Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

JANUARY 31. 1936 THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA ELEVEN -v. Pennsylvania Has Given Diocese Three Bishops Bishops Gartland and Becker Both Pennsylvania Priests First Bishop of Savannah Died of Yellow Fever Con tracted in Line of Duty fGearge Barton in The Catholic Stan dard and Times, Official Organ of the Archdiocese of Ph'ladelphia Since the appointment of our own greatly esteemed Bishop O’Hara to the See of Savannah interest has been manifested in the fact that the first Bishop of that diocese was a church man who labored in Philadelphia for some years before going to his mis sionary field in the South. There have been fleeting references to his life and labors, but for the most part very little is known about him by the present generation. Francis Xavier Gartland was horn in Dublin Ireland, and emigrated to America during his childhood. His classical and theological education was obtained at Mt. St. Mary’s Col lege. Emmitsburg, and he was or dained a priest in this city in 1832 by Bishop Conwell- His first post was as assistant at St. John’s Church. At that time the eminent John Hughes Was pastor of the famous church. When Father Hughes was made co adjutor to the Bishop of New York, Father Gartland became the rector of St. Jonn’s. Later he was selected to be Vicar-General of the Philadelphia Diocese under Bishop Kenrick. -P APPOINTED IN 1849 In May, 1849, he was appinted Bish op of the new See of Savannah, but he was not consecrated until the fol lowing year, the pontifical briefs be ing delayed on account of the trou bles growing out of the Roman revo lution. Father Gartland’s consecration look place at St. John’s Church on September 10. 1850, being regarded as a notable event in Philadelphia at a time when the diocese was much less Important than it is at the present day. The consecrator was Archbishop Eccieston; the ceremony was attend ed by a great throng, including many prominent officials of city and state. The new Bishop hurried to his See at once and went to work with the same zeal he had displayed in his la bors in Philadelphia. The Diocese of Savannah at that time included not only the entire State of Georgia, but also that part of Florida east of the Appalachiola River. There is a rec ord of his having gone to Key West. Florida, in 1852, to dedicate the Church of St. Mary Star of the Sea at that place. 6,000 THEN IN DIOCESE D- □ When Bishop Gartland first began his duties in Savannah the Catholics in his diocese numbered less than 6.- €00 or not much more than are to be found • in many a single important Philadelphia parish of the present day- It was obvious that he was con fronted with a great missionary task, but he faced it with courage and con fidence. It has been well said that during his brief episcopate he accom plished much good for the organiza tion and advancement of the diocese. This is particularly true when we consider, as has been said by one writer, ‘‘that the limited means at his disposal were entirely inadequate to the work to be done.” The United States was a missionary country and he could look for little help here. Accordingly, he went abroad to obtain assistance for push ing forward the good works he had projected. An idea of how successful he was in this regard may be found in the statement that with the money obtained in Ireland and elsewhere he was able to build three new churches and enlarge the cathedral church of St John the Baptist, which he re dedicated June 26, 1853. He estab lished an orphan asylum for boys, the St Vincent de Paul Society, day schools, Christian Doctrine schools, and a number of religious and chari table organizations. So fruitful were his labors that the Catholic popula tion was nearly doubled during the four years of his administration. -n r D- THE YELLOW FEVER -Id In the midst of the promising prog ress he was making in his ne r field there came an outbreak of yellow fe ver in Savannah. Routine work had to be stopped in order to give atten tion to this great emergency. The story of the plague is part of history, but a glimpse of the part that was played in it by Bishop Gartland and his faithful clergy is given vividly in a letter written by the Bishop to M. A. Frenaye, a distinguished layman of this jcity. Dated August 29, 1854, it is a.