Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

6 Diocebe of Savannah. The Right Rev. Bishop of the Diocese reached Thomson on Ms missionary jonrney, on Saturday, the 9th October, in the afternoon, and preached at night to a large and highly respectable congre gation, of whom the majority was mamly composed of Protestant ladies and gen tlemen. On Sunday morning, the 10th, a numerous excursion party arrived from Augusta. High Mass was celebrated by the Rev. Father Joseph, S. 1., of Augusta. The crowd which had assembled *to wit ness the solemn ceremonies of the Church and to listen to the earnest and eloquent address of the Bishop. So large and so dense was the crowd, that the inevitable newspaper reporter, wo hear, could not make an entrance into the Court House, where the services were held. The same evening’s crowd anxiously awaited for the Bishop’s even ing sermon. On Monday night, 11th, a violent storm and heavy rain threatened to pre vent the assembling of the people. Not withstanding the inclemency of the weather, the Bishop was waited upon and requested to preach; and to Ms great, astonishment and delight, he met a : large audience, some of whom had come as far as from fourteen miles of the Surrounding country. Arrangements were made to build a Catholic Church in Thomson, towards which SSOO have been already subscribed. (See extract from the McDuffie. Weekly Journal below. On the 12th the Bishop visited Sparta, I Hancock county, where he lectured. Left Sparta on the-13th for Station No. 6, on the Central Road, where he arrived at 3 o’clock in the morning, in company with Father Prendergast, of Augusta. Hence he went by carriage to States boro, Bullock county, where he preached to a large congregation, administered the Holy Sacrament of Baptism to a young lady of seventeen years, and confirmed six persons. After which, lie travelled to a house M the country ten miles dis tant, preached the same evening to a large crowd of Catholics and Protestants. Oct. 15th.—The, Bishop went to Sta tion No. 7, Central Road, and thence travelled to a settlement of Germans, ten miles off which he reached at 4 p. m., preached and heard confessions. These Soor Germans had never seen a Priest in leir settlement. Imagine, therefore, their joy to see their Bishop amongst them, and to hear him address them in the language of “Fatherland.’’ • r On the 10th, the Bishop administered the Holy Sacrament of Confirmation in the settle ment, and left for Sylvania, Screven county, where a large and anxious crowd awaited him. He preached to them in the afternoon. On Sunday, the 17th, the Bishop at Sylvania preached at 11 o’clock in the morning, to a large congregation, and to the afternoon’s sermon the concurrence of the people was so great that the Bishop was obliged to preach from a balcony, the audience being seated on the ground. The same evening he con firmed five persons. Everywhere the Bishop was treated with the greatest respect and hospitality. He has not sown seed on barren ground. binhop <;kus*. This learned Catholic Divine introduced himself to our citizens on Saturday night last in an eloquent and most excellent sermon from the text—“ What shall it profit a man if he gain the entire world and yet suffer the loss of his own soul.” He handled this subject in a dear, consistent and forcible manner that con vinced every one present that the geMus of this wonderful orator had not been over-estimated, and wdien it was announc ed that he would, on Sunday morning, explain the peculiar views entertained by the Catholic Church in regard to the Vir gin Mary, every one present expressed a desire to hear him on that most inter esting subject. On Sunday an immense crowd, con sisting mostly of members of the Catholic Church in Augusta visited Thomson, but as the Court-house was too small to hold one-fourth of those who desired to hear the Bishop, many of the visitors gener ously gave way in order that our citizens might hear a true version of this most beautiful theme. At eleven o’clock there was not standing room left unoccupied, and the Bishop stepped forward and for one hour and a half held the vast au dience enthralled by his magical voice. Many Protestants, like ourselves, glanced at each other with looks of mute inquiry and wonder as this wonder ful man portrayed, not in the fanciful colors of sophistry or metaphor, but in the earnest language of simplicity and truth described the purity and sublimity of character that was pecMiar only to the Mother of J esus. In his own peculiar manner he described her character in language that gave her a “Luminous beauty as tender and faint, As the halo of love that encircles a saint.” not as divine, but