Roy, St. Denis, Shipman. McANARNEY, M., Arthur, St Isidore, Farmersville. McANDREW, Ford, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. McANDREW, W., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. McASEY, Edward, St. Mark, Winchester. McAVENCE, Ed, St. John Baptist, Ar- eola. McAVOY, Leo, St. Mary, Pawnee. McBRIDE, Alex, St. Patrick, Alton. McBRIDE, Dan, Immaculate Conception, Shelbyville. McBRIDE, Ed, Immaculate Conception, Shelbyville. McBRIDE, Frank, Assumption B. V. M., Litchfield. McCABE, Edward, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. McCAFFREY, Owen, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. McCAMBRIDGE, Harry S., St. Joseph, Granite City. McCARROLL, Bryan, St. Patrick, Alton. McCARROLL, Edward, St. Patrick, Alton. McCARROLL, Thomas, St. Patrick, Al- ton. MCCARTHY, Cornelius J., St. Joseph, Springfield. 801 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IX ILLINOIS MCCARTHY, David, St. Joseph, Spring- field. MCCARTHY, E., St. Joseph, Granite City. MCCARTHY, Edward, St. Augustine, Ash- land. MCCARTHY, Glenn, St. Patrick, Pana. MCCARTHY, Gregory, St. Bernard, Wood River. MCCARTHY, John, St. Patrick, Girard. MoCARTHY, Justin, St. Bernard, Wood River. MCCARTHY, Leo L., Immaculate Con- ception, Mattoon. MCCARTHY, M. P., St. Patrick, Girard. MCCARTHY, Patrick W., St. Joseph, Springfield. MCCARTHY, Richard, St. Patrick, Pana. MCCARTHY, William D., St. Charles, Charleston. McCLORY, Anthony, St. Patrick, Trow- bridge. McCLORY, Guy Thomas, St. Patrick, Trowbridge. McCLORY, Regis, St. Patrick, Trow- bridge. McCLOSKEY, James, St. Joseph, Spring- field. McCLOSKEY, Louis, St. Jerome, Troy. McCORMICK, John, St. Patrick, Alton. McCORMICK, John D., St. Joseph, Springfield. McCORMICK, Lester, St. Patrick, Alton. McCOY, Paul C, St. Boniface, Quincy. McCOY, Wm. B., Sacred Heart, Effing- ham. McCREA, J. Nash, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. McCREADY, Arthur C, St. Maurice, Morrisonville. McCUE, Frank A., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. McCUE, James C, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. McCUE, John A., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. McCULLOUGH, Joseph T., St Thomas, Newton. McCULLOUGH, Paul, St. Thomas, New- ton. McCURLEY, Elmer, St. Joseph, Spring- field. McDANIEL, Douglas H., St. Patrick, Pana. McDEIRTH, Thos. A., St. Ann, Edgewood. McDERMOTT, Hugh, Visitation, Illiopo- lis. McDEVITT, Thos., St. Ann, Edgewood. McDOLE, John, Sacred Heart, Panama. McDONALD, Ignatius, Sacred Heart, Divernon. McDONALD, James L, St. Peter, Quincy. McDONOUGH, James W., St. John Evan- gelist, Carrollton. McELROY, Cosby (colored), SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. McEVOY, R. L, St. Patrick, Decatur. McGARRAHAN, Geo., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. McGARTLAND, Ira, St. Peters, Quincy. McGARY, Fred, Immaculate Conception, Pittsfield. McGAVIC, Adrian, St. Patrick, Pana. McGEE, Herman, St. Joseph, Meppen. McGEE, Paul, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. McGERTY, Frank, St. Charles, Charles- ton. McGINNIS, Alfred, St. Mark, Winchester. McGINNIS, Edw. J., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. McGINNIS, John F. Jr., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. McGINNIS, P. J., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. McGINNIS, William, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. McGLENNON, Edward, St. Joseph, Springfield. McGLENNON, Michael J., St. Joseph, Springfield. McGRATH, Daniel, Assumption, Assump- tion. McGRATH, John D., St. Stanislaus, Macon. McGRATH, Thos. L., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. McGRAUGH, Edw. P., St. Augustine, Ashland. McGRAUGH, Harry, St. Augustine, Ash- land. McGRAW, Edw. J., St. Augustine, Ash- land. McGUIRE, Bernard, St. Mark, Win- chester. McGUIRE, Frank, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. McGUIRE, John, SL Mark, Winchester. McGUIRE, John J., St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. McGUIRE, Joseph, St. Mark, Winchester. McGUIRE, Leo, Immaculate Conception, Pittsfield. McGUIRE, Louis, St. Michael, Michael. McGURK, John, Sacred Heart, Divernon. McGURK, Miles, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. McHALE, Edward, St. Joseph, Spring- field. McHALE, John, St Patrick, Alton. McHENRY, William, St. Patrick, Alton. 802 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR McHUGH, John, St. Joseph, Springfield. McHUGH, Joseph, St. Joseph, Spring- field. McINTYRE, Patrick, St. Joseph, Spring- field. McKEEVER, Archie, St. Louis, Nokomis. McKENNA, James, St. Patrick, Pana. McKENNA, Thomas, St. Louis, Nokomis. McKENNEDY, Earl, St. Patrick, Spring- field. McKENNEDY, Francis, St. Patrick, Springfield. McKEON, Harry, St. Michael, Staunton. McKERNAN, Wm., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. McLANE, Albert T., St. John, Areola. MCLAUGHLIN, Eugene T., St. Agnes, Springfield. MCLAUGHLIN, Jas., St. Benedict, Auburn. MCLAUGHLIN, James, St. Mary, Paris. MCLAUGHLIN, John, St. Benedict, Au- burn. MCLAUGHLIN, Jos., St. Peter, Quincy. McLEAN, Martin F., St. Isadore, Far- mersville. McLEAN, Owen R., St. Maurice, Mor- risonville. McLONI, Albert, St. John Baptist, Ar- eola. McMAHON, Edward, St. Patrick, Alton. McMAHON, James P., SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. McMAHON, John, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. McMANUS, Harry, St. Michael, Staunton. McMANUS, James, St. Louis, Nokomis. McMANUS, Joseph, St. Catherine, Vir- den. McMANUS, Jos. B., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. McMEANS, Leo, St. Mark, Winchester. McMULLEN, Irvin L., St. Ubaldus, New Douglas. McMULLEN, Wm. P., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. McNABB, Robt. W., St. Agnes, Spring- field. McNEFF, John F., St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. McNEFF, Wm., St. Patrick, Girard. McPHEARSON, Chas., St. Joseph, Benld. McPHERSON, Sebastian, St. Joseph, Benld. McQUEN, Wm., St. Catherine, Virden. McSHERRY, Ned, St. Boniface, Quincy. McSORLEY, Joe, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. McWHINNIE, J. D., St. Catherine, Virden. MACKEY, John F., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. MACREIEWSKI, Daniel U., Assumption, Litchfield. MADDEN, Edw., Immaculate Conception, Carlinville. MADDEN, James, Immaculate Concep- tion, Carlinville. MADDEN, John, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. MADER, John, St. Michael, Staunton. MADIGAN, Dan, St. Isadore, Bethany. MADIGAN, Patrick, St. Michael, Hume. MADISON, Albert, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. MADISON, Harvey, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. MADISON, Vincent, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. MAGGIO, Peter, St. Mary, Pawnee. MAHENY, D. J., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. MAHONEY, Byron Joseph, Immaculate Conception, Springfield. MAHONEY, Edward, St. Augustine, Ash- land. MAHONEY, Ed. J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. MAHONEY, Harry, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. MAHONEY, Patrick J., St. Joseph, Springfield. MAHONEY, Paul, St. John, Carrollton. MAHONEY, Thos. F., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. MAIER, Charles, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. MAIER, Frederick, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. MAIER, Otto, Sacred Heart, Springfield. MAILSYK, Peter, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. MAIS, Edgar, St. John, Quincy. MAJERNIK, Joseph, Sacred Heart, Virden. MAJOR, Lawrence, St. Francis, Jersey- ville. MALAKER, Anton J., St. Barbara, Spring- field. MALLEY, Chas. J., St. Rose, Quincy. MALLEY, John, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. MALLMAN, Carl, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. MALLMAN, Tony, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. MALLON, Chas. A., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. MALLON, Harry, St. Patrick, Springfield. MALLON, Leo, St. Patrick, Springfield. MALLOY, F. P., St. Patrick, Decatur. MALLOY, Henry, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. 803 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS MALLOY, Walter, St. Patrick, Decatur. MALONE, Edward P., St. Peter, Quincy. MALONE, John, Immaculate Conception, Shelbyville. MALONEY, Edward, St. Joseph, Spring- field. MALONEY, Henry P., St. Francis, Jer- seyville. MALONEY, Edward, St. John, Carrollton. MALONEY, James, St. Joseph, Spring- field. MALONEY, James, St. Mark, Winchester. MALONEY, Joseph, St. John, Carrollton. MALONEY, Joseph V., St. Bartholomew, Murrayville. MALONEY, Leo F., St. Patrick, Spring- field. MAMMOSER, Albert Philip, St. Joseph, Island Grove. MAMMOSER, Frank, St. Joseph, Island Grove. MAMMOSER, John L., St. Joseph, Island Grove. MANDEVILLE, John, St. Bartholomew, Murrayville. MANDEVILLE, Thomas, St. Barthol- omew, Murrayville. MANDEVILLE, Thos. S., Our Saviour, Jacksonville. MANION, Emmet, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. MANION, Wm. S., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. MANNING, Francis, St. Bernard, Wood River. MANNING, Paul, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. MANNIX, Ernest, St. Mary, Pawnee. MANNS, Fred, St. Mary, Alton. MANNS, George, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. MANNS, Louis C, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. MANS, Chas., St. Mary, Alton. MANTOR, Frank J., St. John, Coffeen. MARADA, Anthony, St. James, Riverton. MARADA, Frank, St. James, Riverton. MARCH, Joseph, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. MAREK, Bro. Martin, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. MARINER, Paul, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. MARKERT, Anthony, St. Peter, Peters- burg. MARKET, Anton Frank, St. Alexius, Beardstown. MARKOVICH, J., St. Bernard, Wood River. MARKS, Albert, St. Catherine, Hag- aman. MARKS, John, St. Barbara, Witt. MARKUS, John, St. Michael, Staunton. MARKUS, Norbert W., St. Francis, Quincy. MARMION, Francis D., St. Clara, Alta- mont. MAROLD, Frank H., St. John, Quincy. MARSCHING, Michael, St. Anselm, Kampsville. MARTIN, Chas. Chester, St. Mary, Quincy. MARTIN, Stephen, Sacred Heart, Virden. MARTINI, Andrew, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. MARX, Joseph, Sacred Heart, Springfield. MARX, William, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. MASIC, John, Sacred Heart, Virden. MASS, George W., St. Francis, Quincy. MASSEY, Henry F., St. Francis, Jersey- ville. MASSEY, Henry L., St. Francis, Jersey- ville. MAST, A. J., St. Joseph, Paloma. MAST, August, St. Anthony, Quincy. MAST, Oscar A., St. Francis, Quincy. MAST, Timothy, St. Anthony, Quincy. MASULLA, Harry, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. MATESEK, John, St. Patrick, Girard. MATEYKA, John J., St. Mary, Edwards- ville. MATHEIS, Albert F., Sacred Heart, Springfield. MATHEIS, Henry, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. MATON, Aimable, St. Patrick, Pana. MATON, Emil, St. Patrick, Pana. MATON, Louis, St. Patrick, Pana. MATON, Paul, St. Patrick, Pana. MATTINGLY, Alonzo, St. Mary, Paris. MATTINGLY, Bert, St. Thomas, Newton. MATTINGLY, Dency, St. John, Areola. MATTINGLY, Frank, Assumption, Ste. Marie. MATTINGLY, George T., Assumption, Ste. Marie. MATTINGLY, Raymond, St. Mary, Paris. MATTUS, Dudley, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. MATULIS, Joseph, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. MATZGER, William, St. Mark, Winches- ter. MAUL, Henry C, St. Mary, Alton. MAUL, T., St. Mary, Alton. MAURER, Oscar, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. MAURER, A. L, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. 804 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR MAURICE, John, St. Patrick, Alton. MAUS, Chas., St. Mary, Alton. MAUTON, Frank, St John, Coffeen. MAUTON, Walter, St. John, Coffeen. MAXEINER, George, St. Louis, Nokomis. MAY, Daniel H., St. Maurice, Morrison- ville. MAY, Raymond, St. Mary, Pawnee. MAY, Sylvester, St. Michael, Sigel. MAYBURY, Alfred, St. Joseph, Spring- field. MAYER, G. F., Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. MAZZEPELLI, Guiseppi, St. Mary, Paw- nee. MEAKER, Anton, St. Barbara, Spring- field. MEANS, Richards, St. Mary, Paris. MEANY, Chas., St. Barbara, Springfield. MEDLER, Tom, St. Michael, Staunton. MEDLEY, Elijah K., St. Patrick, Pana. MEDLEY, John Andrew, St. Patrick, Pana. MEDOED, Michael, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. MEEHAN, John, St. Denis, Shipman. MEEHAN, Owen, St. Michael, Hume. MEEHAN, Wm., St. Michael, Hume. MEEHLING, Frank, St. Mary, Marshall. MEEHLING, Fred, St. Mary, Marshall. MEHOCHKO, Joseph, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. MEIS. Edsrar T., St. John, Quincy. MEISTER, Henry Edw., Forty Martyrs, Tuscola. MEISNER, Leo E., St. Raymond, Ray- mond. MEISTER. Edwin F., Forty Martyrs, Tus- cola. MELLEN, Neal, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. MELLERT, Jos., St. Francis, Quincy. MELODY, Jack J., St. Charles, Charles- ton. MELTON, Miles E., St. Joseph, Spring- field. MENACHER, Geo., St. Valentine, Bend. MENKE, Carl W., St. Mary, Quincy. MENKE, Cletus W., St. Thomas, Newton. MENKE, John, St. Mary, Brussels. MENKE, Jos., Jr., St. Mary, Brussels. MENKE, Leonard, Assumption, S t e . Marie. MENNE, Arthur, St. John, Quincy. MENNE, Wm. G., St. John, Quincy. MENNEKIN, Ernest H., St. Francis, Quincy. MENSE, Hugh, St. Patrick, Pana. MENSKE, Frank A., St. Boniface. Quincy. MENSKE, Joe J., St. Boniface, Quincy. MENSKI, Albert J., St. Boniface, Quincy. MENSKI, Alois H., St. Boniface, Quincy. MENTEL, Adam A., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. MENTH, John, St. Francis, Jerseyville. MERIN, James H., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. MERKLE, Clarence, St. Mary, Alton. MERKLE, Leo M., St. Mary, Alton. MERSINGER, George, St. Jerome, Troy. MERSINGER, Philip, St. Jerome, Troy. MERTENS, August H, St. Peter, Quincy. MERTZ, Wm., St. Alexius, Beardstown. MERZ, George, St. Joseph, Springfield. MERZ, Henry, St. Anthony, Effingham. MESCHER, Lawrence, St. Francis, Quincy. MESKER, Louis J., St. Patrick, Decatur. MESKIL, William, St. Paul, Highland. METTENDORF, Louis Joseph, St. Pat- rick, Trowbridge. METZ, Frederick, St. Patrick, Alton. METZ, Otto, St. Boniface, Edwardsville. METZGAR, Albert M., St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. METZGAR, Robert J., St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. METZGAR, Walter, St. Peter, Quincy. METZLER, Peter, St. Mary, Alton. METZROTH, John, St. Joseph, Spring- field. MEUTH, John, St. Francis, Jerseyville. MEYER, Bernard, St. Mary, Alton. MEYER, C. Joseph, St. Mary, Green Creek. MEYER, Edward, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. MEYER, Edward, Immaculate Concep- tion, Dieterich. MEYER, Edw. H., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. MEYER, Edward J., St. Francis, Quincy. MEYER, Fred, St. Anselm, Kampsville. MEYER, Harry, Immaculate Conception, Dieterich. MEYER, Henry, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. MEYER, Henry, Holy Ghost, Jerseyville. MEYER, Jess, St. John, Coffeen. MEYER, Lawrence, St. Boniface, Quincy. MEYER, William, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. MEYER, Sam, St. Michael, Michael. MEYER, Wm. E., St. Francis, Quincy. MEYERS, Carl, St. Catherine, Virden. .MEYERS, Chas. A., Mother of Dolors, VaD^alia. MEYERS, F. Wm., St. Mary, Green Creek. MEYERS, Fred, Immaculate Conception, Carlinville. 805 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS MEYERS, Fred A., St. Patrick, Decatur. MEYERS, Fred, Mother of Dolors, Van- dalia. MEYERS, George, St. Mary, Neoga. MEYERS, Dr. Henry A., Mother of Dolors, Vandalia. MEYERS, Jesse A., St. John, Coffeen. MEYERS, John, St. Francis, Teutopolis. MEYERS, Wm., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. MICHAEL, Aloysius D., St. Mary, Taylor- ville. MICHAEL, Charles, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. MICHAEL, John R., St. Mary, Assump- tion. MICHAEL, Robert, St. Mary, Alton. MICHAEL, Roman, St. Francis, Quincy. MICHAELS, Charles B., St. Patrick, Pana. MICHEALREE, John, Sacred Heart, Ef- fingham. MICHEALREE, R. M., Sacred Heart, Ef- fingham. MICHL, John E., St. Valentine, Bend. MICHL, John, St. Valentine, Bend. MICHL, Paul, St. Thomas, Newton. MICHL, Wm., Jr., St. Valentine, Bend. MICHLICH, John, St. Benedict, Auburn. MICHOLETTI, James, St. Barbara, Witt. MICKENBIER, Joseph L., St. Patrick, Pana. MICKENBIER, Leo F., St. Patrick, Pana. MICKENBIER, Leonard, St. Patrick, Pana. MIDDEN, Henry E., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. MIDDEN, Norman A., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. MIDDENDORF, Albert, St. John, Quincy. MIDDENDORF, Henry, St. Francis, Quincy. MIDDENDORF, Leo. H., St. Francis, Quincy. MIDDENDORF, Raymond, St. Francis, Quincy. MIDDENDORF, Roger, St. Francis, Quincy. MIDDENDORF, Wm. R., St. Francis, Quincy. MIGUELEZ, Tony, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. MILBUT, Phil S., St. Mary, Quincy. MILLARD, Jos. Wm., St. Joseph, Car- linville. MILLER, Andrew, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. MILLER, B., St. Joseph, Granite City. MILLER, Frank, St. Mary, Alton. MILLER, Fred, Sacred Heart, Livingston. MILLER, John, St. Mary, Alton. MILLER, John, St. Joseph, Springfield. MILLER, John, St. Barbara, Witt. MILLER, Louis F., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. MILLER, Paul A., St. Patrick, Decatur. MILLER, Peter, St. Michael, Michael. MILLER, Peter A., St. Norbert, Hardin. MILLER, S. A., St. Boniface, Quincy. MILLER, Victor, St. Norbert, Hardin. MILLOT, Ormand S., St. Patrick, Pana. MILNARCIK, John, St. Michael, Staun- ton. MINCH, Frank M., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. MINCH, Frank, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. MINCH, John, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. MINDER, Fred, St. Mary, Pawnee. MINDER, Manford, St. Mary, Pawnee. MINDER, Sebastian, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. MINDER, Springer, St. Mary, Pawnee. MINDRUP, Herman, St. Louis, Nokomis. MINNOCK, Albert, St. Alexius, Beards- town. MINOGGI, Albert, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. MITCHELL, Charles, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. MITCHEL, Earl, Sts. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. MITZEL, Francis A., Holy Ghost, Jer- seyville. MIZEUR, Fred J., St. Patrick, Pana. MOAKLEY, Louis, St. Joseph, Spring- field. MOCHENROSE, Clarence, Mother of Dolors, Vandalia. MOCKLER, William, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. MOENNING, Albert, St. Francis. Quincy. MOFFITT, George, St. Catherine, Virden. MOFFITT, James, St. Catherine, Virden. MOFFITT, Paul J., St. Catherine, Virden. MOLINAR, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. MOLLENBROOK, Albert, Our Saviour, Jacksonville. MOLLER, Cyril H., St. Boniface, Quincy. MOLLOY, Henry, SS. Peter and Paul, Al- ton. MON, Fred, St. Charles, Charleston. MONAHAN, Matthew, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. MONCHTON, Charles, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. MONCHTON, Leo, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. MONCKTON, Edward, St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. 806 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR MONCKTON, Lewis, St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. MONCKTON, William, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. MONDIN, Angelo, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. MONNEY, B. L., St. Patrick, Decatur. MONTAGUE, John, St. Peter, Quincy. MOONEY, Arthur, Sacred Heart, Di- vernon. MOONEY, Jas. F., St. Patrick, Decatur. MOONEY, T. J., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. MOONEY, Thomas, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. MOORE, Bernard, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. MOORE, Bernard, St. Jerome, Troy. MOORE, C, St. Joseph, Granite City. MOORE, Clarence, St. Joseph, Spring- field. MOORE, Frank, St. Joseph, Springfield. MOORE, George John, St. Boniface, Quincy. MOORE, James, St. Jerome, Troy. MOORE, James Charles, St. Ann, Niantic. MOORE, James D, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. MOORE, Jas. D, St. John, Medora. MOORE, William, St. Jerome, Troy. MOORE, William Milton, St. John Evan- gelist, Medora. MORAN, Leo C, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. MORAN, Michael C, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. MORGAN, Leo Joseph, Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. MORGAN, William, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. MORIARITY, James E., St. Patrick, De- catur. MORIARTY, John T., St. Patrick, Deca- tur. MORKEN, Walter L., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. MORON, B., St. John, Areola. MORON, M., St. John, Areola. MORONEY, Maurice, St. Louis, Nokomis. MOROSS, Joseph, St. Barbara, Witt. MOROVKO, Emmett, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. MORRELL, Wm., Jr., St. Louis, Nokomis. MORRIS, Arthur, St. Mary, Alton. MORRIS, Evan, St. Peter, Quincy. MORRIS, George, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. MORRIS, James A., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. MORRISSEY, Edmond, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. MORRISSEY, James, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. MORRISSEY, James, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. MORRISSEY, Joseph, St. Mary, Paris. MORRISSEY, Wm., St. Mary, Taylorville. MORTON, Hughes J. A., St. Mary, Mar- shall. MOSCHENROSE, Thomas, St. Thomas, Newton. MOSCHENROSE, Daniel, St. Thomas, Newton. MOSER, Elwood, St. Michael, Sigel. MOSSMAN, Anthony, St. Mary, Brussels. MOSSMAN, John, St. Mary, Brussels. MOTTAZ, John, St. Norbert, Hardin. MOTTINGLY, Dan, St. John Baptist, Areola. MOTTO, Alex, St. Joseph, Benld. MOTTO, John, St. Mary, Pawnee. MOTZECK, Anthony J., St. James, Riv- erton. MRASAK, Tony J., St. Patrick, Spring- field. MUCCIANTE, Corinzia, St. James, River- ton. MUEHLENFELD, Arthur, St. Peter, Quincy. MUEHLENFELD, E. A., St. Boniface, Quincy. MUEHLENFELD, Edmond, St. Boniface, Quincy. MUEHLENFELD, John, St. Boniface, Quincy. MUELLER, Joseph, St. Joseph, Spring- field. MUFFLICK, Ant., St. Mary, Taylorville. MUFFLICK, George, St. Mary, Taylor- ville. MUICK, John, St. Michael, Staunton. MUKIL, Wm. J., St. Paul, Highland. MULCAHY, Danie M., St. Joseph, Spring- field. MULCAHY, Richard, St. Joseph, Spring- field. MULCAHY, Wm. P., St. Joseph, Buffalo. MULDOON, Wm., St. Joseph, Springfield. MULEADY, F. F., St. Patrick, Decatur. MULEADY, James, St. Patrick, Decatur. MULHERIN, Paul F., Annunciation, Bunker Hill. MULLADY, Bernard P., St. Joseph. Springfield. MULLANEY, Chas. E., St. Joseph, Spring- field. MULLANEY, John T., St. Joseph, Spring- field. MULQUIN, Thomas, St. Joseph, Island Grove. 807 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS MULVANEY, Joseph, St. Thomas, New- ton. MUMME, George, Assumption, Litchfield. MUNGY, Matt, St. Elizabeth, Robinson. MUNGY, Will, St. Elizabeth, Robinson. MUNSTERMANN, A., St. Maurice, Mor- risonville. MUNSTERMANN, F. X., St. Francis, Jerseyville. MURPHY, Edw. L., St. Joseph, Spring- field. MURPHY, Frank E., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. MURPHY, George, SL Isadore, Farmers- ville. MURPHY, Harry, St. Agnes, Springfield. MURPHY, Herbert, Immaculate Concep- tion, Carlinville. MURPHY, James, St. Mary, Edwards- vllle. MURPHY, James E., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. MURPHY, James F., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. MURPHY, Jas. S., St. Louis, Nokomis. MURPHY, John, St. Mary, Edwardsville. MURPHY, John, St. Patrick, Pana. MURPHY, John Nicholas, St. Patrick, Springfield. MURPHY, John T., St. Patrick, Spring- field. MURPHY, Joseph, St. Mark, Winchester. MURPHY, Joseph Thomas, St. Patrick, Springfield. MURPHY, Leo, St. Mark, Winchester. MURPHY, Philip J., St. Alphonsus, Brighton. MURPHY, Thos. P., St. Maurice, Mor- risonville. MURPHY, William, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. MURPLEY, Edwin I., St. Bernard, Glen- arm. MURRAY, Clarence, St. Patrick, Decatur. MURRAY, Francis, St. Alexius, Beards- town. MURRAY, James, St. Patrick, Decatur. MURRAY, James, St. Mark, Winchester. MURRAY, Martin, St. Joseph, Spring- field. MURRAY, Paul, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. MUSCOLINO, Anthony, St. Peter, Quincy. MUSGRAVE, Wm., St. Elizabeth, Robin- son. MUSHOLT, Ambrose, St. Francis, Quincy. MUSHOLT, Andrew, St. Francis, Quincy. MUSOLINO, Nicholas, St. Peter, Quincy. MUSSMAN, Harry, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. MYER, F. C. Jr., St. Patrick, Decatur. MYERS, Carl, Immaculate Conception, Springfield. MYERS, Jos. C, St. Anthony, Effingham. MYERS, Wm. F, St. Anthony, Effingham. MYLES, Earl M., St. Michael, Hume. NADLER, Jos., St. Louis, Nokomis. NAGEL, Edmund, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. NAGEL, Eugene, St. Paul, Highland. NAGEL, Oscar, St. Paul, Highland. NAGUSHEWSKI, John, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. NASH, Arthur J., St. Patrick, Pana. NASH, Bert, Immaculate Conception, Pittsfield. NASH, Richard John, St. Patrick, Pana. NAUGHTON, Thomas, St. Patrick, De- catur. NEAL, James, Assumption, St. Marie. NEBE, W., St. Joseph, Granite City. NEEDHAM, Edward, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. NEEDLE, George, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. NEEF, P. J., SS. Peter and Paul, Spring- field. NEIER, Gerald, St. Paul, Highland. NEIER, Henry W., St. Paul, Highland. NEIL, 0., St. Peter, Quincy. NELSON, Geo., St. Joseph, Granite City. NERKEVITCH, Thomas, St. Joseph, Springfield. NEUDECKER, J. J., St. Paul, Highland. NEUDECKER, John, St. Elizabeth, Marine. NEUSER, Rudolph, St. Francis, Quincy. NEVADUNSKI, John, St. Mary, Taylor- ville. NE VILLE, James, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. NEWELL, Edward, St. Augustine, Ash- land. NEWELL, James E., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. NEWELL, Ralph A., St. Luke, Virginia. NEWMAN, Christopher, St. Patrick, Alton. NEWMAN, Philip, St. Patrick, Alton. NICHTING, Albert F., St. John, Quincy. NICOLETTI, Anthony, St. Barbara, Witt. NIEBREEGGE, John, St. Mary, Green Creek. NIEBRUGGE, William, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. NIEFT, Clarence, St. Barbara, Witt. NIEHAUSE, Alvin, St. Boniface, Quincy. NIEHAUS, Ewald, St. Francis, Teutop- olis. 808 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR NIEHAUS, R. G., St. John, Quincy. NIEMANN, Joseph, St. Mary, Green Creek. NIEMERG, Anton, St. Aloysius, Bishop Creek. NIENDIEK, Lawrence, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. NIEZIENSKI, Thomas, O. L. Czesto- chowa, Madison. NISIUS, Peter M., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. NISIUS, Albert J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. NITSCHKE, Frank, Holy Ghost, Jersey- ville. NITSCHE, Geo. J., St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. NOETH, Edward, St. Mark. Venice. NOLAN, Frank, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. NOLAN, Frank J., St. Maurice, Morrison- ville. NOLAN, J. F., Dr., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. NOLAN, James, St. Peter, Quincy. NOLAN, Lyman, St. Mary, Taylorville. NOLAN, Matthew, St. Joseph, Springfield. NOLAN, Thomas, St. Peter, Quincy. NOLL, Henry, St. Catherine, Virden. NOLLEN, Matthew, St. Joseph, Spring- field. NONN, C. H., St. Joseph, Granite City. XOONAN, John H., St. Catherine, Virden. NOONAN, Wm., St. Patrick, Decatur. NORRIS, Arthur N., St. Mary, Taylor- ville. NORRIS, Dillon, Immaculate Conception, Pittsfield. NORRIS, Dr. F. A., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. NORRIS, John, St. Maurice, Morrison- ville. NORRIS, John, St. Patrick, Pana. NORRIS, Wm. A. N., Assumption, As- sumption. NORRIS, Wm., St. Patrick, Springfield. NORRIS, Thos. B., St. Maurice, Morrison- ville. NORTON, Francis, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. NORTON, John, St. Alphonsus, Brighton. NOVACK, Chas., St. Benedict, Auburn. NOVADUNSKI, John, St. Mary, Taylor- ville. NOVO, Mr., St. Alphonsus, Brighton. NULLY, John, St. Barbara, Witt. NURDIN, Leon E., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. NUSBAUM, Eugene, St. Joseph, Spring- field. NUXOLL, F. Joseph, St. Mary, Green Creek. OBERKFELL, Henry Pete, St. Raymond, Raymond. OBERLIN, Harry, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. OBERT, Anthony, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. OBERT, Lawrence, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. O'BRIEN, C, St. Joseph, Granite City. O'BRIEN, John, St. Patrick, Pana. O'BRIEN, Andrew T., St. Joseph, Spring- field. O'BRIEN, Daniel, St. Boniface, Quincy. O'BRIEN, Emmet, Assumption B. V. M., Litchfield. O'BRIEN, James A., St. Agnes, Spring- field. O'BRIEN, James, Assumption, Assump- tion. O'BRIEN, John, St. Patrick, Pana. O'BRIEN, John F., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. O'BRIEN, John J., St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. O'BRIEN, Patrick H., St. Boniface, Quincy. O'BRIEN, Robert E., Assumption, Litch- field. O'BRIEN, T., St. Joseph, Granite City. O'BRIEN, Wm. L., Assumption, Litch- field. OCHS, Alexus S., Assumption, Ste. Marie. OCHS, Daniel J., Assumption, Ste. Marie. OCHS, John J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. O'CONNELL, Clarence, St. Bartholomew. Murrayville. O'CONNELL, Harvey, Immaculate Con- ception, Pittsfield. O'CONNELL, Jerome, Blessed Sacrament, Springfield. O'CONNELL, Joseph, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. O'CONNELL, Wm. R., St. Agnes, Spring- field. O'CONNOR, Chas., Immaculate Concep- tion, Carlinville. O'CONNOR, John C, St. Joseph, Spring- field. O'CONNOR, James, St. James, Riverton. O'CONNOR, M., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. O'CONNOR, Thos. F., St. James, River- ton. O'DAY, Thomas, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. ODELEHR, John H., St. Mary, Brussels. O'DONNELL, Harry E., St. Alexius, Beardstown. 809 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS O'DONNELL, Harry, St. Mark, Win- chester. O'DONNELL, M. E., St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. O'DOWD, Thomas, St. Barbara, Witt. OETEL, Arthur, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. O'FARRELL, Harris, St. Peter, Quincy. O'HARA, Geo., St. Alexius, Beardstown. O'HARA, Geo., St. Ubaldus, New Doug- las. O'HARA, Howard, St. Alexius, Beards- town. O'HARE, John E., St. Peter, Quincy. O'HARE. M. P., St. Joseph, Paloma. O'HEARN, John M., St. James, Decatur. O'HEARN, Harry, St. Patrick, Decatur. O'HERN, Thos., St. Benedict, Auburn. OHM, Fred (Sgt.), Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. OHNEMUS, Albert, St. Joseph, Paloma. OHNEMUS, Chas. F., St. Boniface, Quincy. OHNEMUS, Hy, St. Francis, Quincy. OHNEUMUS, Jacob, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. O'LAUGHLIN, Hugh P., St. Joseph, Springfield. O'LAUGHLIN, Thomas, St. Joseph, Springfield. OLDHAM, Edgar, St. Joseph, Granite City. OLDHAM, L., St. Joseph, Granite City. OLLER, Claude L., St. Patrick, Pana. OLPS, Frank, St. John, Quincy. O'MALLEY, Lawrence, St. Louis, No- komis. O'MALLEY, Wm, St. Louis, Nokomis. O'MARA, Manning, St. Alexius, Beards- town. O'MARA, Edward, St. Elizabeth, Robinson. ONDERKO, John, St. Patrick, Pana. ONDERKO, Michael Jos., St. Patrick, Pan?. O'NEAL, J. T., St. Alexius, Beardstown. O'NEIL, Geo., Immaculate Conception. Carlinville. O'NEIL, Joseph, St. Peter, Quincy. O'NEIL, Ralph, St. Peter, Quincy. O'NEILL, Gerald A., St. Peter, Quincy. O'NEILL, Donald F., St. Peter, Quincy. O'NEILL, J. H., Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. O'NEILL, John F., St. Joseph, Springfield. O'NEILL, John, St. Joseph, Benld. O'NEILL, John J., St. Peter, Quincy. OPREMCAK, John, Sacred Heart, Virden. ORDING, Carl H., St. Francis, Quincy. O'REILLY, James, St. Mark, Winchester. O'REILLY, Dr. William, St. Mark, Win- chester. OROS, George, Sacred Heart, VIrden. OROS, John, St. Barbara, Witt. OROS, Stephen, Sacred Heart, Virden. O'ROURK, Martin, St. Mary, Marshall. ORSO, Anthony, Assumption, Litchfield. ORSO, Joe, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. ORSO, Tony, SS. Simon and Jude, Gil- lespie. OSTENBURG, John, St. Joseph, Spring- field. OSTENDORF, Nicholas, St. Mary, Ed- warrtsville. OSTENDORF, William, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. OSTERHOLD, Anton, St. John, Quincy. OSTERHOLD, Joe, St. John, Quincy. OSTERMANN, Jas., St. Francis Xavier. Jerseyville. OSTERMANN, Joseph, St. John Evange- list, Carrollton. OSTERMILLER, Henry, St. Francis Sol- anus, Quincy. OSTHEIMER, Frank, Assumption B. V. M., Litchfield. OSTHOFF, A. A., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. OSTHOFF, Frank C, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. OTTE, Edgar, St. Francis, Quincy. OTTE, Geo. B., St. Francis, Quincy. OTTE, Oscar, St. Francis, Quincy. OTTEN, John Lucas, St. Boniface, Quincy. OTTIS, D. M., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. OTTO, Chas., St. Joseph, Ramsey. OTTO, Geo., St. Joseph, Ramsey. OTTO, L. J., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. OUCK, M. J., St. John Baptist, Areola. OVERBECK, John J., St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. OWENS, Harry, St. Joseph, Carlinville. OZANIC, John, Ascension, Mt. Olive. OZANIC, Joseph, Ascension, Mt. Olive. PACATTE, Edw., Immaculate Concep- tion, Pierron. PACATTE, Elmer, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pierron. PADAVIC, John, St. Boniface, Quincy. PAINTER, Noak T., St. Mary, Taylor- ville. PAKARICK, Martin, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. 