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JANUARY 31, 1936
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC L AYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
SEVENTEEN
Marist Fathers Came to Georgia Nearly 40 Years Ago
ATLANTA PARISH AN
BRUNSWICK MISSION
UNDER THEIR CARE
0 Buffalo Editor Cites C. L. A.
Work as Example to Laymen
They Conduct Marist Col
lege in Atlanta, One of
State’s and South’s Lead
ing Preparatory Schools
Emulation of Its Efforts Splendid Resolution for New
Year, He Says in Editorial
It is now nearly two-score years
since the Marist Fathers first came to
the Diocese of Savannah; they were
invited by Bishop Becker in 1897,
and in April of that year Father John
Guinan, S- M., and Father Augustus
Reis, S. M„ arrived in Brunswick
to take charge of the parish there
Mid the surrounding missions-
Short y afterward the Marist Fath
ers were given charge of the new
parish in Atlanta, and Father Guinan
was sent to the Capital City to assist
Father William Gibbons, S. M., there:
Father Luckie, S- M-, was appointed
pastor at Brunswick.
Father Luckie remained pastor at
Brunswick for twelve years; during
his years of service there the rectory
and school were erected and paid
for. Pastors since that time in Bruns
wick and the Southeast Georgia Mis
sions have been Father John Dunne,
Father Cassagre, Father Augustus
Reis, the pioneer on the mission,
Father Ferdinand Reis, Father Mi
chael Cotter, later pastor at Atlanta
and now of Wheeling, West Virginia;
Father Joseph Petit, Father Peter
McOscar. Father James T. Reilly, now
pastor at Atlanta, and Father Fran
cis M. Perry.
FATHER PERRY PASTOR
OF BRUNSWICK MISSIONS
The Sisters of St. Joseph conduct
the parish school, and Father Perry
and his assistants cover all Southeast
Georgia, including Waycross, where
St- Joseph’s Parish has a splendid
church, St. Simon’s Island, where a
chapel serves the mission where Jes
uits and Franciscans labored nearly
three hundred and fifty years ago,
Ludowici, Darien St. Mary’s, White
Oak. Jekyl Island and other places-
When Father Gibbons and Father
Guinan started work in Atlanta in
June, 1897. they were in charge of
a parish of Sts- Peter and Paul, on
Marietta Street. Regarding the loca
tion as unsuitable, they selected the
site of the present church, a most
hapoy decision,. Father Gibbons
started to secure funds for the new
church, and his efforts met with a
hearty response from the people.
Father Gibbons overtaxed himself
in. his efforts, however, and felt it
necessary to resign; he was succeed
ed by Father John Gunn, who carried
on the work with vigor and enthusi
asm. He directed the erection of the
church, laid the foundation of Marist
College, started a Sacred Heart Paro
chial School, and made such a mag
nificent record as pastor that the
Holy See selected him as Bishop of
Natchez in 1911.
BISHOP GUNN ONCE
PASTOR AT ATLANTA
Father George Rapier succeeded
Bishop Gunn, and during his three
years as pa- tor the present spacious
rectory was built. For the six years
previous to 1921 Father Peter Mc
Oscar was pastor, and the debt
against the parish liquidated, the
church being renovated and conse
crated. Father James Horton suc
ceeded Father McOscar, and the new
parochial school, one of the finest
schools in the city was built. Father
Michael A. Cotter, formerly of Bruns
wick. was the next pastor, and did
noteworthy work, as did Father Ed
ward McGrath, who succeeded him.
Father James T. Reilly, a native of
Savannah, is now pastor of Sacred
Heart Church and superior of the
community-
For many years, until the estab
lishing of St- Mary's Church at Rome,
the Marist Fathers had charge of
the North Georgia Missions, relin
quishing them to Father Cassidy, pas
tor at Rome, on his appointment-
Their labors kept alive the flame of
faith in communities a hundred or
more miles from a resident priest and
they are still in charge of the mis
sions at Marietta, where they erect
ed a church several years ago, and
Fort McPherson.
