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JULY 22. 1933
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
FIVE
Pre-Oglethorpean Georgia
Essay of Miss Ellen O’Donnell, Winner in Essay Competi
tion Sponsored by the Atlanta Catholic Club of
Business and Pr ofessional Women
(The following essay, written by
Miss Ellen O’Donnell, on “XheCath
olie Influence in Georgia Trior to
1733,” was awarded first prize in the
annual essay competition of the At
ianta Club of Business and Profes
sinal Women; the subject chosen
this year was suggested by the fact
that this is Georgia’s Bicentennial
year. Miss O’Donnell, who is the
daughter of Mrs. A. J. O’Donnell, of
Atlanta, a granddaughter of Mrs.
John Corrigan and a niece of the
Misses Gertrude and Regina Corri
gan, was a member of this year's
graduating class at Sacred Heart
School, Atlanta, and the prize, a
beautiful pin, was awarded at the
commencement exercises).
By ELLEN O’DONNELL
Few of us are aware that Geor
gia's history prior to the coming of
Oglethorpe in 1733, is quite as long
as her history since his arrival. One
of the most interesting and least-
known chapters in the annals of
early Georgia is the story of the
Spanish missions and the efforts of
the Jesuit, Dominican and Francis
can fathers to Christianize the In
dians. Spanish missions flourished
on the Golden Isles of Guale, as the
fertile islands along the coast were
called, as early as the sixteenth cen
tury, antedating by half a century
the arrival of the English at James
town The islands derived their
name from an Indian chieftain,
Guale. His name was first applied
only to an island near the mainland,
but gradually it came to include the
entire coast from the St. John's
River, in Florida, to Santa Elena
Island, just off the Carolina coast.
The Spaniards, enchanted by their
beauty and fertility, called te isl
ands “golden”. And golden they in
deed were, for within a short time
the missionaries had them aglow
with groves of oranges, lemons, figs,
olives and pomgranates.
These early missionaries were sub_
jected to all the hardships known to
intrepid people in an alien land. The
friendship of the Indians was not
easily gained, nor without depriva
tion, loss of health, and even life it
self.
The history of Spanish Georgia be
gins with the founding of a military
garrison on Santa Catalina by Men-
endez, the Spanish explorer. Both
Church and State were anxious to
extend the dominion of Spanish pow
er and with it the spread of Cathol
icism. Philip II. the Spanish king,
knew from the futile expeditions of
Ponce de Leon and De Soto that the
Atlantic coast offered no wealth of
gold and silver; nevertheless he
thought it worthwhile to raise his
flag in this unknown country, and to
plant the cross beside it. And so it
came about that as early as 1566 mis
sions were established on the islands
of the Georgia coast and the conver
sion of the Indians began.
settlement of Yoa above the mouth
of the Altamaha. Father Lopez won
fame for his work on San Pedro lisl-
and, but the most ardent of all these
early Franciscans was Father Rey
noso, who journeyed from Santa El-
na to all the islands and thence to
Spain to raise funds and bring back
other missionaries.
The Franciscans, too, had many
hardships, but there were compen
sations. The climate of the islands
was delightful, mild in winter and
moderated in summer by cool
breezes from the ocean. The native
fishermen caught shrimps, crabs,
turtles and a wide variety of fish,
while the hunters shot deer and wild
turgey. Figs, oranges, and pome-
granites, planted by the first mis
sionaries, flourished, and the good
fathers must have thought that this
land was an eartly paradise.
The peaceful life of the islands was
soon disturbed by the French, who
came in an effort to dispute Spain’s
claim to this region. In and out
among the islands floated the ban
ners of the fleur-de-lis and each
river received a French name in
place of the Spanish one it had prev
iously borne. The French felt bit
terly toward the Spaniards and plot
ting with the Indians, they soon
threw the whole district into disor
der. x,
History tells us that the first la
borers for our Lord were - Jesuits,
and their work was baptized in
blood. Father Peter Martinez with
his companions. Father John Rogel
and Brother Francis Villareal, led
. the way. They arrived at San Pedro
(Cumberland) Island, and imme
diately upon landing spied a group
of natives. Father Martinez advanced
to meet the Indians, who proved to
be hostile. The good missionary fell
to the ground, pierced by an arrow,
but his companions managed to es
cape in a small boat to the Spanish
fort at San Mato, The martyrdom
of Father Martinez only inspired
other Jesuits to hurry across the sea.