810 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR PAKAUSKIS, Albert, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. PALLFY, J., O. L. Czestochowa, Madison. PALMISANO, Frank, Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. PANERI, John, St. Barbara, Witt. PAOLI, Guido, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. PARADISE, Alfred J., St. Peter, Quincy. PARADISE, Napoleon S., St. Peter, Quincy. PARE, Clarence, St. Barbara, Witt. PARIS, Lee, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. PARKER, Frank G., St. Thomas, Newton. PASQUALONE, Michele, Our Saviour, Jacksonville. PASTERICK, John, St. Benedict, Auburn. PASTOR, Andrew, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. PATTERSON, Henry, St. Alexius, Beards- town. PAUK, Andrew, Sacred Heart, Virden. PAUL, Jos., SS. Peter and Paul, Collins- ville. PAULAUSKAS, Jos., St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. PAUS, August, St. Patrick, Pana. PAVLOCK, Raymond, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. PAYNE, Raymond, St. Joseph, Spring- field. PEEK, Rapley T., St. Paul, Highland. PEFFERLE, Leslie G., St. Patrick, Springfield. PEILA, Jos., SS. Peter and Paul, Collins- ville. PEKARIK, Martin, St. Patrick, Alton. PELLICIARI, William, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. PEMBROKE, John M., St. Patrick, De- catur. PENCZEK, Julian, O. L. Czestochowa, Madison. PENDGRAST, Toni, St. Charles, Charles- ton. PENNEY, (Penne) George, Sacred Heart, Springfield. PENNUCCI, Onofrio, St. Peter, Quincy. PEPPERD, Pat, Sts. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. PERFETTI, Chiro, Sacred Heart, Pan- ama. PERINE, Frank, Mother of Dolors, Van- dalia. PERINI, Guy, St. Boniface, Edwardsville. PERITTES, Mike, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. PERRY, Clement, St. Mark, Venice. PERSHINA, Rudolph, St. Barbara, Springfield. PETER, Edwin, St. Paul, Highland. PETER, Elvis, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. PETER, Lawrence, St. Anthony, Quincy. PETERS, Alfred, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. PETERS, August, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. PETERS, Frank, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. PETERS, Henry, St. Michael, Staunton. PETERS, John, St. Patrick, Pana. PETERS, John, St. Michael, Staunton. PETERS, Joseph, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. PETERS, Lloyd, St. Mary, Neoga. PETKUS, John, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. PETRA, John, St. Louis, Nokomis. PETRI, Edward, St. Paul, Hiehland. PETROKAS, Stanley, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. PETROVICH, Tony, Sacred Heart, Di- vernon. PETRUSHUNAS, Jos., St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. PEYLA, Dominick, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. PEYLA, Peter, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. PFAFF, Leo Theodore, St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. PHALEN, August, Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. PHALEN, Geo., St. Ann, Niantic. PHAYER, Chas. J., St. Marks, Venice. PHAYER, Clifford, St. Marks, Venice. PHILLIPS, John, St. Patrick, Pana. PHILLIPS, Thos. F., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. PHILLISKI, John P., St. Mary, Pawnee. PIANO, Joe, St. Michael, Staunton. PIAZZA, Emil, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. PIAZZA, Hugo, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. PICK, Chas. A., St. Louis, Nokomis. PICQUET, Henry, Assumption, Ste. Marie. PICQUET, Walter Eugene, Assumption, Ste. Marie. PIEPER, Frank, St. Mary, Westwood. PIEPER, Leon, St. Louis, Nokomis. PIEPMEYER, Bernard, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. PIEPMEYER, Edwin H., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. PIERCE, Harry Lewis, St. Joseph, Springfield. PIEROTTI, Secondo, St. James, Riverton. 811 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS PIERRE, Rainer G., Holy Ghost, Jersey- ville. PIJORI, Louis, St. Joseph, Benld. PILLE, John, Holy Ghost, Jerseyville. PINERI, John, St. Barbara, Witt. PINSON, Joseph, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. PINTER, Michael, St. Louis, Nokomis. PIROK, Joe, St. Michael, Staunton. PIZZIUI, August, Sacred Heart, Divernon. PLANIC, John, St. Mark, Venice. PLASKAS, Jos., St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. PLASSMEYER, Joseph Major, St. Fran- cis, Teutopolis. PLESCUISKI, Antonio, O. L. Czesto- chowa, Madison. POCIUS, Alex, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. PODER, Jos., St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. POELING, Joe, St. Bernard, Wood River. POEPPELMEYER, Edward, St. Francis, Teutopolis. POEPPELMEYER, Frank, St. Francis, Teutopolis. POEPPELMEYER, Fred, St. Francis, Teutopolis. POEPPING, Fred J., St. Boniface, Quincy. POHL, Conrad J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. POHLMAN, Bernard, St. Mary, Brussels. POHLMAN, Henry, St. Mary, Brussels. POHLMAN, Herman J., St. Mary, Brus- sels. POHLMAN, John, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. POHLMAN, Joseph H., St. Mary, Brus- sels. POHORENCE, John, Sacred Heart, Vir- den. POHRUSKI, Jos., St. James, Riverton. POIVEY, Louis, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. POLANZ, John, St. Mary, Pawnee. POLETTI, Jos. W., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. POLLMANN, John, Sacred Heart, Oconee. POMPEI, Jos., St. James, Riverton. POSHKA, Tony, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. POTSICK, Andy, St. Stanislaus, Macon. POTTHAST, Erwin, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pierron. POTTHAST, Joseph, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pierron. POTTHAST, Oliver, St. Lawrence, Greenville. POUIER, Jos., St. Barbara, Witt. POWELL, Benjamin J., St. Patrick, Alton. POWELL, Chas. N., St. Joseph, Spring- field. POWELL, George H., St. Patrick, Alton. POWERS, Francis, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. POWERS, Geo. R., St. Patrick, Spring- field. POWERS, James, St. Joseph, Springfield. POWERS, Jos. A., St. Joseph, Springfield. POWERS, Maurice, St. Patrick, Decatur. POWERS, Peter, St. Francis Xavier, Jer- seyville. POWERS, Walter L., St. Patrick, Spring- field. POWERS, Wm. C, St. Joseph, Spring- field. POZNIC, John, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. PRANGER, Frank, St. John, Carrollton. PRANGER, Fred E., St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. PRANGER, Geo. M., St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. PRANGER, John G., St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. PRANGER, Louis, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. PRANGER, Peter J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Carlinville. PRANGER, William, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. PREBECK, Michael, St. Barbara, Witt. PREBECK, Peter, St. Barbara, Witt. BREGALDINE, Chas., St. Norberts, Har- din. PREHODA, Michael J., St. James, River- ton. PRICE, Frank, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. PRICE, Henry, St. Joseph, Paloma. PRIEST, Allien, St. Mark, Winchester. PRIEST, Hardin, St. Mark, Winchester. PRILLMAYER, George C, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. PRILLMAYER, Lewis D., St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. PRISHMAN, Jos., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. PRITZLAFF, Chas. P., St. Maurice, Mor- risonville. PROBST, Aloys J. M., St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. PROBST, John, St. Francis, Teutopolis. PROBST, Wm., St. Mary, Alton. PRUEMER, Ed, St. Francis, Teutopolis. PRUEMER, Henry, St. Francis, Teuto- polis. PRYCZNSKI, John L., St. Patrick, Deca- tur. PUEHLE. E. C. St. Patrick, Decatur. PUETTMAN, John, St. Francis, Quincy. 812 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR PUMA, Dominic, St. Catherine, Virden. PURCELL, Charles, St. Peter, Quincy. PURCELL, Francis, St. Peter, Quincy. PURCELL, John E., St. Peter, Quincy. PURDY, Brian, St. Boniface, Quincy. PURSEU, Thomas, Immaculate Concep- tion, Carlinville. PURSEU, Wm. H., Immaculate Concep- tion, Carlinville. PURSEY, John, St. Mary, Carlinville. PUSKAR, Charles, Sacred Heart, Virden. PUSKAR, John, Sacred Heart, Virden. PUSKAR, Peter, Sacred Heart, Virden. QUBAC, John, Sacred Heart, Virden. QUINLAN, Henry, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. QUINLAN, Pat., St. Elizabeth, Mitchell. QUINLAN, Thomas M., St. Peter Quincy. QUINN, Wm., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. QUIRK, Jos. L., St. John, Medora. QUIRK, Wm. P., St. John, Medora. RABENSTEIN, H. C, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. RACAITIS, Chas., St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. RACHKUS, Anthony, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. RAEF, C. A., Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. RAEF, Louis, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. RAEF, Otto A., St. Thomas, Newton. RAEF, Wm., Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. RAFFERTY, John T., St. Joseph, Spring- field. RAFFERTY, Martin J., St. Joseph, Springfield. RAFFERTY, Peter J., St. Joseph, Spring- field. RAHLING, George, St. Paul, Highland. RAHOI, Edw. J., St. Patrick, Pana. RAKERS, Geo., Dr., Sacred Heart, Oconee. RAKERS, John, Sacred Heart, Oconee. RAKOSKAS, Albert, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. RAMIREZ, Benefario, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. RANDOLPH, Vance, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. RANGE, Jos., St. Joseph, Granite City. RANSFORD, J. Robt, Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. RANSOM, Chas., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. RAPIEN, Henry, St. Gertrude, Grant Fork. RAPP, Jerome, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. RAPP, Walton, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. RATHGEB, Anthony, St. Mary, Alton. RATIGAN, Daniel, St. Mark, Winchester. RATKIE, Michael, St. James, Riverton. RAUCH, Wm. J., St. Thomas, Newton. RAUKTIS, Walter, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. RAY, Frank M., St. Agnes, Springfield. RAY, Thomas, St. Joseph, Springfield. RAYCRAFT, Lester, St. Alexius, Beards- town. RAYNOR, Robert, St. Joseph, Benld. RAZAITES, Charles, Sacred Heart, Di- vernon. REAGAN, Dennis H., St. Peter, Quincy. REAGAN, Frank, St. Joseph, Springfield. REAGAN, John P., St. Peter, Quincy. REAGAN, Joseph, St. Peter, Quincy. REAGAN, Leo, St. Joseph, Springfield. REBBE, John, Immaculate Conception, Springfield. REBBE, John Leo, St. Peter, Petersburg. REBECCA, Joe, St. Mary, Pawnee. RECH, John, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. REDINGSON, John, St. Catherine, Hag- aman. REDINGSON, Michael, St. Catherine, Hagaman. REDINGSON, Philip, St. Catherine, Hag- aman. REDINGTON, William, St. Catherine, Hagaman. REDMOND, Geo. T., St. John, Medora. REDOLFI, Frank, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. REED, Denis J., Assumption B. V. M., Litchfield. REED, Frank, Immaculate Conception, Pittsfield. REED, Grover, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. REED, Robert C, St. Peter, Quincy. REED, Wm. M., Assumption B. V. M., Litchfield. REEDY, Daniel, St. Patrick, Decatur. REEDY, Daniel L., St. Isidore, Bethany. REES, Frank, St. Francis, Quincy. REESE, T., St. Joseph, Granite City. REESE, Walter A., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. REESKEN, Anton, St. Francis, Teutop- olis. REEVES, Walter F., Assumption B.V.M.. Litchfield. REEVES, Wm. M., Assumption, B. V. M., Litchfield. REGHI, Henry, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. REGHI, Joseph, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. 813 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS REHER, Lawrence J., St. Patrick, Pana. REHER, Omar J., St. Patrick, Pana. REHM, Carl, St. Boniface, Quincy. REICHART, John, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. REIDELBERGER, Frank, St. Marks, Venice. REIDELBERGER, Jos. P., St. Marks, Venice. REIFF, Antony, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. REILLEY, Philip, St. Patrick, Alton. REILLEY, William, St. Patrick, Alton. REILLY, Eugene, St. Bernard, Wood River. REILLY, Harvey, St. Patrick, Alton. REILLY, J. Francis, Ascension, Mt. Olive. REILLY, James, St. Joseph, Springfield. REILLY, John, St. Mark, Winchester. REILLY, Thos. J., St. Agnes, Springfield. REILLY, Walter, St. Joseph, Springfield. REILLY, William, Ascension, Mt. Olive. REIMER, George, St. Valentine, Bend. REINEKE, Adam, St. Mary, Brussels. REINHART, Albert, St. Boniface, Quincy. REINHART, Albert, St. Edward, Mendon. REINHART, Walter, St. Joseph, Paloma. REININGER, Frank, St. Patrick, Alton. REIS, Louis, St. Joseph, Ramsey. REIS, Michael, St. Joseph, Ramsey. REIS, Nicholas, St. Joseph, Ramsey. REISCH, Edward L., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. REISCH, Harry E., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. REISCH, Joseph A., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. REISCH, Louis J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. REISER, John, St. Augustine, Ashland. REISS, Henry L., St. Clara, Altamont. REISS, Louis, Sacred Heart, Oconee. RENFRO, Frank W., St. Agnes, Spring- field. RENFRO, Walter M., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. RENFRO, Willis, St. Agnes, Springfield. RENNIER, Geo., St. Valentine, Bend. RESSMAN, Henry, St. Mary, Alton. RETHINGER, A. R., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. REUSCHOFF, Jos., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. REVER, Maier, St. Mary, Taylorville. REVER, William, St. Mary, Taylorville. REYLAND, Alphonsus, St. Mary, Alton. REYNOLD, Peter, St Mary, Alton. REYNOLDS, Daniel, St. Joseph, Spring- field. REYNOLDS, Ed. J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. REYNOLDS, Francis, St. Joseph, Spring- field. REYNOLDS, Joe, St. Patrick, Girard. REYNOLDS, Peter, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. REYNOLDS, Wm. B., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. REZNICEK, August, St. Mary, Carlin- ville. REZNICEK, Julius Thomas, St. Mary, Carlinville. RHODES, John, St. Mary, Taylorville. RICHARDSON, Clement, St. Mary, As- sumption. RICHARDSON, William, St. Mary, Alton. RICHIE, Ernest, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. RICHMOND, Geo. T., St. Patrick, Spring- field. RICHMOND, John E., St. Patrick, Spring- field. RICHMOND, Lawrence E., St. Patrick, Springfield. RICKCHER, Arnold, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pierron. RICKCHER, Robert, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pierron. RICKCHER, Wm., Immaculate Concep- tion, Pierron. RICKELMANN, Leo F., St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. RIDDER, Carl A., St. Francis, Quincy. RIDDER, John S., St. Francis, Quincy. RIDDER, Joseph S., St. Mary, Alexander. RIDDER, Wm. S., St. Mary, Alexander. RIEDER, John, St. Jerome, Troy. RIEDERER, Frank, St. Francis, Teutop- olis. RIEGEL, M., SS. Peter and Paul, Collins- ville. RIEHLE, Edward, St. Benedict, Auburn. RIEMAN, Ed., Immaculate Conception, Shelbyville. RIEVER, Herman Y., St. Mary, Taylor- ville. RIEVER, Wm. H, St. Mary, Taylorville. RIGLEY, Thos. J., St. Catherine, Virden. RIGLLY, Bernard E., St. Patrick, Spring- field. RILEY, Charles J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfield. RILEY, Wm., St. Patrick, Alton. RINEY, Charles, St. Patrick, Trowbridge. RING, Edward, St. Mark, Winchester. RING, Albert, St. Mark, Winchester. 814 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR RING, James T., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. RIPLEY, George, St. Patrick, Grafton. RIPLEY, Gregory, St. Patrick, Grafton. RIPLEY, John, St. Patrick, Grafton. RISACKER, Chas., Immaculate Concep- tion, Shelbyville. RITTER, Henry D., St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. RITTER, Wm, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. ROACH, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. ROACH, Marcus M., St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. ROBB, Mervil J., St Patrick, Decatur. ROBBERS, John C, St. Joseph, Granite City. ROBERTS, Chas. E., St. Peter, Quincy. ROBICKY, Thomas, St. Louis, Nokomis. ROBINSON, Edward, St. Catherine, Hagaman. ROBINSON, Francis P., Our Saviour, Jacksonville. ROBINSON, Geo. W., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. ROBINSON, James L., St. Catherine, Hagaman. ROBINSON, John, St. Catherine, Haga- man. ROBINSON, Thos. T., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. ROBINSON, William, St. Benedict, Au- burn. ROCHE, Bernard F., St. Agnes, Spring- field. ROCHE, J. M., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. ROCHICIOLI, Wm. J., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. ROCHINSKY, John, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. RODERICK, Hubert, St. Joseph, Spring- field. RODESKVICH, Anthony, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. RODIER, Napolean W., Assumption, As- sumption. RODOLPH, A. J., St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. ROE, Kelly, Mother of Dolors, Vandalia. ROEDELL, August, St. Clara, Altamont. ROEDELL, Jos. A., St. Clara, Altamont. ROEDELL, Louis, St. Clara, Altamont. ROEHL, Wm. F, St. Francis, Quincy. ROEHL, Lawrence, St. Francis, Quincy. ROENTZ, Frank, St. Michael, Michael. ROENTZ, John, St. Michael, Michael. ROETKER, Henry, St. Michael, Sigel. ROETKER, Joseph, St. Michael, Sigel. ROGERS, John A., St. Joseph, Spring- field. ROHLING, A. Henry, St. Mary, Quincy. ROHLING, Geo. H., St. Paul, Highland. ROKHER, Joe, St. Joseph, Benld. ROLF, Clara, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. RONCHETTE, James, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. RONEN, James K., Assumption B. V. M., Litchfield. ROOK, Wm. O., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. ROONEY, Andrew, St. Elizabeth, Robin- son. ROONEY, Carl, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. ROONEY, Elmer, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. ROONEY, Eugene, St. Elizabeth, Robin- son. ROONEY, James, St. Elizabeth, Robin- son. ROONEY, Joseph A., St. Michael, Hume. ROONEY, M. A., St. Thomas, Newton RORK, Frank A., St. Patrick, Decatur. ROSCETTI, Giovanni, St. James, River- ton. ROSENWEIG, Leo, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. ROSS, Albert, St. Boniface, Quincy. ROSS, Fred, Our Saviour, Jacksonville. ROSS, Hugh, St. Joseph, Springfield. ROSS, John, St. Joseph, Springfield. ROSS, John A., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. ROSS, Theodore, St. Joseph, Carlinville ROSS, William, Our Saviour, Jackson ville. ROSSITER, Peter, St. Joseph, Spring field. ROSSMILLER, L. J., St. Joseph, Paloma ROSSWOG, Alex, St. Francis Solanus Quincy. ROSWOG, August C, St. Francis, Quincy ROTH, Frank, St. Anselm, Kampsville. ROTH, Jas. W., Immaculate Conception Mattoon. ROTH, John, Jr., Sacred Heart, Virden ROTH, Joseph S., St. Michael, Michael. ROTH, Joseph, Assumption, Ste. Marie. ROTH, M., St. Joseph, Granite City. ROTH, Noah, St. Michael, Michael. ROTH, Stephen, St. Michael, Michael. ROTTER, E. W., St. Boniface, Edwards ville. ROTTER, Henry, St. Boniface, Edwards ville. ROTTER, William, St. Boniface, Ed wardsville. 815 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ROTTMANN, Ralph, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. ROTTMANN, Walter, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. ROULISH, Adrian, St. Agnes, Springfield. ROUMAR, George W., St. Al x u I, Beardstown. ROUMAS, Harry, St. Alexius, Beards- town. ROUNDCOUNT, Henry, St. Michael, Michael. ROWE, John L., Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. ROWE, Raymond, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. ROY, Gilbert, St. Mary, Neoga. ROYER, Maurice, Mother of Dolors, Van- dalia. ROZYCKI, Casimier, O. L. Czestochowa, Madison. ROZYCKI, Stanislaus, O. L. Czestochowa, Madison. RUBEL, Joe, St. Jerome, Troy. RUEHLE, E. C, St. Patrick, Decatur. RUESCHHOFF, Joseph J., St. Anthony, Effingham. RUESKEN, Anton, St. Francis, Teutopo- lis. RUFF, Chas., St. Jerome, Troy. RUFFATTO, Joseph, St. Joseph, Benld. RUHOLL, Clement, Sacred Heart, Lilly- ville. RUKAS, Frank, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. RUKIS, Geo., St. Vincent de Paul, Spring- field. RUKUS, Stanley, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. RUMMENIE, Carl A., St. Boniface, Quincy. RUMMENIE, Louis, St. Boniface, Quincy. RUMMENIE, Wm. J., St. Boniface, Quincy. RUNDE, Herman, St. Francis, Teutopolis. RUPP, Albert J., St. Francis, Quincy. RUPP, Carl G., St. Francis, Quincy. RUPP, Fred, St. Francis, Quincy. RUPP, Walter O. W., St. Mary, Quincy. RUPPERT, Jacob, St. Louis, Nokomis. RUSCIOLELLI, Paris, St. James, River- ton. RUSSEL, Chas. R., St. Patrick, Decatur. RYAN, Chas., Sacred Heart, Franklin. RYAN, Chas. S., St. Peter, Quincy. RYAN, Edw. D. J., St. Patrick, Spring- field, RYAN, Edward, St. Mary, Marshall. RYAN, J. A., St. Patrick, Decatur. RYAN, J. R., St. Bernard, Glenarm. RYAN, James A., St. Joseph, Springfield RYAN, Leo, St. Gertrude, Grantfork. RYAN, Leo F., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. RYAN, Leo, St. Mark, Winchester. RYAN, Michael, St. Mary, Marshall. RYAN, Patrick J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. RYAN, Ralph, Sacred Heart, Franklin. RYAN, Ray, Sacred Heart, Franklin. RYAN, Richard Patrick, Immacul. te Conception, Carlinville. RYAN, Thomas H., Immaculate Concep tion, Carlinville. RYAN, Walter B., St. Patrick, Decatur. RYAN, Willie, St. Gertrude, Grantfork. RYAN, Wm. F., Immaculate Conception, Carlinville. RYAN, William Patrick, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. RYNDERS, Frank, St. Patrick, Alton. SADONES, Tony, St. Catherine, Virden. SAGE, Ed, St. Charles, Charleston. SANDER, Gerard, St. Mary, Quincy. SANDERS, Robert, St. Mary, Quincy. SANER, Carl, Sacred Heart, Springfield. SANER, William E., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. SANKUS, John, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. SARTORI, Cornelius J., St. Mary, Quincy. SAUER, Earl, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. SAUER, Tony, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. SAUTINI, Nicholas, St. Joseph, Spring- field. SAWYER, Dwight, St. Mary, Taylorville. SCANAVINO, A., Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. SCANLAN, Edwin, St. Thomas, Newton. SCANLAN, John, St. Thomas, Newton. SCANLON, Charles, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. SCANLON, Peter, St. Catherine, Virden. SCANZONI, A. R., Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. SCARIOT, Giovanni, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. SCARIOT, John, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. SCARIOT, Serro, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. SCHAB, George, St. Clara, Altamont. SCHABBING, Jos., St. Michael, Sigel. SCHACKMANN, Marie, St. Thomas, Newton. SCHAEFER, Albert, St. Mary, Taylor- ville. SCHAEFER, Edgar E., Assumption, Litchfield. SCHAEFER, William A., St. Joseph, Carlinville. SCHAEPERS, James, St. Mary, Quincy. 816 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR SCHAEPERS, Robert J., St. Francis, Quincy. SCHAFER, John W., SS. Peter ana Paul, Springfield. SCHAFFING, Joseph, St. Michael, Sigel. SCHALLER, Herman, St. Mary, Alton. SCHALLER, Joseph, St. Mary, Alton. SCHATZ, Charles C, St. Ann, Edgewood. SCHATZ, Edward, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. SCHATZ, Leo A., St. Anne, Edgewood. SCHAUF, Edward, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. SCHEFERCORT, Wm. J., Our Saviour, Jacksonville. SCHEIBAL, Leonard, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. SCHELL, Carl J., St. Boniface, Quincy. SCHELL, Eugene, St. Boniface. Quincy. SCHELL, John, St. Lawrence, Greenville. SCHELL, Paul, St. Boniface, Quincy. SCHENEK, Chris, St. Mary, Alton. SCHENK, Henry J., St. Mary, Alton. SCHENK, Ray, St. Mary, Alton. SCHEPERS, Jas., St. Francis, Quincy. SCHERER, Joseph, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. SCHERER, L., St. Joseph, Granite City. SCHERER, Louis E., St. Patrick, Decatur. SCHERER, Ray C, St. Patrick, Decatur. SCHEUFELE, Jas. Carl, St. Francis, Quincy. SCHEURING, Clem H., St. Boniface, Quincy. SCHEVERS, Leo W., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. SCHIBER, John, St. Mary, Edwardsville. SCHIEVENIN, James, St. Barbara, Witt. SCHINDEL, Frank George, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. SCHINDEL, F. J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. SCHLANGEN, Frank A., St. Boniface, Quincy. SCHLANGEN, Joseph, St. Francis, Quincy. SCHLANGEN, Leo B., St. Boniface, Quincy. SCHLANSER, Ferd, St. Francis, Teutop- olis. SCHLEEPER, Edward, St. Norbert, Hardin. SCHLEEPER, Francis, St. Norbert, Hardin. SCHLEEPER, Paul, St. Norbert, Hardin. SCHLEMMER, Frank, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. SCHLEPER, Clemens, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. SCHLEPER, Frank, St. Anthony, Effine- ham. SCHLEPER, Frank, St. Francis, Teutopo- lis. SCHLER, Edw. J., St. Alexius, Beards- town. SCHLEYHAHN, Herbert H., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. SCHLIFO, Philip, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. SCHLIPF, Albert, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. SCHLOPTERBECK, Frank, St. Clara, Altamont. SCHLOTON, John B., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. SCHLOTTMAN, Edw., St. John, Quincy. SCHLOTTMAN, Joe, St. John, Quincy. SCHMAELZLE, Otto, Immaculate Con- ception, Mattoon. SCHMERING, Bernard B. G., St. Bon- iface, Quincy. SCHMERMAN, Tony, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. SCHMIDT, Aloys, St. Francis, Teutop- olis. SCHMIDT, Auth., St. Mary, Alton. SCHMIDT, Anthony P., St. Joseph, Car- linville. SCHMIDT, August, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. SCHMIDT, Bernard H., St. Francis, Jer- seyville. SCHMIDT, C, St. Joseph, Granite City. SCHMIDT, Edward, St. Mary, Alton. SCHMIDT, Leo J., St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. SCHMIDT, Louis, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. SCHMIDT, William, St. John, Carrollton. SCHMIDT, William, St. Mary, Alton. SCHMIDT, William P., St. Mary, Alton. SCHMIDT, Wm. P., St. Mary, Carlinville. SCHMIEDER, Carl, St. Mary, Westwood. SCHMIEDER, John, St. Norbert, Hardin. SCHMIEZ, Al. B., St. Mary, Alton. SCHMITT, Edward N., SS. Peter and Paul. Springfield. SCHMITT, John, St. Paul, Highland. SCHMITT, J. C, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. SCHMITT, P. A., St. Joseph, Granite City. SCHMITT, Raymond, St. Francis, Quincy. SCHMITT, Val E., St. Jerome, Troy. SCHMITZ, Wm. R., St. Patrick, Pana. SCHMITZ, Henry R., Sacred Heart, Ef- fingham. SCHMURR, Edw. D, St. Paul, Highland. SCHNEERINGER, Harry, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. SCHNEIDER, Carl J., St. Francis, Jersey- ville. 817 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS SCHNEIDER, Rev. P. Cyrinus, St. Fran- cis, Teutopolis. SCHNEIDER, Peter J., St. James, Riv- erton. SCHNEIDER, Wm., Sacred Heart, Spring- field. SCHNELT, Wm. St. John, Carrollton. SCHNELTEN, Anton, St. John, Carroll- ton. SCHNELTEN, Joseph, St. John, Carroll- ton. SCHNESSLER, Frank J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. SCHNURR, Edward D, St. Gertrude, Grant Fork. SCHOBERND, John S., St. Mary, Brus- sels. SCHOEBERLE, Sylvester F., St. Alphon- sus, Brighton. SCHOEMMER, L., St. Joseph, Granite City. SCHOENBORN, Adam, Assumption, As- sumption. SCHOENHOFF, Albert, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. SCHOENHOFF, Joseph, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. SCHOENHOFF, Leo, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. SCHONHOFF, Henry, St. Mary, Quincy. SCHOONHOVEN, Allie, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. SCHOPPMAN, Arthur, Ascension, Mt. Olive. SCHOPPMAN, Carl, Ascension, Mt. Olive. SCHRAEDER, Geo., St. John, Carrollton. SCHRAMECK, Frank, St. Jerome, Troy. SCHRAMECK, Fred, St. Jerome, Troy. SCHREIBER, Julius C, St. Norbert, Hardin. SCHREIBER, Robert, Immaculate Con- ception, Pierron. SCHRETTLER, John, St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. SCHRIBER, Robert J., St. Paul. High- land. SCHRIBER, Harry, St. Mary, Alton. SCHROEDER, Geo. B., St. Francis, Jer- seyville. SCHROEDER, John, St. Mary, Alton. SCHRORER, George, St. Peter, Quincy. SCHUAELZLE, Otto, St. Charles, Charleston. SCHUAELZLE, Carl, St. Charles, Charleston. SCHUCHART, L. J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. SCHUCK, Walter F., SS. Peter and Paul. Collinsville. SCHUESSLER, F. J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. SCHUETTE, Jos., St. Francis, Quincy. SCHULLIAN, George E., St. Francis, Quincy. SCHULTE, Joseph, St. Mary, Alton. SCHULTZ, Clemens H., St. Joseph, Car- linville. SCHULTZ, Leo S., St. Joseph, Carlinville. SCHUTTE, Clifford, St. Michael, Sigel. SCHUTTE, Laurence, St. John, Quincy. SCHWAABY, Arthur, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. SCHWAB, Albert, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. SCHWAB, Albert A., St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. SCHWAB, Anton, St. Joseph, Carlinville. SCHWAB, Bernard J., St. Joseph, Car- linville. SCHWAB, Fred, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. SCHWAB, Joseph J., St. Aloysius, Litch- field. SCHWAB, Peter Matthew, St. Mary, As- sumption. SCHWAGER, Sylvester, Assumption, Ste. Marie. SCHWARTZ, Joseph, St. Boniface, Quincy. SCHWARTZEN, Frank, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. SCHWEGEL, Edward, St. Mary, Alton. SCHWEHR, Jos., St. Gertrude, Grant Fork. SCHWEIGHART, Fred J., Forty Martyrs, Tuscola. SCHWEMMER, Leo J., St. Joseph, Gran- ite City. SCHWENDEMANN, George T., St. Boni- face, Quincy. SCHWERDT, Adolph, St. Michael, Sigel. SCHWERDT, Harry, St. Michael, Sigel. SCHWIER, Leslie, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. SCLICHER, Lorraine, Immaculate Con- ception, Mattoon. SCOTT, Charles C, Holy Trinity, Ston- ingham. SCOTT, D. L., St. Patrick, Decatur. SCOTT, Edward S., Holy Trinity, Ston- ingham. SCOTT, L B., St. Patrick, Decatur. SCULLION, Daniel, St. Alexius, Beards- town. SCULLION, Henry, St. Alexius, Beards- town. SCULLY, Elvin, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. SEAMAN, Leo, Immaculate Conception, Carlinville. 