^ follows: “We are in a sad condition still— very sad—and God alone knows when a favorable turn will take place. Two of my priests are sick— both convalescent at present; do not know that either of them have the yellow fever positively, but I believe that one of them had it in its incip ient stage. t DESOLATION I • -o “The place looks very desolated—at 8 o’clock p. m. looks as deserted as at midnight at other seasons. Every sight large fires are kindled in va- zkius parts of the city, and great quantities of tar burnt- On approach ing the city in the evening, as I did the other evening from the country, you see clouds of dense, black smoke rising up in all parts of the city so that one would suppose the city was on fire, or that our city was some thing like Pittsburgh is supposed to he So far I keep well, though con stantly on the go. Yet I know not whether T will pass through the scourge with safety to myself. I hope our Philadelphia friends are praying for us. “I hope this letter will reach you before the arrival of the steamer as I wish you to inform my brother that Miss G. will leave on the steamer to morrow for Philadelphia. She is not at all well. Mr. Prendergast and his two sons and a Mrs. Dillon and her son will be with her. Great numbers of our people have left. “I write in great haste. My buggy is at the door for me to make my rounds.” The saintly man died less than a month a f ter writing this truly dra matic letter- It was while making the rounds of the yellow fever patients he contracted the disease from which he died. DEATH OF THE BISHOP I On October 16, 1854, a correspond ent of the Society for the Propaga tion of the Faith, wrote a letter de scribing how Bishop Gartland had died a victim of the fever, and how Monsignor Barron, the missionary Bishop, had passed away as the re sult of exhaustion and overwork. He added: “All of the Protestant journals have done justice to their memory by giv ing publicity to their heroic devot edness in the assiduous care which they have bestowed upon their af flicted flocks. The whole country was in a state of alarm; but these two prelates, perfectly resigned to the will of God, and regardless of their own danger, were indefatigable in their attention to the sick and in administering to them the consola tions of religion. And they have been nobly seconded by the small number of priests in Savannah, Messrs- Bar ry, Kirby and O’Neil. After the death of Msgr. Barron, Msgr. Gartland was left alone with but one priest, the others having been attacked by the nrevailing epidemic. □- : — TWO MARTYRS “Under these circumstances he found it necessary to provide himself with a small conveyance, and with his assistant, he undertook the oner ous duty of attending to the spiritual wants of the sick, a duty which he joyfully fulfilled, feeling confident that it was designed for him by the hand of God, Who had ordained that his zeal should no longer remain without its reward. “His crown was ready and he was called upon to receive it. When our two Bishops first perceived the com mencement of this terrible visitation they felt bound to offer themselves as the victims of divine justice. After the death of the latter, the epidemic became gradually less violent and is now considered to have almost en tirely disappeared.” No eulogy of these two martyrs could possibly be more sincere and more touching than this official report. They were buried with all of the honors of the Church they had served so faithfully and so well. Seven days after the death of Bishop Gartland a Pontifical Requiem Mass was said for him by Archbishop Kenrick, of Bal timore. It was noted that an unusual ly large number of prominent Protes tants were present to do honor to the deceased. BISHOP BECKER -n r □— It is a matter of satisfaction to think that this former Philadelphian who was the first Bishop of Savan nah should now be followed in that post by another Philadelph'an- In this connection it is worth noting that still another Pennsylvanian occupied the See of Savannah. Thomas A. Becker, the sixth Bishop of Savan nah, was born in Allegheny. Penn sylvania, on December 30, 1831. He studied for the priesthood at the Pro paganda, Rome, and was ordained in 1859. On his return to this country he was assigned to Richmond, Virginia, and was later sent to Martinsburg and Berkley Springs. At the close of the Civil War he went to Balitmore where he officiated for some time at St. Peter’s Church. He filled the chair of theology, ecclesiastical history and sacred scripture in St. Mary’s College. Emmitsburg and he also acted as one of the chief secretaries of the Plenary Council of Baltimore. □ — —n ^ TRANSFERRED IN 1886 | n n Following a brief period of service at the Cathedral in Richmond, Dr. Becker was created Bishop of the new Diocese of Wilmington, Dela ware. In 1886 he was transferred to Bishop Barry Is Spokesman for Province of Baltimore Extends Welcome in Its Name to Bishop O'Hara at Din ner After Installation OFFICERS OF MASS AT INSTALLATION His Eminence, Dennis Cardinal Dougherty, Archbishop of Philadel phia, presided at the installation of the Most Rev. Gerald P. O’Hara, D. D., J. U. D., as Bishop of Savan nah, Bishop O’Hara being celebrant of the Solemn Pontifical Mass. Assistants to His Eminence were the Rt. Rev. Joseph D. Mitchell, Sa vannah, assistant priest, the Very Rev. James T. Reilly, S. M.- Atlanta, and the Rev. Peter McDonnell, S. J„ Macon, deacons of honor, the Rev. James E. King, Athens, bookbearer, the Rev. Thomas I. Sheehar, Wash ington, candle bearer, the Rev. T. James McNamara, crozier bearer, and the Rev. Thomas A. Brennan, Al bany, mitre bearer. Assistants to His Excellency, Bish op O’Hara were the Very Rev. Boni face Bauer, O. S. B., Savannah; as sistant priest- the Rev. Dan J. Mc Carthy, Columbus; deacon of the Mass, the Rev. Gustave Qbrecht, S. M. A., Savannah; sub-deacon, the Rev. Nicholas J Quinlan, Atlanta, and the Rev John J. Mullins, Savan nah, acolytes, the Rev. George T. Daly, Athens, censer bearer, the Rev. Thomas L. Finn, Savannah, book bearer, the Rev. Daniel J. Bourke, Savannah, candle bearer, the Rev. J. Joseph Malloy, crozier bearer, the Rev. P. J. O’Connor, Atlanta, mitre bearer, and the Rev. Harry J. Hon- eck, sub-deacon of the cross. The Rt. Rev. Msgr. Joseph F. Croke, chancellor, was notary, the Rev. Harold J. Barr, Savannah, read the papal bulls first in Latin and then in English, the Rev. Dr. Francis Furey, secretary to His Eminence, the Cardinal, was master of ceremonies, and the Rev. Joseph Kavanagh, sec retary to Bishop O’Hara, assistant master of ceremonies. CATHOLIC U. WINS IN MIAMI CONTEST Eleven Defeats Mississippi U. in Orange Bowl Festival Game New Year’s Day MIAMI, Fla.—The football team of the Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C.. defeated the Uni versity of Mississippi eleven here in the second annual Orange Bowl festival here New Year’s Day. The Catholic University eleven, playing in a brighth sunlight that sent the thermometer readings up to 80 degrees, scored a touchdown in each of the first three quarters and converted the point after touch down in two instances. The Univer sity of Mississippi teeam scored in the second quarter and then ‘ registered 12 points in the final quarter. The Mississippi eleven was successful in but one of three tries for the point after touchdown, a department in which it was strong during the regu- ’ar football season. The Catholic University team which a number of authorities had picked to lose, won warm commenda tion from a large number of sports writers for its brilliant performance- JOSEPH SCOTT AWARDED CATHOLIC ACTION MEDAL Noted California Layman Honored by St. Bona- venture’s ST. BONA VENTURE, N. Y. — As in previous years St. Bonaventure College announces on Gaudete Sun day its choice for the Catholic Ac tion Medal for 1935. The medal was awarded to Joseph Scott, lawyer and orator, of Los Angeles. Mr. Scott was chosen, it was an nounced because of his devoted, consistent and outstanding services in the field of Catholic Action un der the leadership of his ecclesiasti cal superiors. He is an alumnus of St. Benaventure College and served as professor at this institution from 1890 to 7983. The Catholic Action Medal has the approval of the Holy Father and is conferred with episcopal sanction. In 1933 the recipient was former Gover nor Alfred E. Smith. In 1934. it was awarded to Michael Williams, edi tor of The Commonweal. the See of Savannah, where he re mained until his death, July 29, 1899- Bishop Becker was a man of unusual intellectual attainments- He was a frequent contributor to the reviews and gained prestige by reason of his series of articles on the idea of a true university, published in the American Catholic Quarterly. Thus Pennsylvania has presented Gartland, Becker and O’Hara to Georgia. It should thrill the faithful in Penn’s Woods to feel that they have given so much for the good of a region which has hitherto been cold to Catholicity. As the faith prospers in Georgia—and prosper it must— none will take more joy in its growth than the clergy and laity of the Arch diocese of