Among those who came, were Broth
er Domingo Augustin and Brother
Rejro Ruiz. Brother Domingo was
an expert linguist and within six
months had translated the Catechism
and published a grammar in the Ya-
mnssee tongue. Thus, the first
grammar ever written in the United
States was prepared on Georgia soil.
The Jesuits built chapels and
schools and extended the r activities
westward as far as the Apalachicola
and thence northward along the
banks of the Chattahoochee to the
present site of Columbus. The work
was difficult and dangerous, and
from the natives there was little or
no response. As preaching proved fu
tile another plan was tried, that of
teaching the Indians agr culture.
They had made some progress, suf
ficient to excite favorable hopes,
when suddenly their natural fickle
ness prevailed and the- Indians de
serted their new homes and culti
vated fields and returned to the
woods. Within four years half the
missionaries had been killed and
only four infants and three dying
adults had been baptized. The mis
sions were soon abandoned and the
priests returned to Cuba.
An even more serious disaster
threatened. Like the Dominican
misisons of Santo Domingo, the
Franciscan misison suffered an at
tack at the hands of Sir Francis
Drake in his raid of the Georgia
coast. The danger passed, however,
and by the end of the century the
missions had prospered and become
so important that five more friars
were assigned to Guale. They work
ed unceasingly on San Pedro, Jekyl,
St. Simon’s, Sapelo and Santa Cata
lina Islands, as well as on the main
land. Encouraged by the success of
their labors, plans were made to ex
tend the work of conversion into the
interior. Two fearless pioneers,
Father Chogas and Father Vilasco,
journeyed eight days on horseback to
the Creek villages on the upper Al
tamaha, Oconee and Ocmulgee riv
ers. They were favorably received
stayed for some time, and made
plans for the erection of mission
posts.
Italian Fliers
Attend Mass of
T hanksgiving
Holy Father Sends
Blessing and Con
gratulations
(By N. C. W. C. News Service)
C HI C A G O—General Halo
Balbo and his 96 companions,
who manned the Italian air
fleet of 24 planes which last
Saturday completed the 6,106
mile flight from Orbetello,
Italy, to the Century of Prog
ress Exposition here, on Sunday
attended a solemn Mass of
thanksgiving in the Cathedral
of the Holy Name, where there
was. read a message from His
Holiness Pope Pius XI convey
ing his Apostolic Blessing and
wishing the aviators a safe re
turn to their homeland.
The Holy Father's massage,
conveyed through His Eminence
George Cardinal Mundelein,
Archbishop of Chicago, and
signed by His Eminence
Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, Papal
Secretary of State, read as fol
lows:
“Please extend to General
Balbo and his companions, to
gether with the congratulations
of the Holy Father, also his
blessing. His Holiness prays
that the divine help invoked by
them at the beginning of their
journey may be continued for
the happy return of the heroic
trans-Atlantic fliers.”
It was at this time, when their
prospects were brightest, that disas
ter overtook the Franciscans. The
two missionaries had just returned
from the interior when an uprising
broke out among the Indians, Juan,
a young Indian chieftain, incensed
by the restraints imposed on him by
Father Corpa, and further enraged
by a public reprimand for the im
moral life he had been leading, or
ganized an attack against the mis
sions. Their first victim was Father
Corpa. This taste of blood aroused
the ferocity of the natives who
swept from Santa Catalina south
ward to St. Simon's sacking, burn
ing and destroying every Spanish
settlement. All the priests won the
crown of martyrdom save Father
Davilla who was wounded and car
ried off into captivity. The Indians
on the island of San Pedro alone
remained faithful. The arrival of a
hundred and fifty Spanish soldiers
brought aid and secured its safety.
The island served as a nucleus from
which the ravaged missions and de
stroyed chapels were rebuilt, and
soon the peaceful tones of the ange-
lus echoed again through Georgia
forests. Soon Father Davilla was
newed their allegiance.
At about the same time the Jesuits
aeturned to Cuba, the Dominicans
established Santo Domingo mission
on St. Simon’s Island. They were
short-lived, however, for in 1586 Sir
Francis Drake, the English sea rover,
destroyed all the settlements along
the coast and the little Dominican
mission did not escape. All the
priests were killed and after that no
Dominicans returned to Guale.
Meanwhile, the Little Brothers of
f*■ Francis had answered the call to
charge of the Guale misisons,
and theirs was the most lasting and
effective work. Churches were built
on Santa Catalina Island and at the
The following year the missions
had become so important that Philip
III, agreed to arrange to have Bishop
Cabezas of Cuba sent to pay a per
sonal visit to the Guale missions,
and confirm the thousands of In
dians who had embraced the Faith.
