Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 6.djvu/548

 GERMANS

480

GERMANS

eight hundred ii". the city. In the Diocese of Wheel- ing, erected in l^oO, there was a log chapel near the German settlemeiH cf Kingwood. About that time, German settlers wire gathering in Preston, Doddridge, and Marshall "Counties. Soon after, the Rev. F. Mosblech began' to plan the erection of a church for the Germans in Wheeling. When Bishop Hughes, in 1843, returned from Europe, one of his first epis- copal acts was the aedication of the church of the Most Holy Redeemer, on Third Street, New York, which the Redemptorists had erected for the Ger- man Catholics. The Rev. John Raffeiner, the Apostle of the (iermans, reported the labours among his countrymen, in New York State, of Fathers Schnei- der at Albany, Schwenninger at Utica, Inama at Salina, the Redemptorists and Franciscans of St. Peter's church at Rochester, and announced that peace prevailed in the long distracted congregation of St. Louis, Buffalo. In New York City, St. Alphon- sus, the second church of the Redemptorists for the Germans, was erected in 1848. The German Catho- olics of Albany, though struggling with difficulties, were soon rearing a neat Gothic church on Hamilton and Philip Streets. Addressing the Leopold Society, in January, 1850, to acknowledge their generous aid. Bishop McCloskey estimated the Catholic population of his diocese at 70,000, including 10,000 Germans. He had sixty-two churches, eleven of them for Ger- mans. At about the same time, BLshop Timon, of Buffalo, estimated his flock at 40,000 souls, half of whom were Germans, attended by five secular priests and five Redemptorists. The Diocese of Cincinnati received, in 1843, a valuable accession, a colony of seven priests of the Congregation of the Most Precious Blood (Sanguinists), led by the Rev. Francis de Sales Brunner. The difficult mission of Peru was assigned to them by the bishop, with the charge of Norwalk and scattered stations in the neighbouring coimties. The labours of the Sanguinist priests were signally blessed, and the healthy growth of the Church in that part of Ohio must be ascribed mainly to these excellent mis- sioners. In December, 1844, Father Brunner estab- lished a convent of his congregation at New Riegel, another, next year, at Thompson, and, in 1848, one at Glandorf. Each of these became the centre of reli- gious influence for a large district. Father Brunner was born at Mumliswil, Switzerland, 10 January, 1795, entered the Congregation of the Precious Blood in 1838, and, after takmg part in the establishment of a community in Switzerland, formed the project of a mi.ssion in America.

In April, 1845, Bishop Purcell, with a large gather- ing of the clergy, societies, ecclesiastics, and pupils of the schools, laid the corner-stone of the German church of St. John the Baptist, Green Street, Cincin- nati, Ohio, to be dedicated on 1 November of the same year, by Bishop Henni of Milwaukee, who had done so much for the German Catholics of Cincinnati. St. Mary's church, at Detroit, Michigan, was dedicated for the Germans, 29 June, 1843. In 1844 Bi.shop Kenrick of St. Louis estimated the Catholic popula- tion of Missouri at 50,000, one-third being of Ger- man origin. At thLs time, St. Louis possessed the German church of St. Aloysius. The corner-stone of St. Joseph's, another church for the Germans, under the care of the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, was laid in April, 1844. A letter sent, in 1850, by Archbishop Kenrick to the Leopold Association, gives the condition of the German Catholics of the diocese at this time. — Four of the ten churches in St. Ix)uis were exclusively German. The Germans had their own orphan asylum and an Ursuline con- vent, with sisters from Hungary and Bavaria. Three Gorman congregations in Scott County were attended by a priest at Benton. Two congregations in St. Charles County had each a German priest. Tho.se in Washington County were attended by two German

Fathers of the Society of Jesus; and three other fathers attended four congregations in Osage and Cole Counties. Jefferson City had a German congregation and priest. In Gasconade County, the German Cath- olics were erecting a church. The archbishop was about to send a German priest to Montgomery County. Those at Boonville were visited by priests, but had no church, while those in Pettis, with five or six small congregations, were regularly attended.

By the close of the year 1844 the Rt. Rev. William Quarter, first Bishop of Chicago, had twenty-three priests in his diocese, one at the cathedral (the Rev. C. H. Ostlangenberg) to care for the Germans, while Quincy had its German congregation and priest. With a steadily increasing German flock, he appealed, and not in vain, to the Leopold Association and made plans to give them a church of their own in Chicago, as they were estimated at one thousand. Chapels were being erected at St. Peter's and at Teutopolis. After Easter, 1850, the Rt. Rev. James Oliver van de Velde, the second Bishop of Chicago, dedicated St. Joseph 's church, at Grosse Pointe, or New Trier, erected by the Rev. Henry Fortmann, and exhorted the Ger- man Catholics at Ridgeville to commence building. In 1844, the Rev. Ivo Schacht, who had a large dis- trict, embracing several counties of the State of Ten- nessee, laid the corner-stone of a church at Clarksville. The German Catholics in Nashville desired a church of their own, and Bishop Miles appealed in their behalf to the Leopold Association.

When, in 184G, Bishop Loras of Dubuque, visited New Vienna, he found there 250 Germans, all Catho- lics. There were at that time more or less Germans everywhere in that diocese, and almost all farmers. On 19 April, 1846, Bishop Henni, of Milwaukee, laid the corner-stone of St. Mary's German church in that city. Before the Mexican War had begun, German settlements were established at Couhi, New Brauns- fels, and Fredericksburg, Texas. About the year 1849 the Rev. Gregory Menzel was labouring among his countrjTuen at the two last-named places, as well as at Bastrop and Austin, urging Catholics, for the sake of the future of their families, to gather near each other so as to enjoy the benefits of church and school. Bishop Odin of Galveston, in 1851, visited Europe and, before the end of the following year, had the con- solation of bringing with him four Franciscans from Bavaria to take care of his increasing German flock.

In the Diocese of Pittsburg the conmiunity of Benedictines had grown and prospered. New lands were acquired, and suitable buildings for various purposes were erected. In 1855, Prior Wimmer vis- ited Rome, and Pope Pius IX, on 24 August, made St. Vincent's an exempt abbey, and on 17 September appointed the Rt. Rev. Boniface Wimmer mitred abbot for a term of three years. St. ^'incent's College, opened in 1S49, had thriven with the growth of the community and soon had a large number of students. ■The course was thorough, and pupils had special advantages for acquiring a practical knowledge of German. The Redemptorists were labouring earnestly in Pittsburg, under Father Seelos and others. In 1851 they laid the foundation of St. Joseph's German Orphan Asylum. When, in 1S53, the See of Erie was erected, the German Catholics had a little church in that city. Williamsburg, New York, had a German church "of the Holy Trinity many years before the Diocese of Brooklyn, to which it now belongs, was erected. In Brooklyn, St. Boniface's, purchased from the Episcopalians, was dedicated for the use of the Germans in 1854, as were Holy Trinity and St. Malachy's in East New York. From the year 1849, the German Catholics at Elizabeth, Diocese of Newark, were visited by the Redemptorist Fathers till the Rev. Augustine Dantner, O. S. F., became their resi- dent priest in 18.52. Bishop Bayley endeavoured to secure the Benedictine Fathers for St. Mary's German