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TWO THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA OCTOBER 27, 1956. Auto Glass Installed — Mirrors Picture Windows — Steel Sash Glazing STEWART PLATE GLASS 00. PHONE 1047 P. O. BOX 208 100 GLOUCESTER ST. BRUNSWICK, GA. Parish Of Saint Francis Xavier And Missions Cover 11 Counties BRUNSWICK, Ga„—The Marist V Fathers are in their sixtieth year at Brunswick. It was in 1897 that ; the Parish of St. Francis Xavier Parker I & Langsti Helms in, Inc. , INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES TELEPHONE EL. 3-3180 TELEPHONE 2462 P. O. Box 425 P. O. Box 417 1902 East Beaver Street 1030 Bay Street JACKSONVILLE, FLA, i BRUNSWICK, GA. i ! ... t Brunswick Pastor. ie S. E. Georgia Missions The records Prior to the coming of the Mar in Brunswick from 1871. COASTAL CHEVROLET CORPORATION 1004 Gloucester Street Phone 161-102 BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA CHEVROLET. However, the beginnings of the Church in this area of coastal Georgia date back some four hun dred years, long before Ogle thorpe established himself at Frederica. From 1566-1742 Span ish missionaries labored, suffered, and were martyred in this locali ty for the cause of the faith. In 1791 the island of Jekyll was purchased by the du Bignon fam ily. From time to time the head of his family arranged to have a visiting priest celebrate Mass for his family and his slaves. The as sumption is that these visiting priests were missionaries at tached to the Diocese of Balti more and to the Diocese of Charleston, or were visiting priests from France. The Catholic Directory for 1840, shows that the Diocese of Charles ton had seven priests in charge of the missions in Georgia; and it was in the same year that a new district was formed, the princi pal stations of /which were St. Mary’s, Jekyll Island, Brunswick, and Darien. Sometime after 1844 the du Bignon family moved from Jekyll Island to Brunswick and Mass was said at their home on Union Street for the few Catholic families of Brunswick, who were mostly of French and Irish de scent. In 1868, a small frame structure was erected with the chapel fac ing Egmont Street and living quarters of the priest adjoining it, facing on Mansfield Street. This site was donated by a non- Catholic l'amily f , the Darts. The chapel was dedicated to St. Fran cis Xavier. The first resident pas tor was Father Scollin. The parish began preparing for a new and more suitable and larger church under the guidance of Father P. J. McCabe in 1878. It was on Sunday, April 27, 1884, during the administration of Father J. S. McKendrick, that the new and present church was dedicated by Bishop Gross. The pastorate of Father W. A. McCarthy (1885-1888) was out standing because of his work in the outlying districts and bap tisms under his signature are recorded in the parish records at Willacoochee, Aiapaha, St. Mary’s, Darien, and Doboy. There were ten families in the congre gation when Father Joseph Hen nessey arrived in Brunswick on March 2, 1888. Two heavy mort gages (later to be assumed by Bishop Becker) stared the ener getic Irish priest in the face as he took over the parish affairs. . During the yellow fever epidemic of 1893, Fr. Hennessey refused to leave town, although everyone who possibly could was doing so. This courageous priest weht from house to house, regardless of creed, aiding the victims of this dread disease. With them and their descendants, the name of Father Hennessey is. held in ben ediction. In 1897, the parish of St. Fran cis Xavier and the S. E. Georgia Missions were entrusted to the Marist Fathers. Father P. J. Luckie is considered Brunswick’s first Marist pastor. Trials beset the Marist at the outset of their work in Georgia. The War with Spain in 1898 arrested the com merce of the city.. In October of that year, a combined cyclone and tidal wave' destroyed the larger - part of the business section of Brunswick. The flood entered the church and destroyed almost all of the windows. Father Luckie worn out by physical and mental distress, fell a victim to yellow (Continued on Page 8)