This was the first visit a bishop ever
made to this country. He went first
to the mission located on the Alla-
maha River. Today ruins of an ex
tensive establishment are to be
found on the Dupont estate on that
river. No doubt these old tabby
ruins mark the site of the mission
Santo Domingo Talaje:
The bishop also visited five other
misisons within the present limits
of Georgia, namely, San Pedro, on
Cumberland Island; San Jose, on
Sapelo; San Buenaventura, on St.
Simon’s, Santa Catalina, on St. Cath
erine's and Santo Domingo at Tal
aje, on the mainland. •
The seventeenth century is called
die Golden Age of the Franciscans
in Georgia. Churches and monaste
ries were built of tabby, a mixture
of crushed oyster shell and cement,
which is said to be almost indestruc
tible. On each of the Golden Isles
was a resident priest and the musical
bells of the chapels were heard call
ing the faithful to prayer. Although
it was their Golden Age the good and
devoted priests still had much with
which to contend. More than once
epidemics swept away a large part
of their number, and raids of hostile
Indians carried off many converts.
But they never lost heart and in 1666
the centennial of Guale was cele
brated.
The end, however, was in sight,
for in 1670 the English established
the settlement of Charleston on what
the Spanish considered their land. A
conflict was inevitable. A little fleet
sent against Charleston was destroy-
FATHER BIEVER, S. J.. IS
REPORTED MUCH BETTER
Widely Known Jesuit Father
Was Seriously 111
(Special to The Bulletin)
NEW ORLEANS, La.-The Rev. Al
bert Biever, S. J., pastor of the Holy
Name of Jesus Church at Loyola
University, who has been seriously
ill with a heart ailment, is somewhat
improved, it is reported at Hotel Dieu.
Father Biever was taken to the hos
pital on July 7, critically ill; the Last
Sacraments were administered to
him. Father Biever is 75 years old.
and is widely known throughout the
South, where he has given many
missions; five years ago he gave the
retreat for the laymen of Georgia at
Berchmans Hall, Hot Springs, N. C.
ed by a storm. The same ; ear the
English and Spanish came to terms,
and a treaty was signed by which
Charleston was assured to England,
and all the coast south of it to Spain!
In sp-te of this treaty the English
continued their aggression, so the
Spaniards proceeded to fortify the
islands along the coast. This was
fortunate, for in 1680, the expected
invasion came. Three hundred In
dians, headed by Englishmen, at
tacked Santa Catalina and, while
this attack failed, it weakened the
morale of the Gualians, and the
Spanish frontier dropped down from
Santa Catalina to Sapelo, where it
remained for six years. Here a fort
was built, the ruins of which are
plainly visible to«ay.
For awhile, the .islanders again en
joyed the blessings of peace, hut it
was not long before pirates began to
r ? id carrying off stock and
plunder, and even taking the altar
plate from the churches.
In 1685, the Carolina colonists, com
bining with warlike Indian tribes,
attacked the Spaniards and the con
verted Indians of the coast. The
mission and all other buildings on
Santa Catalina were sacked and
burned, and the natives fled to the
woods* where they were pursued and
butchered. The same fat: befell
Jekyl and Sapelo Islands, and on the
mainland the English and their al
lies extended their destructive work
as far south as the present State of
Florida.
NEWS BRIEFS
From The N. C. W. C. News Service
the REV. JAMES MacELWANE,
S. J., director of the department of
geophysics at St. Louis University,
has been appointed a delegate to the
fifth general assembly of the Inter
national Geodetic and Geophysics
Union at Lisbon, Portugal, in Sep
tember.
LAWRENCE CULLETON, 106,
believe to be the oldest member of
the Holy Name Society in the United
States, died at Arlington, near New
York, recently.
ARCHBISHOP HANNA of San
Francisco offered the invocation July
9 when ground was broken for the
great San Francisco-Oakland bridge.
President Roosevelt touched a button
at Washington which set o'f the first
blasts of the work at San Francisco.
^ ART WARD, sports editor of the
Chicago Tribune, formerly Chicago
correspondent of the N. ‘C. W, C.
News Service, and an alumnus of
Notre Dante University, conceived
the idea of the “century of progress”
baseball team between all star nines
headed by Connie Mack and John
McGraw.
THE REV. ALBERT O'BRIEN. O.
P., hero of the prison fire in the Ohio
State Penitentiary in 1930 when 318
lives were lost, died in Columbus re
cently. He had been in poor health
since the tragedy.
