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4 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.)