818 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR SEATON, Roscoe, St. Peter, Quincy. SEAY, Leo, St. Joseph, Springfield. SEDLACEK, Jos., St. Mary, Edwards- ville. SEDLACEK, Mike, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. SEELBACH, John, St. Raymond, Ray- mond. SEHY, Jos. P., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. SEHY, Leo T., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. SEIBERT, E., St. Joseph, Granite City. SEIBERT, Geo., St. Clara .Altamont. SEIBERT, L., St. Joseph, Granite City. SEIBIN, Earl, St. John, Areola. SE1CH, E. C, St. Patrick, Grafton. SEIFERT, Rev. Charles, St. Boniface, Quincy. SEIPP, Peter, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. SEITZ, Peter A., St. Paul, Highland. SELINGER, Harry, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. SEMANIK, Andrew, Sacred Heart, Vir- den. SEMANIK, Nicholas, Sacred Heart, Virden. SENCAK, John, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. SENGER, Frank Joseph, Sacred Heart, Springfield. SENGER, Charles, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. SENKUS, Sylvester, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. SENZ, C. J., St. Mary, Alton. SENZ, Philip, St. Mary, Alton. SEPESY, John, Sacred Heart, Virden. SEPESY, Joseph, Sacred Heart, Virden. SEPSCI, Andrew, Sacred Heart, Virden. SERGEL, Frank, St. Barbara, Springfield. SETHALER, John, St. John, Carrollton. SEXTON, Stephen, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. SEYFRIT, August G., St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. SEYFRIT, Edward F., St. Joseph, Car- linville. SEYFRIT, Frank, St. Joseph, Carlinville. SEYFRIT, Michael F., St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. SHAB, Leo C, St. Clara, Altamont. SHACKELTON, Wm., St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. SKAEFER, Albert, St. Mary, Taylorville. SHAEFER, Lloyd, St. Mary, Taylorville. SHAFER, Albert N., St. Patrick, Decatur. SHAKEK, Albert, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. SHAKEK, Robert, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. SHAMHART, Paul S., St. Thomas, New- ton. SHANLE, Carl L., St. Joseph, Buffalo. SHAPERS, Jas. A., St. Francis, Quincy. SHARKEY, Edw., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. SHARKEY, Robert, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. SHARKEY, Vincent, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. SHARP, Jos. A., Sacred Heart, Effing- ham. SHATZ, Charles C, St. Anne, Edgewood. SHAUGHNESSY, Austin, St. Agnes, Springfield. SHAUGHNESSY, E. P., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. SHAUGHNESSY, John, St. Joseph, Springfield. SHAUGHNESSY, James G., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. SHEA, Aloysius, Immaculate Conception, Springfield. SHEA, Carl J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. SHEA, Dennis B., St. Francis, Jersey- ville. SHEA, Edward, St. Patrick, Decatur. SHEA, Edward J., St. Patrick, Spring- field. SHEA, George E., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. SHEA, John, St. Mary, Paris. SHEA, Thomas H., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. SHEA, Walter J., St. Peter, Petersburg. SHEA, Walter S., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. SHEA, William J., St. Joseph, Granite City. SHEDELONER, Leonard, Assumption, Ste. Marie. SHEDLBOROSC, Joe, Assumption, Ste. Marie. SHEDLBOWER, Arthur, Assumption, Ste. Marie. SHEDLBOWER, Martin A., Assumption, Ste. Marie. SHEEAN, Charles W., St. Patrick, Pana. SHEEAN, Frank, St. Patrick, Pana. SHEEAN, George A., St. Patrick, Pana. SHEEAN, Hugh J., St. Patrick, Pana. SHEEAN, James V., St. Patrick, Pana. SHEEHAN, Edw., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. SHEEHAN, Emmett Leo, St. Patrick, Decatur. SHEEHAN, Howard, Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. 819 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN' ILLINOIS SHEEHAN, Jos., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. SI 1 KHAN, John G., St. Mary, Taylorville. SHEPPARD, Jas. E., St. Francis, Jer- seyville. SHERIDAN, John, St. Joseph, Granite City. SHERIDAN, Mike, SS. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. SHERIDAN, Phil H., St. Joseph, Granite City. SHERLOCK, John F., St. Maurice, Mor- risonville. SHIELDS, Frank M., St. Mary, Loving- ton. SHIELDS, John F., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. SHIELS, Orville, St. Isidore, Bethany. SHINKO, M., St. Patrick, Pana. SHINN, Roy, St. Alexius, Beardstown. SHOLT1S, John, Sacred Heart, Virden. SHOLTIS, Louis, Sacred Heart, Virden. SHORTAL, George, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. SHORTAL, Harold, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. SHORTAL, Joseph, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. SHORTAL, Paul, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. SHRENSKY, B., St. Barbara, Witt. SHRNTNA, R. Geo., Assumption, Ste. Marie. SHYMANSKIS, Jos., St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. SIBBING, Arthur, St. John, Quincy. SIBBING, August, St. Francis, Quincy. SIBBING, Edgar, St. Boniface, Quincy. SIBBING, Hy, St. Francis, Quincy. SIDLER, Henry, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. SIDO, Edward, St. Bernard, Wood River. SIDO, Fred, St. Boniface, Edwardsville. SIDO, Gregory, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. SIEBERT, Geo., St. Clara, Altamont. SIEBERT, E. W., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. SIEBERT, Edward W., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. SIEFRIG, Frank, St. John, Carrollton. SIEGRETA, H. V., St. Joseph, Granite City. SIEMER, Aloysius, St. John, Carrollton. SIEMER, Frank, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. SIEMER, Fred, St. John Evangelist, Car- rollton. SIKORSKI, Anthony, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. SILVESTRUCCI, Michael, St. James, Riv- erton. SIMBURGER, Arthur, Ascension, Mt. Olive. SIMBURGER, Lawrence, Ascension, Mt. Olive. SIMMERMAN, James R., St. Luke, Vir- ginia. SIMMONS, Thomas, Assumption, Li'ch field. SIMON, Benjamin, St. Patrick, Alton. SIMON, Jos., St. Francis, Quincy. SIMONIN, Jos. R., St. Agnes, Hillsboro SINAJ, John, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. SINGER, Wm. W., St. Louis, Nokomis. SINSKY, B., St. Jerome, Troy. SKARO, Oscar, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. SKULTON, Joseph, St. Barbara, Witt. SLIFKO, Geo., St. Joseph, Benld. SLOAN, Francis T., Our Saviour Jack- sonville. SLOAN, Jas. E., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. SLOAN, John, Our Saviour, Jacksonville. SMALLWOOD, Vincent E., Assumption, Assumption. SMARGASSI, James, St. James, River- ton. SMENT, Edward, St. Joseph, Springfield. SMENT, Max, St. Joseph, Springfield. SMENT, Vincent, St. Joseph, Springfield. SMITH, Ace H., St. Michael, Hume. SMITH, David, St. Michael, Hume. SMITH, Ed, St. Charles, Charleston. SMITH, Eddie, St. Catherine, Virden. SMITH, Elmer, St. Joseph, Bloomfield. SMITH, F., St. Joseph, Granite City. SMITH, George, St. Joseph, Springfield. SMITH, Jock, St. Benedict, Auburn. SMITH, John, Immaculate Conception, Pittsfield. SMITH, John, St. Isadore, Bethany. SMITH, John, St. Benedict, Auburn. SMITH, John T., St. Patrick, Decatur. SMITH, Jos. J., St. Mary, Quincy. SMITH, Laurence, Jr., Immaculate Con- ception, Pittsfield. SMITH, Lawrence D., St. Peter, Quincy. SMITH, O. L., St. Michael, Hume. SMITH, Philip, St. Mary, Marshall. SMITH, Richard, St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. SMITH, Dr. Robert E., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. SMITH, Thos., St. Barbara, Witt. SMITH, Thomas E., St. Peter, Quincy. SMITH, Trusty, St. Joseph, Benld. SMITH, Wm., Immaculate Conception, Pierron. 820 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR SMITH, William, St. Isadore, Bethany. SMITH, William, St. Boniface, Quincy. SMITH, Wm. P. M., St. Mary, Edwards- ville. SMITH, Willis F., St. Patrick, Decatur. SMITH, Willis Francis, St. Isadore, Bethany. SMOLA, Frank, St. Mary, Edwardsville. SNEERINGER, Harry, Annunciation, Bunker Hill. SNEERINGER, Sylvester, Annunciation, Bunker Hill. SNEERINGER, Wes, Sts. Simon and Jude, Gillespie. SNYDERS, Clarence Dominick, St. Barb- ara, Bachtown. SNYDERS, Herman, St. Barbara, Bach- town. SOBUT, Dominic, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. SOBUT, Tony, Sacred Heart, Livingston. SOEBBING, Herman, St. Francis, Quincy. SOEBBING, John R., St. Francis, Quincy. SOEHLKE, August, St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. SOEHLKE, John B., St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. SOENS, Edward, Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. SOHM, Geo. J., St. Boniface, Quincy. SOHM, Herbert, St. Boniface, Quincy. SOKALAUSKAS, Charles, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. SOLTIS, Michael, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. SOMMER, Raymond, Sacred Heart, Oconee. SONNENBERG, John, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. SOVA, Max, SS. Peter and Paul, Collins- ville. SPANIOL, Harry L., St. Mary, Alton. SPANKE, Charles, St. Peter, Petersburg. SPAULDING, Edward, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. SPAULDING, St. Bartholomew, Murray- ville. SPAULDING, J. E., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. SPELLMAN, James, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. SPENCEBERGER, John, Sacred Heart, Panama. SPENCER, John, Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. SPENGEL, Henry J., St. Paul, Highland. SPENGEL, Henry, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pierron. SPENGEL, Orville, St. Paul, Highland. SPETTNAGEL, Carl, St. Boniface, Quincy. SPINNER, John, St. Patrick, Pana. SPINNER, Louis, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. SPISAK, Michael, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. SPITGER, Leo, Assumption, Ste. Marie. SPITZER, Aloysius J., Assumption, Ste. Marie. SPITZER, Edmund, Assumption, Ste. Marie. SPITZER, Leo, Assumption, Litchfield. SPOHR, Wm., St. Francis, Quincy. SPONSKY, John, St. Patrick, Girard. SPONSTER, George, St. Joseph, Spring- field. SPONSTER, Richard, St. Joseph, Spring- field. SPRINGER, Fred, St. Mary, Alton. SQUIRES, Owen, Sacred Heart, D i - vernon. STAAB, Hermann W., Sacred Heart, Springfield. STADELMAN, Jos., Annunciation, Bun- ker Hill. STAHL, Geo. E., St. Peter, Quincy. STAHL, Geo. H., Jr., St. Peter, Quincy. STALETS, Albert, St. Patrick, Pana. STALETS, Frank J., St. Patrick, Pana. STALETS, John, St. Patrick, Pana. STALF, Arthur, St. John, Quincy. STALLETS, Adam, St. Patrick, Pana. STALLETS, Emil, St. Patrick, Pana. STALLINGS, Edwin, St. Ubaldus, New Douglas. STALLINGS, Richard, St. Ubaldus, New Douglas. STANEWEVISKY, Enoch J., St. Patrick, Pana. STANEWISKY, Francis, St. Patrick, Pana. STANISEWSKY, Anton G., St. Patrick, Pana. STANISEWSKY, James, St. Patrick, Pana. STANTNER, J. A., Assumption, Ste. Marie. STAUDER, Chas. J., St. Louis, Nokomis. STECKEL, Clarence, St. Francis, Jer- seyville. STECKEL, Fred Wm., Holy Ghost, Jer- seyville. STECKEL, George F., St. Francis, Jer- seyville. STECKEL, Geo., St. John, Carrollton. STEFFEN, Christ, St. Aloysiua, Bishop Creek. STEFFEN, Nick, St. Aloysius, Bishop Creek. STEFFY, C, St. Joseph, Granite City. 821 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IX ILLINOIS STEGEMANN, Albert J., St. Boniface, Quincy. STEGEMANN, Carl Jos., St. Francis, Quincy. STEGEMANN, Ralph H., St. John, Quincy. STEGER, Leonard J., St. Joseph, Island Grove. STEGER, Louis, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. STEIN, Norman, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. STEINBACHER, H. J., St. Francis, Jer- seyville. STEINBRECHER, Robert, St. John, Quincy. STEINEBACH, Wm. ( St. Francis, Jersey- ville. STEINEGGER, Henry, St. Paul, High- land. STEINEWEG, John, St. John, Quincy. STEINKAMP, Ferdinand, St. Francis, Quincy. STEINKAMP, Henry A., St. Francis. Quincy. STEINKAMP, Jos., St. Francis, Quincy. STEINKAMP, Ollie, St. Boniface, Quincy. STELLBRINK, Joseph, St. Anselm, Kampsville. STENGEL, Anthony, Visitation, Illiopo- lis. STENGEL, Frank J., St. Agnes, Spring- field. STENGEL, Leo, St. Patrick, Decatur. STENGEL, Ray, St. Patrick, Decatur. STENSON, Matthew, St. Joseph, Spring- field. STENSON, Walter J., St. Joseph, Spring- field. STEPHENSON, Warren, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. STEPHENSON, Wm. M., Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. STEVENS, Carl L., St. Francis, Quincy. STEVENSON, Edward, Mother of Dolors, Vandalia. STEVENSON, W. L., Immaculate Con- ception, Mattoon. STEWART, George, St. Joseph, Carlin- ville. STEWART, Michael L., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. STICKEL, Clarence, All Saints, White- hall. STIEGLER, Frank, St. Mary, Alton. STIEREN, Luke, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. STIEREN, Oliver B., St. Boniface, Ed- wardsville. STILLION, Jas. O., St. Mary, Quincy. STINGLE, Toney, Visitation, Illiopolis. STINSON, Edmon, St. Michael, South Fork. STISCAK, Andrew, Ascension, Mt. Olive. STOCKER, Lawrence, St. Patrick, Pana. STOCKER, Orville, St. Patrick, Pana. STOCKMAN, Clarence C, St. Anthony, Effingham. STODIEMAN, Jos., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. STOLZ, Arge, St. Louis, Nokomis. STOLZE, Alvin, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. STOLZE, Edward, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. STOLZE, Frank, St. John, Quincy. STOLZE, John, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. STORM, Foster, St. Patrick, Trowbridge. STOUFFE, John, St. Denis, Shipman. STOVER, Edward J., St. Patrick, Spring- field. STRAMMARE, John, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. STRATMAN, Fred, St. Aloysius, Litch- field. STRAUKAS, John J., St. James, Riverton. STRAUKAS, Joseph, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. STREBEL, Fred Peter, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. STRITZEL, John, St. Mary, Pawnee. STROEBLE, Edwin, St. Clara, Altamont. STROHAKER, C. H., St. Joseph, Granite City. STROHAKER, David, St. Joseph, Granite City. STROOT, Alphonse, St. Francis, Quincy. STRORKA, N., St. Joseph, Granite City. STROTHOFF, Clarence A., St. Boniface, Quincy. STROTHOFF, J. H., St. Boniface, Quincy. STRUBEL, Alois, St. Mary, Alton. STRUIF, August, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. STRUNK, Mathew, St. John, Quincy. STRUNSE, Arthur, SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. STRUTNER, Geo. R., Assumption, Ste. Marie. STRUTNER, Gus, Assumption, Ste. Marie. STRUTNER, Jos., Assumption, Ste. Marie. STUDENT, Gus, St. Agnes, Springfield. STUMBORG, Edward, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. STYMELSKI, Henry, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. SUDKAMP, Adolph, St. Michael, Sigel. 822 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR SUDKAMP, Joseph, St. Michael, Sigel. SUDKAMP, Louis, St. Michael, Sigel. SULLIVAN, Dan, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pittsfleld. SULLIVAN, Dan, Immaculate Concen- tion, Shelbyville. SULLIVAN, Denis Paul, Holy Trinity, Stonington. SULLIVAN, Edward, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. SULLIVAN, Edward, St. Mary, Assump- tion. SULLIVAN, Francis, St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. SULLIVAN, Frank, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. SULLIVAN, George, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. SULLIVAN, Harry, St. Michael, Michael. SULLIVAN, J., Sacred Heart, New Berlin. SULLIVAN, Hugh A., St. Agnes, Spring- field. SULLIVAN, Jeremiah, Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. SULLIVAN, John, St. Mary, Marshall. SULLIVAN, John, Immaculate Concep- tion, Shelbyville. SULLIVAN, John, St. Patrick, Spring- field. SULLIVAN, Joseph H., St. Patrick, Springfield. SULLIVAN, M., Immaculate Conception. Shelbyville. SULLIVAN, Michael J., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. SULLIVAN, Patrick, Sacred Heart, Di- vernon. SULLIVAN, Thomas F., St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. SULLIVAN, Thos. J., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. SULLIVAN, Thomas H., St. Joseph, Springfield. SULLIVAN, Wm., St. Joseph, Spring- field. SULLIVAN, Wm., St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. SUNKLE, Jacob Roy, St. Mary, Paris. SVOBADO, Aloise, St. Mary, Edwardsville. SWAGERMAN, Richard, St. Isadore, Farmersville. SWEENEY, Edw. F., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. SWEENEY, John, Ascension, Mt. Olive. SWINGLER, Ben, St. Michael, Sigel. SWINGLER, Martin, St. Michael, Sigel. SWISHER, E., St. Patrick, Decatur. SWISHER, Jos., St. Patrick, Decatur. SYLVESTER, May, St. Michael, Sigel. TAGGART, Henry Francis, Immaculate Conception, Springfield. TALKEN, John, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. TANNA, John A., St. Peter, Quincy. TANNETTE, Frank, St. Joseph, Benld. TANO, James, St. Barbara, Witt. TARBOC, Jus, St. Mary, Taylorville. TARRACH, Anton, St. Michael, Staunton. TARRO, Dominic, St. Joseph, Benld. TARRO, James, St. Barbara, Witt. TARRO, John A., St. Barbara. Witt. TARSWELL, Jesse C, Our Saviour, Jacksonville. TARZWELL, Jesse, St. Bartholomew, Murrayville. TAUBER, Wm. E., St. Patrick, Decatur. TAUL, Paul M., St. Patrick, Alton. TAVARI, Premo, St. Mary, Taylorville. TAYLOR, Jas. R., St. Patrick, Decatur. TELEPKA, John, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. TELKAMP, Henry, St. Mary, Brussels. TELKAMP, John J., St. Mary, Brussels. TELKAMP, Theodore A., St. Mary, Brus- sels. TEMPLETON, Ralph, Immaculate Con- ception, Mattoon. TENBUSCH, John F., St. Patrick, Pana. TENBUSCH, Wm. J., St. Patrick, Pana. TENFORD, Albert, St. Joseph, Paloma. TENFORD, Geo., Jr., St. Joseph, Paloma. TENK, Edward, St. John, Quincy. TENK, Laurence, St. John, Quincy. TENSING, Bernard, St. Francis, Quincy. TENSING, John, St. Francis, Quincy. TEREGRIN, John, Sacred Heart, Virden. TERFORD, Geo. H., St. Boniface, Quincy TERWELP, Hy. B., St. Francis, Quincy. TERWELP, Laurence, St. John, Quincy. TERWILP, Joseph, St. John, Quincy. TEX, Benjamin, St. Mary, Taylorville. TEX, Edward, St. Mary, Taylorville. THARES, R. J., St. Mary, Edwardsville. THARES, W. A., St. Mary, Edwardsville. THEIL, Laurence, St. Mary, Paris. THEILKEN, Paul F., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. THEOLE, Lawrence, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. THEOLE, William, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. THEROW, Edw. G., St. Mary, Quincy. THIELKEN, Paul F., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. THIEMANN, Henry B., St. John, Quincy. THIES, Edw., St. Anthony, Effingham. THIES, Edw. C, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. THOELE, Aloys, St. Francis, Teutopolis. 823 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS THOELE, Allie, St. Francis, Teutopolis. THOELE, Bernard, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. THOELE, John, St. Anthony, Effingham. THOELE, Louis, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. THOELE, Lawrence, St. Francis, Teuto- polis. THOELE, Wm, St. Francis, Teutopolis. THOMA, Hugo, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. THOMAS, Andrew, St. Patrick, Pana. THOMPSON, Henry, St. Jerome, Troy. THOMPSON, T. J., St. Joseph, Granite City. THOMPSON, Timothy, St. Peter, Quincy. THOMURE, Francis, Sacred Heart, Liv- ingston. THORNTON, N. R., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. TIBBS, John, St. Peter, Petersburg. TIFFIN, Fred J., St. Aloysius, North Arm. TILLEY, Arthur, St. Joseph, Springfield. TILLEY, Bernard, St. Agnes, Springfield. TILLY, Wm., St. Joseph, Springfield. TIMONEY, Wm. J., St. Agnes, Spring- field. TIMPE, Edwara, St. Boniface, Quincy. TIMPE, Henry, St. Loniface, Quincy. TIMPE, Jos. A., St. John, Quincy. TIMPER, Theo., SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. TINBLSH, John F, St. Patrick, Pana. TINBUSH, William, St. Patrick, Pana. TINIMERWELKE, Ralph, St. Boniface, Quincy. TITZE, Anton, St. Michael, Staunton. TITZE, Robt. St. Michael, Staunton. TODT, P., St. Joseph, Granite City. TOEPPELMEYER, Ferd, St. Francis, Teutopolis. TOKOLY, John J., St. Patrick, Pana. TOMA, Andrew J., St. Patrick, Pana. TOMSIC, Frank, Assumption, Litchfield. TOMSCO, John, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. TOMSOL, John, Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. TONELIS, Frank, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. TONSOR, Anthony, St. Mary, Westwoods. TONSOR, Henry, St. Mary, Westwoods. TONSOR, Jos. E., St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. TOPPMEIER, August, St. Mary, Brus- sels. TOPPMEIER, Bernard, St. Mary, Brus- sels. TORETTO, Romano, St. James, River- ton. TOUHEY, Dan, St. Michael, Hume. TOUHEY, John, St. Michael, Hume. TOUHY, M., St. Francis Xavier, Jersey- ville. TRACY, Francis B., St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. TRACY, Leo, St. Francis Xavier, Jer- seyville. TRAGER, Benjamin F, Forty Martyrs, Tuscola. TRAGER, George L., Forty Martyrs, Tuscola. TRAMPELA, Eugene, St. Agnes, H;11h- boro. TRAPP, Joseph L., St. Boniface, Quinoy. TRARES, Roman, St. Boniface, E !- wardsville. TRARES, Wilbur, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. TRAUNTER, John, St. Michael, Staunton. TRAUTNER, Joseph, St. Paul, Highland. TRAUTNER, Leo, St. Paul, Highland. TREMMEL, Edmund, St. Paul, Highland. TREMMEL, Oliver, St. Paul, Highland. TRIEBEL, Paul, St. Boniface, Quincy. TRIERWEILER, Al. C, St. Patrick, De- catur. TRIMPE, Frank, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. TRIPP, Chas. W., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. TROECKLER, Jos. A., St. Elizabeth, Mitchell. TROECKLER, M. C, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. TROECKLER, Mike, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. TROESCH, Frank M., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. TROESCH, Nicholas, Sacred Heart, Springfield. TROUTNER, Charles, Immaculate Con- ception, Pittsfield. TRSTENSKY, Frank, St. Barbara, Springfield. TRUCKER, Ollie, St. Raymond, Ray- mond. TUCKER, Harry, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. TUESHAUS, Norbert T., St. Peter, Quincy. TRUTTER, Edw. L., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. TUEY, Leo, St. John Evangelist, Car- rollton. TUEY, Martin, St. John Evangelist, Car- rollton. 824 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OP HONOR TUOHY, Daniel A., St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. TUOHY, John A., St Francis Xarier, Jerseyville. TURCHI, Olympic-, St. Louis, Nokomis. TURESUE, John, St. Charles, Charles- ton. TUSHAUS, Norbert Thos., St. Rose, Quincy. TUSHAUS, Norbert, St. Boniface, Quincy. TWIGG, Bernard E., St. Mary, Paris. TWIGG, Byron, St. Michael, Hume. TWIGG, Francis O., St. Mary, Paris. TWIGG, James, St. Michael, Hume. TWIGG, Leonard, St. Michael, Hume. UHL, Oscar, St. Boniface, Edwardsville. UHL, Thos. J., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. ULANOWSKI, Ladislaus, O. L. Czesto- chowa, Madison. ULLMAN, Paul, St. John, Quincy. ULLRICK, Charles J., St. Patrick, Pana. ULRICH, Melvin, St. Paul, Highland. UNDERRINER, Alfred, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. UNDERRINER, Edwin, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. UNDERRINER, Wm., St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. UNGURAjTiS, Jos., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. URBAN, Anthony, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. URBAN, Francis, St. Patrick, Pana. URBAN, Joseph, St. Patrick, Pana. URBANSKI, Steve, St. Benedict, Auburn. URICK, John, Ascension, Mt. Olive. URICK, Mike, St. Michael, Staunton. UTZ, Harry, Visitation, Illiopolis. UTZ, Henry, St. Anthony, Effingham. VAN BUSKIRK, L., Jr., St. Joseph, Granite City. VAN BUSKIRK, Lucas, St. Mark, Venice. VACTOR, Raymond, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. VAIL, Chas. A., St. Clara, Altamont. VANCHI, John, Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. VANSTEEL, Virgil, St. Peter, Quincy. VARDA, James, St. Louis, Nokomis. VARIN, Charles, St. Francis Xavier, Jer- seyville. VAUGHN, Andrew J., St. John Evan- gelist, Carrollton. VAUGHN, Francis, St. John Evangelist, Carrollton. VAUGHN, Guy E., St. Patrick, Pana. VAUGHN, James A., St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. VEILE, Leo, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. VEILE, Carl, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. VENVERLOTH, Jos. H., St. Mary, Quincy. VENVERLOTH, Robt. John, St. Mary, Quincy. VERBELIA, Anthony, St. Mary, Taylor- ville. VERCELINE, Batista, St. Mary, Pawnee. VERGA, Dominnico, St. Mary, Pawnee. VERICKER, John C, St. Louis, Nokomis. VERNON, Fleshner, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. VERRICKER, John, St. Barbara, Witt. VETTEL, Albert, St. Patrick, Springfield. VETTER, William M., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. VIERE, Bernard, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. VIERE, Frank, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. VIERLING, E. P., St. Bernard, Wood River. VIERLING, F. B., St. Bernard, Wood River. VIETH, Adolph, St. Patrick, Alton. VIETH, Anthony, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. VISLIOCCO, Wm., Sacred Heart, Panama. VITS, George, St. Patrick, Pana. VOAMAK, Adolph, Sacred Heart, Virden. VOEGELE, Charles A., St. Paul, High- land. VOEGELE, Leo, St. Elizabeth, Marine. VOEGLE, Anton C, St. Paul, Highland. VOEGLE, Leo C, St. Paul, Highland. VOELKER, Frank, St. Jerome, Troy. VOELKER, Gus, St. Jerome, Troy. VOGEL, Henry, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. VOGEL, Joseph, St. Bartholomew, Mur- rayville. VOGEL, Lawrence, St. Anthony, Quincy. VOGEL, Leo, St. Clara, Altamont. VOGEL, Wilbur, St. Boniface, Edwards- ville. VOGT, Earnest, St. Peter, Petersburg. VOGT, Edward R., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. VOGT, Milo F., St. Peter, Petersburg. VOGT, Reuben Albert, St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. VOIGHT, August H., St. Agnes, Spring- field. VOIGT, Geo. J., St. Elizabeth, Mitchell. VOLK, Joseph A., Assumption, Ste. Marie. VOLLMER, John Jacob, St. Patrick, Decatur. VOLLMER, Raymond C, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. VOLM, Arthur, St. Boniface, Quincy. 825 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS VOLMER. J., St. Joseph, Granite City. VOLZ, Ralph, St. Bernard, Wood River. VON DE BUR, George, Sacred Heart Springfield. VOX LIER, H., St. Joseph, Granite City VOXNAHMEN, Auth., St. Mary, Alton. VOXXAHMEN, Jos., St. Mary, Alton. VOX OY, Carl, St. Francis, Teutopolis. VOX OY, Eberhard, St. Michael, Sigel. VORWALD, C, St. Joseph, Granite City VOSS, Ben, St. Aloysius, Bishop Creek. VOSSE, Peter, St. John, Quincy. VOST, James, St. Agnes, Springfield. VOTSMEYER, Chas. J., Our Saviour Jacksonville. VOTSMIER, Charles J., St. Augustine Ashland. VOTSMIER, Henry, St. Augustine, Ash land. VOTSMIER, Joseph M., St. Augustine Ashland. VUKELICH, Nicholas, St. Agnes, Hills boro. WAGGONER, Edgar, St. Patrick, Grafton. WAGNER, Charles A., St. Mary, Mt. Sterling. WAGNER, John A., Immaculate Concep- tion, Pierron. WAGXER, Nick, Immaculate Conception, Pierron. WAIBLE, Gus, St. Charles, Charleston. WALD, John P., St. Mark, Venice. WALDHEUSER, August M., St. Anselm, Kampsville. WALFORD, Henry, St. Boniface, Quincy. WALHERMFECHTEL, H., St. Anthony, Effingham. WALK, Everett, St. Mary, Neoga. WALK, Leo J., St. Joseph, Island Grove. WALKER, Marion A., St. Luke, Virginia. WALL, Chas., St. Peter, Quincy. WALLER, Henry A., St. Mary, Paris. WALLER, Victor J., St. Mary, Paris. WALLER, Walter R., St. Mary, Paris. WALMSLEY, Carl, St. Patrick, Decatur. WALMSLEY, Harry, St. Patrick, Decatur. WALSER, Bernard, St. Patrick, Decatur. WALSH, Bernard J., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. WALSH, Charles, St. Mary, Edwardsville. WALSH, Francis, St. Gertrude, Grant- fork. WALSH, Gregory, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. WALSH, Herbert, Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. WALSH, J. C, Our Saviour, Jacksonville. WALSH, James J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. WALSH, John, St. Alphonsus, Brighton WALSH, Matthew J., St. Francis Xavier Jerseyville. WALSH, Maurice F., St. Bartholomew Murrayville. WALSH, Michael J., Immaculate Concep tion, Springfield. WALSH, Thomas Donald, St. Peter Quincy. WALSH, Thos. J., Our Saviour, Jackson ville. WALSH, Wm. C, Immaculate Concep tion, Mattoon. WALTER, Joseph, St. Boniface, Edwards ville. WALTER, Nelson F., St. Paul, Highland WALTHERS, J., St. Joseph, Granite City WALZ, Chas. A., Immaculate Conception Springfield. WAND, Anthony, Sacred Heart, Effing ham. WANDLING, Frank J., St. Aloysius Litchfield. WANDLING, Otis G., St. Aloysius, Litch field. WANGARD, Fred H., SS. Peter and Paul Springfield. WANGARD, John, SS. Peter and Paul Springfield. WARD, James P., St. Augustine, Ashland WARD, Lawrence, St. Augustine, Ash land. WARD, Patrick, St. Augustine, Ashland WARGO, John, Sacred Heart, Livingston WARNER, Walter, St. Joseph, Spring field. WASHKO, John, Sacred Heart, Livings ton. WASILANSKI, Ignatz, Sacred Heart, Di vernon. WASILEWSKI, Stanley, Holy Family Athens. WATERKOTTE, Frank J., St. John Quincy. WATERS, Frank J., St. Mary, Mt. Ster ling. WATERS, Lindley, SS. Peter and Paul Alton. WATKINS, Abraham Lincoln, St. Peter Petersburg. WATKINS, Joe, Sacred Heart, Dalton City. WATSON, Robert, Immaculate Concep- tion, Carlinville. WATTERS, Jos. J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. WAVERING, Anton, St. Francis, Quincy. WAVERING, Ralph, St. Boniface, Quincy. WAVERINK, Bern., St. Boniface, Quincy. WAVRING, Albert J., St. Francis, Quincy. 826 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OP HONOR WEBBER, Chas., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. WEBER, Bernard, St. Francis, Teutop- olis. WEBER, Charles Leo, St. Ann, Edge- wood. WEBER, Fred, St. Mary, Alton. WEBER, Henry J., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. WEBER, Jacob, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. WEBER, William, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. WECKSNIS, Ignatius, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. WEDIG, C. T., St. Joseph, Granite City. WEESGUTH, Harry, St. Charles, Charles- ton. WEGENER, Frank, St. Patrick, Alton. WEGENER, John, St. Patrick, Alton. WEGENER, Theo., St. Mary, Alton. WEHMHOFF, M. F., St. Patrick, Decatur. WEHUHOFF, Merrill, Sacred Heart, Dalton City. WEIBRING, Frank, St. Francis, Quincy. WEIGAND, John M., St. Mary, Alex- ander. WEIGAND, Mike J., St. Mary, Alexander. WEIMANN, Anton, St. John, Quincy. WEINDEL, Elmer, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pierron. WEINDEL, Leo S., St. Paul, Highland. WEINDEL, Oliver, Immaculate Concep- tion, Pierron. WEIS, John, St. Elizabeth, Marine. WEIS, Jos. A., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. WEISENHORN, Anna, St. Boniface, Quincy. WEISENHORN, Paul G., St. Boniface, Quincy. WEISHAAR, Albert, St. Anthony, Effing- ham. WEISHAAR, Aloysius R., St. Joseph, Island Grove. WEISHAAR, Edward L., St. Joseph, Island Grove. WEISS, Ed, St. Jerome, Troy. WELCH, Chas., Visitation, Illiopolis. WELCH, Francis M., Immaculate Concep- tion, Mattoon. WELCH, Harold C, Sgt, Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. WELCH, John, St. Peter, Quincy. WELCH, Roy E., Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. WELCH, Ray, St. Peter, Quincy. WELLE, Leo, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- linsville. WELLMAN, Fred C, St. Boniface, Quincy. WELMAN, Luke J., St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. WELSH, Bernard, St. Joseph, Springfield. WELSH, Chester, St. Mark, Winchester. WELSH, John J., St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. WELSH, Lawrence, St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. WELSH, William, St. Mark, Winchester. WELSH, Wm„ Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. WEMHOFF, Merrill F., St. Patrick, De- catur. WENRER, Adolph, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. WENSING, Frank, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. WENSING, William, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. WENTE, Aloys., Sacred Heart, Lillyville. WENTE, Leo, Sacred Heart, Lillyville. WENTE, Leo, St. Mary, Neoga, WENTE, Urban, St. Francis, Teutopolis. WENZEL, Clarence L„ SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. WERNER, Clarence, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. WERNER, Charles, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. WERNER, Edward, St. Mary, Alton. WERNER, Eugene, St. Rose of Lima, Quincy. WERNER, George, St. Mary, Alton. WERNER, Maurice, St. Agnes, Spring- field. WERNER, Wm., St. Mary, Alton. WERNETH, Fred, St. Francis Solanus, Quincy. WERSEN, Leonard J., St. Agnes, Spring- field. WERSEN, William F., St. Joseph, Spring- field. WERSEN, Wm. T., St. Agnes, Spring- field. WERTZ, Frank, St. Patrick, Girard. WESNITZER, John, St. Mary, Marshall. WESTENBERGER, P. L., St. Joseph, Springfield. WESTMANN, Herbert, St. Francis, Quincy. WESTMEIER, Dr. G. W., St. Joseph, Carlinville. WETSTEIN, Edward, St. Mary, Alton. WEULE, Russell G., St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville. WHALEN, Dave, St. Catherine, Virden. WHALEN, Jackson, St. Mary, Mt. Ster- ling. WHALEN, Maurie, St. Catherine, Virden. WHALEN, Maurice, St. Mary, Farmers- ville. WHAlEN, Michael L., Immaculate Con- ception, Springfield. 