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Published by the Catholic Lay men’s Association of Georgia “To Bring About .a Friendlier Feeling Among Neighbors Irre spective of Creed VOL. XXI. No. 9 AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, SEPTEMBER 28, 1940 issued monthly—52.00 A YEAR **# Augusta Marking 400th Anniversary Celebrated for De Soto’s Expedition First Mass Celebrated Near Augusta in 1540 * Shown above is an artist’s conception of the scene at Silver Bluff, on the Savannah River mi 1540, when one of the priests with the expedition of Hernando de Soto celebrated Mass That being the first recorded celebration of'the Sacrifice of the Mass near the site of the present City of Augusta, Georgia. The sketch is adapted by Miss Martha Mauldin from a drawing by Willis Physioc, illustrating “The Spanish Missions of Georgia, by John Tate Canning: with the permission of the copyright holders. The University of North Carolina Press.) Augusta’s First Catholic Church Was Built in 1811 Church of The Holy Trinity Was Erected by Roman Catholic Society of Richmond County Where Municipal Auditorium Now Stands GEORGIA’S SPANISH MISSIONS RECALLED ’ Years Before Oglethorpe Catholic Priests Were La boring Among Indians in Georgia Until recent years the majority of Georgians have been content to date the history of their state from 1733. when General Oglethorpe founded tlie English colony at Savannah. In doing so they have neglected to recall an earlier era of Georgia's history, the story of the Spanish Missions, which for more than a century dotted the Gorgia coast line, and extended into the interior. The glorious history of the Spanish “pardes” in California is no more brilliant a page than that which tells the story of the misionary endeavor of the Spaniards within the State of Georgia, but the California missions were far removed from the forces which caused the Spanish to abandon their missions in Georgia, so the Cal ifornia missions endured, and the missions in Georgia became a forgot ten memory. In recent years - historians have made extensive research, and from old records and archives, have compiled a wealth of information, which has brought into prominence a long neglected and forgotten page in Georgia's history. Georgia was first occupied by the Spaniards in 1566, when a mission was established at St. Mary’s, which may give that town a probable claim to being the oldest settlement of the white man in the thirteen original states. In the years that followed, missions were established along the Georgia coast, extending as far as the mission of St. Helena, near Beaufort, in South Carolina. Previous to the coming of De Soto to Georgia. De Ayllon founded in 1528 a Spanish colony on the shores of what is now South Caro lina. But the colony was short lived, though it existed long enough to permit some of its members to penetrate into the interior, and it is recorded that when De Soto reach ed the Savannah River he found the Indians had relics Of the previous expedition, relics that had been found" near or brought to the places he visited. For more than a generation after De Soto the Spaniards made no note worthy effort to colonize the land they had explored north of Florida. But after Menendez had establish ed St. Augustine, in 1565. as the first permanent settlement within the pre sent confines of the United States, witli the aid of the King of Spain, he requested St. Francis Borgia, assoc iate and successor of St. Ignatius Loyola in the Society of Jesus, to send priests to America, and three Jesuits. Father Martinez. Father Ro- gel. and Brother de Villareal were sent to the Florida mission. Reach ing Cumberland, Island, Father Mar tinez became the first Jesuit martyr to shed his blood on American soil. In 1571 there was an Indian up rising and many of the priests serv ing the missions, and their native charges were slaughtered. This made necessary a withdrawal toward the Spanish settlements in Florida, but two years later the Spanish govern ment sent more soldiers and Francis can missionaries to replace the Jesuits, who like Father Martinez, had been martyred by the Indians or withdrawn to Cuba. Many missions were established by the Franciscans, missions which flour ished for a number of years. It was during this period that Captain Juan Pardo lead an expedition that ex plored the interior of the State, for the purpose of establishing friendly relations with the Indians and making an investigation of the pos sibility of chain of missions from St. Helena, over land to the Gulf. Like De Soto, Pardo reached the Indian village of Cufitachique, on the Savannah, at or near Augusta, which he too considered so delightful a lace that Menendez, who founded t. Augustine, expressed a wish to make that place his home. While here, as in other Indian