Philadelphia. (Address of the Most Rev. Pat rick Barry, D. D., Bishop of St. Augustine, at the dinner to the visiting prelates and clergy at the DeSoto Hotel after the installa tion) . Today the two great Provinces of Philadelphia and Baltimore combine in paying honor to the new Bishop of Savannah. His Eminence, the Cardinal Arch bishop of Philadelphia, comes to in stall his former Auxiliary, who, by commission of the Holy See- has been transferred from the City of “Brotherly Love” to the historic See. of Savannah, which embraces the Empire State of the Southland. The Province of Philadelphia, comprising the important Sees of Altoona, Erie, Harrisburg. Pitts burgh and Scranton under the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Phila delphia, sends its quota of disting uished prelates to the South for this great celebration; all these dioceses are located in the Suite of Pennsyl vania, all have large Catholic popu lations and all command splendid educational institutions—elementary schools, high school, academies, col leges and seminaries. The illustrious Bishops who guide the destinies of the faithful in the great industrial centers of Pennsyl vania leave nothing to chance in caring tor the spiritual and tempo ral weliare of their people. Institu tions for the sick, the aged, the helpless and homeless and the or phan are numerous and efficiently fulfill their diversified missions, and no phase of charity or Catholic ac tion is forgotten or overlooked. The ever active zeal of the prelates, cler- r ‘ and religious has borne abundant fruit in the extension of Christ’s Kingdom and in safe-guarding the faith of those intrusted to them. They have found opportunity to withdraw for a few hours from their onerous duties to accompany one who has labored with them so tirelessly to see him safely settled in his new field of labor in the neigh boring and neighborly Province of Baltimore. This Province is honored by their presence and, with its usual generous hospitality, bids them a most cordial welcome. The Province of Baltimore which welcomes today so many disting uished guests comprises the most important See in America — the Archdiocese of Baltimore—and sev en suffragan Sees together with the Abbatia Nuliu:- of Belmont, N. C. Baltimore Archdiocese embraces the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia, the seat of the Nation al Government. This principal See has had a glorious history. Disting uished prelates have ruled the Church of God there; foremost among them may be mentioned the first Archbishop Carroll and the late beloved and much lamented James Cardinal Gibbons. .The latter for over forty years presided over the Metropolitan See of Baltimore. His fame and works still linger. As a diplomat and ardent lover of his country he has never been surpassed in this Republic. To succeed him the most youthful Bishop in America was summoned from the call timbers of Florida. On his installation in Baltimore he adopted the slogan—“A Catholic School in every parish, and every Catholic child in a Catholic school.” He has almost achieved this noble ambition, as the latest figures report tile number of young people under Catholic care to be over 60,000—in elementary and high schools and academies. A gallant array of Cath olic institutions of higher learning add lustre to the Archdiocese—the comparatively young Catholic Uni versity with its tributaries of Reli gious Houses of Studies is the most fascinating in the land; Georgetown University with a century of out standing achievement to its credit; St. Mary’s Seminary which has giv en devoted priests to almost every diocese in America and Canada; Mount St. Mary’s College and Semi nary—the mother of Bishops, and a host of other colleges and seminaries conducted by Religious Orders add glory to 'he Archdiocese. His Excllency, the Most Reverend Archbishop, encourages and helps them all. He not only promotes and fosters education but he is the fear less champion of the oppressed of every land. He is the ardent and elo quent defender of religious liberty and the rights of conscience. He wishes .he whole world to know the truth a'jou. tyrannical governments everywhere and he would arouse public interest in behalf of the vic tims of nolitical, racial or religious tyranny either at home or in for eign nations. He is true to the tra ditions of Maryland, the land of sanctuary and the home of civil and religious liberty, and believing in these principles he labors to have all peoples enjoy their