Marist College, conducted by the
Marist Fathers, is one of the leading
schools of Georgia. During the World
War it had perhaps as many of its
alumni officers as any school any
where except government military
schools, in proportion to its members.
Scholastically it is rated among the
leaders in the South, and many of
At’anta’s and Georgia’s business and
professional leaders received their
educat’on there; frequently its repre
sentatives have won high and highest
honors in state debating and declama
tion contests. This year the Ma'ist
College eleven won the chamn : onshin
of the North Georgia Interscholastic
League, which includes in its mem
bership the strongest teams of that
section. The parish school, conducted
bv the S : sters of St- Joseph, has about
150 pupils.
Such are the outlines of the work
of the Marist Fathers in Georgia in
the two score years in which they
have been labo’-ing here. The Dio
cese of Savannah owes another debt
of gratitude in its giving to Georgia
as spiritual shepherd for the past
thirteen years the be'oved retiring
B : shop of Savannah, the Most Rev.
Michael J. Keyes- D. D-, who was
president of the M~rist College at
the Catho’ic University when he '"as
appointed to succeed the venerable
(Editorial in The Catholic Union and
Times, official organ of the Dio
cese of Buffalo).
Among the good resolutions that
the average Catholic may make at
the beginning of the New Year is
the resolution to become an active
member of the lay apostolate. The
work that lies ahead of us in draw
ing all things to Christ is but par
tially done. Millions of immortal
souls, in this nation alone, are out
side the fold of Christ. Close to
seventy million people in the United
States enter no church or worship
at no altar. We may scarcely call
ourselves Christian nation. We are
in no sense a Catholic nation as less
than twenty per cent of our popula
tion are practical Catholics.
A vast field lies before us in which
to sow the seed of the Gospel and
from which to reap a harvest of
souls. Tire soil is ready for the
zealous tiller. Millions of American
citizens are anxious to accept the
true faith if we develop honest, in
telligent laborers to inform them to
the principles and practices of the
true faith.
The majority of Catholics leaves
the spread of Christ’s Kingdom sole
ly to the priesthood. Few Catholics
versions by word or example. They
feel that it is purely a clerical labor
to teach, to instruct and to exhort.
They are satisfied with what their
priests accomplish. They believe
that salvation is a matter of saying
prayers, attending Mass and fre
quenting the Sacraments. They ex
pend the least amount of energy
possible to carry the light of truth to
their next door neighbor.
An active, sincere, lay apostolate
may accomplish imperishable res-
sults in saving souls. We know of
thousands of instances where the
laity have won souls to the cause
of religion or have broken down
the barriers of bigotry so often
raised against the Church.
Off hand we may cite the Geor
gia Catholic layman’s movement— a
group of scholarly, couteous Catho
lic gentlemen that have effectively
broken down much of the intoler
ance in the Southland.
A good resolution, then, to enter
Catholic Action is a meritorious and
praiseworthy resolve at the begin
ning of the New Year. It may bring
one soul nearer to the Church or
cause the return of our indifferent
soul. Who can tell? The cause is
worthy of the effort. The results
Compliments
Colquitt- MacDougald
T routman-A rkwright
Williams-OIiver Building,
ATLANTA
Compliments
R.L. COONEY
ATLANTA
have sufficient zeal to urge con- may startle him who tries.
N. Y. Grocer Who Reared
Orphan, Now Cardinal, Dies
Sacrifices of John Egan and
His Wife Enabled N. Y.
Archbishop to Be Priest
(By N. C. W. C. News Service)
NEW YORK.—On an altar still
decked in the decorations of Christ
mas, His Eminence Patrick Cardinal
Hayes, Archbishop of New York,
celebrated the requiem Mass in St.
Patrick’s Cathedral for his “’Uncle
Jim," the foster-father who reared
the prelate.
The Mass was celebrated in the
presence of prominent members of
the clergy and of the laity, including
former Governor Alfred E. Smith- At
the grave, the Cardinal said the pray
ers of burial and mourned the grocer
who had been a parent to him.