GOVERNOR GORE of Puerto Rico,
in an Independence Day address at
San Juan, recommended that a fund
provided by taxes from beverages be
provided for the aid of widowed and
dependent mothers of the island.
BISHOP JOHN A. DUFFY of Syra
cuse. recently consecrated at Newark
by Cardinal Hayes, was installed in
the Cathedral in his See city July 11,
Cardinal Hayes presiding at the cere
monies.
ANTHONY F. KLINKNER, state
editor of The Catholic Daily Tribune,
Dubuque, Iowa, has been selected as
the first poet laureate of Iowa by
the Poet Laureate League of Amer
ica.
MRS, GLADYS SULLIVAN
DOYLE, who was responsible for the
erection of Mission Santa Cruz in
California, died early in July and was
buried at the mission. She was a
niece of the late U. S. Senator Phelan
of California and a sister of Mother
Agnes of the Santa Clara Carmelites.
THE REV. JOHN F. MUCKLE, pas
tor of St. Thomas Church, Rochester,
who observed the silver jubilee of
his ordination recently, was assisted
at the jubilee Mass by his three
brothers, all priests, the Rev. Charles
E. Muckle of Avon. N. Y., the Rev.
Joseph T. Muckle, O. S. B.. Toronto,
and the Rev. William D. Muckle. To
ronto.
The Golden Isles, now practically
deserted, were frequented by the no
torious pirate. Edward Teach, better
known as Blackbeard. To these isl
ands he came to secretly bury his
treasure, and an island adjoining
Sapelo, where legend says his cache
lies hidden, bears the name of
Blackbeard Island.
Three years after Oglethorpe
founded his colony at Savannah, he
invaded the Golden Isles in defiance
of Spain and built the fort of Fred
erica upon St. Simon’s Island.
In view of all these facts, does it
not seem absurd that some histor
ians refer to Spain’s opposition to
Oglethorpe's colony as the Spanish
invasion of Georgia”?
England’s harsh methods of deal
ing with the Indians bore no sem
blance to the Christ-like spirit of the
early friars. The beautiful empire
in which Spain’s early missionaries
had labored so zealously for the sal
vation of souls, fell before the
worldly domination of the fcnglish
intruders. Gone are the missions
of Guale into an almost mythical
past. Over, their ruins forests have
grown and their musical bells are
stilled forever.
DR. CHARLES G. FENWICK, in a
statement made public by the Catho
lic Association for International
Peace, calls on the leaders of Ameri-
can thought (o study ways and
means by which the ideal of peace
through law and justice may be made
a reality in international life.
BISHOP CANTWELL of Los Ange*
les and San Diego through a program
for the relief of Mexicans driven to
this country by social and labor trou
bles, expended the sum of $905,424.79
on their relief, all the funds being
supplied by the people of the Diocese
and by the Catholic Welfare Bureau.
Numerous exiled priests and Sisters
are being cared for by the Diocese.
THE REV. JOSEPH P. TURNER,
C. SS. R, who recently observed the
silver jubilee of Iris ordination, has
given over sax hundred missions since
he started his career as a missionary
twenty-two years ago at Cincinnati,
it was stated in Philadelphia or* tire
occasion of his jubilee.
ARTHUR N. BECVAR, Lakewood,
O., a 1933 alumnus of Notre Dame
University, has been no.ificd that he
is the recipient of a year’s fellowship
for study at the Arts Academy,
Ptague. Mr. Becvar is a graduate of
the Fine Arts School at Notre Dame.
FIFTEEN BISHOPS and numer
ous clerical and Jay leaders have
commended the Catholic Information
League of Narberth, Pa., the com
mendations being recorded in a pam
phlet recently issued by the Society.
DAVID GOLDSTEIN, “lay apostle”,
who recently completed a tour of the
South, will be one of the principal
speakers at the eighth annual con
vention of the Catholic Students’
Mission Crusade here August 10.
GOVERNOR GENERAL FRANK
MURPHY of th Philippine Islands
concluded his inaugural address with
a prayer for divine guidance in the
performance of the tasks of his new
office.
THE REV. CLAY A. BIENVENU
of Crowley, La., has been appointed
Catholic chaplain of the Civilian''
Conservation Corps in l*ouisiana,
Mississippi and Alabama, with head
quarters at Camp Beauregard.
MME. SIMONE SUPRIN, noted
French actress, who entered the reli
gious life in Paris four years ago, and
is now a Dominican nun, has conse
crated herself to the service of lepers
and gone to the Island of Trinidad.
