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TWENTY-EIGHT
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
AUGUST 21, 1948
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Father Ignatius Lissner, S. Af. A.,
Founder of Colored Missions in
Georgia, Dies in New Jersey
TEANECK, N. J. — The Very
Reverend Ignatius Lissner, S. M.
A., eighty-one, founder of the
Aemican Province of the Society
of African Missions, died on Aug
ust 7 at Holy Name Hospital here.
• The Office of the Dead was re
cited at St. Anthony’s Mission
House, Tenafly, and funeral ser
vices were held at the Church of
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Tena
fly.
A Solemn Mass of Requiem was
offered in Mount Carmel Church,
Tenafly, on Tuesday, August 10,
and was attended by the Monsig
nor Eugene S. Burke of Richmond,
dean of Bergen County who was
the representative of Archbishop
Thomas J. Walsh of Newark, and
Monsignor Joseph E. Moylan, ad
ministrator of the Diocese of Sa-
vannah-AUanta, who represented
the Most Reverend Bishop Gerald
P. O’Hara. Father John F. La-
Fargo, S. J., represented the Cath
olic Interracial Council and a
number of Sisters, Handmaids of
the Most Pure Heart of Mary,
which Father Lissner founded in
1910. also attended.
Celebrant of the Mass was the
Father Peter Hess, S. M. A., assist
ed by Father P. J. O’Donoghoe, S.
M. A. as deacon and Father Al
phonse P. Koch, S. M. A., sub
deacon.
Father Lissner was buried in
the Mount Carmel parish ceme
tery at Tenafly. His closest sur
vivor is Mifjs Jennie Lissner of
New York City, a niece.
Father Lissner was born in
Wolxheim, Alsace-Lorraine, in
1867. and was ordained to the
priesthood at Lyons, France, in
June. 1891. The following Sep-
. tember he went to Africa where
he labored as a missioner for six
years, his field embracing the west
•r coast, Dahomey, Guinea, and the
_Gold Coast, where he had many
‘interesting experiences in the dark
continent.
First coming to the United
States in 1897, he traveled through
this country and Canada, lecturing
and making appeals for help to
further the/missionary work of the
Society of African Missions among
the Negro population of the United
States.
After a brief visit to this coun
try, Father Lissner went to Egypt
as a chaplain with the British
Army, returning to the United
States in 1906.
In January, 1907, Father Lissner
went to Georgia. At the time theri
was no house of the Society of Af
rican Missions in the Diocese of
Savannah, nor in the United
States. He rented one room in a
boarding house in Savannah, and
before he had been in that city
a year he had established St. Ben
edict the Moor Mission, and had
• started a school with the Francis
can Sisters of the Immaculate Con
ception as teachers.
The growth of the mission and
the rapidly increasing enrollment
&t the school made it necessary to
establish another mission and a
school, dedicated to the Most Pure
Heart of Mary, and in 1908, a third
Colored mission, St. Anthony's,
was established in Savannah.
Father Lissner next established
a mission in Augusta, and soon
afterward founded Colored mis
sions in Atlanta and Macon.
When Father Lissner arrived in
Georgia there were but 250 Color
ed Catholics in the state and but
67 Colored children attending
Catholic schools. At the present
time, the Society of African Mis
sions has three flourishing Colored
parishes in Savannah, St. Bene
dict’s, St. Mary’s, and St. An
thony’s, each with its parochial
school. In Augusta, there is the
Immaculate Conception Church,
with a high school and a grade
school and St. Benedict the Moor
Orphanage for Colored girls. In
Macon, there is St. Peter Clavcr
Church, and a school conducted
by Sisters of the Blessed Sacra
ment, and in Atlanta, Our Lady of
Lourdes Church, with a school in
*• which Sisters of the Blessed Sac
rament are the teachers.
In addition to the establish
ment of the churches and schools
in Georgia, Father Lissner also
established St. Odilia’s Church and
school in Los Angeles, Calif., and
Blessed Martin de Porres Mission.
Tucson. Ariz.
In 1922, he started St. Antho-
» ny’s Mission House, at Tenafly. for
the formation of a Colored clergy.
In 1928, he established a Retreat
„ House at Tenafly ♦.here Colored
business and professional men
could gather for annual Retreats.