vil lages along his route, Pardo erected the cross beside the lions and castles of the banner of Spain and preached to gatherings of the natives, urging their obedienee to "God and His Ma jesty.” In his journey of more than a thousand miles, Pardo made friendly contacts with the Indians, preparing them through his exemplary con- L (Continued on Page 10-A) Despite the fact that Catholics were forbidden to remain in the Colony of Georgia, there is ample reason to be lieve that members of the Church were iq_Augusta before the American Revolution, and were in such number in 1811 that the Roman Catholic So ciety of Richmond County was formed and a church erected. Some historians record that Ken nedy O'Brien was the first settler of Augusta, and that it was from his trading post on the banks of the Sa vannah that the city of Augusta grew. History does not tell that O Brien was a Catholic, but there is some in dication of his Catholicity in his name. Among the early settlers of Au gusta were William Callahan, Lach- ian McBean, Faley and McQuen, whose Celtic names also give infer ence of their having been members of the Catholic Church. In 1770 Daniel MacMurphy appear ed as a resident of Augusta and a member of the board ot town com missioners, and in 1791 James Toole was a commissioner, but it does not apppear that until the close of the 18th century brought French refugees from the "Reign of Terror” and froin the uprising in San Domingo, that any considerable number of Catholics were to be found in Augusta. It is found that in 1811 James Toole, Bernard Bignon, James Bertrand La- fitte, Francis Bouyer and John Mc Cormack were incorporated as the ■‘trustees of the Roman Catholic So ciety in the city of Augusta and county of Richmond” and the trustees of the Richmond Academy were di rected to convey to them land in Au gusta bounded by Telfair Street, Walker Street, McIntosh Street and Jackson Street, for church purposes. In 1811 a small church in the form of a cross was erected in the center of that property, upon the site of Au gusta’s new Municipal Auditorium. Brick for the building was donated by Ferdinand Phinizy and Nicholas de I’Aigle. In this tmilding the Catholics of Augusta heard Mass for more than half a century, it being the only Catholic church in the city. Here they heard sermons delivered by the dis tinguished Bishop England, of 1 Charleston, and Bishop Barry. When construction of the Georgia Railroad to Atlanta was begun a large number of Irish laborers came to Au gusta, and the congregation grew un til the church was filled for every service. The Reverend Robert Browne was the first resident pastor at Augusta, having been appointed pastor in 1810. Previous to that time the few Catholics in the town had been served by priests from Locust Grove, near Washington, where a colony of Cath olics from Maryland had settled. These priests made occasional vis its to Augusta and Savannah during the last quarter of the 18th oentry. While Augusta’s Catholic history does not go back in an unbroken line to the Mass celebrated by priests with De Soto’s expedition, four hundred years ago, the city has had resident Catholic priests for a hundred and thirty years, and the Catholics in Augusta can be pardoned their pride in what members of their Faith have contributed to the growth and devel opment of the city. Augusta’s first Catholic school was the old St. Mary's Academy, con ducted by the Sisters of Mercy in the building which is now the Boys’ Catholic High Schol. Experts on Georgia History to Speak Robert R. Otis and Stephens Mitchell on 400th Anniver sary Program Two noted authorities on Georgia’s early history will be guest speak ers at a luncheon which will be given at the Richmond Hotel on Sunday, September 29, following the Pontifical High Mass which will be offered by the Most Rev. Gerald P. O’Hara, bishop of Savannah-Atlanta, at St. Partick’s Church, in observ ance of the 400th anniversary of the first recorded celebration of mass near Augusta. Stephen Mitchell and Robert R\ Otis, of Atlanta, both of whom have been for years students of that pe riod of Georgia history when Span ish explorers and missionaries were leaving a record of achievement. Mr. Mitchell, a former president of the Atlanta Bar Association, is a member of the legal firm of Mitch ell and Mitchell. He is editor of the Bulletin of the Atlanta Histori cal Society, and its vice-president. Interest in Southern and Georgia history is general in Mr. Mitchell’s family, his father being also an au thority on the subject, and ais sis ter’s knowledge of it was abund antly displayed in her sensationally successful novel of Civil War days, “Gone With the Wind.” Some years ago Mr. Mitchell de livered an illuminating address on the civilizing work of the Spanish of Mass in 1540 COMMEMORATING ' FIRST