as a child of Adam 1 and Eve as blessed among women. In the most glowing colors he pictured her, not as a divine, but as a human being, the especial object of God’s love and fa vor, and who for her sacred love for Christ and His church had suffered the most refined martyrdom. Step by step did he unfold new beauties in the life of this sainted woman—of her sufferings in the manger at Bethlehem —of her ex ile through Egypt, and of the trials, and privations of the thirty years of her life while with Christ on earth, and of the agony that she, for his sake, endured— spoke of her sublime suffering and of her final triumph at the cr: ss. In a few most sensible and practical remarks ho endeavored to show that if it is right to adore and reverence the Son it is but natural that we should respect and honor the memory of his blessed mother. Ho then briefly alluded to the prejudice that many honest persons have who im agine that the Virgin Mary, or even her image is worsMpped by Catholics, and in the most clear and forcible manner explained the falsity of such charges against th ech ui cli. His sermon through out was so clear and consistent that very many of his Protestant hearers wondered greatly that they had never had such beautiful truths explained to them be fore, and were fully convinced that the position of the Catholic Church, in this one particular at least, was the correct one. On Sunday, evening the Bishop again spoke on the doctrine of Confession. He first stated that no true Priest was ever paid for confession or absolution of sins, but when the penitent has wronged another he must, in all case#, make a full restitution for such injury. That it was the doctrine of honesty. That God himself exacted confessions and pardon ed penitents. He said the custom was established under the Jewish dispensa tion, when our Saviour, as man, claimed the power to forgive sin, and was ob jected to only by the Scribes and Phari sees, but that the commission given to the Apostles and to the church to hear confessions and to pardon sins had al ways existed—that Christ pardoned all who, in the true spirit, asked pardon— that Ms Disciples did the same, and had left with the church the same power, which would continue to exist as long as the church stands—that a successor in any office, moral, legal or Divine, if wor thy, inherits all of the power held by his predecessor. That the custom of con fession had never been questioned until the 16th century, and then only by dis senters from the new church. He spoke of the great moral and restraining influ ence of the confessional and of the sa cred fidelity with which all secrets were kept. Ho convinced all of his hearers that the while it could do no possible harm was, in very many in stances, capable of doing great good.— McDuffie Journal. [Correspondence of the N. Y. Observer.] JESUIT* AND THEIR WORK. Bishop Gross is getting on with his college. Our Alaeon folks will*yet be “as fou as they are fond of Popery,” if we may use a Scotticism. A little baby tiger from the jungles of Bengal may be a nice pet about the house; but wait till the little animal gets its teeth and only tastes blood, and then the tigrine nature will show itself. Popery is a very nice thing in Georgia at present, and Bishop Gross is trying to popularize it by public lectures and the mtroduc tion of the Jesuits. Are your readers not astonished to hear of a Protestant— a man of wealth and intelligence too — asking the question, Who are these Je suits? The men who have shed seas of the blood of thousands of Protestant heretics in Europe, and woMd, if they dare, murder every Protestant in Geor gia; nay, their oath of office bmds them, as well as the ordinary priesthood of the Romish Church, to “oppose and persecute all heretics from the holy mother Church.” Oh! for another Kir wan in Georgia!! Spain, where their founder, Ignatius Loyola, commenced his operations; France, where they spread with great rapidity; Italy, where they were alternately commended and condemned by infallible Popes; Austria itself, and now Prussia, have all got | wearied of the Jesuits. Germany has driven them out as political pests. Bri ! tain, and even Burmali and Japan, have ino use for the Jesuits. Now we find them seeldii, and finding a foothold in j Georgia. Withrn four months they have erected a church in Augusta, one of our leading commercial cities. It is reported that they intend foundmg an educational institute in Augusta. Bishop Gross was charmed with the people of Augusta, a s a great number of Protestant heretics went to hear his little silly address in the theatre; and the man, of course, supposed that that city was a friendly field for a