In 1916, with the approval and
blessing of the late Bishop Benja
min J. Keiley of Savannah, Father
Lissner organized in Suvanuah a
FATHER LISSNER
community of Colored Sisters, the
Franciscan Handmaids of the Most
Pure Heart of Mary. Later, the
congregation was adopted into the
Archdiocese of New York, and the
Motherhouse of the community is
now in New York City, where the
Sisters teach at St. Aloysius Pa
rochial School, operate St. Bene
dict’s Day Nursery, add engage in
social service work. The novitiate
is on Staten Island, and the com
munity now nurpbers about thirty
Sisters.
Father Lissner was Provincial of
the American Province of the So
ciety of African Missions until two
years ago when the condition of
his health made it necessary for
him to relinquish the active direc
tion -of the society’s missionary ef
forts. ^
Since Father Lissner’s retire
ment in 1946 he has been in resi
dence at St. Anthony’s Mission
in Tenafly, provincial headquar
ters of the order in the United
States.
The Society of African Missions
was founded in Lyons, France; its
motherhouse is now in Rome, with
the Very Rev. Maurice Slattery,
S. M. A., as Superior General.
The novitiate and provincial sem
inary in this country are at Sil
ver Spring, Md. The ,4.frican
Fathers, as they are sometimes
called, have communities or par
ishes in the Archdioceses of Bal
timore, Los Angeles and Newark,
and the Dioc'escs of Belleville and
Savannah Atlanta.
K. of C. in Macon
Outline Council .
Program for Year
MACON, Ga.—formation of a
circle of Columbian Squires, com
posed of boys between the ages
of fourteen and eighteen years,
under the sponsorship of the
Knights of Columbus, the expan
sion of Catholic activity and fra
ternal projects, were among the
recommendations made by State
Deputy J. P. Price, of Augusta,
on the occasion of his first of
ficial visit to Macon Council, No.
925, K. of C.
Robert J. Hinson, grand knight
of Macon Council, said that
through the various projects
which would be undertaken by
the council during the coming
year that the members would “thus
take and keep a more firmly es
tablished position as Catholic lay
men in support of our Bishop and
our pastors in carrying out the
work of the Church, and to attract
to our organization most of the
eligible and desirable men we
want and need. We may tell them
that through their cooperation and
support our organization will earn
still greater acclaim for its ac
complishments for God and our
country.”
Following the regular ' meeting
the state deputy held a number
of conferences with members of
the various standing committees
of the council, and methods of
furthering the council’s program
were discussed.
The evening’s program conclud
ed with a buffet supper served by
the entertainment committee of
the council, under the leadership
of N. J. Pascullis.
It was announced at the meet
ing that Past State Deputy John
J. McCreary, of Macon, would
represent the Georgia State Coun
cil. with the state deputy, at the
annual convention of the Supreme
Spring Hill College
Announces Changes,
Additions to Faculty
Father Thomas L. Finn, One of
Georgia’s Outstanding Priests,
Dies in Savannah, July 28th
(Special to The Bulletin)
MOBILE, Ala.—Changes and ad
ditions to the faculty of Spring
Hill College have been announced
by Father Harry Crane, S. J., Pro
vincial of the Southern Province
of the Society of Jesus.
Father J. Franklin Murray, S.
J„ returns to the department of
English after a year’s absence,
and other faculty members return
ing are Father Thomas F, Mul-
crone, S. J., mathematics; Father
J. M. Walsh, S. J.. Spanish; Father
Louis J. Eisele, S. J., physics; and
Father Charles C. Goetz, S. J., re
ligion.
Father Arnold Benedetto, S. J.,
and Father S. Yoree Watson, S. J.,
who have finished their work on
their doctorate degrees in philos
ophy at the Gregorian University
in Rome, Italy, will be added to
the department of philosophy.
Three new members of the fac
ulty will be Mr. Frederick Mc
Caffrey, S. J., English; Mr. John
Moore, S. J., Mathematics, and
Mr. Thomas A. Steley, S. J., so
ciology.
Transferred from Spring Hill
lo other appointments are: Father
John Gonzales, S. J., to Holy Fam
ily Church, El Paso, Texas; Father
James D. Carroll, S. J., to Jesuit
High School, New Orleans; Father
John H. Mullahy, S. J., to Van
derbilt University, where he will
work toward a doctorate degree in
sociology; Mr. Alfred O. Lambeau,
S. J., to Fordham University, for
work toward a master’s degree;
Mr. Oren W. Key, S. C., to Jesuit
High School, New Orleans, and Mr.
