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I
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA 13
War of 1812. He was a man of culture and refine
ment, and was held in universal esteem.
Another prominent member of the early congre
gation was Don Emanuel Ringel, Vice-Consul to ‘‘His
Catholick Majesty, the King of Spain.” He was mar
ried to Mary Jones, daughter of Wimberley Jones,
and lived at “Wormsloe” on Isle of Hope. The bap
tism of their children occurs on the old book, with
the burial services of some of them in the family
burying ground on the old estate. Mary Jones Rin
gel died on the 20th day of March, 1803 and was
buried at Wormsloe the following day, the burial
record being in the hand-writing of Father le Mer-
cier and witnessed by him and also by Thomas Gray,
John Glen, Wimberley Jones and George Jones. In
this record Don Emanuel Ringel is mentioned as
representing “His Catholick Majesty, the King of
Spain” in North and South Carolina and Georgia.
Don Emanuel Ringel was one of those who organized
the first congregation with Father le Mercier, and
was one of the first trustees elected by the people
in 1799.
Pierre Constantin, whose name appears twice, was
a native of Toulouse, Province of Languedoc. He
was born in 1736 and died in Savannah in 1811. He
was one of the Grenediers in the French army of
Rochambeau at the taking of Yorktown, and after
the War he returned to France and then went to
San Domingo, whence he was forced to flee with his
family about 1801 during the Insurrection. He was
decorated by the Government for bravery during this
insurrection and the medal is still preserved by his
descendants in Savannah. He went to Philadelphia,
with many other refugees from the Island, where
his son was born and then moved to Savannah. The
family of Constantin (now spelled Constantine)
drifted away from the Church after his death, but
afterwards returned through inter-marriage with
the Irish—something not uncommon in the history
of the Church in our country.
These are only a few of the people who formed the
early congregation of Savannah. There are many
other names, both Irish and French, who were prom
inent in their day,—Blois, de Segur, Guenin, Con-
nerat, Delannoy, Catonet, Dollaghan, O’Keefe, Mur
phy, Callaghan, etc. But the above will suffice for
the reader to get some idea of the atmosphere under
which the first Church was founded and continued
until the coming of Bishop England in 1821.
Among the signatures of prominent persons not
members of the congregation, may he mentioned the
following:
William Stephens, Noble Jones, Joseph Clay,
Ralph Clay, John Habersham, John Pooler, Levi
Sheftall, Thomas Gray, John P. Williamson, James
E. Houstoun, Sampson Neyle, Thomas Spalding, J.
J. Blanchard, William Scarborough, William Gaston,
Joseph Minis, Thomas U. P. Charlton, Matthew
McAllister, and Charles Harris. These, and many
others, signed their names as witnesses to baptisms
and marriages, and also appear as attendants at
funeral services.
WHY A GEORGIA METHODIST MINIS
TER ENTERED THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH
(Continued from Page 4)
all the past centuries, that her teachings and discip
line have ever been the same. His proofs were so
true and logical that the evidence was overwhelming.
I could not withstand it. After all there was indeed
and there has always been, “One Holy Catholic
Apostolic Church,” and that church was Rome. I,
too, was certain that the Gnostics, Arians, Mon-
anists, Donatist, and all the other heretical sects,
were in their day and time, what schismatics, Angel-
icans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, are today
in their relation to the one true Church, viz: heretics.
The Heart vs. the Intellect.
Now while I have been describing the intellectual
influence which was brought to bear upon my mind,
I have said nothing about the struggle of my heart;
it often happens that one’s intellect is convinced
long before the heart is willing to yield assent. All
this light which had come to me plunged my heart
and soul into the greatest anguish; for I say so
clearly that if Rome was what she claimed to be,
there was nothing left for me to do but to become
either a Roman Catholic or turn my back upon the
light. Blit how could I dare turn against the light?
Ever since I had given myself to Christ at nineteen
years of age, I had never retracted it, and I had
never refused to do God’s holy will when convinced
of it—in a word, I had never sinned against light.
Would I dare do if now? And if I should, what
would become of my immortal soul? No, I could
not afford to do that; for I had loved and served
Him all my life and He had always been, 0. so good
to me. Moreover, if I could find His true Church, I
wanted to become a member of that Church and
that alone.
In that state of mind I had no one to whom I could
turn for counsel and comfort, as I was in the interior
of China, and I could not conveniently visit a Cath
olic priest without giving rise to suspicions concern
ing my tendencies towards Roman doctrines. Be
sides, in several friendly discussions with my fellcw-
missionaries in reference to the need of some au
thority in religious questions, I saw that discussion
did no good, but rather irritated them. For they
were so thoroughly imbued with spiritual indepen
dence and the principles of “free examination” that
they could not bear to hear of such a thing as re
ligious authority outside of one’s self.
This was in the spring of 1914. I looked forward
to the time of vacation, when I should be able to go
to Shanghai and have time and opportunity of dis
cussing matters with a Catholic priest. For, in fact,
I had now read and studied until I was in need of
some competent person to whom I could propose va
rious difficulties and objections; I must go to some
well-instructed Catholic, for I well knew the futility
of talking with Protestants, as I was (I say it with
out boasting) as well informed as the majority of
them and even better so, on many questions which
were bothering me.
The Contact With Rome.
When summer came I refused all invitations to go
with friends to Moh Kon Shan, the summer resort of
the missionaries; and instead engaged a room and
board at a place in Shanghai, where I could be quiet
to read and reflect and pray. I was fully determined
to know the truth if it were possible, cost what it
might. The day after my arrival in Shanghai I vis
ited St. Joseph’s Church and asked to see the pastor
or Father in charge. I was introduced to the Rev.
Peter Bornand, S. J. He was a Swiss and spoke
besides French, German, and English, and for that
reason, among others, had been placed in charge of
St. Joseph’s, in order that he might minister to the
varied community of foreigners such as is found in
a cosmopolitan city like Shanghai. He was most
affable and kind. I told him him frankly that I had
been studying for some time the claims of the Roman
Catholic Church and wished to continue; did he have
any useful literature he could let me have? He said
yes, and that it would be more useful still to have a
talk together now and then, so that I might expose
to him my difficulties, which he would try and solve
the best he could. I soon saw that he Was thoroughly
sincere and candid, and had no desire to conceal