Jesuit mission. A few years of the JesMts will satisfy the people of Augusta that such a body of ecclesiastics is no acqMsition to any commumty. In his efforts to popularize Popery in Georgia, Bishop Gross has made some changes in the priesthood. For exam ple, he has removed Father Hamilton from Augusta and filled the place by a Father Prendergast, who has instituted an evening service—vespers, with a ser mon. TMs sermon is announced each Sunday morning in the two city papers, both of which are under Roman Catho lic management. This priest has been preachmg, or readrng extracts fir in books, and mummefing these extracts \ | such an inaudible maimer that he J THE SO U THERX CROSS. ad wel be reading in an unknown tongue He has announced such topics as—“ The Immaculate Conception” of Mary; “Prayers to the Saints;” “Purga tory;” “The Confessional;” “The Catho lic Cht rch never has persecuted for con science sake— e. : g., Galileo, Bio idy Mary, Massacre of St. Bartholomew;” &c., &\, &c. These and cognate sub jects have drawn a few young men and young, women to the Romish Church as a matter of curiosity, who have listened and left it in disgust. Such bareface and shameless falsifications or misrep resentaj.ions of the truth prove that BishojjGross and his man are disposed to dra\f very freely on the ignorance and credulity of the people of Augusta. I predict lie will get cured of this delusion before ft great while. We hjave given above, the extract from the New* York Observer, headed “JesMts and their work,” to exMbit to our read ers the charity observed by Protestant ism towards the Catholic Church, and the ribaldry with which it is sometimes expressed by low adherents, who dis gust co-religionists as well as others with attempts at wit unknown to courtesy. In this and in preceding numbers, we have published the minis trations-of Bishop Gross M his Diocese, and the uniform kindness and respect with which he has been everywhere re ceived by the ladies and gentlemen of the State, and their appreciation of his sermons and addresses in the cause of Christianity. All unprejudiced Chris tians, of whatever denomination, should value the rmtiring zeal and energy which the Bishop displays in the cause of reli gion, ev,if.pt, of course, such mmisters of the Gospel whose churches by their diminished congregations, show the el ects of the Bishops appeals. If being “wise unto salvation ’ is being fou the j Macon folks can smile as we do, at the harmless wit of the would be wag of the j Ne v York Observer: and as for “the young tiger” amongst them, he need not be concerned about the safety of the Maconites, as the worst this tiger could do, would be to break through the jun gles of prejudice, and frighten them for conscience sake, into the Catholic fold— iljot of the JesMts or Bish op Gross, who seem according to our wag, to he the v keepers of the tiger, but through fear of God, or dread of the devil. “Popery” has always been a fine thing in Georgia, as everywhere else, and we hope indeed and pray fervently, that Bishop Gross and the JesMts may not only succeed to make it popular amongst our people, but also, loved by all, and embraced by all, who love the Loijd Jesus Christ and the Salvation of their, own soMs. We are not surprised that out “wag” should be astonished that a “Protestant, a man of wealth, and intelligence too, slioMd ask who are these Jesuits.” If the gentleman desired a sensible answer, our wiseacre was un doubtedly not the man to be appealed to; for to judge from what he says about the Jesuits, the question must have in deed confounded him; as from all he says of them he proclaims his own pro found ignorance of the JesMts, their office and their oath. Verily, he needs the tiger and an old and tough one too, to broak through the jungles of his brain, for of course though ribald, we suppose him to be honest, and the Jesuits will excuse him for his “invincible ignorance,” as they express it. Is it not rather assinine in this eMightened age of ours, for somebody, following Luther or Calvin, to prattle abont seas of blood shed by the Jesuits ? Any school boy grounded in the rudiments of history, would be mortified to betray his iguor anceby such talk. Where have Jesuits ever shed the blood of Protestants; or where is to be found the oath by which theyiknd the ordinary priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church are bound “to oppose and persecute all heretics ?” Perhaps it may be found M the jungles, covered by the clown’s cap of the New York Observer’s Georgia Kirwan. If he is not too foolish to comprehend a distinction, we will admit that the Catho lic priesthood, are decidedly opposed to all errors in