827 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS WHALEN, Peter E., St. Patrick, Grafton. WHEATON, Augustine J., St. Mary, Jer- seyville. WHEATON, Fred H., St. Mary, Jersey- ville. WHEELING, Ernest, Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. WHITE, Charles, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. WHITE, Dennis, St. Patrick, Alton. WHITE, George C., St. Joseph, Spring- field. WHITE, James J., Immaculate Concep- tion, Springfield. WHITE, Joseph, St. Patrick, Alton. WHITE, Jos. F., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. WHITE, Jos. B., Sacred Heart, Spring- field. WHITE, Bob, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. WI1ITMORE, Geo., St. Louis, Nokomis. WHITTEN, R. L., St. Joseph, Granite City. WHYERS, Maurice, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. WICKENHAUSER, John, St. Mary, Alton. WICKENHAUSER, Wm., St. Mary, Alton. WICKMAN, W., St. Joseph, Granite City. WIDMER, Frederick W., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. WIDMER, Geo. J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. WIDMER, Walter J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. WIDOWSKI, Paul, St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. WIEDEMAN, Albert A., St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. WIEDMAN, Clem J., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. WIEDMAN, John A., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. WIEDMAN, Leo W., St. Anthony, Effing- ham. WIEDMER, Albert F., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. WIEDMER, Carl J., SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. WIEGMANN, Henry, St. John, Quincy. WIELGOS, Stanislaus, 0. L. Czestochowa, Madison. WIENDICK, Frank, Immaculate Concep- tion, Dietrich. WIETHOLDER, Fred, St. John, Quincy. WILDE, Marion, St. Boniface, Quincy. WILDE, Charles E., St. Boniface, Quincy. WILDER, Henry, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. WILDS, James, St. Patrick, Alton. WILFOND, Jack, St. Mary, Marshall. WILHE, Herbert, St. Boniface, Quincy. WILHOLT, Oliver, St. Elizabeth, Marine. WILL, Joseph, St. Michael, Sigel. WILLENBORG, Edward, St. Francis, Teutopolis. WILLENBORG, Edw. J., Immaculate Conception, Springfield. WILLENBORG, Lawrence, St. Francis, Teutopolis. WILLHOLD, Wm., St. Mary, Edwards- ville. WILLIAMS, Frank, St. Augustine, Ash- land. WILLIAMS, William, St. Augustine, Ash- land. WILLINBORG, Louis, Sacred Heart, Lillyville. WILLMANN, Clarence, St. Lawrence, Greenville. WILLMANN, Joseph H., St. Lawrence, Greenville. WILLMANN, Philip L., St. Lawrence, Greenville. WILLMANN, Walter A., St. Lawrence, Greenville. WILPER, Chas. W., St. John, Quincy. WILSHIRE, John J., SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville. WILSON, Frank, St. Joseph, Benld. WILSON, J. E., St. Peter, Quincy. WILSON, Myron John, St. Patrick, Pana. WILSON, Wm. F., St. Peter, Quincy. WILTSHIRE, Geo., St. Joseph, Spring- field. WINGERT, Robert, St. Patrick, Alton. WINKELMANN, Edward, St. Boniface, Quincy. WINKELMEYER, T., St. Joseph, Granite City. WINKING, Frank, St. John, Quincy. WINKING, Lawrence, St. John, Quincy. WINKING, Paul E., St. John, Quincy. WINKLMEIER, John, St. Joseph, Gran- ite City. WINTER, Fred, St. Francis, Quincy. WINTER, Geo. J., St. Francis, Quincy. WINTER, Laurence J., St. Mary, Quincy. WINTER, J. C, SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield. WINTERS, Joseph, St. Patrick, Alton. WISKIECHER, Edw., St. Mary, Quincy. WISKIRCHEN, Rome W., St. Boniface, Quincy. WISKIRCHER, Walter, St. Mary, Quincy. WITNEY, Mike, Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. WITTICK, Norman P., St. Mary, Paris. 828 THE DIOCESAN ROLL OF HONOR WOCK, Edward, St. Mary, Westwoods. WOCK, Louis, St. Mary, Jerseyville. WOERMAN, Frank, St. Mary, Green Creek. WOJCIECHOWSKY, Frank, St. Michael, Staunton. WOLF, Aloys., St. Mary, Alton. WOLF, John, Sacred Heart, New Berlin. WOLF, Mathias, Sacred Heart, Spring- field. WOLFE, Earl E., Our Saviour, Jackson- ville. WOLFE, Leo, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. WOLFE, Matt. E., St. Patrick, Decatur. WOLIER, Arthur, St. Mary, Edwards- ville. WOLTERING, Albert, St. Francis, Quincy. WOLTERING, Edward, St. Francis, Quincy. WOLTERING, Frank J., St. Francis, Quincy. WOLTERING, Joseph F., St. Paul, High- land. WOODS, Roy, St. Isidore, Farmersville. WOOLEY, Alphonse L., St. Anthony, Ef- fingham. WORLAND, Frank D., St. Thomas, New- ton. WORLAND, George W., Assumption, Ste. Marie. WORLAND, Henry, Assumption, S t . Marie. WORLAND, Wm. H., St. Thomas, New- ton. WORMANN, Jos. H., St. Aloysius, Bishop Creek. WOULFE, Harold J., Our Saviour, Jack- sonville. WRAY, Bill, Sacred Heart, Livingston. WRAY, Edward, Sacred Heart, Livings- ton. WRAY, Fred, Sacred Heart, Livingston. WRIGHT, Geoffrey, Sacred Heart, Frank- lin. WRIGHT, Jas., Immaculate Conception, Mattoon. WTJELLNER, Andrew, St. Mary, Alton. WUELLNER, Chris, St. Mary, Alton. WUELLNER, Jos., St. Marys, Alton. WUELLNER, Henry, St. Marys, Alton. WURZ, Rudy, St. John, Quincy. - WYSS, Emmett, SS. Peter and Paul, Alton. WYSS, Roy S., St. Mary, Alton. YAKIMAVICH, Chas., St. Catherine, Vir- den. YARD, Wm., St. Michael, South Fork. YENCHO, Andy, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. YINDER, Vaillo, Assumption, St. Marie. YOUNG, Aldace, St. Mary, Taylorville. YOUNG, Aloysius J., St Patrick, Spring- field. YOUNG, Garred, St. Mary, Pawnee. YOUNG, Geo. H., St. Patrick, Springfield. YOUNG, George T., St. James, Riverton. YOUNG, James L., St. James, Riverton. YOUNG, Jos. A., St. Mary, Taylorville. YOUNG, Joseph L., St. Mark, Venice. YOUNG, Lester, St. Mary, Taylorville. YOUNG, Peter, St. Barbara, Springfield. YOUNG, P. J., St. Mary, Pawnee. YOUNG, Robert, St. Benedict, Auburn. YUNKER, Lawrence, St. Raymond, Ray- mond. YUNKER, Ollie, St. Raymond, Raymond. YURCHAK, Lacy, Sacred Heart, Virden. YURGIN, Peter, Sacred Heart, Divernon. ZACHA, Albert, St. Clara, Altamont. ZACHA, Ed, St. Anthony, Effingham. ZACHA, Geo., St. Anthony, Effingham. ZAECHA, Chas., St. Clara, Altamont. ZAHN, B., St. Joseph, Granite City. ZAHN, J., St. Joseph, Granite City. ZANACANER, Angelo, St. Agnes, Hills- boro. ZANARDI, Anthony, St. Louis, Nokomis. ZAR, Andrew, Ascension, Mt. Olive. ZAR, Michael, Ascension, Mt. Olive. ZARASKY, Alex J., St. Patrick, Pana. ZATYKO, Michael, Sacred Heart, Di- vernon. ZATYKO, Paul, Sacred Heart, Divernon. ZEDUARCI, Andrew, Sacred Heart, Vir- den. ZEHNLE, Edw., St. John, Quincy. ZELINKO, John, St. Agnes, Hillsboro. ZELLER, Geo. A., St. Patrick, Decatur. ZENGEL, Fred J., St. Boniface, Quincy. ZEPEK, John, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. ZEPEK, Winfred, Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive. ZERASKY, Alexander, St. Patrick, Pana. ZERRUSEN, Fred, St. Francis, Teu- topolis. ZIENCAVECK, Jos., St. Mary, Taylor- ville. ZILLION, James, St. Fidelis, Arenzville. ZIMMERMANN, Walter F., St. Paul, Highland. ZIMMERMANN, Wm., St. Paul, Highland. ZIPPRICH, Joseph, St. Anselm, Kamps- ville. ZITT, A. H., St. Joseph, Granite City. 829 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ZOLKOVSKI, Edw., St. Vincent de Paul, ZVINGILIS, Jos., St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield. Springfield. ZORZIE, John, Sacred Heart, Livingston. ZVINGILIS, Pius, St. Vincent de Paul, ZUBER, Frank A., Assumption, Ste. Springfield. Marie. ZWICK, Louis, St. Boniface, Quincy. ZUKAS, Adam, SS. Peter and Paul, Col- ZYGMUNT, Martinus, O. L. Czestochowa, linsville. Madison. 830 DlSTINGl [SHED STATESMEN / nihil stnhs Senators, Elias Kent Kant and Stephen l Douglas; Governoi William II. Bissell, and Major General and ' nited stubs Senator hum tlmi staU s, James Shields. CHAPTER XIV The Laity It must be understood at the outset that a chapter dealing with the laity can be nothing more than a general outline. Our distinguished American, Abraham Lincoln, is credited with declaring that God must have loved the common people since he made so many of them. Events of public interest and those who took part therein are the subjects of narration and chiefly of history. The multitudes plod on in their various ways and their deeds, accomplishments and aspirations are known only to those intimately associated with them and to their God, and while it may be admitted that the sum total of their worthy achievements far exceed in value the accom- plishments of individuals who come into the limelight, yet it is plain that no records can cover all the members of society, even in a limited locality. Within the territory which was included in what became known as the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, (some of which has been excluded and organized as the Diocese of Belleville) civilization began and therein developed a laity deserving of memorialization for the perpetuation of their lives and deeds. As is well known, Frenchmen discovered, explored and settled Illinois. The French missionaries planted Christianity in what is now the State of Illinois, and for more than a century French priests spread the Gospel here. The French laid the foundations of our prosperity and transformed the wilderness into a civilized habitation. The Frenchmen in Illinois brought success to the Virginia conquest and gave the United States a vast empire. A French priest led in the most important movement that ever occurred west of the Allegheny mountains, and the French people gave the world the first and best example of civilizing the Savages. As to the pioneer laymen, only general mention can be made, but more than that is due the great leaders of this worthy people. As is well known the first visitors to the Illinois country were Father Jacque Marquette, S.J., and Louis Jolliet, and five French companions who paddled down the Mississippi and up the Illinois River in 1673. Father Marquette's career has been heretofore noted. Little has been said of Jolliet, the first and among the greatest of the laymen to visit the Illinois country. Everything published to the present time is compli- mentary and even eulogistic of Louis Jolliet. He was a devout Catholic and studied for the priesthood, deciding to change his life occupation after he had taken minor orders. He was a very successful explorer and strong advocate of fair treatment with the Indians, including prevention of abuses in the distri- bution of liquor amongst them. He lived an exemplary life and became the ancestor of a worthy and distinguished progeny. After Marquette and Jolliet came LaSalle and Tonti, two men of the great- 831 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS est distinction. LaSalle has been so favorably treated that extended mention of him is unnecessary. Henri de Tonti has not, however, received attention at all commensurate with his deserts. If LaSalle was the planner, Tonti was the doer, becoming governor of the Illinois country in 1680 (subsidiary, of course, to LaSalle). He governed the Illinois country for twenty-one years. During that time he gathered together every Indian tribe in the Western country save the Sioux and Fox, established them in what is now LaSalle and adjoining counties, in the first and only successful White and Indian federation ever organized. In addition, he, with his White and Indian forces, swept over the country to De- troit, to Niagara Falls and even to the Gulf of Mexico with an alacrity that makes one think of the manner in which aviators hop from one end of the world to the other. In the federation were included more than forty thousand Whites and savages of numerous tribes and families. Finally, after serving humanity during an active life of more than fifty years, he suffered a martyr's death, being called by his Government to the swamps of the South in the colonies established in and near New Orleans. He labored for months among the vic- tims of yellow fever and finally became a victim of the scourge and yielded his life. No man knows his tomb. These were the pioneer governors or commandants, as they were called. Their successors constitute a noble dynasty. The French Governors In all parts of New France, the French government had at one time or an- other adopted the policy of granting to companies or individuals rights in lands under which the grantees were entitled to the proceeds of the lands either through trade conducted therein or the products of mines or of the soil. By the year 1712, conditions were such in the settlement of the lower Mississippi that a grant of this character seemed advisable, and accordingly by a commission dated September 25, 1712, Anthony Crozat was given the exclusive right to trade in and exploit the Louisiana country for fifteen years. The grant covered the central portions of what is now Illinois, and provided that the country should be under the government of Louisiana, subordinate to the general government of New France. Permission was given to mine and hunt for precious stones, and the right granted the proprietor to own all factories which he might erect and all lands which he might cause to be cultivated. The customs of Paris were to be the law in the province. The grantee was given the privilege to employ blacks for the culture of his plantations and the right to send a ship every year to trade for them on the coast of Guinea, and to sell them to the inhabitants of the Louisiana colony. While this grant transferred the Illinois country to Crozat, it is not definitely known that he ever exercised any control whatever in the territory now known as Illinois. He spent much time and money hunting for precious metals and his agents are said to have found copper and lead in the neighborhood where Galena is now situated, and undoubtedly tapped the lead fields of Missouri and Arkansas. No change was made with respect to gov- ernment or control in the Illinois country, however, and the missionaries still continued as both the temporal and spiritual leaders. Crozat, failing to find 832 THE LAITY gold, silver, and precious stones, as lie had expected, repented of his bargain and surrendered his grant to the Crown in 1717. Although Crozat was disappointed in the results of his venture at coloniza- tion, others were found willing to make a similar venture, and accordingly on August 17, 1717, an association was formed at Paris which was chartered on the 6th of September following, called La Compagnie d 'Occident (Company of the West) under the leadership of John Law, a Scotch banker, which obtained a charter running twenty-five years empowering it to exploit the Louisiana coun- try. This company had even more extensive privileges than were granted Crozat and began a colonization project on a large scale. Large financial transactions are very familiar in Illinois nowadays, but scarcely one of them is more pretentious than that inaugurated by the Company of the Occident through its leading spirit, John Law, the Scotch banker, who established himself in Paris and gained an intimacy with the Duke of Orleans who became Regent during the infancy and youth of King Louis XV. By an ingenious scheme. Law and his company issued sums of government paper based upon stocks of the Company of the Occident issued against lands in the Mississippi Valley of which such lands were made the basis of security. The stocks were sold and with some of the money so received the improvement of the lands of the Mississippi Valley were undertaken and great quantities thereof sold or leased. Such entrancing descriptions of the Mississippi Valley country were published broadcast in France that it was thought by some to be a land of precious stones. Millions upon millions of the currency of the country were ex- changed in transactions relating to Mississippi Valley lands and large numbers of Europeans were attracted by the glowing descriptions, and set sail for America. While the principal activities resulting from the great project, which after it failed became known as the "Mississippi Bubble," were confined to the lower Mississippi, yet the scheme had an important indirect effect in the Illinois country, and however unfortunate the transactions of the company proved to many individuals, it is undoubtedly true that it had a beneficial effect in Illinois and the interior of the territory now known as the United States. It brought many new and vigorous people and aided in the development not only of the mining for which it was originally intended but in agriculture as well. The great quantities of money and securities that were based upon the lands and the immediate profits they were expected to yield began, when returns were de- layed to depreciate, and finally the whole system toppled. Law was discredited and driven out of France and the Company of the Occident had to try to work out its plans with the burden of the losses the scheme had entailed and the evil reputation which attached to it. Promptly after organization, the Company of the Occident even before the Law scheme was put in working order, made provision for the government of the territory included within its grant. Sieur Demoyne de Bienville was made Governor of Louisiana, and Pierre Dugue de Boisbriant was made Commandante in the Illinois country. The Louisiana colony, which extended as far north as the Illinois River, and tentatively at least embraced all the territory east and west between the Alleghenies and the Rocky Mountains, was in 1712 divided into 833 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS nine districts, the ninth district including the Illinois territory to the northern boundary of the colony, namely the Illinois River. In October, 1718, accom- panied by several officers and a detachment of troops, De Boisebriant left Louisiana and arrived at Kaskaskia late in that year. A site was selected for a fort, sixteen miles above the Kaskaskia village on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. There was built a barracks, a commandant's house, a store house, and a large hall, and guns for the protection of the fort were placed in position. The fort was finished in the Spring of 1720, and named Fort Chartres. Thus was inaugurated French military authority on the soil of Illinois. Under the influence of the glowing descriptions disseminated by the Com- pany of the Occident, Fort Chartres became a magnet for adventurous spirits from the Old World. Not artisans, mechanics, miners, agriculturists and com- mon work people alone were attracted to the new seat of French authority, but people of importance, representatives of the nobility even, came to seek adven- ture, or to add to their worldly possessions, and we are assured that this little stronghold, hundreds of miles from civilization in any direction, became quite a center of fashion. Silks and satins and magnificent jewels became a frequent, if not familiar sight in the territory nearby. Cavalcades of richly dressed men and ladies, riding just as richly caparisoned steeds, wended their way from the little fort to the Jesuit Church at Kaskaskia on Sunday morning and gratified the older French inhabitants with a taste or a touch of the beauty and ornamenta- tion of Paris, the memory of which had lain long dormant. There is an odor of romance about old Fort Chartres and it is reasonable to believe that some of the worthy sons and daughters of Illinois will some day do honor to themselves and their state by fittingly portraying in the romantic hues of which it is capable, the long and interesting story of old Fort Chartres. Almost immediately upon the establishment of Fort Chartres, a little village sprang up nearby called Nouvelle Chartres, and a mission was established and named St. Anne de Fort Chartres. Father Jean Antoine le Boullenger, S.J., became the first pastor, and was assisted by Father Joseph de Kereben, S.J. Just prior to the establishment of St. Anne's, the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the territory was changed from Canada to Louisiana and Father Nicholas Ignatius de Beaubois, S.J., became the superior, and also pastor of the Immaculate Con- ception at Kaskaskia. The church at Fort Chartres was a very important one for many years. It was there, of course, that the officers and soldiers attended Mass and a very interesting document was executed by the French government defining the etiquette of attendance at Mass, detailing the order of occupancy of the pews and of processions. Phillippe Renault was made Director General of mines and mining by the Company of the Occident, and brought a large number of workmen into the territory. On the 14th of June, 1723, the Commandante, Boisbriant, and the other officers of the government council, granted to Renault lands one league square in the southwest part of what is now the county of Monroe, and a large tract of more than 14,000 acres near Peoria. On the first grant, Renault established a village which he named St. Phillip, which was but five miles from 834 THE LAITY Fort Chartres. A chapel was erected which was attended from St. Anne's at Nouvelle Chartres. Thus new settlements were added, the center and nucleus of which was always the chapel or the church. During this period many of the Indians had arrived at a high state of civ- ilization. The chiefs at this time especially were men of much merit. Amongst them was the great Chicagou, the head of the Mitchigmea. Almost equal to him was Mamantoyensa, chief of the Kaskaskias. They and all their people were de- vout Catholics and Chicagou especially became noted through a visit which he made to Paris with the Superior of the Jesuits, Father Nicholas Ignatius de Beaubois. In the year 1725, the Jesuit missions in the Mississippi Valley were at the height of their activity and new workers were required for the fast expanding field. Accordingly Father de Beaubois, the Superior of the Jesuits of the Illi- nois country, by the direction of his Order went to Europe to procure additional missionaries, and also with the important commission of bringing a community of nuns for work in the Louisiana colony. Chief Chicagou and several other In- dian converts accompanied Father de Beau Bois and to say it mildly, created a sensation in Paris. They were feted and honored and the King and his courtiers, as well as Countesses and Duchesses, showered gifts upon them, and when they returned to their native tribes, they ever after sang the praises of the great French lords and ladies they had met. The mission of Father de Beaubois was successful from every standpoint. He brought with him several young Jesuits who entered the missionary field, and also the first community of nuns, (six Ursulines) established in the United States. Up to this time the French and Indians of all tribes had lived in peace. No direct conflict had ever occurred between them in what is now known as the territory of Illinois. There was, however, two tribes that frequented Illi- nois, the Sacs and the Foxes, that failed to respond to the teachings of the mis- sionaries and to meet the friendly advances of the French in a similar spirit. As will be seen, the Chachasaws in the South were similarly unresponsive but with these exceptions, the relations between the French and the Indians in New France were always cordial. Not long after the establishment of Fort Chartres, the appeal came to the Commandant, Boisbriant, from the Indians and the few Frenchmen that remained at old Fort St. Louis on the Rock (now Starved Rock) and at Peoria for protection against the Fox tribe who were displaying a hostile attitude and committing depredations. In response to the appeal Boisbriant sent a force to their relief which arrived only at the close of a conflict in which the Fox forces had been defeated, but the Illinois suffered so greatly that they returned with Boisbriant 's men to take up their abode in the neighborhood of Fort Chartres, leaving the entire upper river unprotected. As will be remembered, Spain conquered Mexico and the Spaniards settled not only that territory but established settlements farther north, the most per- manent of which was Santa Fe. After the French came to New Orleans, attempts were made to establish trade between the Mexicans and Indians and the French, during which the French came into more or less conflict with the Spaniards. In those days too, conquest was the rule of nations and both for the 835 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS reason that the Spaniards wished to put a stop to French invasion of their com- merce and to gain new possessions the Spaniards in 1720 formed a design of in- vading the territory farther east. With that purpose they set out with the in- tention of destroying the Missouri tribe of Indians who had friendly relations with the Illinois, and whom the Spaniards considered it necessary to exterminate in order to secure their more complete conquest of the country. But being ill informed with reference to the various tribes, they mistook Missouri for the Osage, whom they intended to appeal to for an alliance. The Missouri, taking advantage of their ignorance, entertained them and begged them to remain over night, when during the night they fell upon the Spaniards and killed all except the chaplain, a Jacobin priest. After this tragedy, the Missouri Indians in pro- cession came to advise Boisbriant of the narrow escape they and the French in Illinois had from the Spanish assault. A description of this Missouri tribe as they marched up to Fort Chartres has been given by an early traveler. "They were dressed in these ornaments : the chief had on the naked skin, the chasuble, with the paten suspended from his neck, having driven a nail through it, and making use of it as a breast plate he marched gravely at the head of all the others, being crowned with feathers and a pair of horns. Those that followed him had more chasubles on, after them came one who carried the stole, followed by those who had the scarfs about their necks ; after them came three or four young Indians, some with albs and others with surplices on. The Acolytes, con- trary to order, were at the end of the procession, not being adorned enough, and held in their hands a cross or chandelier, whilst they danced in cadence. These people, not knowing the respect due to the sacred utensils, hung the chalice to a horse's neck, as if it had been a bell. "Represent to yourself the ridiculous sight which the singular order of this procession must offer to the eye, as they arrived before the house of M. de Boisbriant, the King's lieutenant, marching in cadence, and with the great calumet of peace displayed according to custom." It was during the administration of Boisbriant that the Commons, an in- stitution of French village life whether in France or America, was established. The French people appreciated the value of neighborly association, and instead of seeking out secluded or distant places of residence, constructed all their dwellings in a group, so that a French settlement was in reality a town. Not much attention was paid to streets or roadways, but the cabins or cottages were constructed in convenient places with spacious grounds for flowers, vegetables and shrubbery, and near the other dwellings. Many of them were tillers of the soil and practically all owned a few domestic animals, a cow or two, and some horses or ponies. To provide for the pasturage of their live stock and for their agricultural operations, two large tracts of land were set apart at each settle- ment and these were held in common by the villagers. In the tract reserved for pasturage, and usually such tract contained timber, every villager was entitled to turn his domestic animals loose, and to cut down trees for his fire wood, fences and buildings. In the other tract, specific quantities were assigned to each vil- lager, usually of long strips running backward from his house or dwelling to 836 THE LAITY the river, to the mountains or some designated spot. On these, farming opera- tions were conducted, and for a long time these tracts were protected from the intrusion of animals running at large by guards. In time a common fence was erected around the entire tract. Feeling that some protection of their rights in these commons was necessary, the villagers petitioned Boisbriant for a formal grant, and were gratified by his approval of their petition. In like manner, grants were made in all the other settlements with the exception that the com- mons at Cahokia were granted directly to the missionary Fathers of the Seminary of Foreign Missions. These grants were confirmed by the Superior Council of Louisiana more than twenty-five years later, and have been protected by all the treaties and laws concerning the territory ever since, and even today, the com- mons of Kaskaskia, embracing an area of 6,500 acres, are held as the joint property of the township of Randolph in Randolph County, and their proceeds are devoted to the educational fund of the township. After careful study, this writer's opinion as a lawyer is that these commons, originally ceded to the Cath- olic parishes (all parish property belongs to the church) belong to the Catholic Church (the title in the Bishop of the Diocese in trust). In 1725 Boisbriant, Commandant of happy memory, was called to Louisiana to govern the entire colony ; LeMoyne de Bienville, the governor, having been called home to France ; whereupon Claude Charles du Tisne became Com- mandant at Fort Chartres. Du Tisne remains to the present time, a rather mysterious figure in history. Scarcely a line can be found concerning his activi- ties as Commandant of the Illinois, but that he was a brave and good man seems proven by the fact that he was one of the party of the subsequent Com- mandant, Pierre d'Artaguette, that fell into the hands of the Chickasaw and were roasted alive at the stake while they knelt in prayer. The next commandant at Fort Chartres was surnamed Desliettes. Due to the fact that perhaps not many persons of the same name were to be found in the country in these early days, the first name of this commandant has not been recorded. It is well known of him, however, that he was an able and vigorous commander. He was a captain of the army before his appointment, and un- doubtedly knew how to fight the hostile Indians. After the abandonment of Fort St. Louis, and Peoria, the settlements farther down the Mississippi were left exposed to the depredations of the Sac and Fox tribes, who pushed their allies to the neighborhood of Cahokia, and near Kaskaskia. To quell these dis- turbers, Desliettes suggested to DeLeigneire, the French Commandant at Green Bay, that they join forces and punish them properly. The Commandant at Green Bay advised delay but the French authorities in Canada took Desliettes' view of the situation, and the Marquis de Beauharnois, then Commandant in Canada, invited Desliettes to join the Canadian forces at Green Bay and make war upon the Fox. A battle ensued in which the Illinois Indians, headed by the French, were victorious, but hostilities continued until Desliettes' successor, Louis St. Ange de Belle Rive, by a strategic move, waylaid and destroyed so many of the enemy that peace reigned. In 1730 Louis St. Agne de Belle Rive succeeded Desliettes as Commandant at Fort Chartres. Amongst all the able and honored Frenchmen who came to 837 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS the Illinois country, none was more worthy and deserving than Louis St. Ange de Belle Rive. He was one of a most worthy French family, three members of which became prominent and deservedly honored in New Prance. As has al- ready been seen, he reduced the Fox Indians to submission, and otherwise pro- moted the welfare of the French settlements in Illinois. The Company of the West, finding itself almost as grievously disappointed as did Crozat, determined to surrender its charter, and accordingly in 1831, it renounced all rights secured under its grant and the territory reverted to the French government. Attached to Louisiana The next few years after the surrender of their charter by the Company of the West covered a time of confusion in the Illinois country of which we have very little information. No change was made in the officiary at Fort Chartres. Until 1734 Commandant Louis de St. Ange de Belle Rive continued as Governor. In the year 1734, however, LeMoyne de Bienville who it will be remembered was recalled to France in 1725, was reappointed Governor of Louisiana as an officer of the French Crown. He had before served as an ap- pointee of the Company of the West. At the same time the first hero command- ant was named for the Illinois. This new appointee was Pierre d ' Artaguette, a young military officer who had greatly distinguished himself in the war with the Natchez Indians. He was a younger brother of Diron d 'Artaguette who was also a very prominent figure in the early history of Louisiana. As will be seen he became a martyr to the cause of civilization. At the time that the Illinois country reverted to the Crown of France, the northern portion of the province of Louisiana was in a flourishing condition. The villages along the Mississippi were developing very satisfactorily and about the same time, the military post on the Wabash, which afterwards became known as Vincennes, began to develop. In charge of that post was a young officer named Francis Morgan, and otherwise known as De Vincennes. By reason of his popularity and also of his martyrdom, the post at which he commanded took the name of Vincennes, and the later town and city which succeeded it just across the state line in Indiana has ever since been known by that name. The post at Vincennes was considered an honored neighbor of Kaskaskia and com- munication was general and frequent between the inhabitants of the two places. This De Vincennes is thought to have been of Irish extraction and said to have been a brother-in-law of Louis Jolliet, the discoverer who accompanied Mar- quette on his first voyage. The church records of the Immaculate Conception at Kaskaskia prove that he was at Vincennes as a witness in a very prominent marriage ceremony, and the subsequent association between himself and Com- mandant d Artaguette would indicate a close friendship. Peace and prosperity ruled in the Illinois country until 1735. On the lower Mississippi, however, the Chickasaw Indians incited by the English from the Atlantic coast settlements, continued to commit depredations upon the French. So annoying were these disturbances that the French Governor, De Bienville, resolved to crush the power of the Indians and called D 'Artaguette at Fort 838 THE LAITY Chartres and Vincennes at his post on the Wabash to co-operate with him in an expedition for that purpose. On the upper Mississippi war parties were raised consisting of a company of volunteers, Frenchmen from the French vil- lages, and almost the whole of the Kaskaskia tribe of Indians besides a throng of Indian warriors of other tribes who flocked to D 'Artaguette 's standard from as far away as Detroit. Chicagou, perhaps the most distinguished Indian chief that had arisen in America up to his time, lead the Illinois and the Miami In- dians. At the mouth of the Ohio, D 'Artaguette and his forces were met by Vincennes with his garrison and a number of Indians, including even a party of Iroquois braves who joined the forces. Batteaux were built and launched upon the Mississippi and upon these float- ing rafts and in the canoes the allied forces from the Illinois country reached the appointed rendezvous, at the last Chickasaw bluff near the source.