John P. Driscoll, to St. Mary’s
College, Kansas, to begin his theo
logical study.
Other members*‘of the Spring
Hill Faculty are Father W. Pat
rick Donnelly, S. J., president;
Father Joseph S. Rogue, S. J.,
Father Andrew C. Smith, S. J.,
dean; Father Sidney A. Tonsmeire,
S. J., Father Arthur A. Colkin,
S. J., Father J. A. Cronin, S.
J., Father John V. Deignan, S..
J., Father Joseph B. Franckhaus-
er, S. J., Father John- A. Gosson,
S. J., Father John A. Hutchins,
S. J., Father Francis Janssen,
S. J., Father Everett H. Larguier,
S. J,, Father Warren J Martin, S
J., Father John Moreau, S. J.,
Father Joseph Mulhern, S. J.,
Father John J. O’Keefe, S. J.,
Father John A. Sweeney, S. J.,
Father Henry Tiblier, S. J., and
Father Patrick H. yancey, S. J.
Mr. James D. Blakenship, S.
J., and Mr. Robert Oglesby, S. J.,
who are on leave of absence for
the summer, will return for the
fall term. Lay members of the
college faculty are Louis F. Bou-
dousquie, registrar; Harold G. Al
len, Sam M. Betty, John J. Hold
en, James V. Irby, Jr., Edmund B.
Sullivan, Edwin F. Trigg, and Wil
liam C. Gardiner, coach. Other
additions to the faculty, in the de
partment of. accounting and com
merce, will be aqnotinced later.
Father J. E. Donohoe, S. J.,
will remain as pastor of St. Jo
seph’s Church of the college.
OBLATE MISSIONARY
CONDUCTING NOVENA
AT COLUMBUS CHURCH
COLUMBUS, Ga.—Father Jo
seph A. Curtin, O. M. I., of the
Oblates Fathers Mission Band,
from Douglas, is conducting a No
vena in honor of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary at the Holy Family
Church here, where Father Her
man Deimel is the pastor.
Council of the K. of C., being
held in Houston, Texas, this
month.
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Father
Thomas L. Finn, one of the most
widely known and best beloved
priests of the Diocese of Savannah-
Atlanta, died here on July 28,
funeral services being held at the
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
The Solemn Requiem Mass was
offered by Monsignor Joseph Eh
Moylan, Vicar General of the Dio
cese of Savannah-Atlanta, with
Father Daniel F. CumminffSj, of
Baltimore, deacon; Father Jaiiies
H. Grady, of Rome, subdeacon;
Father James H, Conlin and Fath
er George Daly, masters of cere
monies. The sermon was deliv
ered by Monsignor T. James Mc
Namara, rector of the Cathedral.
Among the members of the
clergy present in the sanctuary
were: Monsignor Joseph G. Cas
sidy, rector of the Cathedral of
Christ the King, Atlanta: Monsig
nor Joseph F. Croke, pastor of
St. Anthony’s Church, 'Atlanta;
Monsignor Edward Dodwell, J. C.
D., Officials of the Diocese .of
Savannah-Atlanta: Monsignor
James J. Grady, pastor of St.
Mary's-on-The-IIill Church, Au
gusta; Father J. Jennings Clark,
Washington, D. C.; Father Sydney
F. Dean, Greenville, S. C.; Father
John J. O’Shea, Thomasville;
Father Godfrey Weitekamp, O.
F. M. Americus; Father John A.
Morris, Thunderbolt; Father John
D. Toomey, Milledgeviile: Father
Adolph Gall, S. M. A., Augusta;
Father Michael Manning; Gaines
ville: Father James E. King, War
ner Robins; Father Robert Bren
nan, Dublin; Father John Harold
Shea, Chattanooga; Father
Thomas I. Sheehan, Decatur;
Father Daniel J. McCarthy, Port
Wentworth; Father P J. O’Connor,
Washington, D. C.; Father Charles
McBennett, O. M. I., Douglas;
Father Daniel J. Bourke, Albany;
Father Leo Ziebarth, S. M., Bruns
wick; Father H. A. Schonhardt,
Atlanta; Father John J. Ryan, C.
