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Show THE INTERMOUNTAIN CATHOLIC 10 cordially and invited him to be his guest during his stay in Salt Lake. Father Raverdy remained several weeks searching for Catholics in the neighborhood. There were a few Catholics among the soldiers at the fort, whose confessions he heard and in whose presence he daily offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. On the morning of May 11th, 1864, at the request of General Connor, he blessed the military cemetery wherein were buried the soldiers who lost their lives in an encounter with the Indians on January 29th of the previous year. So far as is known, Father Raverdy is the first priest who entered the Salt Lake valley since the year 1841, when Father DeSmet passed through on his way. to Montana. The Reverend John Baptist Raverdy was born in Rheims, France, on June 24th, 1831. He received his early education in his home town and studied theology and philosophy at in France. Early in the year 1859 Bishop Chalons, France. He was ordained a J. B. Lamy, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, sent the Reverend Peter Eguillon, his to France to obtain priests for his diocese. Among those who volunteered for this work was the Reverend Mr. Raverdy. The party left Havre on August 17th, 1859 on the steamer, Ariel, an old American boat nearing the end of its service. They reached New York in fourteen days. Coming by railroad to St. Louis, they were the guests, for a little while, of the Christian Brothers. They then sailed up the Missouri River into Kansas City. From here they journeyed across the plains, arriving at Santa Fe on October 27th, 1859. Shortly after the n arrival of the party, Bishop Lamy ordained the to the priesthood. v Soon after ordination, Father Raverdy entered the Rocky Mountain region with Father Machebeuf, afterwards Bishop of Denver, and late in the evening of October 29th, 1860, arrived with his companions at Denver, then a collection of4 shacks, tents, and rambling buildings. At the suggestion of Father Raverdy, a Church was built in Denver and Father Raverdy sang the first Mass in it on Christmas, day, 1860. From Denver the zealous priest made excursions on horseback into Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Utah in quest of scattered members of his Church. He lived as best he could, slept in the open under his buffalo robe and companioned with prospectors, miners and adventurers. His life was as disinterestedly missionary as was that of St. Francis Xavier. In 1866 he was appointed pastor of Central City, Colorado, and from here attended the missions of Georgetown, Idaho Springs and Boulder. Bishop Machebeuf appointed him Vicar-Generin 1868. Father Raverdy died in Denver on the 18 th day of November, 1899 and his memory lives still in the grateful recollections of the oldest inhabitants of Colorado and the city of Denver. . sub-deaco- n vicar-genera- l, sub-deaco- al CHAPTER VI THE REVEREND EDWARD KELLY In the year 1866 the territory of Utah was committed by the Holy See to the administration of the Most Reverend Joseph S. Alemany, Archbishop of San Francisco. In June of that year the Reverend Edward Kelly, at the request of Archbishop Alemany, journeyed to Salt Lake from California, rounded up the few Catholics in the city and celebrated Mass. The services were held in the old assembly hall of the Latter-daSaints which was courteously placed at Father Kellys disposal by the President and Elders of the Mormon Church. After administering toUhe spiritual needs of the few Catholics then in the city, Father Kelly returned to California. ' A few months later he again visited Salt Lake to make plans for the purchase of ground for the erection of a Catholic Church. A bazaar was held and subscriptions taken up, and y i ' - o - |