matters of faith, because with Georgia Kirwan’s kind permission, they have a mission to preach and de 'frmi the truth, and consequently they mV t oppose heresy, and if by doing thaWhey cause the death of all Protest ai &in Georgia, no jury in the country find a verdict of wilful murder against them. * But joking apart, if our Kirwan de- Lired to el wate Protestantism and belit tle Catholicism, why did he not write with the learmng of a scholar and the courtesy of a gentleman ? Why de grade Mmself by characterizing a gentle man of acknowledged ability and unu sual eloquence, as is Bishop Gross, as delivering “a little silly address m the theatre;” and why so unnecessarily as sail the intelligence of the Protestants j of Augusta, who, by his own admission | went In great numbers to hear the Bish op. It seems he had not the courage to i say such things in Augusta, and there- j fore fires them off in New York. As to Father PrAdergast,whom our wag also bespatters, we admire his zeal, and would recommend the Observer’s corres pondent to go and hear his lectur ?s and not to miss a single one of them; in that case he might learn some truths about Gallileo,and the massacre of St. Bar thole mews,of which he is no doubt as ignorant, as he shows himself to be about Jesuits. Born and reared in Savannah, the Rev Air. Prendergast is too well known and respected there and throughout Georgia to be injuriously, affected by the petty malice of a newspaper scribbler. Both Bishop Gross and Father Prendergast are laboring in the cause of truth, and not strivmg for mere little triumphs at the cost of their souls. Does our Georgia Kirwan’s education embrace Latin? If so he may at his leasure translate. “Si tacuisses Philosophies, mansisses,” so far he has only shown that the lion’s skin he has sought to wear does not cover the asses ears. The Rt. Ilev. Bishop Verot, of the Dio cese of St. Augustine, Florida, arrived in | this city on the 19th inst., on his horne i ward journey from Rome. He is full of ; interestmg news from “The Eternal I City,” and says —which we regret to ! hear, though it is not unexpected—that j his Holiness, the Pope, exhibits signs of old age. This venerable Prelate looks hearty and hale in spite of his seventy years. He will spend several days in this city, his former residence, and we hope will gratify the Catholics of Savan nah by preaching next Sunday in the Cathedral. HEM? FUR THE JVOII jt The festival held last night by the La i dies of the Society of our Lady of Perpet ual Help proved a success, we are glad to say, so much so, that it will be con tinued to night at Metropolitan Hall. It is a good work, and commends itself to the charity of every one. Air. Alallette contributed the music of his fine voice, and the re-union was in every way a pleasant one. Home Catholic News The Cause of Total Abstinence, which is earnestly advocated and worked up by the Catholics of the whole world, is gradually and surely gaining numerous adherents, and receiving un told blessings from Almighty God, year after year. Societies are organized, having for their object the total abstinence of spiritu ous liquors on the part of their mem bers. Each State has its own union of societies and their State Unions are in turn under the direction of the National Union. As in organization there is strength against all dangers, so in this powerful organization, we find strength to combat no>v one of the deadliest ene mies of our people, King Alcohol. The National Convention, which assembled on the stli inst., at Cincinnati, has shown by its deliberations, that each year for the past five years, the period of the National Union’s existence, it has been instrumental M accomplishing a deal of good. This, the fifth Annual Convention, was opened by a grand pro cession, composed of about one thou sand persons, forming the principal local societies. Notwithstanding the un pleasant weather, the procession marched through the principal streets to the Cathedral, where a solemn High Alass was sung by Rev. J. F. Callaghan, assisted by Rev. Thos. Conwav as Dea con. The Alost, Rev. Archbishop Pur cell preached the sermon, M which he took occasion to extend his heartiest congratulations, and to express Ms es teem f r the uMon. He dwelt at some length on the great crime of intemper ance now takrng hold of all kinds of so ciety. He spoke also of the good results to be obtained through the union, and closed by expressing the hope that their members woMd continue to increase without limit. Alass being over the pro cession agarn formed and marched to Alozart Hall, where the delegates assem bled to attend to business. Rev. Pat rick Byrne, the President, took the Chair, and Mr. James M. O’Brien acted as Sec retary. Addresses were made by the Alost Rev. Archbishop, and Bishop To ebbe, of Covington. The Temperance Societies of St. Lou celebrated the eighty-fourth anniversar of the birth of Father Alathew, on last Sunday, by a grand parade through the principal streets of the city. The day was fine, and thousands fined the streets on wMch the parade was to pass, long before the procession moved.