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Thursday, November 23, 2000
Milestones along ihe way
The Southern Cross, Page 5
By Gillian Brown
W ith this special edition of The
Southern Cross, we mark 150
years of the existence of the Diocese
of Savannah. In one sense, this jour
ney has taken us through 150 years
of life together as a Catholic family,
sharing our faith, surviving through
good times and bad, and growing as
a strong and vibrant community. But
in another sense, the journey began
many years before that, with the first
appearance of Spanish missionaries
along the coast of Georgia in the
16th century. Looking back, we can
identify some of the milestones along
the way:
1540: Hernando de Soto and his
men, during their historic exploration
of the South, travel through what is
now the State of Georgia. The first
Baptism, according to tradition, takes
place near Macon.
1597: Five Franciscan friars die
during an uprising among the Guale
people of coastal Georgia. The
Franciscan missions are re-estab
lished after the revolt, and in fact
flourish for many years. Estimates
indicate that some 26,000 Christians
live in the islands and coastal regions
by 1665.
1733: With the arrival of General
James Oglethorpe and the founding
of the new English colony of
Georgia, a new era begins. Catholics
are not allowed, according to the first
Charter.
1779: During the Revolutionary
War, French and American forces
fight together to free Savannah from
British control. Among those who
die during the Siege of Savannah is
the Polish hero Count Casimir
Pulaski. The Cathedral of Saint John
the Baptist today stands on Lafayette
“The place looks very desolate—at 3 o’clock p.m. looks as
deserted as at midnight at other seasons. Every night large
fires are kindled in various parts of the city and great quanti
ties of tar burnt. So far I keep well, though constantly on the
go. Yet I know not whether I will pass through the scourge with
safety to myself. I hope our Philadelphia friends are praying
for us. I write in great haste. My buggy is at the door for me to
make my rounds.”
—Bishop Francis X. Gartland, writing to M.A. Frenaye, of Philadelphia,
on August 29, 1854, less than a month before his death from Yellow Fever.
“I left Savannah July the 18th for Andersonville, where I had
sent Father Whelan one month before and Father Clavreul a
week before to attend to the Yankee prisoners to the number of
thirty thousand, one-fifth perhaps being Catholics. I visited the
Stockade and the hospital and administered the last
Sacraments to some prisoners... The following day, Monday, I
went again to Andersonville to see yet better things by myself
and bring supplies
to the missionaries.”
—From Bishop Verot’s diary of July 18, 1864
Square, named for the famous
French revolutionary general, the
Marquis de Lafayette, who also
fights here.
1789: The first Catholic diocese in
the new United States is formed,
with its see city at Baltimore. Bishop
John Carroll is responsible for a ter
ritory stretching from New England
to Georgia.
1790: The town of Locust Grove,
near Washington, Georgia, becomes
the home of a group of Catholic set
tlers from Maryland. Father John le
Moyne becomes their pastor, with
responsibility for Catholics in the
entire state.
1796: The first entry in the
Baptismal register in Savannah
records a service conducted by Father
Olivier le Mercier, who blesses the
grave of Father le Moyne. He serves
the needs of a Catholic population
that includes a number of French fam
ilies fleeing the revolution in France.
Many have come via Haiti, where the
revolutionary movement has dispos
sessed them of their properties and
plantations.
1820: Bishop John England
becomes the first Bishop of
Charleston. His new diocese includes
both the Carolinas as well as
Georgia. Parishes are established in
Macon and Columbus, as well as in
Locust Grove, Augusta and
Savannah. A handful of priests
serves the Catholic population,
which now numbers about 1,000.
1850: Pope Pius IX establishes the
Diocese of Savannah, with Bishop
Francis X. Gartland as its first Bishop.
With the opening of a parish at Saint
Mary’s, Georgia, there are now six
parishes in the diocese. The Church of
Saint John the Baptist, the only parish
in Savannah, is designated the Cathe
dral.
1854: Bishop Gartland dies while
ministering to his people during a yel
low fever epidemic, shortly after the
death of his friend, Bishop Edward
Barron.
1857: Bishop John Barry, who has
been the pastor of the parish in
Augusta, takes over the leadership of
the diocese.
1861: Bishop Augustine Verot
becomes the third Bishop of
Savannah, taking over during the
Civil War, after the death of Bishop
Barry. The war takes the lives of
Catholics on both sides of the con
flict. Father Peter Whelan, captured
with the Confederates at Fort Pulaski,
serves as a chaplain at Andersonville
where he ministers to the Union sol
diers as well as to members of the
Confederate forces.
1870: Bishop Verot is transferred to
the new diocese of Saint Augustine,
Florida, and Bishop Ignatius Persico
takes his place in Savannah. By this
time, groups of religious women—the
Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of
Saint Joseph—are working in schools
and hospitals in the area. Bishop
Persico founds churches in Bmnswick
and Darien, and makes the prelimi
nary plans for building a new
Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist on
Lafayette Square.
1871: The Benedictine fathers
arrive to work among the newly
freed slaves. Their monastery and
school at Skidaway Island fail, but
they found flourishing parishes and
schools at Saint Benedict’s and
Sacred Heart, Savannah.
1873: Bishop William Gross suc
ceeds Bishop Persico, who resigns for
reasons of health. During his tenure,
the Cathedral is built in Savannah. A
seminary is established in Macon, run
by the Jesuits. The Brothers of the
(Continued on page 6)
(USPS 505 680)
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^istBe/, Director of Communications:
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