MASS CITY’S HISTORY RECORDS Bishop O’Hara Will Pontifi cate—Msgr. Moylan Will Preach at Anniversary Mass During the spring and summer of 1540, Hernando de Soto and his fol lowers, among whom were "twelve priests, eight • ecclesiastics and four religious, were on that historic march through Georgia, and into the wilder ness beyond, to the Mississippi River where De* Soto found his grave. For a time the expedition camped at an Indian village at a place which has been identified as Silver Bluff, on the Savannah River, just a few miles below the City of Augusta. Here, as was their custom on every Sunday and every Holyday and when ever a stop was made, priests who accompanied the_ expedition offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on a portable altar which was carried by the explorers for such a purpose It is this event, the first recorded celebration of Mass in the vicinity of Augusta, that Augusta Catholics are commemorating on Sunday, Septem ber 29, with a Pontificial High Mass, upon the altar of St. Patricks Church, where the members of the city’s oldest parish gathered to wor ship. The Most Reverend Gerald P. O'Ha ra. D. D., J. U. D., Bishop of Savjn- nah-Atlanta, will pontificate and the officers of the Mass will be the Rev. Leo M. Keenan, pastor of St. Pat rick’s assistant priest; the Rev. J. E. O'Donohoe, S- J.. pastor of the Sac red Heart Church, and the Rev. George Laugel, pastor of the Immac ulate Conception Church, deacons of honor; the Rev. Michael Doona, of St. Patrick's Church, deacon of the Mass; the Rev. George T. Daly, of St. Mary’s-on-the-Hill Church, sub deacon: the Rev. Joseph Kavanagh, of the Cathedral of St. John the Bap tist. Savannah, master of ceremonies; and the Rev. Harold Barr, pastor of St. Mary’s-on-the-Hill Church, as sistant master of. ceremonies. The sermon will be delivered by the Right Reverend Monsignor Jos eph E. Moylan. V. F., rector of the Cathedral of Christ the King. At lanta. Invitations to attend the Mass have been extended to Hon. James M. Wooddall. Mayor of Augusta, R. P. Mayo, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Richmond ^County; Ben E. Lester, Postmaster at Augus ta, the Protestant Ministers Associa tion, the various civic clubs and the general public. Music at the Mass will be rendered by a choir, under the direction of John P. Mulherin, who has directed the choir of the Sacred Heart Church for fifty years. The choir of St, Pat rick's Church will be augmented for the occasion by members of the choirs of the other churches. DE SOTO’S MARCH THROUGH GEORGIA Walter G. Cooper, in “The Story of Georgia,” tells us that at the time he lead his expedition into Georgia, De Soto was “in the flower of his age, of commanding presence, being a little above the medium height, and having an agreeable though some what swarthy face. He was a skillful horseman, dextrous in all warlike exercises, of strong constitution, fitted to endure hardships, and of ripe ex perience in the conduct of Indian campaigns.” The Rev. Michael Kenny, S. J., who had one time taught at the Sacred Heart College, in Augusta, relates in his book. ‘The Romance of the Flor- idas,” that De Soto was a Knight Commander of the noble order of Santiago, a soldier of winning and commanding presence, who had won fame and fortune under Pizarro, and who although not yet 37 years of age was rated in Spain as one of the four great captains of the age. Father Kenney tells that De Soto -brought with him on his expedition eight secular priests, and four relig ious, a Trinitarian, a Franciscan, and two Dominicans. He states that it is recorded that De Soto personally co operated with the clergy in instruct ing chiefs and tribesmen in the ele ments of Christianity, and tells that there is a record of at least one oc casion when, after setting up the (Continued on Page li-Ai (Continued on Page 10-A) The Spaniards Reach the Savannah Theirs not the battle's glamor, bugles shrill. The charge with pennants flying . . . victory! They trudge through wastes, the jungle and morass, Booted, with helmets, breastplates, alt the day Tanned by the sun and courting death unknown— The reptiles lurking in the grass, foul flood With fumes all reeking, insects poisonous. Fierce beasts, shrub-hidden missiles seeking blood. Northward they push through wilds untamed. The Chief. Clerics, six hundred guardsmen, footsore, brave At Silver Bluff encamp. They plant the cross: Beside It Castles and Rampant Lions wave. De Soto doffs his feathered headgear low Before the Cross and Colors which remain. The settlement was long ere Albion From Georgian soil expelled the flag of Spain. Four Hundreds Years when the Conquistador The reddish hilLs of Georgia onre did claim! With civic and religious festival. Let now Augusta celebrate' his fame. (By a Former Professor of Augusta)