-; of the Yala- busha River, where Governor Bienville was to join them on the tenth of May. Unfortunately, due to a surprise and repulse, Bienville failed to appear at the appointed time and D 'Artaguette and his associates remained in camp in sight of the enemy from the 9th to the 20th of May, all the time exerting his utmost influence to restrain his savage allies. No longer able to hold his savage allies in check, D 'Artaguette consented to attack the Chickasaw, lead by their English officers ; and with a spirit which was invincible, took two of the strongest Indian fortifications by storm. The third and last was being similarly reduced when D 'Artaguette, the brave leader, was disabled by a wound. The savages noting the loss of their commander took flight and fled, leaving the wounded and the French soldiers in peril of their lives. A youth of sixteen, Voison by name, assumed command and conducted such an able retreat that the French soldiers, being chased by the Chickasaws for twenty-five leagues, escaped the enemy and marching forty -five leagues without food, regained the Mississippi and returned to the Illinois country. The story of the torture and burning of d 'Artaguette and his companions is one of the most tragic connected with the history of the interior of our coun- try, and is perhaps as well told by Monnette in his Settlement of the Mississippi Valley as by any other writer. After telling of the flight of the Indians and the retreat under young Voison, Monnette says : "But the unhappy D 'Artaguette was left weltering in his blood, and around him lay others of his bravest troops. The Jesuit, Senat, might have fled, but he remained to receive the last sighs of the wounded, regardless of danger, and mindful only of duty. Vincennes, too, the Canadian, refused to fly and shared the captivity of his gallant leader. "D 'Artaguette and his valiant companions who fell into the hands of the Chickasas, were treated with great kindness and attention, their wounds dressed by the Indians, who watched over them with fraternal tenderness, and they were received into the cabins of the victors in hopes of a great ransom from Bienville, who was known to be advancing by way of the Tombigby with a powerful army. But the same day brought the intelligence of the advance and discomfiture of the commander-in-chief. His retreat and final departure soon followed, and the Chickasas, elated with their success, and despairing of the expected ransom, resolved to sacrifice the victims to savage triumph and re- venge. The prisoners were taken to a neighboring field, and while one was left 839 DIOCESE O* SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS to relate their fate to their countrymen, the young and intrepid d'Artiquette, and the heroic Vineennes, whose name is borne by the oldest town in Indiana and will be perpetuated as long as the Wabash shall flow by the dwellings of civilized men, and the faithful Senat, true to his mission, were, with their com- panions, each tied to a stake. Here they were tortured before slow and inter- mitting fires, until death mercifully released them from their protracted torments." The torture and burning of these men, and especially of the Jesuit mis- sionary, Father Senat, is one of the most striking incidents in the history of our country. During the missionary period more than one hundred Jesuits, Fran- ciscan, Dominican and Sulpician Fathers came to violent deaths at the hands of the savages frequently aided by the English. Some of these tortures and deaths were more brutal even than that of Father Senat, but it is perhaps true that in no case was the spirit of martyrdom more strongly displayed than in Father Senat 's case. This good missionary is said to have located for a time at the village of the Peoria Indians near what is now the city of Peoria. At the time that De Artaquette and Vineennes were called to the Chickasaw War by the Governor of Louisiana, Father Senat was located at Vineennes and went with the garrison under Vineennes as chaplain. When d'Artaguette was wounded Father Senat was under no restraint whatever and might have escaped with the others. Indeed he was provided by the savage enemy with means of escape and a horse was offered him for that purpose. But as one of his con- temporaries, Father Mathurin le Petit expressed it, "He preferred to brave the fury of the savages rather than leave without spiritual aid the souls of the cap- tives so dear to his zeal." And his last ministrations have been described for us by the same Father, "All piously kneeling together with their missionary chanted long and loud prayers. . . . Nor did they interrupt their singing amid the fire until they fell, half burned or suffocated by the flames. ' ' In 1711, Pontchartrain, the commander of Louisiana, sent Juchereau St. Denis to establish a fort near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, and Father Marest was requested to assist by sending missionaries and other- wise. He responded by sending Father James Mermet, S.J. The post estab- lished was called Fort Ascension but was maintained only for a few years. The site of this post has always maintained an interest. A new fort was established there by Charles Aubrey by direction of the French commander Chevalier McCarty in 1757. This post was again abandoned in 1764 and remained un- occupied until 1794 when for a few years there was stationed there in a newly built fort a small garrison of United States troops under Major Doyle. George Rogers Clark, of whom we shall read more later, is said to have raised the flag he carried at the time of his conquest in 1778 at the site of this old fort. If so, this was the first time and place when and where a flag representing the American cause was raised on the soil of Illinois. The site of this old fort is now the property of the state of Illinois, and in the changes which have come with the years, it became and is still known as Fort Massac. On the death of D'Artaguette, Alphonse de la Buissoniere succeeded to the command in the Illinois country, and in the very same year, at the direction of the Governor of Louisiana, lead an expedition against the Chickas and Chockta, 840 THE LAITY composed of Frenchmen and native soldiers from Quebec and Montreal, with recruits from all the tribes along their route, and altogether, they joined a force under Bienville, reinforced from Paris. The rendezvous this time was near the site of the present city of Memphis. Here both sides lay in camp for months, and at length a peace was arrived at and the forces dispersed to their respective homes. The remainder of the reign of Buissoniere was peaceful. Buissoniere was succeeded in 1740 by Captain Benoist de St. Claire, another quite romantic figure. He was Irish and a son of one of the members of the famous Irish Brigade that served so valiantly in the French wars. St. Claire was succeeded in 1742 by Chevalier de Bertel, who commanded until 1748. Several documents have been found relating to de Bertel who was both a skillful and public spirited commander. During his tenure, the English began to push their explorations into French territory and a party of men of that nationality were found on the Mississippi River, arrested as spies, and confined in the dungeon at Fort Chartres. An attack was feared. The old wooden, fort was in bad repair, poorly supplied, and the garrison almost depleted. Some of the old time Indian allies had been won over by the British and had agreed to destroy the French post, but were thwarted by the skill of deBertel. The Com- mandant was very anxious, however, and wrote repeatedly requesting that the Fort be reinforced or abandoned. The peace of Aix la Chapelle, which ended temporarily the wars between the French and English, quieted his fears to some extent, and feeling that he had served his country well, he transferred the command back to Captain St. Claire. Upon reassuming the duties of Commandant, Captain St. Claire married a daughter of Kaskaskia with much ceremony and the nuptial record found in the register of the old church and still preserved, is very interesting. In the year 1750, marking the middle of the eighteenth century, and about seventy-five years after the exploration of Illinois by Father Marquette, Father Louis Vivier, S.J., was ministering at Kaskaskia and wrote in that year some letters from which we learn definitely what was the condition of the country at that time. These letters have been reproduced in English and may be found in Thwaites' Jesuit Relations, Vol 69. In his letters, Father Vivier says: "Wild cattle, deer, elk, bears, and wild turkeys abound everywhere in all seasons, except near the inhabited portions. It is usually necessary to go one or two leagues to find deer, and seven or eight to find oxen. "During a portion of the autumn, throughout the winter and during a por- tion of the spring, the country is overrun with swans, bustards, geese, ducks of three kinds, wild pigeons and teal. There are also certain birds as large as hens which are called pheasants in this country, but which I would rather name 'grouse.' "The plants, trees and vegetables that have been brought from France or from Canada grow fairly well. As a rule the country can produce all things needed to support life and even to make it agreeable. Wheat as a rule yields in all from five to eight fold, but the lands are tilled in a very careless manner, and have never been fertilized during the thirty years they have been cultivated. 841 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Maize, which in France is called Turkish corn, grows marvelously. It yields more than one thousand fold. It is the food of domestic cattle, of the slaves, and of most of the natives of the country. The country produces three times as much food as can be consumed in it. "The horned cattle have multiplied exceedingly. Most of them cost nothing, either for care or for food. The working animals graze on a vast common around the village. Others in large numbers which are intended for breeding are shut up throughout the year on a peninsula over ten leagues in extent formed by the Mississippi and the rivers of the Tamaroah. These animals, which are seldom approached, have become almost wild. An artifice must be em- ployed in order to catch them. If a habitant needs a pair of oxen, he goes to the peninsula. When he sees a bull large enough to be trained, he throws a handful of salt to him, and stretches out a long rope with a noose at the end, then he lies down. The animal which is eager for the salt, draws near. As soon as his foot is in the noose, the man of watch pulls the rope and the bull is cap- tured. The same is done for horses, calves, and colts. This is all that it costs to get a pair of oxen or horses. Moreover, these animals are not subject to any diseases. They live a long time and as a rule die only of old age. "There are three classes of inhabitants," says Father Vivier, "French, negroes and savages. There are five French villages, and three villages of sav- ages within a distance of twenty-one leagues between the Mississippi and another river called the Kaskaskia. In the five French villages there may be 1100 white people, 300 black, and about 60 red slaves, otherwise savages. The three Illinois villages do not contain more than 800 savages of all ages. "Let us consider the savages in particular," says Father Vivier. "Nothing but erroneous ideas are conceived of them in Europe. They are hardly believed to be men. This is a gross error. The savages, especially in the Illinois, are of a very gentle nature. They have wit and seem to have more than our peasants, — as much at least as most Frenchmen. This is due to the freedom in which they are reared. Respect never makes them timid. As there is neither rank nor dignity among them, all men seem equal. An Illinois would speak to the King of France as to the lowest of subjects. Most of them are capable of sustaining a conversation with any person provided no question be treated of that which is beyond their sphere of knowledge. They submit to raillery very well. They know not what it is to dispute or get angry while conversing. They never interrupt you in conversation. I found in them many qualities that are lacking in civilized peoples. "They are distributed in cabins, a cabin is a sort of room in common in which there are generally from fifteen to twenty persons. They all live in great peace, which is due, in a great measure, to the fact that each one is allowed to do what he pleases. "From the beginning of October to the middle of March, they hunt at a distance of forty or fifty leagues from their village, and in the middle of March, they return to their village. Then the women sow the maize: as to the men, with the exception of a little hunt now and then, they lead a thoroughly idle life. They chat, smoke, and that is all. 842 THE LAITY "If these missions have no greater success," says Father Vivier, "it is not through the fault of those who have preceded us for their memory is still held in veneration among French and Illinois. It is perhaps due to the bad example of the French who are continually mingled with these people, to the brandy that is sold to them, and above all, to their disposition, which is certainly opposed to restraint, and consequently to any religion. "When the first missionaries came among the Illinois," says Father Vivier, ' ' we see by the writings which they have left us, that they counted 5,000 persons of all ages in that nation. Today we count but 2,000. "The majority of the French settled in this country," says Father Vivier, "devote themselves to the cultivation of the soil. They sow quantities of wheat; they rear cattle brought from France, also pigs and horses in great numbers. This with hunting enables them to live very comfortably. There is no fear of famine in this country; there is always three times as much food as can be consumed. The climate, which is very different from that of New Orleans, is almost similar to that of France. The great heats make themselves felt a little earlier and more intensely, but they are neither so constant nor so lasting. The severe cold comes later. In winter, when the wind blows, ice forms on the Mississippi sufficiently thick to bear the heaviest carts, but such cold weather does not last long. The winter here is an alternation of severe cold and quite mild weather, according as the winds blow from the north or from the south, and they succeed each other with fair regularity. This alternation is very injurious to the fruit trees. The weather may be very mild, a little warm even as early as mid-Feb- ruary, the sap ascends in the trees which become covered with blossoms; then a wind from the north springs up and destroys the brightest hopes. "There are several salt springs in this country and in many posts which are dependencies of Canada. There are mines without number but as no one is in a position to incur the expense necessary for opening and working them, they re- main in their original condition. Certain individuals content themselves with obtaining lead from some of these, because it lies almost at the surface of the ground. They supply this country, all the savage nations of the Missouri and Mississippi, and several posts in Canada. ' ' Father Vivier sums up his description of the country as follows : ' ' For the rest, this country is of far greater importance than is imagined. Through its position alone, it deserves that France should spare nothing to retain it. It is true that it has not yet enriched the King's coffers, and that convoys to and fro are costly, but it is none the less true that the tranquility of Canada and the safety of the entire lower part of the Colony depend upon it. Assuredly, with- out this post there can be no communication by land between Louisiana and Canada. There is another consideration : several regions of the same Canada and all those on the lower part of the river would be deprived of the provisions they obtain from the Illinois, which are often a great resource to them. By found- ing a solid establishment here, prepared to meet all these troubles, the King would secure the possession of the most extensive and finest country in North America." 843 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS This was Illinois — French Illinois — two hundred years ago. Captain St. Clair was succeeded by another Irishman, Charles McCarty, most always referred to as Chevalier McCarty. He has also been given the name of McCarty Mac Tique. He was undoubtedly a man of much executive ability and did more work of a general character than any of the former com- mandants. McCarty arrived in the Illinois country late in the year 1751. The first work to which he directed his attention was the rebuilding of Fort Chartres on a large scale. The plans for the new fort were drawn by Lieutenant Jean B. Saussier, a French engineer. The stone for the construction of the fort was quarried at the bluffs near the present site of Prairie du Rocher, about three or four miles from the fort. The new fort was built near the site of the old one, and was reputed to be the best fort in America at the time it was bxiWt. A barbarous action on the part of the Cahokia tribe provoked a tragic con- flict between the Fox Indians and the Cahokians in the next year after McCarty assumed command. Meeting a party of six Fox Indians, the Cahokias took them prisoner and resolved to burn them to prevent their giving an account of their imprisonment. Despite their efforts, however, one of the Indians escaped. Being pursued by his tormentors, he leaped into the water, and remained hidden in the rushes until his pursuers gave him up. Under cover of night he escaped the watchfulness of the Cahokia and returning to his tribe, told them the fate of his fellow travelers. A war council was called and word sent to the Sioux, the Sac, and the Kikapoo, each of which tribes raised a force and marched against the Cahokia, under the leader of the Fox. The army consisted of a thousand warriors who embarked on the Wisconsin River in one hundred eighty birch- bark canoes, and soon reached their enemies in Illinois. On the Feast of Corpus Christi, June 6, 1752, they planned their attack, knowing that many of the Indians would go to Fort Chartres for the religious ceremonies. Everything being in readiness, the leader of the Fox ordered ten or twelve of the best runners to proceed in advance. These young men immedi- ately fell upon the enemies' village and killed all they met as they came in. Crying the death cry and having discharged their arms, they turned about and fled. The Illinois Indians took up their arms and pursued them and the army of the Fox lying in the high grass, discharged all their arms and killed twenty- eight Illinois. At the same time, they fell upon the village and killed men, women and children, set fire to the village, and bound and led away the rest as captives. The chief of the Fox at the conclusion of the battle, hoisted the French colors on his canoe, and was as proud of his victory as if he had subdued a great empire. Commandant McCarty wrote the French commandants in Canada asking them to treat with the Fox for the ransom of the Illinois that were taken captive. This engagement was entirely between conflicting tribes of Indians and the attack was so secrtlly planned that the French knew nothing of it, and did not have time to intervene. At this time, all of the nations concerned were at peace with the French. The total loss in the Indian village was about eighty persons killed and taken prisoners. 844 the laity Conflict of the French and English The rival claims of England and France to various parts of American ter- ritory dated from the sixteenth century. The grant of the King of England to the colony of Virginia purported to cede the whole of the country from ocean to ocean between one point two hundred miles north, and another two hundred miles south of old Point Comfort. Such a description would include most of the Illinois country. It is true that the grant was modified by later restrictions, but Virginia never acceded to such modifications. The French claimed the Miss- issippi Valley, in reality though, not having much knowledge of the extent or boundaries of the claim, all the territory between the Allegheny and the Rocky Mountains. The French explored and occupied the Mississippi Valley, early spreading out from the Mississippi towards the east, and later somewhat towards the west. The British, through the claim of Virginia and other British colonies, contented themselves with establishing their settlements along the Atlantic coast, and made no western expansion, especially in the Illinois country, for many years. Now, however, the British began to contest the spread of the French, especially towards the east and south, and active conflict began. In the course of their expansion, the French had erected forts at Presque Isle (now Erie, Pennsylvania, and on the Allegheny River). The Governor of Virginia, Dinwiddie, determined to oppose the French, and hit upon the ex- pedient of sending a commissioner to the French commander, both for the pur- pose of investigating the situation and of protesting against what he considered French intrusion. For this purpose Captain William Trent was first selected but he was later succeeded by the young soldier, Major George Washington, an adjutant general of the Virginia militia. George Washington's commission was dated October 30, 1753, and by its terms he was ordered to proceed to Logstown where he was directed to ascertain "what had given occasion to the French for the invasion of the British territory and what were the pretensions of the ag- gressors and how they were likely to be supported." After a perilous journey Washington met the French officer, Jacques Reoentigny le Gardeur de St. Pierre, who received him courteously and told him that he would transmit his inquiries to his general, the Marquis du Quesne. There was little satisfaction in this reply, but Washington after an extremely difficult journey communicated it to Gover- nor Dinwiddie. This was the occasion of George Washington's first entrance upon the stage ©f world history, and it is to be noted that he wa? then in the service of the British colony of Virginia. In 1754 Washington was again commissioned to visit the region of the French posts in the Ohio valley, this time with a force of one hundred and fifty men. His instructions were to repair to Alexandria, but when near that place he learned that a French force under Captain Antoine Pecody, Sieur de Con- trecouer, had preceded him. The first encounter that had the appearance of a battle occurred while Washington was on his way to the store house of the Ohio Company, at the mouth of Red Stone Creek. While on the march a small party of French under Sieur de Joumonville de Valliers, who, it is said, had been sent with a formal summons to Washington, demanded that he w ; thdraw from 845 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS the French territory. De Joumonville's party was successfully attacked by Washington on May 28 at a place called Little Meadows. It was Washington's first battle and resulted in the killing of the French commander Joumonville and ten of his party, and the capture of twenty-one prisoners. Washington's loss was but one killed and three wounded. The news of this encounter reached Kaskaskia and Fort Chartres where a brother of the French commander, killed by Washington's party, Captain Neyon de Valliers, was located. Commandant McCarty dispatched Captain Val- liers with a force of soldiers to join another force from Canada under another brother, Colon de Valliers, for the purpose of overtaking Washington. The French forces consisted of five hundred French and seven hundred Indians. Washington's force was but three hundred all told and in view of the great difference in numbers, Washington retreated to the Great Meadows, where he threw up a temporary fortification, known as Fort Necessity. On July 3, de Valliers attacked the fort, and after a brief resistance, Washington was com- pelled to surrender. The taking of Washington at Great Meadows showed the British that partial measure could not succeed, and as they were determined upon pushing their claims, they commenced to prosecute the war with vigor. Although the British had many advantages, the French were successful in the early engage- ments. Early in September, 1858, Major Grant with a force of Highlanders and a company of Virginians, was ordered to attack the French fort, Du Quesne. That fortress had just been re-enforced by four hundred French grenadiers from the Illinois district, under the command of Chevalier Charles de Aubrey. Grant divided his troops, hoping to draw Aubrey into an ambuscade, but was gallantly attacked in detail by Aubrey who obtained a complete victory over him, inflicting a loss of three hundred. A few days afterward, Aubrey made an- other sally from the fort and surprised a British camp forty-five miles away, and captured enough horses to bring his command back mounted. Though the Indians accompanying Valliers at the time of the surrender of Washington's forces at Great Meadows wished to put the prisoners to death, the French by presents and other means secured their delivery, and gallantly freed them. Washington being at liberty, on the 25th of November, 1758, commanding the advance of a British army of 7,000, appeared before Fort Du Quesne. By this time there were in all about four hundred troops garrisoning that fort, and the most of these had come from Fort Chartres. Recognizing the superiority of numbers they decided to destroy the fort by fire and retreat by its light. The greater portion of the garrison successfully retreated to Fort Machoult, some distance up the river, while the remainder with the artillery made their escape by the river to the Illinois. The capture of Fort Duquesne gave the British control of the Ohio Valley but this campaign did not end the participation of Illinois in the war. When it was determined to attempt to resist the seige of Fort Niagara, all the Indian villages in Illinois furnished volunteers to join the forces from Detroit and 846 THE LAITY Mackinac, who were again lead by the brave De Aubrey. Upon reaching the scene on July 27, 1759, they made a gallant charge upon the invading forces commanded by Sir William Johnson, but after a sharp fight they were re- pulsed with great loss. A large number of the Illinois volunteers were killed, wounded and taken prisoner, amongst them the gallant de Aubrey. The defeat was a distressing one to the French authorities at Fort Chartres, and Command- ant McCarty said that the expedition had cost him "the flower of his men" and that his garrison was weaker than ever. England Prevails. The final conquest in which Great Britain obtained the supremacy in all the territory east of the Mississippi may or may not have been participated in by soldiers from Illinois. It was the battle of Quebec on the heights of Abraham fought September 12-13, 1759. Here on that day contended the great Wolfe with the great Montcalm. Here both the commanders gave up their lives, but the British arms were successful and the French supremacy was ended in the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys. In the early part of this last war between the French and the English, known as the French and Indian War, McCarty as has been seen, was the com- mandant at Fort Chartres. We have seen that he rebuilt Fort Chartres and made it the greatest fortification on the American continent. Fort Ascension also was rebuilt by Charles de Aubrey under the direction of McCarty and the glimpses we get of McCarty subsequent to his retirement from command at Fort Chartres reveal him in a meritorious light. When in 1763 the Jesuits were banished and dragged down the Mississippi River, one of their number records that they were cordially received and entertained by the former Commandant McCarty at his plantation which he was developing on the Mississippi. We get another glimpse of McCarty when his life work is done. On the 20th of April, 1764, he was buried with military honors at New Orleans, McCarty was succeeded in 1761 by Neyon de Valliers, one of the gallant trio of brothers whose lives are linked with that of George Washington on account of the several engagements in which they fought against that great general. Nor is all said for this distinguished French family when we speak of the three brothers that figured so conspicuously with Washington. There were indeed seven brothers who were prominent in American affairs. Before the time that Neyon became Governor of Illinois, his six brothers had been slain in the de- fense of their country, and he remained, the sole survivor of the family. Neyon de Valliers was commandant during the troublous times of the ban- ishment of the Jesuits and gave his approval to Abbe Forget du Verger of the Seminary for Foreign Missions, the last of that band of priests in charge of Holy Family Church at Cahokia, in quitting the country, lest he suffer a similar fate to that of the Jesuits. While Valliers was in command a very important historical event occurred, nothing less than the arrival from New Orleans of a large colony to settle in the Illinois country. It was lead by Pierre Laclede, the representative of a com- 8-17 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS pany of merchants engaged in the fur trade. When Laclede arrived at Kas- kaskia he learned of the treaty ceding the country east of the Mississippi to England, and at once decided to locate his establishment west of the Mississippi, not knowing that by another secret treaty France had ceded its western terri- tory, except Louisiana, to Spain. De Valliers permitted Laclede to store his goods and quarter his company at Fort Chartres while he explored the neigh- borhood for a location. Laclede selected some high ground sixty miles north of the Fort on the opposite side of the river, for his colony and this was the be- ginning of the city of St. Louis. Naturally many of the French from the Illi- nois followed him, some of them even transported their houses to the other side. Of course, there was bitter disappointment when it was found that France had ceded the country to Spain but Laclede's colony remained and the growth of St. Louis began. Grievously disappointed at the outcome of the war between the French and the British, de Valliers remained at his post but a short time. As soon as arrangements could be made for his relief, he, with a few followers, descended the Mississippi to New Orleans. He was succeeded in command by Louis St. Ange de Belle Rive who came from Vincennes to govern the fort until it should be delivered over to the British, and there waited the appearance of British rep- resentatives to take possession of the fort. The French Governors, the commandants in Illinois, were one and all from Tonti to St. Ange, men of merit and most worthy of the confidence reposed by the government in them. It must strike any one as strange that men of such distinction governed in those early days, and indeed that their activities should be so little known. All those who have learned something of their lives and labors will be eager to learn more and will at least hold their names in grateful memory. Accordingly the repetition of those names with a memorandum of their term of service seems justifiable. The French Governors in Illinois. As has been noted, De LaSalle was the first proprietary and Henri De Tonti governed under him from 1680 to 1700. While the Illinois Country was under the jurisdiction of New Orleans Pierre Dugue de Boisbriant, 1718-1725. Captain Claude Charles du Tisne, 1725. Captain des Leittes, Interim. Louis St. Ange de Belle Rive, 1725-1734. Pierre De Artaguette, 1734-1736. Alphonse de la Bussoniere, 1736-1740. Captain Benoist de St. Claire, 1740-1746. Chevalier de Bartel, 1746-1749. Captain Benoist de St. Claire, 1749-1752. Chevalier Charles McCarty, 1752-1761. Neyon de Valliers, 1761-1763. Louis St. Ange de Belle Rive, 1763-1765. 