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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
He must insist on all or be willing to give up all.
It is not a matter for “fair” dealing, but a question of
rearing the child in the faith “delivered to the Saints”.
“Suffer little children to come unto Me and forbid
them not,” said Our Lord. But who. 0 Lord, for
bids them as they would forbid them who know and
believe Thy Holy Faith and teach it not to them!
But what if the non-Catholic believes that his is the
faith of Christ? If he believes that firmly and with
out any sort of doubt, so that he would surrender
everything else, even life, rather than give up his
belief, nothing on earth could induce him to promise
to rear his children in another religion than his own.
In such a case there could be no marrying a Catholic.
The Catholic would respect a conviction like that
but it could not change his faith or his duty. He
MUST rear his children Catholics. It would be no
balm to his own conscience that the conscience of his
spouse might insist on another course. And here,
therefore, would be a household in conscience di
vided, with the children a cause of unyielding con
tention, or else, a source of anxiety and doubt to
the parent who against his faith and conscience should
yield.
Such a household could never know that innei
peace which is happiness and joy to the heart, a
crown and glory to the Christian home. The Cath
olic Church shows both wisdom and kindness in re
quiring those mixed marriage promises to be made.
HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF THE
PARISH OF ST. JOHN THE
BAPTIST, SAVANNAH, GA.
By VERY REV. JOS. D. MITCHELL, V. G.
The Early Missionary Labors of Father Le Mercier
Father le Mercier did not remain long in Savannah
on the occasion of his first visit in October, 1 796, for
the old records show that in November of that year
he went to the Locust Grove settlement, and he seems
to have intended to make that his permanent head
quarters, with Savannah and Augusta as out-missions.
This is borne out by the records of Bishop England
who, writing in 1832, states that Father le Mercier
remained with the Maryland colony for eighteen
months before locating permanently in Savannah.
Having been appointed to Georgia by Bishop Carroll
it is quite probable that it was the intention of the
Bishop to furnish a priest to the Maryland Catholics
in Warren and Wilkes Counties. Perhaps the good
Bishop was not aware that in Savannah and Augusta
there were little groups of Catholics who needed
priests to attend them no less than the faithful chil
dren of Maryland who had left their native State in
1 790. However that may be, the records show that
Father le Mercier made the Locust Grove settlement
the center of his missionary work until May of 1 798,
making occasional visits to Augusta and Savannah
during that period. From this time onward Savannah
became his headquarters, although he still went oc
casionally to the old colony, stopping in Augusta on
his way. Bishop England explains this change by
stating that another French priest by the name of
Sujet came to Locust Grove at this time and remained
for about seventeen months, when he returned to
France. Locust Grove was without a regular pastor
from that time until 1810 when the Rev. Robert
Browne became pastor of Augusta and attended the
Locust Grove colony from that place for a year or
two.
The first record of Father le Mercier in the Mary
land settlement is dated Nov. 13th, 1796, and con
sists of the baptism of Ignatius, “the lawful son of
Aquila Scott, Esq. and Henrietta Semmes”, born on
April 15th, 1796. Then follows an interesting series
of records of baptism, marriages, and also fune
ral services performed at the graves of those who had
died in the colony before his arrival. There is nc
distinction made in the care and attention shown the
spiritual needs of the members of the colony and the
negro slaves owned by them—all received the minis
trations of the priest. As in Savannah and Augusta,
the owners and members of their families frequently
stood as god-parents to the children of their slaves—■
an evidence of the kindly relationship existing at that
period.
The names that appear on the records, signed by
the persons who bore them are: Aquila Scott, John
Gilpin, Mary Semmes, Ignatius Semmes, Elizabeth
Thompson. James Thompson, Ann O’Brien, Mary
Martha Maguire, James Parks, Basil Jones, Thomas
Luckett,—all pioneer Catholic settlers of the old colo
ny from Maryland. Judging from the ages of the chil
dren baptised, and the dates of deaths mentioned, it is
evident that some priest must have attended these peo
ple not later than I 794—perhaps the Abbe le Moine,
perhaps the Rev. Mr. O’Reilly; Bishop England judg
ed that the colony was not settled until 1 794, but this
is inaccurate—for the old traditions are positive that
the Maryland settlers came to Georgia in 1 790.
The first record made in Augusta is dated Nov.
28th, 1796—the burial of Louis Charles Magnan,
whose body was interred “in the Episcopalian grave
yard.” He was a native of San Domingo and his
relatives seem to have been the leading Catholics at
that time in the little congregation then forming in
Augusta.
Dec. 1 796 finds Father le Mercier in Washington,
Wilkes Co., and afterwards at “Mount Pomona”, War
ren County—all parts of the Maryland colony. The
good priest remained in these various places until
July 21st, 1797 when we find him again in Augusta
and one week later he is on a second visit to Savan
nah. His stay here was not very long, for the records
show him in Augusta again on August 16th, on a
return trip and Sept. 23rd he is back in Mount
Pomona.
The next Savannah record is dated May 20th, 1 798
after which he seems to have remained here per
manently, although the records show another visit tc
Mount Pomona in November of that year. There
(Continued on Page 1 5.)