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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