S. V., Father Robert Brennan, O.
S. If., Father Bede Lightner, O.
S. B., Father Hugh Hagerty, O. S.
B., Father Terence Kernan, O. S.
B., Father Aloysius Wachter, O.
S. B., Father Thomas A. Brennan.
Father A. E. Grant; Father An
drew McDonald, Father Joseph
Ware. Savannah; Chaplain Sulli
van, U. S. Marine Base, Parris Is
land, and others.
Music- at the Mass was by the
Cathedral choir, under the direc
tion of A. J. Ilandiboe, with Miss
Patricia Barragan at the organ.
The pallbearers were Walter B.
Murphy, J. J. Doolan, William , J.
Cleary, Edward J. Burns, Jr..
Joseph L. Bradley, C. F. Russell,
Jr., II. J. Middleton and John O.
McNamara.
From the afternoon before until
the hour of the funeral services,
Father Finn’s body, in its flag-
draped casket, rested in state be
fore the main altar of the Cathed
ral. In the evening the Office of
(he Dead was chanted by the
clergy of the city, and hundreds
of Father Finn’s friepds among the
laity gathered at the Cathedral
to recite the Rosary. A guard of
honor of Fourth Degree, Knights
of Columbus, in full regalia, stood
at attention beside the casket.
For the past several years, Fath
er Finn had served as Director of
Catholic Charities of the Diocese
of Savannah-Atlanta. Previously,
he had served for a number of
years as Director of St. Joseph’s
Home, Washington, and he'was the
first pastor of St. Thomas Moore
parish, established in Decatur in
1941.
Father Finn was well known in
Savannah as a community worke?:
and as a priest. He was at one time
president of the Cotton City Ath
letic Association and the Braves
Club. At the inception of city
league baseball in Savananh, Fath-
FATIIER FINN
er Finn was unanimously elected
president of the league.
The popular priest was also
prominent in Boy Scout work, be
ing scoutmaster in his earlier
years of Troop 14, which at that
time won many honors in scout
ing. He was a past president of the
Catholic Library Association, and
while heading the asosciation was
instrumental in bringing about the
founding of the Catholic Com
munity Center on Liberty street.
During World War I he served
with the Army, enlisting as a pri
vate and being discharged with the
rank of captain.
Upon returning to civilian life.
Father Finn was prominently as
sociated in the cotton business in
Savannah, with the Espy Cotton
Company, until 1923, when he
abandoned a promising business
career to study for the priesthood.
He entered St. Mary's Seminary,
in Baltimore, and upon completion
of his philosophical and theologi
cal courses, was ordained at the
Cathedral here in 1929 by Bishop
Micheal J. KeycS. S. M.. at that
time Bishop of Savannah.
After his ordination. Father Finn
was appointed director of St. Jo
seph's Home for boys, at Washing
ton, Ga., and it was while he- was
in charge of the home that the
new building was erected there.
On account of illness, Father
Finn was relieved of his post at
St. Joseph’s Home in 1935, and
later served as assistant pastof of
the Blessed Sacrament Church in
Savannah and as assistant rector
of the Cathedral of Christ the
King in Atlanta.
When the Decatur parish of St.
Thomas More was created in 1941,
Father Finn was appointed as its
first pastor. In 1945, he was reliev
ed of his duty as pastor in De
catur so that he could devote full
time lo his positions as Director
of Catholic Charities of the Dio
cese of Savannah-Atlanta and Di
ocesan Director of the Catholic
Evidence Guild. He had his head
quarters at the rectory of the Ca
thedral of Christ the King, in At
lanta, and while there served also
as chaplain of the Newman Clubs
at Georgia Tech, Emory University
and Agnes Scott College.
Early this year, Father Finn was
honored by the Catholic Young
People’s Association in Savannah
when the association named its
library the “Father Finn Library,”
the dedication being not only be
cause of ills donation of many
books but also in recognition of
his years as a leader and champ
ion religious, youth and civic pro
jects.
Father Finn is survived by a
brother, Walter Finn, of Savannah,
and two cousins, James H. Mc
Kenna and Mrs. Marguerite McK,
McEllinn, also of Savannah.
Best Wishes
GANN’S
' BAR-B-Q
CHICKEN - STEAKS - SEAFOODS
SAVANNAH BEACH