MOTHER M. ANTONIA, president
of the College of St. Catherine, St.
Paul, has been elected president of
(he Conference of Catholic Colleges
for Women, succeeding the Very Rev.
Francis V. Corcoran, C. M., of Chi
cago.
THE MOST REV. JOHN J DUNN,
D D, Auxiliary Bishop of New York,
has been invited by Secretary Per
kins to serve on, the committee to in
vestigate conditions and methods at
Ellis Island
CARDINAL MUNDELEIN has in
vited the National Council of Catho
lic Men to hold its annual convention
in Chicago, and the convention will
be held there in October.
FATHER FLANAGAN’S famous
home for boys in Omaha is to lose
one of its wards, Peter Christopolus,
thirteen years old, whose resem
blance to the deceased son of Mr. and
Mrs. Jean Streng, wealthy residents
of New Jersey, led them to adopt
him. They lirst were impressed with
the resemblance when Peter’s picture
appeared in the monthly journal of
the home.
Mrs. Helena Kane of
Atlanta Parish Dies
Was Member of Widely
Known Catholic Family
ATLANTA. Ga. — Mrs. Helena
Kane, widow of the late M. J. Kane
and a member of a widely known
Atlanta family, died here late in
June after an extended illness. Mrs.
Kane was the mother of H. Augus
tine Kane, vice president and sales
manager of the Fulton Supply Co., of
Bernard J. Kane, cotton buyer of the
Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills, and of
J. C. Kane. Surviving also are two
daughters. Miss Nell Kane and Mrs.
H. A. McLellan, Atlanta, and two
sisters, Mrs. Clarence S. Steward and
Mrs. Mena Woody of Chattanooga.
DEATH CLAIMS ISAAC
SASEEN IN SAVANNAH
Miss Marie Grady of
Savannah Parish Dies
Injuries Sustained in Auto
mobile Accident Fatal
(Special to The Bulletin)
SAVANNAH, Ga.—The funeral of
Isaac Saseen, a native of Syria and
for the past forty-two years a resi
dent of Savannah, was held from
the Cathedral with interment in
Cathedral Cemetery. Mr. Saseen died
suddenly following a heart attack in
a downtown store. Surviving are his
wife, Mrs. Freda Saseen; five sons,
Thomas A., William G.. Edward G.,
Robert E. and Joseph O. Saseen, five
daughters, the Misses Marie E., Louise
T., Freda Mae, Rosemary and Bar
bara T. Saseen and two brothers,
Ameen Saseen of Syria and C. Saseen
of Wheeling, W. Va. Pallbearers
were Judge J. Mercer Jordan. Dr.'
G. H. Johnson, B. Isaf, Robert. F.
Downing, E. J. Goodwin, H. B. Eli
jah, Theodore Kolgalkis, Nicholas
Stafford, James F. Glass, W. J. Bey-
tagh. Dr. T. W. Norwood and John
J. Hayes. Mr. Saseen was a member
of the Knights of Columbus.
SAVANNAH, Ga. — The funera
of Miss Marie Grady, widely knowi
Savannahian, who died from injuriej
sustained in an automobile accidem
near Augusta July 16. was held fronr
the Cathedral of St. John the Bap
tist with a Requiem Mass, with in
terment in Cathedral Cemetery.
Miss Grady was on her way to Au
gusta when the machine was over
turned; her brother, W. Edwin Grady,
and Miss Annie Grady, Miss Mary
Ellen Grady, and Miss Josephine
Grady, sustained minor injuries.
Miss Marie Grady was prominent
in business in Savannah; she wa*
proprietor of a leading gift shop and
active in Catholic affairs. Surviving
are her 91-year-old mother, Mrs.
Mary A. Grady, and tw r o brothers,
Robert A. and W. Edwin Grady, all
of Savannah.
J. J. Sullivan Dies
Suddenly in Savannah
SAVANNAH, Ga.—The funeral o{
J. J. Sullivan, a retired olfieer of the
Savannah Police Department, was
held from the Cathedral of St. John
the Baptist with a Requiem Mass,
with interment in Cathedral Ceme
tery. Mr. Sullivan was stricken in a
downtown store and died before he
’could be removed to the hospital. Ml*
Sullivan was born in Savannah Jan
uary 23. 1872. Surviving are three
sons, John F., William A. and Morti
mer B. Sullivan, two daughters. Mrs,
R. N. Cartwright and Mrs. E B,
Summerlin, and eleven grandf-hrbs
dren.