848 the laity The French People. Having sketched with as much detail as space permits the officiary during the French regime, we can now turn to the French people themselves who first navigated the waterways, blazed the trails, subdued and elevated the savages, conquered the wilderness and tamed the soil of Illinois. John Reynolds, who spent his life amongst them, and who became a dis- tinguished judge of the Supreme Court and Governor of Illinois, said : ' ' The inhabitants were devout and strong believers in the Catholic Church. They were willing to fight and die for the maintenance of the doctrines of their Church. They considered the Church of Rome infallible, emanating direct from God, and therefore all the dogmas were received and acted upon by them without a why or a wherefore. They performed their devotions in their Church with a confidence that rendered them happy in religious matters. Their spiritual teachers were men of sincere piety and religion. It was the duty and it be- came also the pleasure of these Christian men to administer to the religious wants of their people. The people being governed by the precepts of the Gospel, enforced by the power and influence of the Church, formed a pious and re- ligious community which was the basis of the happiness of the Illinois people in primitive times." "Finally," Governor Reynolds concludes, "these people solved the prob- lem that an honest and virtuous people need no government. Nothing like a regular court of law ever existed in the country prior to the British occupation of Illinois in the year 1765." Judge Sidney Breese, one of the most learned of all the judges of the Supreme Court of Illinois, who also dwelt amongst the French, has left us this picture of them : " At the same altar knelt the rich man and the poor man, the same ordinances and sacraments were administered to each, and dying, both were buried in the same cemetery, the same rites performed and the same miserere and de profundis chanted. This feeling of equality thus generated and encouraged marked all of the social intercourses and entered largely into their amusements. In the same dance all classes cheerfully participated, in no bosom rankled the cry of family, and no one felt or affected superiority. The con- dition of the greater part of both sexes required from them exertion; they were compelled to labor to live, and labor being the common lot, was neither odious nor disgraceful. The principles of the Roman Catholic religion were in- stilled into all and the little spires of its churches arose in every village. In them were the marriage ceremonies performed, the priest consecrating the nuptial tie and recording the act in the presence of witnesses. There, too, the ceremony of Baptism was manifested and there the last obsequies for the dead and Masses said for the souls of those dying in the odor of sanctity." Little may be gleaned from local records of these early days as little was so preserved, but from the estimates of men who dwelt amongst them and others who have studied their period, we get some idea of their merit. Judge Joseph Gillespie, one of the ablest of the early pioneers, who knew most of the early Frenchmen of the period in question, said : 849 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS "Certain of these old French families have displayed a vigor and energy which cannot be surpassed. Take for instance the Choteaus, the Valles, the Pratts, the Gratios, old Pierre Menard and Nicholas Jarrot and his son Vital, were men whose lives were given to almost romantic business adventure. They were the first to develop the Missouri and Galena lead mines. The 'fur trade' was, by some of them, carried to a distance of thousands of miles. They had their trading posts all along the foot of the Rocky Mountains. They explored every river that runs into the Mississippi to its source in their trading excursions, and even took in New Mexico when it was a province of Spain. I know of no men who have been so instrumental in bringing to light the inexhaustible resources of Missouri and developing the iron industry of St. Louis as Choteau, Harri- son and Valle." Amongst the important Frenchmen, men of the very highest standing, who were in Illinois around the early settlements of Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Prairie du Rocher and Peoria, may be named Nicholas Jarrott, who was in Illinois from 1794 to his death in 1832. Jean Baptiste Saucier was one of the greatest among the great men of early Illinois who remained here until his death. He was the father-in-law of such noted men in the future history of the community as Colonel Pierre Menard, Colonel Choteau, Sr., James Morrison and Adam Snyder. Francois Perry was here from 1792 until his death. He also married a daughter of Saucier. Michael LaCroix was a very prominent Frenchman who remained here until the time of his death in 1821. The Quentine village was settled by DeLorme and a number of Frenchmen who came with him into the state in 1804. The Penseneaux were some of the most prominent French people that ever came to Illinois and the three brothers with their large families were here during that period. August Choteau remained in the territory and at the end of the War of 1812 was appointed one of the commissioners to treat with the Indians. As is well known, Pierre Menard was a leading public figure from the time he came into the territory until his death, being the leading spirit in the territorial legislature and the first Lieutenant-Governor of the State. The foregoing are but a few of the prominent Frenchmen and Catholics that remained in the territory during the darkest period of our early history and bore nobly the extraordinary burdens of that time. The destinies of war under which the French control was supplanted by British brought out the patriotic impulses of the French of those early days. The story of the transition is interesting and is referred to elsewhere. Here it is appropriate to note an absence of supine surrender on the part of the French. The commandant, De Ange, the brilliant and successful general and just governor lived up to the letter of the treaty between England and France, and surrendered Fort Chartres and the Government upon proper demand to the British Commander Stirling, who being much of a gentleman, invited the views of the inhabitants as to their desires and needs. In answer the leading men met and drafted — before the Declaration of Meklenburg and before the Declara- 850 THE LAITY tion of Independence — a demand for a free and independent government, by and under the control of the governed. This first declaration of independence adopted on the Western Continent was rejected, but it stands to the credit of the noble Frenchmen who drafted it and the glory of Illinois where it was conceived. The petition was forwarded by Captain Stirling, the English commander, under date of October 18, 1865, and contained the names of the leading men of the day, as follows : De Rocheblave, Lagrange, Gavobert, Duplasy, DeLude, Charleville, Aubuchon, Jr., Cerre H. Brazeaux, Gandouin, J. Baptiste Beauvais, Blouin, Tessier dit LaVigne, Mere Pilotte, Baptiste Moyot, Jaques Bileront, Hubert LaRue, De Girardot, Calamanderie, J. M. Mercier, Lonoval, Janis Lachanse, J. Lasource, Francois Ricard. Every one of these prominent people, and some of them became even more prominent afterwards in the community, remained in Illinois until their death, so far as the records disclose, with the single exception of Rocheblave, who after- wards became the Commandant for the English and was the representative of the British power in the place when George Rogers Clark with the invaluable aid of Father Gibault captured the country and sent Rocheblave a prisoner to Virginia. There were many other influential men not named on the petition that re- mained, and many others came and stayed. Nor did their efforts for independence end with their rejected demand. After a few short and mostly unpleasant years of English rule came the War of the Revolution. It is remembered that the bold young Irishman, George Rogers Clark, persuaded the learned and eloquent Irishman, Patrick Henry, Governor of the colony of Virginia, to permit him — Clark — to lead a campaign against the British established in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. The story of Clark's conquest is told elsewhere. It is desired here only to appreciate the part of the French therein. To understand the activities of the worthy French pioneers, at least three individuals must be introduced, viz : Reverend Pierre Gibault, undoubtedly the most influential man in the "West of his time ; Oliver Pollock, of New Orleans, and Francis Vigo, then of Kaskaskia, Illinois. Of this great trio, Father Gibault only was French, Vigo was Italian, but always associated with the French, Oliver was Irish. As to their positions, Father Gibault was the pastor of Immaculate Conception Church at Kaskaskia, and Vicar General of all Mid- America. Oliver Pollock was the chief and only fiscal agent of the United States Government for the conduct of the Revolutionary War. Francis Vigo was a rich merchant who dealt in clothing and supplies of varied kinds among the inhabitants of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Michigan. These three men supplied everything for Clark's conquest but the one hundred fifty rugged Irishmen who constituted the military force. What they wore, not of great value to be sure ; what they ate, their arms, their ammunition, and more than all, the influence and co-operation indispensible to merit were 851 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS i ■ • i furnished by Pollock, Gibault, Vigo and the good Frenchmen who followed their leadership and co-operated with them. Each of these three leaders advanced all of their means, Pollock more than $50,000; Vigo, $40,000, and Father Gibault, his little all, $900.00 and his donkey, the only vehicle of transportation about his vast diocese of more than 40,000 square miles. Sad to say, each of the three were ruined and neither was recompensed in a penny's worth. The same was true of most of the French in- habitants who followed their lead. Only a few evidences of this narration are necessary here: In a letter written by George Rogers Clark, July 24, 1778, he said: "Several merchants are now advancing considerable sums of their property rather than the service should suffer, by which I am sensible they must lose greatly, unless some method is taken to raise the credit of our coin." Dr. Alvord concludes from an examination of documents that the merchants who gave their aid were : Daniel Murray, Winston Cerre, Janis, the Charlevilles, the Beauvais, Duplasy, the Bienveneaus of Kaskaskia, Barbau of Prairie du Piocher, Godin, Trottier, Gibault, LaCroix, Gratiot and McCarthy of Cahokia, LaGras, Huberdean and Bosseron of Vincennes, and Vigo, with possibly others of St. Louis. In a note Alvord says : " In fact the list of those who at this time or later furnished supplies on credit is a very long one, including almost every man of property in Illinois. Richard Winston who at the time of Clark was regarded as wealthy, died in poverty ; and the Beauvais family was reduced to almost the same extremity. These are only two instances among many." It is not pleasant to reflect upon neglect or inattention to the memory of worthy progenitors who have bestowed upon us incalculable benefits. Read all you can find in a full day, of Illinois history and marvel at the nothingness of the French account. How much has any pupil or student in any school, public or denominational, ever seen in a text book or heard from the instructor of this century of French dominion or of the marvelous succession of incomparable French missionaries, the grand dynasty of French governors, and last but by no means least, the devout God-fearing, truly fraternal French citizenry? The answer is, "Little or nothing." No statues, no memorials, no records raised or built at public expense exist in all the State. The French are unknown, — as if they had never been. The geography of Illinois alone bears the impress of the French in a list of names of Counties and cities, such as Champaign, Fayette, Hennepin, city and canal, Joliet, LaGrange, Lallarp, LaSalle, Marengo, Marseilles, Massac, Menard, Meredosia, Prairie du Rocher, Rochelle, Saint Anne, Toulon, and others. These names alone, which cost nothing, are burdened with the task of memorializing the French who alone and unaided discovered, explored, settled and developed what is now the sovereign and towering state of Illinois, through the first one hundred years of its history. 852 THE LAITY THE IRISH IN EARLY ILLINOIS. As is well known, the French are entitled to the honor of the exploration and the first settlement of the territory now included within the boundaries of Illinois, and they were in almost exclusive occupation, save for the Indians, of the entire Illinois country for nearly one hundred years before other white men came. But even in French days there were to be found men of Irish blood. Irishmen Among the French. According to his own statement, Hugh Crawford must have been the first Irishman that traveled about the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. He says he made trading trips leaving the Ohio and Mississippi as early as 1739, and he continued in this work until his death. He was associated in trade with Colonel George Croghan and Thomas Smallman, and first came to the West at the instance of George Washington to look over lands with a view to investments. After the conclusion of the war between France and England, by which England became entitled to the French possessions east of the Missis- sippi, he was employed to bring Pontiac, the famous Indian Chief, to Sir William Johnson, in 1766, for the purpose of negotiating a settlement and permitting the English to take possession after the treaty of Paris. Crawford was an important factor in all the history of the territory up to the time of his death in 1770. A most romantic figure in the very early history of the Illinois country was Francis Morgan, better known as the Chevalier de Vincennes. Although little seems to be known of his origin, he is said by Bishop Alerding to have been Irish. Reynolds, in speaking of Vincennes, said: "The brave and gal- lant young hero was the hope and pride of the Wabash country." His tragic end is one of the saddest incidents in the history of the Northwest and has heretofore been described. Chevalier Charles McCarty was an administrator of French affairs as Governor of the Illinois country from 1751 until a short time before the ter- ritory came into the ownership of the British under the treaty of Paris, which was concluded between the French and English in 1763. His story also has been heretofore told. Colonel George Croghan was a very distinguished Irishman who came at an early day to the Northwest. Croghan and his associates are said to have established strings of stores and trading places in the Northwest as early as 1754. When Sir William Johnson who, by the way, was an Irishman and per- haps the ablest representative the British government ever had in this country, was appointed Superintendent of Indian Affairs, he made Croghan his deputy, and Croghan attained the reputation of being the "fittest person in America," to transact business with the Indians. This fitness was demonstrated when he successfully negotiated, after the dismal failure of many others, the sub- mission of the great Chief Pontiac. There are many of Croghan 's letters extant, and they and other evidences demonstrate that he was a straight- forward and, at the same time, a very forceful character. It is pleasant to 853 DIOCESE OP SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS know that though he was a loyal servitor of Great Britain, yet when the time came to make a choice between Great Britain and the young Republic, Amer- ica, he chose the latter. Colonel Croghan was not the last of his line to distinguish his name in this country. His family and that of General George Rogers Clark, so distinguished in our history, intermarried, and a direct descendant of Colonel Croghan and of the Clarks by such intermarriage, Major George Croghan, became one of the heroic figures of the War of 1812. On the 1st of August, 1813, General Proctor, with the principal British force consisting of about eight hundred regulars and two thousand Indians, after virtually overrunning the country, attacked Fort Stephenson. The fort was in command of Major Croghan, then twenty- one years of age, seconded and ably assisted by another gallant young Irishman, Joseph Duncan, who afterward became the fifth Governor of the State of Illinois. After making such a disposition of his troops as to prevent the escape of the garrison, General Proctor summoned Croghan to surrender, threatening the garrison with an Indian massacre in case of refusal. Croghan ? s force num- bered but one hundred and fifty men, and the fort was but a mean protection; in fact, totally indefensible in the opinion of General Harrison, who had issued orders that it be abandoned. These orders were sent by messenger, but the bearer lost his way, and when the orders were received a large party of Indians had already surrounded the works, rendering it more dangerous to retreat than to remain. To Proctor's demand and threat, the gallant young officer replied: "When the fort shall be taken there shall be none left to massacre, as it will not be given up while there is a man left who is able to fight." Upon receipt of this reply, the British at once attacked the northwest angle of the fort. Major Croghan, judging that it was the intention of the enemy to mahe a breach in that quarter, caused it to be strengthened by bags of sand and flour, and under cover of darkness which set in, he placed his single gun, a six pounder, charged with slugs and grape shot, in such a position as to command the point of attack. The fire of the besiegers was kept up during the night of the 1st of April and until late in the evening of the 2nd, when a storming party of three hundred and sixty men advanced under cover of the smoke and darkness to within twenty paces of the walls of the fort. The musketry now opened upon them, but with little effect; the ditch was gained and in a moment filled with men. At that moment the masked cannon, only thirty feet distant, opened upon the assailants, killing twenty-seven and wounding as many more. The broken column was re- formed and the ditch again filled, but the cannon being again discharged with similar effect, the besiegers became disheartened, abandoned the attack and the little fort was saved. Croghan was breveted Lieutenant-Colonel for his gallant conduct, was afterwards commended by resolution of Congress for bravery, and he and Duncan were each presented by Congress with a sword. During the English Regime. When the British secured the French Territory the Government took up the question of its management, and Lord Shelburne (William Petty, born in 854 THE LAITY Dublin) who was Secretary of State for the southern department, upon the recommendation of Benjamin Franklin and others, planned the establishment of three new colonies to be located at Detroit, at the Illinois and at the mouth of the Ohio, but having become disconnected from the ministry, his recommendation was not carried out. He was again in the British Cabinet at the time the Treaty of Peace which closed the Revolutionary War was negotiated, and it was largely through his in- fluence that the United States obtained under the treaty the old Northwest, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. After the Treaty of Paris and the cession of New France to England, Guy Carlton, an Irishman, became Governor under the English crown. Major Loftus, with a force of Irishmen of the 22nd British regiment, tried to take possession of the Illinois country, but failed, but, as has been seen, another Irishman, Colonel George Croghan, succeeded in securing the possession stipu- lated for in the treaty. Subsequently, the 18th, or ' ' Royal Regiment of Ireland, ' ' nearly all of the members of which were Irish, garrisoned the forts in the Illinois country for some time under the British regime, but were later with- drawn and a local militia force was organized under the command of Captain Richard McCarthy, of whom we are to hear more. The number of Irish in the territory increased somewhat during the period of British ascendency in Illinois, and some very conspicuous Irishmen are known to have been here during that time. William and Daniel Murray and Patrick Kennedy were three very worthy Irishmen here during that period. They were all traders of a high type. They dealt fairly with every one, including the Indians. Kennedy seems to have come to the country about 1766 and the Murrays in 1767. Alvord says of William Murray : "In the annals of the West the names of such men as Samuel Wharton, Phinneas Lyman, George Morgan, William Murray, Richard Henderson and George Washington * * * should occupy a conspicuous place." There seems to be little room for doubt that the Murrays and Kennedy were the very people who furnished George Rogers Clark with information and co- operated with his force in the conquest of Kaskaskia. They were all ardent patriots in the American cause and Patrick Kennedy was at once appointed assistant quartermaster upon Clark's taking possession of Illinois. William Shannon was quartermaster. Another worthy Irishman of this period was William Arundel, who was born in Ireland and came to Cahokia prior to the Clark conquest. During a part of his residence in the Illinois country, he lived near Peoria. He was a merchant and trader and is spoken of as "an orderly, moral and correct man." He died in Kaskaskia in 1816. Thomas Brady was a conspicuous figure in this early day. In 1776, Brady, with a small company of volunteers, consisting of sixteen men, marched across the state to the nearest British fort on Lake Michigan (Fort St. Joseph) near the present city of Niles, Michigan, and surprised and captured the fort, secur- 855 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS ing, it is said, $50,000 worth of supplies and munitions. The victors seem, how- ever, to have overlooked a point or two in their subsequent proceedings. They paroled the British garrison, but the British, ignoring their pledges, informed their Indian allies, and together they and their allies overpowered Brady's force, took them prisoners, and recovered the goods somewhere near the present site of Chicago. In turn, however, the goods were recaptured from the British by a force which left Peoria soon after, led by Maillet, who was a relative of some of Brady's followers. Brady escaped his captors and returned bv a circuitous route to Kaskaskia, where he afterwards married the much-renowned and highly- respected Widow La Compte, and in 1790 became the sheriff of St. Clair County, then one of the highest positions available to any citizen. Reynolds says of Brady: "He had the reputation of an honest, correct citizen and I believe he deserved it." Brady was a judge of the Court of Cahokia in 1785, was Indian Commissioner in 1787 and in that capacity prohibited the sale of liquor to the Indians. The town, now city of East St. Louis (Illinoiston) was laid out on a part of his land. Conquest of the Northwest by George Rogers Clark The story of Clark's conquest of the Northwest is of absorbing interest and especially so for men of Irish extraction. As before stated, the French were the discoverers and settlers of this part of the country and held undisputed sway from the time of the discovery in 1673 until 1763, when the British came into the ownership of it under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. Accordingly, the English were in possession for only eleven or twelve years before the close of the Revolutionary War. It was a troublous time and the new possessors had little opportunity to do much in such a remote place as the Illinois country, and in fact but little was done. The Illinois settlements had a most unsatisfactory experience under the English domination, and had no reason for any special gratitude or loyalty to Great Britain. There is no doubt but that the French and other settlers in these parts sympathized with the Revolutionary movement, and that fact makes Clark's conquest more comprehensible. Briefly, the story of Clark 's conquest is this : George Rogers Clark, a young Irishman of twenty-four, of sturdy stock and of indomitable courage and energy, was, at the outbreak of the Revolution, in Kentucky, then, as well as the Illinois country, a part of Virginia. He was a military genius and recognized the strategic advantage of getting possession of the British posts in the West — Kaskaskia, Vincennes and Detroit. To effect this purpose, he appealed in person to Patrick Henry, another Irishman, then Gov- ernor of Virginia, for authority to make a conquest of the Northwest. Henry and his advisers were impressed and granted the prayer. Virginia had no money, but appealed to Oliver Pollock, who proved one of the greatest benefac- tors of America, justly called "the Morris of the West," the friend of Count Alexander O'Reilly and other Spanish officials, and obtained the credit neces- sary to prosecute the Clark enterprise. Oliver Pollock of New Orleans was not only a distinguished Irishman, but such an enthusiastic supporter of the American cause as to advance many thou- 856 THE LAITY sands of dollars of his own funds for its success. He was, too, of the type of Irish citizen that clung to the love and traditions of the land of his birth, while he gave his undivided loyalty to the land of his adoption. As a proof of this fact it may be pointed out that he was later one of the founders at Philadelphia of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Clark set about recruiting his army, and the sequel shows that the Irish responded as readily in that as in our day. After much tribulation and months of delay, Clark, with the nucleus of his army, was about to embark upon the Ohio for his projected conquest. It was something of an effort in those days, especially in the midst of the Revolutionary War, to equip his army. Powder was a prime essential and was hard to procure. To get a supply of this necessary article, William Linn, one of America's most noted scouts and an Irishman, was dispatched to New Orleans, where, through the aid of Oliver Pollock, he secured a cargo of powder, and despite all the perils that beset his way, succeeded in de- livering it to General Edward Hand, another worthy Irishman, in chief command of Fort Pitt, who in time very materially forwarded Clark's purpose. Yet more than powder was necessary for the expedition, and Patrick Henry sent Colonel David Rogers, who was born in Ireland, to New Orleans, accom- panied by twenty-eight men, to secure goods from Pollock's friend, the Span- ish Governor Galvez, and other necessary supplies. These, too, were delivered to Clark by General Hand. Finally, Clark starts on his journey down the Ohio, and upon arriving near the falls of that river, he says in his "Memoir," "Fortunately I had just received a letter from Colonel Campbell dated Pittsburg, informing me of the contents of the treaty between France and America." This was one great piece of news that made his success possible. The fact he could relate to the French people of the Illinois, and which did in fact exercise a profound influence in securing their allegiance. This Colonel Campbell was Colonel John Campbell, born in Ireland, a valiant soldier and officer of the Revolution and a dis- tinguished citizen and statesman of Louisville in after life. The bearer of this letter was none other than the intrepid William Linn, who succeeded in getting the powder for Clark from New Orleans, and who rowed down the Ohio the entire distance alone, through all the dangers of that day, to deliver that cheering message, and who from there joined Clark's "army," and, as will be seen, played an important role in the conquest. Captain James O'llara, who was on the way with two batteaus loaded with provisions sent by General Hand to Captain Willing who was to assist Clark in the conquest, joined Clark at the mouth of the Kanawha. At last we find Clark at Corn Island, in the Ohio river opposite the site of the present city of Louisville, Kentucky, with his "army" ready for an ad- vance. Before he starts on the last stage of his journey, let us look over Clark's army, noting of what materials it is constituted. First of all there was Clark of Irish ancestry in supreme command as the commander-in-chief. Upon a roll call of officers there would respond Lieutenant-Colonel John Montgomery, Major Thomas Quirk, Major William Linn, Captain John Rogers, Lieutenants Valen- tine Dalton, Martin Carney, Richard Clark, brother of George Rogers Clark, 857 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS William Clark, James Davis, James Montgomery and Levi Todd. Sergeants James Brown, Michael Miles, John Moore, John O'Rear, Robert Patterson, John Vaughn, John Williams and Charles Morgan. To call the roll of the privates would be too prolix, but I have their names and have established on the authority of reliable historians that of the something less than one hundred and twenty men Clark had gathered around him at Corn Island, ninety at least were Irish, and that out of the entire 225 men that were placed upon the Clark roll during his entire service more than one hundred and seventy-five were Irish. Before this time the spies, Ben Linn and George Moore, both Irish, whom Clark had sent for information, reached Kaskaskia and there they conferred with friendly inhabitants, none other, I am satisfied from the records, than William and Daniel Murray and Patrick Kennedy, and when Clark and his army ap- proached Kaskaskia, he is able to get full information of the conditions. Nay, more, he is furnished a guide who is in all probability one of these three men. Clark's army halts across the river, and at least one account has it that a delega- tion goes out to meet him headed by the Pastor, Pierre Gibault. and he is made welcome so far as the towns-people are concerned. But the English governor and the garrison at the fort are yet to be dealt with. The Commandant and Governor at this time was one Rocheblave, and though a Frenchman, a bitter and uncompromising partisan of the British Government he served. How is he to be overcome in his stronghold? A bold strategem is decided upon and men must be chosen to execute it. In the emergency, the very boldest and cleverest are necessary, and Clark happily is accompanied by such. Simon Kenton, a scout, the most renowned of all the western plainsmen known to history, and an Irishman, possessing all the fear- lessness of the Irish character, is placed in command of one detachment to enter the fort and Lieutenant-Colonel John Montgomery of another to surround the town. How many Irishmen accompanied Kenton we are not informed, but we are advised that after they had boldly entered the fort (the entrance to which had been left unlocked and unguarded by the contrivance of the friendly agents in Kaskaskia) and under the guidance of the same friendly agents who gave Clark information, had threaded their circuitous way through the windings of