benefits and blessings. The Suffragan Dioceses of the Province may receive only brief mention; Wilmington in Delaware, Wheeling in West Virginia- Rich mond in Virginia deserve a volume in themselves, as do Charleston, St. Augustine and Raleigh. Raleigh, the Bambino of the Province, claims a special mention because of the ad vance made in the past ten years, all of its existence under its active and zealous first Bishop. It inherits the honor of a century’s glory achieved by the renowned jurist and patriot, Gaston, who practically single- handed fought for and won Catholic Emancipation in North Carolina. The Diocese of Charleston too has had its distinguished patriots and Bishops—witness the world famed Bishop England whose memory is enshrined in every Catholic heart for his eminent talents used in de- f nse and exposition of the doc trines of the faith. We must not pass over the ever young diocese of St. Augustine which has within its 47,000 square miles of territory many ruins of an cient glory. It was in St. Augustine that American history was started for it was there the sturdy Spaniard set up the first colony in what is now the United States; there was founded the first city, the first church; there the first school, and '.here the first martyrdom of her mis sionaries took place. From St. Au gustine treked forward the mis sionaries who marched along the Atlantic seaboard to the banks of the Hu Ison and away west to the Father of Waters to follow the no madic Indians to civilize and save them. Florida today is the sanctuary and hope of thousands who visit this Cradle of Christianity for the health of soul and body, though many pil grims with other less holy aspira tions invade this peaceful smiling land. At last a W'ord about our host Dio cese. We have been invited here to witness the advent of a new shep herd who succeeds the retiring gen^_ tie, kindly, generous and zealous ~ r Prince who now lays down the bur dens of office. This new Prelate comes in the name of the Lord of Hosts to rule over a warm-hearted loyal people. He shall find them as their forbears ever have been, courteous and gen erous and, nowhere in America can he find a more enthusiastic or better organized body of Clergy and devot ed laity. The Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia needs no introduction to any prelate in Canada or the Unit ed States. Here in this soil of Geor gia he shall always find a cordial welcome from his own flock and from the thousands who do not be long to this flock. Here in the land of ancient Chivalry and romance he shall enjoy the finest hospitality that anyone could crave or dream of. We notice the prefix of this new Prelate’s name, but we are sure it does not inspire awe or wonder or alarm. We know it is indicative of royal descent from the kingly war riors of a fighting race. He comes, however, not with a sword to slay but with the Cross to shrive and save. He comes with good will to all and malice to none. In the name of the Prelates, priest# and good people of the entire Prov ince of Baltimore 1 bid Your Excel lency a “Cead mille failthe” — A hundred thousand welcomes—trans lated into the liquid tongue of Holy Mother Church—ad multos et felt cissimos annos! ST. PAUL’S GUILD ^ REPORTS EXPANSION Thirty-One Members of HieiNi archy Among Its Patrons (By N. C. W. C. News Service) NEW YORK. - Growdh of the Saint Paul Guild during 1935 is re corded in The Epistle, quarterly bul letin of the guild, by the Rev. Henry P. Fisher, C. S. P., the Editor. The guild has as its chief purpose the extending of assistance to convert clergymen and religious who, by becoming CathoEcs, have lost their means of livelihood. At the present time, it is stated 3 members of the Hierarchy are among its patrons and 983 members of the clergy are members, twenty being patrons. Forty-nine groups among the Sisterhoods and the laity have sent donations. “The Rev. George Hefferman, of St. Lodis,” it is announced, “is bus ily engaged in developing a local branch to give financial support to the Convert- Aid Fund.” Six pastors permitted Father Fish er to speak about the guild to their parishioners from the pulpit on Sunday and seven more have grant ed this permission for the early months of 1936. The late Monsigndfc. Chidw'ick allowed the guild to hold the Church United Octave in St Agnes’ Church. New York, last Jan uary. It will be held this month at the Church of St. Ignatiu- Loyola, through the kindness of the Rev. WC Coleman Nevus,. S, J. . i