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EIGHT
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA MARCH 28, 1936
MANY PLAGES HAVE
MASSES IN HOMES
Walhalla Church Is One of
Five on Anderson Missions
Numerous Stations Without
Churches Are Visited Week
ly by Priests
There are several towns and set
tlements in the Anderson Mission
Parish in which groups of Catholics
may be found, but not in such num
bers as to warrant the erection of a
church or chapel. These stations are
visited during the week. The priest
usually stays at the homes of the
Catholics in these places, arriving at
a home the afternoon of the day be
fore that on which he is to offer
Holy Mass. The purpose of the priest’s
arrival the day before is to enable him
to instruct the children of the com
munity. In a number of the rural
missions the priest has to celebrate
the Holy. Sacrifice using a bureau
or a washstand as the altar.
The policy of the clergy is to en
courage those Catholics who own au
tomobiles and who live within a rea
sonable driving distance of a church
in which Mass is to be offered on
Sunday to make an earnest effort to
get to Mass, with the result that many
of our good people often drive from
15 to 25 miles, or more, to assist at
Sunday Mass. During the winter
months it is very often extremely
difficult for cars to get over occa
sional stretches of bad roads.
Fair Play is a rural mission about
20 miles from Anderson; here dwell
the Homick families.
In and near Hartwell, Ga., live
several Catholic families.
At McCormick the two brothers,
John and Daniel McGrath, with their
numerous households reside.
At Cateechee, some ten miles from
Clemson College, Mr. Frank McCall
and his family form the little Cath
olic group of 11 souls.
In Newberry, the Catholic Church
is represented by a few Catholic fam
ilies and by the Catholic students in
attendance at Newberry College.
Several Catholics make their homes
in Ware Shoals; the Church is rep
resented by one or more members
in Pickens, Honea Path, Williamston
and Calhoun Falls.
Despite many obvious difficulties
in the way of getting a thorough ac
quaintance with and putting into
practice the principles of their faith,
our people on the missions are, in
general, most devoted to their holy
religion.
Nine Masses Said on
Missions Christmas
Three Priests Offer Them in
Eight Different Cities
To make it easy for all of the
Catholics of the extensive mission
parish of St. Joseph’s of Anderson
to assist at Holy Mass, on Christmas,
Father Spiesman secured the services
for a time of an additional priest,
the Rev. Donald Berry, C. S. P., of
Winchester. Tenn. On Christmas
Day nine Masses were offered in
eight places of the parish.
Father Spiesman. the pastor, offer
ed Holy Mass at midnight in St. Jo
seph’s Church. Anderson; at 6:30 a.
.m his second Mass was celebrated
in Hartwell, Ga., about 22 miles
from Anderson; he offered his third
Mass in Anderson at 9:00 a. m.
Father Baum celebrated his first
Mass at St. Francis’ Church, Wal
halla, at midnight; this marked the
first time in the history of Walhalla
that a midnight Mass had been said
there; a goodly number of non-
Catholics attended the services. Fath
er Baum’s second Mass was offered
at Fair Play at 6:00 a. m., and his
third Mass at the Church of St. An
drew in Clemson at 9 a- m.
In Abbeville at the Church of the
Sacred Heart, Father Barry offered
midnight Mass; his second Mass was
read in McCormick at 6:00 a. m.. and
his third in Greenwood at the Church
of Our Lady of Lourdes at 9:00 a. m.
At 5:00 p. m.. Solemn Benediction
of the Most Blessed Sacrament was
given in St. Andrew’s Church, Clem
son with Father Spiesman as cele
brant, Father Barry as deacon, and
Father Baum as subdeacon. At this
service the late Mr. Gallivan and his
family assisted.
EXCOMMUNICATION of Chinese
Christians who sell their daugthers
for marriage is having the effect of
reducing the evil, the Maryknoll
Fathers report.
THE HOLY FATHER has nerson-
lly consecrated nineteen Bishops
ince he ascended to the Pontifical
hrone. Pope Benedict XV conse-
rated seven Bishops himself.
The Church of St Franci s of Assisi, Walhalla, S. C.
The history of Catholicism in Wal
halla dates back at least to the mid
dle of the last century. The town
was settled between 1840 and 1850
by German immigrants, most of
whom were Lutherans. In 1852 the
Rev. Dr. J. J. O’Connell, the mis
sionary and historian, found two
Catholic families among the Ger
mans.
In 1854 work was in progress on
the celebrated tunnel which was to
be built through Stumphouse Moun
tain. In that year a large number
of Irish Catholic laborers from Penn
sylvania and New York were brought
to the vicinity of Walhalla for the
purpose of working on the tunnel.
To accommodate the increased Cath
olic population, Dr. O'Connell erect
ed a frame church building which
he dedicated to St. Patrick: this
zealous priest likewise built a resi
dence for the clergy and established
a school for the Christian education
of the children; the school was con
ducted principally by two Catholic
laymen, Messrs James Casey and
Cornelius Gorman. Dr. O’Connell
also established a Catholic cemetery
—vestiges of which are to be seen
today.
Dr. O’Connell was assisted in his
work in this region by his brother,
Father Lawrence O’Connell. Father
Joseph O’Connell, who was ordained
in 1858, resided from time to time at
Tunnel Hill (a few miles from Wal
halla).