the fortress into the very abode of the Governor and penetrated to his very boudoir, it was another Irishman, almost equally bold and equally renowned, the famous scout, William Linn, before referred to, who actually seized Roche- blave in his bed, overcame and made him prisoner, thus ending British sover- eignty within the confines of this State. It was a small matter to take possession after the capture of the fort thus effected, as the Murrays and Kennedy had prepared the populace other than the French and Father Gibault had attended to or did attend to that task. Rocheblave was, however, obdurate, and had to be sent a prisoner to Virginia, and appropriately two Irishmen, Lieutenant-Col- onel Montgomery and Lieutenant Levi Todd were assigned the task of convey- ing him east to be afterwards dealt with by Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. It would extend this paper too far to dwell upon succeeding events, in- cluding the conquest of Vincennes, effected so largely through the efforts of Father Gibault, but it is interesting to know that Clark added two more com- 858 THE LAITY parries to his army, recruited at Kaskaskia and Cahokia, amongst which were many Irishmen and especially that one was headed by an Irish Captain, Rich- ard McCarty and the other by a Frenchman, when they drew out of Kaskaskia for that awful march across the swamps of lower Illinois to attack the British at Vincennes. It is also of interest that the armed Batteau, the "Willing," pre- pared by Clark to carry supplies down the Mississippi and up the Ohio and Wabash and join Clark at Vincennes, was placed under command of Lieutenant John Rogers, another capable Irishman who did his part well. The Virginia and Post Revolution Period The country won, the next step was to govern it, and for that purpose there must be a governor, and in keeping with all the steps so far taken with reference to American control, an Irishman, John Todd, was appointed Governor, or, to be technical, "County Lieutenant" of the County of Illinois, which then included the considerable territory within the present boundaries of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. The succeeding decade reflected but little credit upon the new government, to be sure, but that was the result of national rather than local conditions. After the close of the war, it is certain that of the stream of people which poured into the state, a great many were Irish. Buck, in his book, the intro- ductory volume of the Centennial history, entitled "Illinois in 1818," says that: A large proportion of the names (found not only in the biographies and genealogical data available in the county histories, but also in the names of heads of families in the schedules of the census of 1818) are typically Scotch ( ?), Irish, Welsh or German, with Scotch-Irish predominating, and thus they are in- dicative of the connection of the people with that stream of non-English im- migrants which poured into Pennsylvania during the eighteenth century and thence up the valley and through the gaps to the back country nf Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia. By the time of the Revolution the occupation of this region had been completed and the stream began to flow into Kentucky and Tennessee. In the early decades of the nineteenth century it progressed into southern Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. It is a matter of regret that this official volume should, by using it, tend to perpetuate the fiction involved in the title — "Scotch-Irish," but it has been used so much that it has become a sort of habit — a bad habit, I grant, and too prevalent. In Territorial Days. I should like to dwell upon the record of the Irish who came into Illinois in the several years immediately succeeding the Revolution. Elsewhere I have treated of them under the titles "First Settlers and Settlements," "Early Irish School Teachers," "The Fighting Irish," meaning the daring men who pro- tected the frontier, and "The Martyrs to Civilization." Here I must content my- self with reference to just a few commanding figures, and to some incidents of absorbing interest. The leading man of the entire Northwest from the time he came to Kas- 859 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS kaskia in 1784, until almost the day of his death in 1832, was John Edgar, a native of Ireland, and the leading woman of the same period was Rachel Edgar, his wife, a shining example of the admirable Irish wife. At the outbreak of the Revolution, Edgar was in the British Naval Service, but left it to espouse the American cause. He was seized by the British and languished in a British jail for nineteen months. Upon his release, he informed the United States gov- ernment of a conspiracy he discovered to deliver up Vermont to the British, and the Government was enabled to nip the plan in the bud. He then entered the service of the United States and was made commander of a United States war ship. At the close of the war he came West, settled in Kaskaskia, and be- came the leading spirit in public and private enterprises, building mills, oper- ating salt mines and buying and improving lands. He was a man of wealth and used his wealth freely in developing the country. He became a judge of the courts and served in that capacity for many years. He was the first delegate selected from Randolph County to represent that part of the Illinois country (being all of the present state south of the Illinois river) in the Territorial Legislature which met in Marietta, Ohio. It was at the "mansion" of John Edgar that Marquis de LaFayette was entertained on the occasion of his visit to this country. His leadership was undisputed during the entire period of his life, and in the last analysis Edgar was the final arbiter of all important questions. Mrs. Edgar was an intimate friend and boon companion of Martha Washington, and at one period of her life, a member of the Washington house- hold. John Edgar was a splendid type of the citizen. It may be of interest to know that fine portraits of both Edgar and his wife are hung in the rooms of the Chicago Historical Society. Samuel O'Melvaney was another Irishman of excellent character and splendid reputation. He was the leader of the first colony that came directly from. Europe and settled in Illinois. This Irish colony located on the Ohio River in 1804 and engaged in agriculture. There were several families, all pros- perous, as they deserved to be, and the leader became a man of great weight and influence as well as a benevolent Captain of Industry. He was a miller, a fine stock man, and in a general way, a very valuable addition to the country. As time passed, he became a judge of the early courts, a representative in the territorial legislature and a delegate to the first Constitutional Convention. The family remained prominent for many years, and his sons besides becoming substantial citizens, filled places of trust and confidence. Among the ablest and most representative men of old Kaskaskia were the Morrisons, William, Robert and James, who were very substantial merchants as early as 1790 ; the Moores, James, William, Risdon and others, also were among the very prominent men of old Kaskaskia. Several other worthy pioneers of that early day in and around Kaskaskia deserve at least mention here. Among them, Daniel Flannery, John McCor- mick, James Kinkaid. Charles Gill, William Drury, James Piggott, Samuel Hanley, Martin Carney, A. M. Laskey, John Clark, John Cochran, Catherine Ryan (widow), Lawrence Kenegan, Joseph Lambert, Mary Crow (widow), Mary Mooney (widow), James Moore, Thomas Bradley, George Powers, William 860 THE LAITY Tobin, James Bryan, James Garrison, Thomas Callaghan, Thaddeus Bradley, Henry McLaughlin, John Brady, Michael Roach. John Hays was sheriff of St. Clair County from 1798 to 1818. William St. Clair was lieutenant colonel in command of the first regiment of St. Clair County. In the Legislature of the original Northwest Territory, which included Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and later in the Indiana Territorial Legislature, which included Indiana and Illinois, and lastly in the Illinois Territorial Legis- lature, there had been many able Irishmen whom we must overlook at this time, but we will notice just one such legislator, viz : Dr. William Bradsby. In Dr. Bradsby we have a conspicuous example of a great man very little known. Men who have done much less for our country and state have been accorded great honors and distinction, and yet I doubt if a score of readers remember ever hav- ing heard the name of Dr. Bradsby mentioned. Yet it was Dr. Bradsby who in- troduced and pressed the resolution for the admission of the territory of Illinois into the Union as a State, which resolution, against strong opposition, was passed, and this the great event celebrated during the whole of 1918 was accomplished. Before that time he had taken a definite stand more than once upon questions of the greatest moment. He was the father of the bill intro- duced to repeal the Indenture laws under which the provisions of the ordinance of 1787 prohibiting slavery were evaded, and he signed the famous address against slavery that was the forerunner of the anti-slavery movement in this state. The Constitutional Convention of 1818 when called, was attended by Elias Kent Kane, Samuel O'Melvany, William McFatridge and James Lemen, who were certainly Irish, and John Messinger, Benjamin Stephenson, Caldwell Cairns, Enoch Moore, Hamlet Ferguson, Michael Jones, Thomas Kilpatrick and William McHenry, who were probably Irish, as delegates. We have before noticed Samuel O'Melvany and need only say that he played quite a prominent part in this convention as a member of the committee on revision. The leading spirit and light of the Constitutional Convention, however, was Elias Kent Kane. Kane was easily the most brilliant lawyer of his day in Illinois. A Yale man of splendid address, the son of a brilliant Irishman who was caught in the reverses suffered by so many Americans on account of the war of 1812, a relative by descent of the famous Chancellor Kent in whose honor he was given his middle name, and who, independent of family, bad made for himself an honored name in the new country to which he had removed in 1814. Kane was one of the five lawyers in the convention, and although but four years in the territory, he had been appointed a judge of the Territorial Court by the President of the United States. He had been in the trial of cases where he was opposed by Daniel Webster, Henry Clay and others of the great lawyers of the day. By sheer ability he dominated the convention, and has since been known as the "Father of the Constitution." Judge Sidney Breese, who studied law in Kane's office, said that the Constitution was written in Kane's office before the convention assembled. As each constitution since adopted has been but a revision of that of 1818 with additions, we are justified in saying that Elias 861 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS Kent Kane is the author of the organic law of Illinois. Kane was the first Sec- retary of the State of Illinois and was United States Senator from 1825 to 1835. He died December 12, 1835, during his term of service in the United States Sen- ate, and his remains lie buried on the hill opposite Old Kaskaskia. After the adoption of the constitution men of Irish blood continued to play an important part. During the territorial period, Ninian Edwards had been governor by appointment of the President. It is frequently stated that John Boyle was the first territorial governor. This statement is not literally correct. He was appointed governor by the President, but being Chief Justice of the Territorial Court of Kentucky, he asked to be permitted to retain the post and an associate judge of that court, Ninian Edwards was in his stead made Gov- ernor of the Territory of Illinois. When, however, the people were permitted a choice of governor, a friend of Kane's, Shadrach Bond, of Irish extraction, was elected without opposition, and Kane was appointed Secretary of State, and has always been given credit for guiding the affairs of the new state. Since Bond, there have been elected nine Governors of Irish blood, who have passed to their reward, viz : Coles, Reynolds, Duncan, Carlin, Ford, Oglesby, Palmer, Beveridge and Hamilton, and four Lieutenant-Governors, viz : Ewing, Kinney, Casey and Dougherty. I speak only of the dead who have been honored by selection as Governor. Speaking of them in the order of time, it is interesting to recall that though Coles was considered cold and unpopular in his day he was the legitimate parent of sound anti-slavery agitation in this state and in the west, and the most potent force in creating the anti-slavery sen- timent which placed Illinois amongst the leading anti-slavery states in the Union. It would be unfair to dismiss Governor Reynolds with a few words. He was the first product of our prairies to reach exalted station and to be obliged to meet the complex question of a new and growing community with native ability alone unaided by any inheritance or any experience with large affairs. His lack of polish has been ridiculed, and he has been charged with a display of ignorance, but his public acts show him to have been guided by a sense of right. The difference between Reynolds and many other public men is well illustrated by a story which is told of one of his campaigns. In the early days much campaign- ing was done by means of dodgers and hand-bills as a sort of substitute for news- papers which were not so numerous then as in our day, and it is said that his opponent, who was a man of polish and education, got hold of a hand bill in which a small "i" was used for the personal pronoun of the first person. The opponent held the "Old Ranger" up to scorn for ignorance, and produced the hand bill, which he said was Reynolds' work as an exhibit. In due time Reynolds fathered the work, although he was not a printer, and said that as his opponent had used all the big " I 's " he had to resort to the small ones. If Reynolds was deficient in some of the niceties of grammar and diction, he was at least alive to humanity. Upon the organization of the Northwest Ter- ritory, amongst the very first acts of the judge-legislators was a law providing for the whipping-post, stocks and pillory as punishment for crimes. If a resident were convicted of an offense, even a small one, he was to receivf a stipulated number of lashes according to the gravity of the offense "upon his bare back 862 THE LAITY well laid on." By an act of January 5, 1795, passed by the judges of the Northwest Territory to which the Illinois country was then subject, a person convicted of larceny of a sum not exceeding $1.50 might be punished by being publicly whipped upon his bare back not exceeding fifteen lashes. A long line of astute men, college graduates, cultured and polished, had succeeded each other in the government of the territories since 1788 when these laws were passed, but they had suffered them to remain unchanged. As soon as Reynolds attained some influence in the State of Illinois, he commenced to work for the repeal of these laws and the substitution of a humane prison system ; and against a stubborn resistance succeeded in having them repealed, but not until 1832. Many have forgotten that right here in Illinois the whipping-post, pillory and stocks existed until 1832, and that this so-called rude, uncultivated Irish- man forced the repeal of the laws providing for such barbarous punishment against the opposition of the "high -brows" of his day. But Reynolds has more to his credit. He was one of the strongest pro- ponents of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and he and another Irishman, Sena- tor Michael Ryan, did much to promote the canal. Reynolds went to Europe in the interest of the canal. Besides his distinguished services as Governor, Judge, Member of Congress and Legislator, Reynolds has left us the best history of early Illinois yet written, even if the diction is not so chaste as in some other. I have already had occasion to mention Governor Duncan in connection with his assistance to Major Croghan in the defense of Fort Stephenson. Duncan made a good governor, but his independence as a member of Congress tended to make him unpopular with his party. Carlin's administration was subject to no just criticism, and his charming manner and appearance, besides his personal heroism in the War of 1812 made him very popular. In my judgment Thomas Ford was the ablest Governor of Illinois prior to John M. Palmer. He came to the governorship from the bench and was of the true judicial type. He was also strictly honest, and unable to stretch his conscience even to advance his party's, his friends' or his own interests. He must ever be held in grateful memory as the man who saved Illinois from the stigma of repudiation of its debts. The justly revered Judge John D. Caton, another most distinguished Irishman, gave utterance to a fine tribute to three of Illinois' great sons, two of whom have just been spoken of. Said the learned judge : "Allow me to say that Illinois has produced three great men, whose con- spicuous services will render their names immortal, and who should be com- memorated by enduring monuments, and to whom we owe a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. The first was Edward Coles, who was Governor of the state in 1824, and who saved the state from the black curse of African slavery, then and forever. The second was Thomas Ford, who was Governor in 1842, and who saved the state from the scarcely less blighting curse of re- pudiation ; and the third was Abraham Lincoln, who saved the Union from dis- memberment and the Nation from destruction. Not alone either of them, for all were assisted and supported by other great men whose names should be 863 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS scarcely less honored, but they were the great leaders whose talents and whose integrity led the people to their great accomplishments. In all time to come posterity should bow its head in gratitude whenever either of these names should be spoken." The character and accomplishments of the subsequent governors is more familiar and need not be expressly alluded to here, but I feel that I would be recreant to my regard for him if I did not stop to commend Governor Palmer as the great champion of popular rights and amongst the first of our public men to realize the menace of special interests and willing to set his face against special legislation. Irishmen of Distinction. There were other great public men of Irish extraction not hereinbefore mentioned that claim our admiration and commemoration, among the better known of whom may be mentioned General and President Ulysses S. Grant, Stephen A. Douglas, Senator John McLean, Attorneys-General Benjamin H. Doyle, William Meers, James McCartney and Maurice T. Maloney. Judges Robert McMahon, John H. Ralston, John C. Gillespie, John Dean Caton, John H. Mulkey and others. Amongst prominent statesmen, publicists and other- wise honored citizens: James A. Connolly, William W. O'Brien, Robert K. McLaughlin, an early State Treasurer and the uncle of Governor Duncan, Joseph Conway, the earliest court clerk. Amongst first settlers there was the Byrd family of Cairo, Andy Donnegan, the first settler of Alton, the Kellies, the first settlers of Springfield, James Piggot of East St. Louis and Patrick Hanniberry, the first settler of Madison County. Amongst great Indian fighters were the Whitesides, the Hardings, Hulls, Rectors, James Curry, Thomas Higgins and John Dempsey. It is not alone in civil life that men and women of Irish birth or ancestry have shed luster on their race in Illinois. Indeed they are particularly dis- tinguished in the field of religion as is made apparent in former chapters. Irish School Teachers. John Doyle came to Illinois in the Clark army in 1778 and began teaching in Illinois in 1780. He was a scholar, spoke the French language and the In- dian dialect and frequently acted as interpreter. He was also a brave soldier and "was considered an honest man and was always respected while alive as he is now, dead." (Reynolds' Pioneer History of Illinois.) "An Irishman named Halfpenny taught school in many sections of Illi- nois for many years. This preceptor taught almost all of the American chil- dren in Illinois in his day that received any education at all. He might be styled the School Master General of Illinois at that day." (Reynolds.) William Bradsby "taught school in various neighborhoods. He had a school in 1806 in the American Bottom almost west of the present Collinsville, and the year after he taught in the Turkey Hill settlement." (Reynolds.) It must be conceded that the Bradsbys were the equals of any of the pioneers of Illinois. 864 THE LAITY John Messinger came to Illinois in 1802, was an "excellent English scholar, taught the science of surveying, surveyed the United States lands into townships, was not only an excellent mathematician but he wrote and published a book entitled, "A Manual or Hand Book Intended for Convenience in Prac- tical Surveying." He was professor of mathematics in the seminary at Rock Springs; he was an efficient and scientific astronomer." Messinger was a son-in-law of Mathew Lyon, the Irish Congressman. He, Messinger, is said by John Mason Peck not to have been a church member. Peck says: "The late John Messinger, who was a philanthropist as well as a mathematician, though never a member of any church, obtained subscribers for the quarto family Bible, published by Matthew Carey of Philadelphia (the distinguished Irish scholar, writer and publisher) in 1814. and circulated copies in many families in St. Clair County. Mr. Messimrer taught many young men the theory and practice of surveying and he frequently taught an evening school for young and old and it is no disparagement to some gentle- men who have since been distinguished in the State, at bar, and in the pulpit, to have it known that they received the groundwork of their education, after they had families, from Mr. Messinger." The Bible distributed by Mr. Messinger was the Douay Catholic Bible published in 1790, the first Bible printed in the United States. Tt may be wondered why this philanthropist was distributing Catholic Bibles if he was not a member of any church. James Lemen, the first of the lonrr line of Baptist preachers of that family, was an Irish school teacher in early Illinois, as was also General James Shields, a distinguished Catholic, afterwards judge of the Supreme Court, hero of three wars and United States Senator from three states. Tt would be interesting, too, to trace the development of the state in its resources and follow the men of Irish blood into the factories, upon the rail- roads and waterways, in all of which they were important factors, both in the actual making and in the planning, and in the spirit of Thomas DeArcy McGee. the gifted Irish poet, who took such keen interest in the colonization of Illinois, to look in upon the prosperous early day Irish farmers where — Sweet waves the sea of summer flowers Around the wayside cot so coy, Where Eileen sinjrs away the hours That light my task in Illinois. The Irish homes in Illinois. The happy homes of Illinois, No landlord there can cause despair. Nor blight our fields in Illinois. But we cannot here enter into details with reference to all of lliese. Irishmen in War. Illinois has a proud record in the manner in which she has responded to the nation's call in time of war, and the men of Irish blood within her borders 865 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS have proven themselves worthy to share the glory she has attained. I have taken so much time with others I can scarcely more than call some of the names of some of Illinois' heroes of Irish birth or extraction, and do that, regretting that the list is necessarily incomplete. Amongst the more conspicuous figures upon our military roll of honor set down as Irish or of Irish extraction may be named, General Ulysses S. Grant, General James Shields, General James A. Mulligan, General John A. Logan, General John A. McClernand, General Richard J. Oglesby, General Michael Kelly Lawler, General James McPherson, General John M. Palmer and Gen- eral William P. Carlin. Among the higher officers of the Civil War from Illinois the following are known to have been Irish : General in Command, one, (General Grant, the only General from Illinois); Major Generals, five; Brevet Major Generals, six; Brigadier Generals, eleven ; Brevet Brigadier Generals, twelve. Of the original commanding officers of the volunteer organizations, twenty-three are known to have been Irish. Eighty-three soldiers with unmistakable Irish names died in Andersonville prison. Many of these are so well known as to need no mention here. Some have, however, received less notice than they deserve, and we feel constrained to direct attention to the life of a few of these men and urge a study of their records to the end that they may be appropriately honored and commemorated. General Michael Kelly Lawler. All Illinois, and southern Illinois especially, has reason for great pride in the war record of General Michael Kelly Lawler, although, if I mistake not, his name is unfamiliar to many. Lawler was born in the county of Kildare, Ireland, and came with his parents to Gallatin county, Illinois, when about five years old. When he grew up he was a good soldier in the Mexican War and at once plunged into the Civil War. His regiment, the Eighteenth Illinois, was amongst the very first mustered into the service, preceding that of Turchin's, the nineteenth, the first regiment from Chicago. It is said of Lawler's regi- ment that "No regiment fought harder or rendered prompter or better serv- ice. At Donaldson where he was wounded, they held fast and firm the gate through which the rebels sought to escape." For his gallant services Lawler was made a Brigadier General and afterwards highly distinguished himself and won the lasting good will of General Grant and his staff by his smashing victory over the rebels at Big Black and by his fine behavior in pressing the seige and capture of Vicksburg. On one occasion when sitting with his of- ficers around the camp fire discussing subjects of interest in connection with the war, and amongst other topics the Generals, Grant said: "When it comes to just plain hard fighting, T would rather trust to old Mike Lawler than any of them." Mike Lawler was so plain and unassuming and so were his friends that he has been forgotten. Major General James Shields. Another of the great men of Illinois, Irish by birth, and distinguished by 866 THE LAITY his own efforts, perhaps above all others, was General James Shields, the hero of the battle of Padierna, Cherubusco and Chepultepec in the Mexican War and justly renowned as the only commander in the Civil War who had the distinction of routing the almost invincible Irish General, Stonewall Jackson. In addition, he was a faithful and diligent public servant in time of peace, the honest judge of the Supreme Court of Illinois, and the renowned statesman who had the unique distinction of serving his country in the United States Senate as a senator from three different states. The writer has spent many hours tracing the Irish fighting men through the records of every war in which our country has been engaged and possesses many reams of manuscript containing numerous Quirks, O'Connors, O'Don- nells and 'Connells, and all of the Mc 's and the O 's. They have all merited a rich reward, and When Michael, the Irish Archangel, stands, The angel with the sword, And the battle-dead from a hundred lands, Are ranged in one big horde, Our line that Gabriel's trumpet wakes, Will stretch three deep that day, From Jehosephat to the Golden Gates, Kelly and Burke and Shea. Two Great Civilians. Two very distinguished men of Southern Illinois, whose nationality has not been stressed, embraced the Catholic Faith : William H. Bissell and Stephen A. Douglas are the men to whom we refer. William H. Bissell was a man of the highest merit. He distinguished him- self as a soldier in the Mexican War, as a statesman in the Congress of the United States, and as Governor of Illinois, the first Republican Governor. Governor Bissell's home was in Belleville, but he died in Springfield, near the close of his term as Governor. He had become a Catholic several years before his death and the funeral ceremonies took place in the Church of the Immaculate Conception with a Solemn Requiem Mass, and an eloquent sermon by Reverend Cornelius Smarius, S.J. For years after its rendition, this masterly address was repeated in classes of oratory in many schools. Stephen A. Douglas, on his death bed, in the old Tremont Hotel in Chi- cago, also embraced the Catholic Faith, and was buried from old St. Mary's (now at Wabash and Ninth Streets, Chicago). The funeral oration, which also was a classic, was delivered by Right Reverend James Duggan, D.D. fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Chicago. In an address delivered by William J. Onahan before the Illinois State Historical Society at Springfield, Illinois, on May 11, 1916, and published in Publication No. 22, of the Illinois State Historical Library, pp. 79-88, the distinguished citizen and Catholic, knighted by the Pope, said • 867 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS I remember sitting up in the Palace (the bishop's home) writing out the address of the Bishop (Right Reverend James Duggan) delivered at the grave of Stephen A. Douglas. Of course, the address I wrote was from the Bishop's notes or copy. It was scarcely known at the time or since that the Senator was received into the Church and baptized by Bishop Duggan. Mrs. Douglas was a Catholic and when in the city a regular attendant at Old St. Mary's, where I often saw her. She induced the Bishop to come to the Tremont House in the Senator's last hours and so it was that he had the grace of dying a Catholic. As this fact has been questioned, I may say I have the most unequivocal testimony of the truth of what I assert. The physician who was in attendance, Dr. Hay, afterwards for a long time my own physician, and a Sister of the Good Shepherd, who at the time was in the Tremont House and not then a religious, both corroborate my assertion. I stood near Bishop Duggan when he delivered the address when Doug- las was laid in his last resting place. The Douglas monument now surmounts the grave. Irish Characterized Theodore Calvin Pease, author of The Frontier State, the second volume of the Centennial History of Illinois, states that "In 1850 there were 28,000 Irish in Illinois. Their Celtic adaptability, fealty and enthusiasm tended to their rapid assimilation into the general population (P. 396). Respecting the English settlers, who at that time numbered 18,600, he says : "They were not the most happy and successful settlers. Adaptation to life on the prairies was difficult." Quoting Pooley, Settlement of Illinois : "Their minds were hampered with prejudices in favor of the customs and habits of the mother country which combined with the lack of those qualities that make good pioneers, kept the English from being classed with the suc- cessful settlers of the new country." (P. 397). Catholic and Non-Catholic It is not intended to give the impression that all the Irish in Illinois during the period here treated were practical Catholics. Many of them, due to prevailing conditions, were what we sometimes describe as "fallen away." Some were the descendants of "Conformists," the name given those who in the old country disclaimed Catholicity either to gain advantages or to escape penalties under English laws. It may be said, however, that up to near 1850, Irishmen who were not Catholics, with a very few exceptions, professed no other church affiliations. Two or three such exceptions that deserve notice may be mentioned. James Leman, the patriarch of a large family, was a thoroughbred Irishman who came with his considerable colony first to the "American Bottoms," as a part of the Mississippi Valley was then known, and afterwards removed to "New Design," as he named his new habitation. He and several of his followers and progeny were Baptists and worthy men, all of them. 868 THE LAITY Robert Scott, called familiarly "Turkey Hill Scott," from the place he and his colony dwelt, was also a Protestant Irishman and also a fine man. Zadoc Casey, who was Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, in 1830, was a Protestant Irishman, and reputed to be anti-Catholic, but his son, who came to live in Springfield, Illinois, and became