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Show I CHURCH IN UTAH. I ! Ihe advertising which Salt Lake received ! through the Dedication of the Xew Cathedral is a j national affair. All our Catholic papers either make note of the ceremonies or publish the sermons of i the distinguished prelates in full. Salt Lake, sup-j sup-j posed to be in the wilderness, has blossomed out be- fore the American people as an ideal and favored J city. The strides made by the Church during the j life of one man are commented on as nothing less ; than marvelous. I In Utah in 1S73 there was only one church and that encumbered with a heavy debt. At that early date there was only one or two Catholic families, and less than two dozen Catholic worshippers in Salt Lake. Paradoxical as it may appear, the pastor at that time in order to secure a bare living applied for an assistant, who, in turn with the pastor, visited vis-ited the mining camps which supplied the means of living. Looking back through these dreary years, each year sees some new building going up for the spiritual benefit of the people, or the uplifting of humanity. In less than two years the debt, which j encumbered the old church, was paid. The next step was to provide Christian education for the few scattered scat-tered .Catholic children in the territory of Utah. Urged by a strong appeal from Father Scaulan. Archbishop Alemany secured the services of the Sisters Sis-ters of the Holy Cross from St. Mary's Academy. Xotre Dame, Ind. But how build a school with an empty treasury? Only one man could solve this problem and that was Father Seanlan, whose iron will and indomitable courage were ever ready to meet any and all emergencies. "Unless the' Lord build the house, in vain do they labor who build it" was the motto, and though' St. Mary's Academy was commenced when he had not $100 to his name, it was completed and ready to open for its first school term in September, 1S75. Miners from Bingham broke ground in June. When completed the debt was insignificant. Citizens of Salt Lake, regardless regard-less of creed, contributed liberally. The miners in the different camps of Utah gave generously. A few months later the Hospital of the Holy Cross was opened to the public in a rented building on Fifth East street. Its good work was appreciated. Hence it flourished. Ogden next received attention. In 1376 ground for a church site was purchased. Within a year a church was built. Ogden at this early date, like Salt Lake, had not many Catholic families, yet to provide for the few a school was opened in the church. The next year, 1878, saw the completion of the Sacred Heart Academy. Today Ogden has its new beautiful rock church, which would do credit to Chicago or any of our great eastern cities. It has its Sacred Heart Academy, which is the best and most flourishing institution in the west. After providing for the wants of Ogden, Park City, received attention. A church and school were erected there. These were destroyed by fire, but were soon replaced by two fine rock building "Rn- reka came next, with the same result. Silver Reef, on the border line of Arizona, and 350 miles from Salt Lake, was visited, not in a Pullman car, but on horseback, by the pastor, whose parish embraced an area of 82,190 square miles. Here the old miners of Pioche rallied around their former pastor, saying, say-ing, "Father Seanlan, you must build a hospital, school and church for us here." He did, and before he left Silver Reef there was no indebtedness. On his return trip he visited Frisco, Utah, and built a church there. On his return to Salt Lake, with his many-side trips, he had traveled a thousand miles on horseback. ! With this marvelous growth of the Church in Utah it is no wonder that the eyes of the country were focused on Salt Lake on the 15th of August. Whilst appreciating the many nice compliments paid to the Church and its Bishop, it can be truly said that there was no exaggeration. Bishop Seanlan did all things well. |