The state, in 1859, refused further
appropriations for the completion of
the tunnel and with the cessation of
the work most of the Catholic labor
ers and their families moved away
from the neighborhood.
Among other priests who labored
on the Walhalla Missions were the
Rev. Father Folchi, the Rev. T. C.
McMahon (who lived at The Falls,
near Walhalla), and Father Schmitz.
St. Patrick’s Church seems to have
fallen into complete decay about the
year 1877.
Up until the time that Walhalla
was attached to the Anderson parish
it was attended regularly from
Greenville.
The Church of St. Francis of Assisi
in Walhalla was built through the
efforts of Monsignor Gwynn and
dedicated on May 13, 1917. The Cath
olics residing in the towns of Walhal
la, Seneca, Westminster, and West
Union form the little congregation
attached to St. Francis’. Holy Mass
is offered here on the second and
fourth Sundays of each month.
Anderson Parish Activities
Exemplify Catholic Action
Amcng the various activities in
which the Anderson clergy are en
gaged, several are worthy of men
tion.
Recently Father Spiesman realiz
ing that there are many young men
and young women in the city of An
derson with little or no real oppor
tunity of profitably employing many
evening hours, established a night
class which is open to Catholics and
non-Cathloics alike. This group
which has been called the Variety
Club meets once a week in the par
lors of the McDougald-Bleckley
Undertaking Establishment. Here
prominent men of the city of Ander
son have addressed the class and dis
cussions of general interest have been
conducted. Among those who have
recently addressed the meetings have
been Mr. Francis Prince of the staff
of the Anderson Record, Mayor G.
T. McGregory of Anderson, and Mr.
J- A. Neely, a leading member of the
Anderson bar. Others, men and wo
men, outstanding in the civic life of
Anderson, are scheduled to speak be
fore the class in the near future.
The Catholics attending the church
es are well supplied with Catholic
literature. In addition to making the
Catholic press available to these peo
ple, it is the endeavor of the clergy
Our Line Is Complete—Visit Our Store.
We Sell Paint, Varnish, Sherwin-
Williams Products
KENNETH’S 5 and 10 CENT STORE
Walhalla, S. C.
of St. Joseph’s to utilize this agency
of Catholic Action as widely as possi
ble. With this in mind, over 100
Catholic papers are mailed out from
the Anderson rectory every week.
These papers are sent to three
groups: (1) to Catholics on the dis
tant missions who rarely get a chance
to assist at Sunday Mass; (2) to in
terested non-Catholics in the various
place on the missions; and (3) to the
twenty or more daily and weekly
secular newspapers in the different
towns of our territory.
Another effort made by the Ander
son clergy is to keep the newspapers
supplied with Catholic news of gen
eral and local int erest. When a cere
mony of unusual importance is to be
held in any of our churches, when a
special church holy day is to be ob
served, an account of the same is
given to the local press. From time
to time, a sermon delivered in one of
the churches appears in the secular
press. Each week church notices of
our services appear in five or six of
the principal journals.
Both Father Spiesman and Father
Baum have spoken on a number of
occasions over the Anderson radio
station, WAIM, and accounts of the
addresses given have appeared in the
press.
Both priests are called on occasion
ally to make addresses to special
gatherings. Last fall Father Baum
addressed an annual meting of Span
ish War Veterans at Walhalla, and
during the past November Father
Spiesman gave the principal address
at the annual Memorial Services of
the Anderson Lodge of Elks of which
he is an enthusiastic member.
A printed schedule of the times and
places of Masses is monthly mailed
to all of the members of the parish.
ST. MARY’S COLLEGE, South
Bend, Ind., has received a gift of
$25,000 from Mrs. George H. Rempe,
Sr., of Chicago, for a new library.
Mrs. Rempe’s seven daughters at
tended St. Mary’s and her three sons
attended Notre Dame.
LEADING ANDERSON FIRMS
C. F. BROWN, Pres, and Treas. WM. D. BROWN, Vice-Pres.
E. L BROWN, Secretary
The Anderson Hardware Company
WHOLESALE HARDWARE and GROCERIES
Anderson, S. C.
ANDERSON
COTTON
MILLS
Anderson, S. C.
FOWLER'S
STORE
135 North Main St.
Anderson, S. C.
CAROLINA
THEATRE
Popular Prices
Phone 9124
•
P. C. Osteen
Anderson, S. C.
GREEN MOTOR
COMPANY
DODGE BROTHERS
MOTOR CARS,
TRUCKS and BUSES
GENERAL ELECTRIC
PRODUCTS
S. Main Street
Anderson, S. C.
Company
Anderson, S. C.
Sullivan Hardware
Company
Anderson, S. C.
©
General Hardware
Paints • Mill Supplies
•
China—Glass—Gifts
Browne Publishing
Company
Publishers of
THE RECORD
Commercial Printing
West Earle Street
Anderson, S. C.
Saint Mary’s
Hospital
Dr. Breedin’s Clinic
Anderson, S. C.
Phone 737
Miss Ruth R. Richey,
Supt. of Nurses
Miss Mary Breedin, Secy.
Dr. C. S. Breedin,
Surgeon
ANDERSON INDEPENDENT
(Morning and Sunday)
ANDERSON DAILY MAIL
(Evenings)
MEMBER A. B. C. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Anderson, South Carolina
Radio Station WAIM