a distinguished lawyer there, became a devout Catholic. Protestantism brought bigotry with it near the beginning of the nineteenth century and it survived with varying degrees of virulence to near the end of that century. Most of the sects, apparently with the view of helping their own church, gave a large part of their efforts to berating and belittling the Catholic Church. So severe were the denunciations of the Catholic Church, the Pope, the priests, the nuns and the laity, as well, that disrepute seemed at times to settle upon everything Catholic. Even the newspapers, the schools and what we call society tended to look with scorn upon Catholicity. The Catholics went along attending Mass, despite many hardships and in- conveniences, approaching the Sacraments, building churches, rectories, schools, hospitals, orphanages and homes, and earning a maintenance for themselves and their families. Were they ideal or perfect? No. Here, as elsewhere, there were and are — good, better and best, and bad, worse and worst Catholics. But the best were not as good as the Church and the worst were not beyond penance and pardon, and neither the best nor the worst could alter the perfection of the Church. It has been interesting to see this bigotry and prejudice slowly wear away. It is not all gone, but Illinoisans have seen the narrow-minded preacher dis- appear at the behest of sensible congregations. He has seen the Know-Noth- ings, the American Protective Association, and the Ku Klux Klan strut their noisy career and die. And he has lived to see the day when no well balanced man scoffs at the Catholic Church, its works, its officers, or its members. Summary Summing up, it is interesting to note that of the twenty-one Illinois gov- ernors now dead, ten were Irish, viz : Shadrach Bond, Edward Coles, John Reynolds, William L. D. Ewing, Thomas Carlin, Thomas Ford, Richard J. Oglesby, John M. Palmer, John M. Hamilton. Of these Carlin and Ford were of Catholic families. Governor William H. Bissell also was a Catholic. Several Irishmen from the southern part of Illinois have graced the Supreme Court of Illinois amongst them — John Reynolds, Thomas Reynolds, Thomas Ford, James Shields and John H. Mulkey. Of these, Ford, Shields and Mulkey were Catholics. Stephen A. Douglas also sat in the Supreme Court. Whilst we have made mention only of men who became prominent through political or other preferment or service, it is a fact that in every com- 869 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS munity worthy men have developed who were devoted to state and church with a proper love and solicitude for each. At one time we entertained the hope of at least naming these worthy char- acters and asked the pastors of the various parishes to list them for insertion in this history. We assume it was found difficult to select or discriminate, and but few such lists were returned. It has been a pleasure to read the fine trib- utes to parishioners paid by the few pastors who attempted this difficult task; such, for instance, as that of Monsignor Edward L. Spalding of Alton; Rev- erend J. A. M. Wilson, of Marshall and the Teutopolis foundation. Since, however, but a small number of parishes are covered by the data, it has been thought wise to include none. Perhaps when the centenary of the Dio- cese is observed, it may be possible to add this interesting feature. Because we have written at length with reference to the French and Irish in Illinois, our effort must not be construed as a neglect of other national ele- ments. We have repeatedly in the course of this work referred to the sterling worth and signal labors for the Church of the Germans. In those early days the Germans were more modest and retiring than the Irish and fewer of them came into public notice. Having been trained in the use of the German language it was of some difficulty to create and maintain intimate relations amongst their English speaking contemporaries. To be plain, they were slower about getting into politics, but they were steady and persistent, and in the long run gained their objective. In more recent times representatives of many nations have established themselves in the Diocese and are developing in a most gratifying manner. When the Centenary of the Diocese is celebrated, the record then compiled will no doubt contain many names that are neither French, Irish nor German. It is desired to state in connection with all that is above said that every fact in this Chapter stated has been verified by the writer, Joseph J. Thomp- son, and is incontrovertible. Should any reader wish to pursue a further study of the subjects treated, he will readily find in some one of the ten volumes of the Illinois Catholic Historical Review (the result of more than twenty -five years of research and study), indisputable authority in the way of original records, citations, etc., supported by copious foot notes. Indeed it is consid- ered no breach of modesty to suggest that in no other publication in the world may be found so complete an allocation of historical facts and proofs relating to the Church in any similar locality or connection. 870 INDEX For reasons which will be apparent to the reader, this Index is arranged in four divisions. The first is a general index; the second is an index of parishes; the third is an index of the schools, institutions and associations; and the fourth is an index of the illustrations under the subjects of groups, panels, and scenes. It would, of course, be more in keeping with the usual method of indexing to have one single index, but such an arrangement did not seem practical in this case. Attention is directed to the fact that the Clergy and the Soldiery are not indexed individually. This is explained and justified by the fact that the names and sketches of the Clergy appear alphabetically in the chapter devoted to them, and the names of the Service Men are given alphabetically in their chapter. Grouping the Parishes and the Schools, Institutions and Associations seems well justified since it would be confusing to mix them in the general index. Perhaps the most difficult of all to arrange was an index of the Illustrations — the Groups, Panels and Scenes. There were really no means of indexing these alphabetically since buildings and personages of different parishes and locations are found in a single group or panel or scene. The intent of the entire index is to facilitate location. Page Alleman, Rev. John G., O.P 135 Alton, diocese of 14 Churches and Pastors 145 The Church in 274 City of 272 Allouez, Rev. Claude Jean, Missionary.... 66 Angel Guardian Mission 1696 71 Badin, Rt. Rev. Stephen Theodore 117 Baltes, Rt. Rev. Joseph, D.D. Portrait of 377 Sketch 379 Bardstown, diocese of 101 Beaubois, Rev. Nicholas Ignatious, De, S.J., Illinois Missionary 75 Belleville, diocese of 14 Bineteau, Rev. Julien, S.J., Illinois Mis- sionary 71 Bishop, place in Church 15 Portrait Bishop Griffin, opposite 16 Pen pictures of Bishop 17 Estimate of Bishop Griffin 18 First Appointment 21 Keynote of policy 23 Installation ceremonies 24 Bissell William H., Governor of Illinois. Portrait opposite 830 Sketch 867 Boulinger, Rev. Joseph Ignatious Le, S.J., Illinois Missionary 74 Bouquet, spiritual presented to Pope 37 Brickwedde, Rev. Augustine Florent 133 Brute, Rt. Rev. Simon William Gabriel, Bishop of Vincennes 96 Builder, bishop as 51 Carroll, Rev. Michael 119 Cahokia, treaty at, Scene opposite 91 8 Page Cathedral — Exterior opposite 32 Interior opposite 41 Campaign for 52 Architect's description 57 Catholic Tolerance 113 Cavalier, Abbe Jean, In Illinois 87 Chicago, diocese of 12 Church in North America 9 In the United States 10 Church, first in Chicago 71 Church keeping pace with settlement....l04 Clergy, The Diocesan 621 With the Church Triumphant 622 In the Church Militant 712 Constantfne, arch of, opposite 9 Cusack, Rev. Thomas 130 Douay, Rev. Anastasius Franciscan 87 Douglas, Stephen A., U. S. Senator, Portrait opposite 830 Sketch 867 Drake, Samuel Adams, on Jesuits 64 Durbin, Rev. Elisha 119 Education, bishop's efforts for 41 Eucharistic Congress, Bishop Griffin's work for 47 Fischer, Rev. F. J 131 Foley, Very Rev. Msg'r M. J 61 Foreign Missions, fruits of 88 Fortmann, Rev. Joseph H 124 Franciscans, first in Illinois 83 Gibault, Rev. Peter, Great Missionary.... 95 Portrait opposite 144 Griffin, Rt. Rev. James A.: Laying of cornerstone — scene opposite 24 Visits Lincoln's Tomb 27 Giusti, Very Rev. Amos E 61 75 Page Banquet 29 Touring diocese 31 Gravier, Rev. James, S.J., Illinois Mis- sionary 68 Hennepin, Rev. Louis, Franciscan Mis- sionary 83 llickey, Very Rev. Msg'r Timothy, Portrait opposite 644 Sketch 645 Holy Family Mission at Cahokia 90 Ancient church, opposite 148 Hurley, Rev. Michael 125 Instruction, Catholic League 33 Janssen, Rt. Rev. John, D.D., Portrait, opposite 650 Jesuit College and Church, Scene, opposite 136 Joliet, Louis, Co-discoverer and Explorer with Father Marquette, Portrait of.. 70 Juncker, Rt. Rev. Henry Damian, D.D., Portrait, opposite 272 Sketch 275 Kane, Elias Kent, U. S. Senator, Portrait, opposite 830 Sketch 861 Kip, William Ingraham, bishop, On Jesuits 63 Kuenster, Rev. Joseph 129 Lafayette, Marquis De, Portrait, opposite 104 Laity, The 831 Lammert, Rt. Rev., portrait, opposite.... 63 Lefevre, Rev. Peter Paul 126 Lincoln, visit to tomb 48 Mangan, Rev. Thomas 123 Marest, Rev. Gabriel, S.J., Illinois Mis- sionary 72 McCabe, Rev. Thomas 121 McElhearne, Rev. Patrick J 120 Marquette, Rev. James, portrait, opposite 63 Journeys through Illinois 65 Martyrs, in Illinois 86 Melcher, Rt. Rev. Joseph, D.D 271 Missionaries and their fields of labor 106 Itinerant 117 Missions, the Illinois 63 Marquette — Establishing the Church — Scene, opposite 78 Marquette, Memorial, Harrison Tech- nical School 90 Membre, Zenobius, Franciscan Mission- ary 83 Meurin, Rev. Sebastian Louis, S.J., Illi- nois Missionary 80 Monk's Mound : 10° Mundelein, Cardinal, George William, Portrait, opposite 14 O'Regan, Rt. Rev. Anthony, Portrait, opposite 203 Sketch 207 Ostlangenberg, Rev. Gaspar Henry 127 Page Organization, Church 7 Parkman, Francis, historian on Jesuits.. 63 Peoria, diocese of 14 Pinet, Rev. Francois, S.J., Missionary.... 71 Pioneer Parishes 137 Popes, List of 7 Pius XI, Portrait, opposite 10 Prendergast, Rev. Michael 128 Press, Catholic 35 Protestantism, introduction of, bigotry. .110 Quarter, Rt. Rev. William, D.D., Portrait 203 Sketch 205 Quincy, diocese of 149 Church in 271 Quigley, Rev. Thomas, D.D 124 Rale, Rev. Sebastian, S.J., Illinois Mis- sionary 67 Rockford, diocese of 15 Rome, pilgrimage to 35 Ribourde, Rev. Gabriel de la, Francis- can Missionary 83 Ryan, Rev. John 126 Ryan, Rt. Rev. James, D.D., Portrait, opposite 451 Sketch 454 Saint Cyr, Rev. John Mary Irenaeus 121 Shields, James, Major General, Secre- tary of State and United States Senator from three states, opposite.. 830 Sketch 866 Sloan, Rt. Rev. Msg'r W. T., Portrait of 61 Soldiery, Diocesan 759 War Chaplains 760 Gold Stars 763 Wounded 764 Reported Dead 764 Died from effects of war 764 Roll of Honor 766 Stations visited in early days 203 St. Peter, portrait, opposite 8 Church in Rome, opposite 11 Spalding, Rt. Rev. Msg'r E. L., Portrait, opposite 32 Tarrent, Rt. Rev. Msg'r M. A., Portrait, opposite 52 Tucker, Rev. Hilary 132 Vahey, Rev. Joseph 125 Van de Velde, Rt. Rev. James Oliver, D.D. Group, opposite 203 Sketch 206 Vincennes, diocese of 103 Vocations, religious 34 Von Marogna, Rev. Charles, Joseph, Count 131 Walsh, Rev. Thomas 122 War Veterans, bishops work for 38 Watrin, Rev. Philibert, S.J., Illinois Missionary 79 Western Catholic Diocesan Newspaper....517 Office, opposite 520 876 PARISHES Page All Saints, White Hall 318 S Annunciation, Bunker Hill 256 S Assumption, Assumption 276 S Ascension, Mt. Olive 464 S Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, S Litchfield 313 S Blessed Sacrament, Springfield 507 S Forty Martyrs, Tuscola 335 S Holy Cross, Wilsonville 513 S Holy Family, Athens 473 S Holy Family, Cahokia 139 S Holy Trinity, Mt. Olive 495 S Holy Trinity, Stonington - 433 S Immaculate Conception, Carlinville 312 S Immaculate Conception, Cathedral par- S ish, Springfield 176 S Immaculate Conception, Mattoon 258 S Immaculate Conception, Shelbyville 326 S Mary Help of Christians, Chester 202 S Mother of Dolors, Vandalia 212 S Our Lady of Good Help, Monk's Mound. .143 S Our Lady of the Visitation, St. Phillippe 140 S Our Savior, Jacksonville 226 S Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, S Westwoods 290 S St. Agnes, Hillsboro 352 S St. Agnes, Springfield 459 S St. Aloysius, Bishop Creek 343 S St. Aloysius, Litchfield 445 S St. Anne Du Fort De Chartres 141 S St. Anne, Edgewood 332 S St. Ann, Niantic 465 S St. Anselem, Kampsville 420 S St. Athanasius, Roodhouse 407 S St. Alexius, Beardstown 174 S St. Aloysius, North Arm 199 S St. Anthony, Antonius 280 S St. Alexius, Beardstown 232 S St. Anthony, Effingham 294 S St. Augustine, Ashland 418 S St. Augustine of Canterbury, Heckner.... 145 S St. Barbara, Batchtown 490 S St. Barbara, Springfield 488 S St. Barbara, Witt 481 S St. Bartholomew, Murrayville 443 S St. Basil, Chandlerville 364 S St. Benedict, Auburn 440 S St. Bernard, Glenarm 231 S St. Boniface, Edwardsville 368 S St. Boniface, Quincy 150 S St. Brigid, Libertyville 219 S St. Catherine, Hagaman 484 S St. Catherine, Virden 347 S St. Cecilia, Glen Carbon 513 S St. Charles, Casey 426 S St. Clare, Altamont 411 S St. Charles, Charleston 340 S St. Columba, Sullivan 482 S St. Denis, Shipman 337 S St. Edward, Mendon 466 S St. Elizabeth, Marine 262 S Page . Elizabeth, Mitchell 384 . Elizabeth, Robinson 427 Elmo, Mission 479 Fidelis, Arenzville 313 . Francis, Cantrall 474 . Francis Xavier, Jerseyville 303 Francis de Sales, Moweaqua 473 Francis Solanus, Quincy 322 Francis, Teutopolis 185 Gertrude, Grantfork 381 Isadore, Bethany .". 331 Isadore, Farmersville 277 James, Decatur 413 James, Milstadt 202 James, Riverton 356 Jerome, Troy 375 John the Baptist, Areola 342 John, Black Jack 243 John the Evangelist, Carrollton 292 John, Coffeen 474 . John the Evangelist, Medora 493 . John the Baptist, Quincy 437 . Joseph, Benld 499 . Joseph, Bloomfield 328 . Joseph, Mission, Buffalo 441 . Joseph, Carlinville 351 . Joseph, Chatham 506 . Joseph, Granite City 476 . Joseph, Meppen 350 Joseph, Mt. Sterling 224 Joseph, Ramsey 386 Joseph, Springfield 416 Joseph, Prairie Du Rocher 141 Lawrence, Greenville 366 Libory, St. Libory 174 Louis, Nokomis 309 Mary, Alton 158 Mary, Brussels 233 Mary, Dieterich 235 Mary, Edwardsville 200 Mary of Help, Green Creek 300 Mary, Greenview 365 Mary, Lovington 509 Mary, Madison 494 Mary, Marshall 215 Mary, Mt. Sterling 221 Mary, Neoga 462 Mary, Pawnee 475 . Mary, Quincy 360 . Mary, Paris 308 . Mary, Pittsfield 239 . Mary, Shumway 430 . Mark, Venice 388 . Mark, Winchester 319 . Maurice, Morrisonville 385 . Michael, Mission, Beltrees 425 . Michael, Greenfield 324 . Michael, Hume 420 . Michael, Michael 339 . Michael, Siegel 357 . Michael, Paderborn 174 877 Page St. Michael, Mission, South Fork 441 St. Michael, Staunton 361 St. Nicholas, Mission, Pocahontas 398 St. Patrick, Alton 146 St. Patrick, Bluffs 406 St. Patrick, Decatur 241 St. Patrick, Mission, Girard 451 St. Patrick, Grafton 387 St. Patrick, Pana 304 St. Patrick, Ruma 145 St. Patrick, Springfield 483 St. Patrick, Tiptown 202 St. Patrick, Trowbridge 331 St. Paul, Highland 209 St. Peter, Petersburg 363 SS. Peter and Paul, Alton 248 SS. Peter and Paul, Alton 202 SS. Peter and Paul, Cathedral, Alton 249 SS. Peter and Paul, Collinsville 260 SS. Peter and Paul, Springfield 281 St. Peter, Quincy 329 St. Peter, Teutopolis 187 St. Phillip, East St. Louis 201 St. Raymond, Raymond 264 St. Rita, Kincaid 505 St. Rose of Lima, Montrose 435 St. Rose of Lima, Quincy 468 Page St. Stanislaus, Macon 472 St. Sebastian, Waverly 291 SS. Simon and Jude, Silver Creek 185 St. Thomas, Camp Point 326 St. Thomas, Decatur 511 St. Thomas the Apostle, Millstadt 157 St. Thomas, Newton 410 St. Valentine, Bend 493 St. Vincent de Paul, Springfield 486 Sacred Heart, Dalton 467 Sacred Heart, Divernon 484 Sacred Heart, Effingham 469 Sacred Heart, Franklin 449 Sacred Heart, Granite City 510 Sacred Heart, Hartford 511 Sacred Heart, Lillyville 422 Sacred Heart, Livingston 480 Sacred Heart of Mary, New Berlin 320 Sacred Heart, Oconee 399 Sacred Heart, Springfield 447 Sacred Heart, Villa Grove 486 Sacred Heart, Virden 497 Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Alexander 492 Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Illiopolis 349 SCHOOLS, INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS Quincy College, Quincy 520 Illustrations, opposite 521 Routt College, Jacksonville 526 St. Joseph College, Teutopolis 523 Illustrations, opposite 528 Ursuline Academy, Springfield 528 Illustrations, opposite 529 Ursuline Convent of the Holy Name, Alton 530 Notre Dame of Quincy 533 St. Theresa Academy, Decatur 537 Sacred Heart Academy, Springfield 538 Schools taught by Dominican Sisters.. ..541 Marquette High School, Alton 542 St. Joseph Hospital, Alton 545 St. John Hospital, Springfield 555 St. Joseph Hospital, Highland 561 St. Vincent Hospital, Taylorville 562 St. Elizabeth Hospital, Granite City 563 Huber Memorial Hospital, Pana 564 St. Anthony Infirmary, Alton 566 St. Anthony Hospital, Effingham 570 St. Francis Hospital, Litchfield 570 St. John Sanitarium, Springfield 571 Catholic Children's Home, Scene, op- posite 572 Interior, Scene, opposite 573 Scene outdoors, opposite 576 Scene Interior, opposite 577 Orphanage, Diocesan, Alton 573 St. Lawrence Soldiers' Home Chapel 581 St. Joseph Home, Quincy 582 St. Joseph Home for the Aged, Spring- field 583 St. John Girls' Home 585 Apostolate, The, Springfield 586 Faith, Society for the Propagation of 588 Mission Home of the Sacred Heart, Saint Marie 589 Social Work, Catholic 590 Charity, Ladies of 591 Boys' Brigade, The Catholic, Spring- field 593 Ancient Order of Hibernians 598 Central Verein 600 Western Catholic Union 603 Knights of Columbus 607 Catholic Order of Foresters 613 Women's 614 Catholic Daughters of America 616 Calvary Cemetery 618 Cemetery, Granite City, scene, opposite..620 878 GROUPS, PANELS AND SCENES Church Group opposite 32 Immaculate Conception Cathedral Build- ings — 1928. Group opposite 96 Early Non-Resident Bishops of Illinois. Most Reverend John Carroll, D.D., Arch- bishop of Baltimore, first Bishop in the United States; Right Reverend Benedict Joseph Flaget, D.D., first Bishop of Bards- town; Right Reverend Joseph Rosati, Bishop of St. Louis; Right Reverend Simon William Gabriel Brute, Bishop of Vincennes. Group opposite 137 Church of the Immaculate Conception. Founded by Reverend James Marquette, April 11, 1673, and Jesuit College, same title incorporated by the Government of France in 1711, as they appeared at Kaskaskia, Randolph County, in 1825. Group opposite 176 Beardstown — Rev. Jas. Ahem, Pastor, St. Alexius Church, Rectory Hall . . North Arm — St. Aloysius Church . . Virginia — Rectory, Rev. James O'Dwyer Pastor, St. Luke's Church . . . Edwards ville — St. Mary Church, Rev. C. A. O'Reil ly, Pastor . . . Teutopolis — Rectory School, St. Francis Church. Group opposite 177 Springfield— Cathedral (old) of The Im- maculate Conception Church, School, Rev. Louis Hufker, Rector, Rectory, Convent. Group opposite 203 Bishops and Archbishops of the Diocese of Chicago. Group opposite 208 Highland — St. Paul Church, Rev. A. M. Hohl, Ad., Rectory, Rev. J. DeChene (Dec'd) Former Pastor, School . . . Tay- lorville — Rev. E. J. Scanlon, Pastor, St. Bridget Church, Holy Name Society, Ladies Altar Society, Rectory . . . Mt. Sterling — St. Mary Church, Rectory, School, Sisters' Residence. Group opposite 232 Glenarm — St. Bernard Church . . . Jack- sonville — Rectory, Our Savior Church, Very Rev. F. F. Formaz, Pastor, School, Our Savior School, Routt Club, Liberty Hall . . . Dieterich — Rectory and St. Mary Church, Rev. Oscar J. W. Wernet, Pastor. Group opposite 240 Pittsfield — Rectory, Rev. Francis Curran, Pastor, Immaculate Conception Church . . . Brussels — Rectory, St. Mary Church, Rev. Henry B. Schnelten, Pastor, School, Sisters' Residence . . . Decatur — St. Pat- rick Church, School. Group opposite 241 Black Jack — St. John Church . . . Bunker Hill, Church of the Annunciation, Rev. C. T. Stoltz, Pastor . . . Mattoon— Im- maculate Conception Church, Rev. T. E. Cusack, Pastor. Group opposite 248 Alton — SS. Peter and Paul Church (old Alton Cathedral), Rectory, School, Rev. Terence Conley, Rector 1873-4, Rev. J. A. Sullivan, Ass't 1874-1880, Rev. Edward J. Walsh, Ass't 1888-1892, Rev. Paul W. Sims, Ass't 1893-6, Rev. Chas. J. Zwiesler, Rector 1876-88, Rev. Thos. M. Connolly, Ass't 1892-3, Rev. Wm. J. Healey, Ass't 1895-1900. Group opposite 264 Marine — St. Elizabeth Church, Rectory, Sisters' Residence, School . . . Raymond — St. Raymond Church, Rev. C. W. Op- penheim, Pastor . . . Collinsville — SS. Peter and Paul Church, Rectory, School. Group opposite 280 Assumption — Rectory, Rev. D. J. Higgins, Pastor, Church of the Assumption, Rec- tory . . . Springfield — SS. Peter and Paul Church and School, Rev. L. Riesen, Pas- tor , . . Antonius — Rev. Cyrinus Schneid- er, O.F.M., Pastor, St. Anthony School and Church. Group opposite 281 Farmersville — School, Rev. J. B. Franz, Ad., St. Mary Church . . . West Woods — St. Mary Church, Teacher's House, School . . . Waverly — St. Sebastian Church. Group opposite 296 Carrollton — St. John Church, Sisters' Residence, School . . . Effingham — St. Anthony Church, Interior, School, Sisters' Residence, Rectory, Monsignor Lam- mert's Golden Jubilee. Group opposite 297 Green Creek — Rev. Frederick Neveling, Pastor, Lady of Help Church, Old School, Rectory, New District School . . . Jersey- ville — Rectory, Rev. J. J. Clancy, Pastor, St. Francis Church, Sisters' Residence. Group opposite 304 Pana — St. Patrick Church, Rev. J. P. Moroney, Pastor, School ... St. Mary Church, Rectory, School, Rev. J. Cronin, Pastor . . . Whitehall — All Saints Church . . . Arenzville — St. Fidelis Church. Group opposite 312 Nokomis — St. Louis Church, Rev. C. Jo- hannes, Pastor, Old Church, School . . . Litchfield — Interior of St. Mary Church, St. Mary School, Rectory . . . New Ber- lin — Sacred Heart of Mary Church, School, Rectory . . . Winchester — S t . 879 Mark Church, Rev. M. J. O'Mullane, Pastor. Group opposite 320 Quincy — St. Francis Solanus Church, School, College and Rectory, Rev. Optatus Loefler, O.F.M., Pastor . . . Immaculate Conception Church and Rectory . . . Camp Point — St. Thomas Church and groups of Holy Name and Altar Societies . . . Greenfield — St. Michael Church, Rec- tory, Rev. Michael Enright, Pastor . . . Bloomfield — St. Joseph Church. Group opposite 328 Quincy — Rev. J. J. Driscoll, Pastor St. Peter Church, Rev. Peter McGirr (Dec'd), and Rev. John P. Kerr (Dec'd), former Pastors, School and Sisters' Residence . . . Bethany — St. Isidore Church and Rectory, Rev. C. J. Fanning, Pastor . . . Meppen — St. Joseph Church, Rev. S. C. Schawwecker, Pastor, Rectory, Sisters' Residence. Group opposite 336 Tuscola — Rev. J. P. Jordan, Pastor, Forty Martyrs, Church, Rectory . . . Shipman — Rectory, Rev. Joseph McKeogh, Pastor, St. Denis Church . . . Michael — Rev. Michael Sheehy, Pastor, St. Michael Church, First Church, Building, Rectory. Group opposite 337 Areola — St. John Church . . . Charleston — Rectory, Rev. J. J. Connolly, Pastor, St. Charles Church . . . Bishop Creek — Rev. Eugene Hagedorn, O.F.M., Pastor, St. Aloysius Church, Rectory, School . Virden — St. Catherine Church and Rec tory, Rev. Geo. J. Kennedy, Pastor . . Illiopolis — Visitation B. V. M. Church Rectory. Group opposite 352 Carlinville — St. Joseph School, Rectory, Rev. William Michael, Pastor, St. Joseph Church, Rectory . . . Hillsboro — St. Ag- nes Church and Rectory, Rev. J. M. Hes- lin, Pastor . . . Paloma — Rectory, St. Joseph Church and School, Rev. C. J. Flori, Pastor. Group opposite 358 Sigel — Rectory, School, Rev. George E. Faller, Pastor, St. Michael Church . . . Quincy — St. Mary Old School, New School, Rev. F. A. Niebling, Pastor, St. Mary Church, Rectory . . . Staunton — St. Michael Church, Rev. P. H. Master- son, Pastor, Sisters' Residence, Old Church, School. Group opposite 368 Edwardsville— School, Rev. E. J. Eck- hard, Pastor, St. Boniface Church, Rec- tory, Sisters' Residence, Rev. F. D. Metzler, former Pastor . . . Island Grove — Rev. George M. Nell, Pastor, St. Jo- seph Church, Rectory, Group of Old Residents . . . Troy — Rectory, St. Jerome Church. Group opposite 385 Grantfork — Rectory, School, Rev. J. B. Wardein, Pastor, Teachers Residence and St. Gertrude Church . . . Morrisonville — St. Maurice Church, Rev. P. P. McGuin- ness, Pastor, School and Rectory . . . Mitchell — Rectory, St. Elizabeth's Church, Rev. Peter Kaenders, First Pas- tor, Rev. Timothy McKeogh, Pastor. Group opposite 400 Ramsey — St. Joseph Church, Rev. August Forstwe, Pastor . . . Pocahontas — St. Nicholas Church, Pioneer Residents . . . Oconee — Sacred Heart Church, Rev. Jo- seph Reis, Pastor, Rectory, Former Pastors, School and Sisters' Residence . . . Roodhouse — St. Athanasius Church . . . Grafton — St. Patrick Church and Rectory. Rev. M. J. Cummings, Pastor. Group opposite 416 Decatur — St. James' School, Church, Rec- tory, Rev. J. Spaeth, Rt. Rev. L. W. Lammert, Rev. A. Teppe, former Pastors, and Rev. F. J. Ostendorf, present Pastor . . . Springfield — St. Joseph Church, Rev. P. J. O'Reilly, Pastor, St. Joseph School, Rectory. Group opposite 417 Hardin — St. Norbert Church, Rev. Daniel Daly, Pastor, Old Church . . . Altamont —St. Clare Church, Rev. J. P. Walsh, Pastor . . . Newton— St. Thomas Church, St. Thomas School, Rev. J. Lupton, Pas- tor, First Church, Teachers Residence, Rectory. Group opposite 424 Ashland — St. Augustine Church, Rev. D. O'Brien, Pastor, Hall and Rectory . . . Kampsville — Rev. A. J. Bleser, Pastor, School, St. Anselem Church, Convent and Rectory . . . Lillyville — School, Rev. Wm. A. Pachlofer (Dec'd), former Pastor, Sacred Heart Church, Rectory, Oldest and Largest Family in Parish. Group opposite 432 Casey — St. Charles Church . . . Shum- way — Annunciation B. V. M. . . . Gil- lespie — SS. Simon and Jude Church, Rev. John Crosson, Pastor, School and Rec- tory . . . Montrose — St. Rose Church. Group opposite 440 Quincy — St. John Convent, Rev. Joseph Postner, Pastor, School, Rectory, School, Church . . . Auburn — Rectory, Rev. D. J. Quinn, Pastor, St. Benedict Church . . . South Fork — St. Michael Church . . . Buffalo — St. Joseph Church. Group opposite 448 Murrayville- — St. Bartholomew Church, Rev. C. S. Bell, Pastor . . . Girard— St. Patrick Church . . . Litchfield— St. Aloy- 880 sius Church, Rev. A. J. Stengel, Pastor . . . Springfield — Sacred Heart School, Parish Hall, Rectory, Rev. W. L. Quat- man, Pastor, Sacred Heart Church, Convent. Group opposite 464 Springfield — St. Agnes School, Rectory, Rev. J. J. Howard, D.D., Pastor, St. Ag- nes Church . . . Neoga — St. Mary Church, Rev. M. J. Crowley, Pastor . . . Niantic — St. Anne Church. Group opposite 465 Mt. Olive — Ascension Church and Rec- tory, Rev. L. L. McDonald, Pastor . . . Mendon — St. Edward Church . . . Dalton City — Sacred Heart Church, Rev. P. D. Curran, Pastor . . . Quincy — St. Rose of Lima Church, Rev. J. P. Brennan, Pastor, Rectory, School, Convent. Group opposite 468 Effingham — Sacred Heart Church and School, Rev. Daniel Doyle, Pastor, Rec- tory, Auditorium . . . Moweaqua — St. Francis de Sales Church . . . Macon — St. Stanislaus Church and Rectory, Rev. Michael Donohoe, Pastor. Group opposite 469 Pierron — School of The Immaculate Con- ception and Church, Rev. A. G. Kunsch, Pastor, with Sisters' House and Rectory below . . . Athens — Holy Church, Rev. M. J. Davis, Pastor. Group opposite 476 Coffeen — St. John Church and Rectory . . . Pawnee — Rev. J. J. Murnane, Pastor, St. Mary Church and Rectory . . . Gran- ite City — St. Joseph Church, School, Very Rev. D. J. Ryan, Pastor, Rectory, Sisters' Residence. Group opposite 480 St. Jacob — St. James Church ... St. Elmo — St. Mary Church . . . Hume — St. Michael Church, Rev. M. J. O'Plaherty, Pastor . . . Jerseyville — Holy Ghost Church, Rev. J. H. Gramke, Pastor, Rectory. Group opposite 481 Livingston — Sacred Heart Church, School, Rectory . . . Witt — Rectory, Rev. B. N. Manning, Pastor, and St. Barbara Church . . . Springfield — St. Patrick Church, Rev. Thos. Fennessy, Pastor, Rectory, and Hagaman — St. Catherine Church. Group opposite 484 Divernon — Sacred Heart Church, Rev. Timothy Smith, Pastor, Rectory . . . Villa Grove — Sacred Heart Church, St. Vincent de Paul Church, Springfield, Rev. John Czuberkis, former Pastor, Rev. Ignatius Kershevich, former Pastor, Rev. S. O. Yunker, Pastor . . . Batchtown — Rev. J. L. Marley, Pastor, Rectory and St. Barbara's Church . . . Medora — St. John Church. Group opposite 496 Springfield — St. Barbara Church, Rectory and School, Auditorium, Rev. E. A. Burtle, Ad. . . . Alexander — Rev. F. A. Lucius, Pastor, Visitation B. V. M. Church and Rectory . . . Brighton — St. Alphonsus Church, Rectory and Hall, Rev. P. J. Mal- loy, Pastor. Group opposite 497 Madison— Old Church, Rev. D. L. Scully, Pastor, New Church and School . . . Mt. Olive— Holy Trinity Church, Rev. C. F. Knapareh, Pastor, School . . . Virden — Rectory, Sacred Heart Church, Rev. J. Dolack, Pastor. Group opposite 500 Benld — Rectory, Rev. Geo. M. Link, Pas- tor, St. Joseph Church . . . Lovington— St. Mary Church . . . Panama — Sacred Heart Church . . . Wood River — St. Ber- nard Church and School, Rev. E. J. Doug- las, Pastor, Rectory. Group opposite 501 Brockton — St. Thomas Church . . . Chat- ham — St. Joseph Church . . . Kincaid — St. Rita Church and School . . . Decatur — St. Thomas Church and School, Rev. Andrew Smith, Pastor . . . Granite City — Rev. Michael Costello, Pastor, Sacred Heart Church and School. Group opposite 512 Springfield — Blessed Sacrament, Tempo- rary Church, Charles J. Wetterer and West Rourke, First Trustees, Rectory, School, Mr. and Mrs. Colgan, Benefactors . . . Hartford — Sacred Heart Church, lo- cated in Store Building . . . Glen Carbon — St. Cecelia Church, also showing Dedi- cation. Group opposite 544 Alton — St. Joseph Hospital . . . Granite City — St. Eliazbeth Hospital . . . Spring- field — St. Joseph Home for the Aged. Group opposite 548 Quincy — St. Mary Hospital, Nurses and Sisters' Homes, Rev. Columban Valentin, O.F.M., Chaplain . . . Jacksonville — Our Savior Hospital . . . Ste. Marie — Mother House, Society of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. Group opposite 556 Springfield — St. John Hospital, Rev. J. C. Straub, Director, Rev. J. L. Gatlon, As- sistant, St. John Sanitarium, near Spring- field, Chapel . . . Decatur — St. Mary Hos- pital, Rev. J. J. Dougherty, Chaplain. Group opposite 564 Effingham — St. Anthony Hospital, Rev. James Heslin, Chaplain . . . Litchfield — St. Francis Hospital . . . Taylorville — St. Vincent Hospital, Rev. M. Ryan, Chap- 881 lain . . . Alton — St. Anthony Infirmary . . . Highland — St. Joseph Hospital . . . Pana — Huber Memorial Hospital. Group opposite 580 Alton — New Ursuline Convent and Mother House, Rev. J. R. Molony, Chaplain, No- vitiate, Old Ursuline Convent . . .Quincy — St. Joseph Home for Girls, Dining Room. Group opposite 612 Springfield — Catholic Instruction League . . . Children's Mission, 1927. Group opposite 613 Catholic Instruction League, Children's Missions, 1927 — Carlinville . . . Gillespie . . . Divernon . . . Benld. Group opposite 616 Benld— Confirmation Class— 1927. Group opposite 700 Group of Diocesan Clergy. (See reverse side for names.) Group opposite 704 Group of Priests present at the dougle Golden Jubilee of the Very Reverend F. H. Zabel and Reverend H. J. Hoven, October 17, 1911, at the Church of The Immaculate Conception, Springfield, Illi- nois. Group opposite 712 In the Church Triumphant. Rev. C. Sommer, Rev. Francis Recouv- reur, Bishop James Ryan, Rev. P. Peters, Rev. P. O'Halloran and Rev. A. Zurbon- sen, all dead. This picture was taken at Staunton, 111., September 29, 1895. Group opposite 713 Rev. Bernice Aschenbach, O.F.M., Asst. St. Francis, Quincy; Rev. E. A. Burtle, Ad., St. Mary, Alton . . . Very Rev. H. B. Dengenhardt, R.D., St. Boniface, Quincy; Rev. Joseph E. Drackert, Ass't St. Pat- rick, Pana; Rev. J. J. Driscoll, Pastor St. Peter, Quincy; Rev. J. A. Duval, Chaplain, Catholic Children's Home, Al- ton; Rev. Joseph Enright, Ass't Blessed Sacrament, Springfield; Rev. Isidore Fos- selman, O.F.M., Teutopolis. Group opposite 737 Quincy — Notre Dame Academy, Grotto, Library, Auditorium . . . Quincy — St. Vincent's Home for the Aged, Rev. C. Krechenburg, Chaplain, Cemetery. 882 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA 3 0112 064991034