James Eagan, who died at the age
of 91. was not a blood relative of
the Cardinal, but a brother-in-law of
his mother. The Cardinal’s mother
died when he was four years old and
his father a few years later. “Unc'e
Jim’’ and his wife, Ellen Egan, took
over the custody of the boy. The
Egans kept a small grocery across
the street from where the Cardinal
was born and from the meager earn
ings which they derived from the
store underwent the sacrifices neces
sary for the educa'ion and the train
ing that culminated in their nephetv’s
elevation to the Sacred College.
Tlie Cardinal’s aunt early became
certain that her nephew had a voca
tion and she and “Uncle Jim” saw
him through his schooling at the
Church of the Transfiguration parish
school and subsequent institutions
which the Cardinal attended before
entering the seminary..
Mrs. Egan died in 19i7—before her
nephew was elevated to the Cardin-
alate. Seven years later, the honor
came. Mr. Egan was at the time ill
in the hospital. So he cou’d not
see his foster-child receive the Red
Hat. But he recovered in time to be
a member of the party that welcomed
the new Cardinal on his return to his
See City.
Jasper Devereux of
Columbia Parish Dies
Bishop Kelley. The provincial of the
Marist Fathers at the present time,
Father Joseph Sullivan, S. M-, is a
native of Cordele, Ga-, was educated
in Atlanta, and was a resident of
Atlanta when he entered the Marist
Order.
The Very Rev. James T. Reilly, S.
M., is superior of the Marist Com
munity in Atlanta and pastor of
Sacred Heart Church, and the Rev.
William Hanlon, S. M„ is principal of
Marist College. Assisting Father
Reilly in the church are the Rev
Edward P. McGrath, S. M., and the
Rev John Emmerth, S. Mj members
of the faculty of Marist College are
the Rev. Francis Larney, S. M., the
Rev. John Morel, S. M.. the Rev.
Michael Sullivan, S. M.. the Rev.
Leo Ziebarth, S. M„ the Rev. Louis
Emmerth. S. M., the Rev. George
Bracho, S. M., and the Rev. Paul
Foley. S. M.
The Rev. Francis M. Perry, S. M.,
is pastor of the Church of St. Fran
cis Xavier, Brunswick, and the
Southeast Georgia missions, and is
assisted by the Rev. Joseph G. Gal-
laghan, S. M., and the Rev. John
Mercer. S. M.
(Special to The Bulletin)
COLUMBIA, S. C.—Jasper Francis
Devereux, a widely known planter
of Richland County, died here last
week after a brief illness. Mr. Dev
ereux was born in Ireland, in Coun
ty Cork, 75 years ago, asd came here
while quite young; he was educat
ed at Valle Crucls, and had lived
here since his boyhood days. He was
an active member of St. Francis de
Sales Church and of the Knights of
Columbus. The funeral was held
from the parish church with a Req
uiem Mass, the Rev. D. M. O’Brien,
pastor, officiating, assisted by the
Very Rev. M. C. Murphy, V. F.. pas
tor of St. Peter's. Interment was in
Kelly Cemetery. Surviving are his
brother, J. M. Devereux, his sister-
in-law, Mrs. M. L. Devereux, and a
number of nieces and nephews.
BURIAL AT GEORGETOWN
OF MRS. NATALIE BREESE
GEORGETOWN, S. C. — Funeral
services for Mrs. Natalie Lohr Breese,
who died in Atlanta in December,
after a four-day illness, were held
at St. Mary’s Church here, with Rev.
James A. McElroy officiating. In
terment was held in Elmwood ceme
tery. Mrs. Breese was widely known
here and in Atlanta and her death
after such a brief illness was a
source of great sadness to the com
munity.
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WOFFORD OIL CO.
ROBERT R. HULL was elected
president of the Friends of Mexican
Freedom at an organization conven
tion in Chicago. Speakers included
Martin H. Carmody, supreme knight
of the Knights of Columbus, the Rev.
Michael J. Kenney, S. J., Ph. D.. of
Spring Hill College, and Simon
Baldus. managing editor of Extension
Magazine.
Compliments
The Texas Co.
Atlanta, Ga.