— Western Watchman. Preparations have been commenced for a grand parade of the Catholic Total Abstmence UMon at Philadelphia next year. Cardinal AlcCloskey left Rome for Paris on the 12 th inst. He will visit Cardinal Maiming at London and Cardi nal Cullen at Dublin. He has ordered the handsome marble altar in Rome for the Cathedral at New York. Rev. Bartholomew Ghisolfi died Wed nesday, Sept. 22nd, of yellow fever, at East PascagoMa, Miss. Rev. James A. Hennessy, founder and pastor of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church M Detroit, died in that city on the 11th inst. He was a resident of Detroit for twenty-five years and was greatly respected by all classes. Father Sekurz, of Kansas* intends to erect three churches during the present year. Bishop Foley laid the corner-stone 4- St. James new church, Chicago, His., on Sunday last. Rt. Rev. F. X. Krautbaucr, D. D., Bishop of Green Bay, will build the foundation of his new' Cathedral this fall. A new' church has just been erected at Gonzales, Texas. A Catholic Church is to be built at High Bridge; Hunterdon county, AIo., the corner-stone of which was brought from Ireland. A Chapel for the Franciscan Sisters is being erected at Peekskill, N. Y., through the liberality of a Protestant gentleman. The Sisters of the Holy Cross have lately established a Catholic school in Salt Lake City. Brigham Young has kindly offered to assist them. The Sisters of Charity of Kansas City, AIo., held a festival on the 16th Septem ber raise funds to build their new hospital. Jefferson Davis, being invited, honored the occasion with his presence. The Little Sisters of the Poor Hospi tal, at Detroit, Alichigan, is under cover, and the work of fiMshing the Mterior is progressing finely. A Mission to be conducted by the Passionist Fathers, will open in St LawrOTce OH’oolen Church, in-St. LouisJi the 23d inst. The Catholic Mission for Colored People, recently held at Upper Atari boro, near Baltimore, has proved a great success in the numbers that attended and the interest manifested. A pilgrimage to the new church, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, at Notre Dame, Indiana, took place last Sunday. The pilgrims came on foot from the Mishawaka, about five miles distant, and made their devotions M this favored place. Rev. Fathers Theiss, Ebel and Hersch, three exiled priests from Germany, have just arrived in Baltimore. There are now six German monaste ries of the Franciscan order M the West, at Teutupolis, St. Louis, Cleveland, Memphis, Herman and Quincy. A statue is being erected in Belgium to Father De Smet, the devoted Ameri can Indian missionary'. The number of Catholic Indians M the United States, is as follows: In the State of Alaine there are 1,400 Catholic Indians; in New York, 900; in Alichigan 4,000; in Wisconsin, 1,480; in Alinne sota, 10,800; in Dakotali, 2,000; in Kan sas, 2,800; in Montana, 7,829; in the Indian Territory, nearly 100,000 are Cath olic, excepting about 900 Protestants; Arizona, 1,500; in Idaho, 700; in Wash* ington Territory, more than 10,000; in Oregon, 1,600; in California, more than 6,000. The Portland “Catholic Sentinel” thinks the figures for Oregon, Washing j ton and Idaho are not correct. Browmson’s Quarterly Review has been discontinued, owing to the precariv ous health of the learned doctor. ' Foreign Catholic News. Dr. Chatard, the esteemed Rector of the North American College at Rome, was appointed to be one of the Privy Chamberlains to his Holiness. Senor Bnenavider, the Spanish Minis ter to the Vatican, has handed to the Pope, the insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece for Cardinal Antonelli. The Council of Toronto. — On the 30th of September, the first Catholic Provin cial Council of Toronto, sitting in St Michael’s Cathedral, held its second public session, when the following de crees were read for the third time, in presence of the Bishops, theologians and the people, and passed, to be sent to Rome: First—Adopting and pro mulgating the Decrees of the Vatican Council and Apostolical Constitutions. Second—Duties and privileges of Arch bishops. Third—On helping poor mis sions. Fourth—Creating and distribut ing funds for infirm priests. Fifth—On education of clerical students. Sixth-