OCR Text |
Show 1ST. JOSEPH'S INDIAN MISSION. Nez Perees Celebrate Golden Jubilee at Slickpoo, Ida. (Special Correspondence.) The devoted clients of 'the Immaculate Immacu-late Mother had every reason to re-jclce re-jclce on the occasion of the golden jubilee of that great dogma of their boly faith. It was truly a very memorable mem-orable and historical event, when fifty years ago, surrounded by the successors succes-sors of the apostles, Pius IX, with a joyful heart and deep emotion, proclaimed pro-claimed to the whole world that she. whom we honor as our Blessed Mother, bad been conceived immaculate, and that such always had been the belief of all ages, and thus from the history c; that dogma, another fair jewei was added to the Divine Mother's bright crown. The late jubilee festivities all over the world were but a re-echo of that one which took place in Rome some fifty years ago. For this year it,wa3 left to each community to celebrate cele-brate that jubilee in a mode as they 'thought best, provided of course, it ! promoted a more loyal love tow ards the Immaculate Mother. All our periodicals periodi-cals are now filled with the accounts of low that jubilee has been celebrated. For this purpose, it was to be expected t":at the Indian tribs should have a share in that celebration in their own j fashion, since they also have been j i iught that the Divine Mother lovc-o them. About some thirty miles from Lewis-! Lewis-! ton, Ida., lies the Indian miss-ion of the j f.'.mous Nez Perce tnhe which, under j the most unsurmountable difficulties I has been attended to by the devoted Jesuit Fathers, who brought the light cf the gospel to this tribe some thirty-f thirty-f ve years ago. The progress has been wry slow, yet satisfactory, notwithstanding notwith-standing all opposition, financial! yaud spiritually. The present humble group ci" buildings are the best monuments cf missionary work, though there is room for further encouragement and development. The great lack of missionary mis-sionary subjects to carry on the woik lias proved to be the main drawback, i.ut now things are changed. Some two months ago. the Rev. Joseph M. Cataldo. S. J.. of the above mission, vas requested by Bishop Glirleux of Boise to proceed to the east to try if possible and secure a sisterhood to heip out that mission by devoting their services ser-vices to that undesirable woik. It wns so to speak, a hopeless task to get such and fears were entertained that it v.ould prove for the aged missionary a fruitless trip. With his strong confidence confi-dence in God that the needs of his mission would be favorably heard, after a two weeks' sojourn in Philadelphia, he was successful in securing a band of thirteen sisters of St. Joseph's congregation, con-gregation, who happily are now domiciled domi-ciled at the mission, preparing themselves them-selves for the great work before them. It is needless to remark that they .irp" charmed with the mission and have expressed no regret in coming out to tr is portion of the lord's vineyard; on the contrary their numbers will soon be increased as more applications have come in, and thus the Indians will be properly attended to. A novena was held in preparation for the jubilee, and it was very edifying to witness the fervor of these . poor People In their humble endeavors to p'ease the divine mother. The modest frame church was nightly filled by these poor people who heard in their ewn dialect all about the blessed mother and how much she loved them. Iience on the feast itself it was not to be surprised that both masses were f"ll attended. At the first mass, .which was celebrated cele-brated by the Rev. F. Cataldo. all received re-ceived holy communion in a most edifying edi-fying manner and in the early dawn the altars of the hlessefl mother 1 adorned by paper flowers and candles stuck on small lard pail covers, looked touching to the Indians. According to the Indian idea, no church festival is perfect unless they assist at a high mass which happens on the great feasts; for then it is their unique privilege to chant the mass, and the novelty thereof always attracts visitors. vis-itors. Hence for this reason the modest edifice was crowded for the last mass. As 'usual all the Indians turned out veil dressed in their holiday attire, made up of all gaudy colors, as like the pale faces they desire ;to lock at-ti at-ti active. Father Soer, a very devoted missionary, has labored amongst them for over twenty years, was choir leader. lead-er. Out here one did not expect cathedral music with full orchestra or a violin obligato for an offertory, far fiom it; it was simply the plain chant as desired by the holy father, thoush it wag "Indiano Proprio." The mass i was well rendered and the pronuncia- 5 lion truly classic, so much so that the E celebrant of the mass, Father Mooney, t nas too much distracted, reminding E him of the times when he was a plain t chant leader elsewhere. All were very 1 much edified at the whole proceedings, i though It lasted two hours. The festi- val was a humbie one, but in the sight cl heaven it was truly acceptable, and E no doubt the blessed mother was well E pleased at their humble tribute. The devoted fathers and sisters are laboring hard for the amelioration of this tribe; and have opened a small school where the faith might be preserved. pre-served. The Indians are only too anxi- c us to commit .their children to the . mission school, but lack of room pre- " vents . this, - and at times sorrowfully bave they to be refused. The mission e'epends upon public charity from out-ss'de out-ss'de 'which at times is very scant. It h' years ago since all appropriations were withdrawn from our Catholic Indian In-dian schools, and it has proved a hard struggle since to support them, and since they are our national wards it Is cur duty to aid them and let them-enjoy them-enjoy the same blessings of faith as we r c:o. At times we sympathize with our devoted missionaries who have to. en- c:ure so much out here. But words' are ! cheap, and a more practical charity f is required and most of us who are ' b. essed with this world's goods should j ? put them to a better use by helping I them out. .. j ' Christmas is approaching and moneys 1 ! v. ill be spent lavishly on superfluities. Why could we not help out such a ' r place as this at our very doors; and i ; amidst our Christmas joys can we not i make those zealous missionaries happy , ly playing Santa Claus? t Taking" Catholic Position. The high church Episcopalians are coming over to the Catholic position on divorce very rapidly.. Holy Trinity has ' come out flat-footed for an indissoluble E marriage, and has published the fol- , s lowing notice: i : "We, the undersigned, the rector and i clergy of the parish of Trinity church, j in the City of New York, having in ; view the action taken bv the general ji convention at its recent session in jj Boston releasing the clergy of this 5 church from any obligation toward di- i vcrced persons seeking remarriage at '! their hands, do hereby give notice that we will not solemnize hofy matrlmory ij in any case in which either party has i a husband or wife living, who has been c-ivorced. for any cause arising subse'- - ri c, uent to marriage, and it is hereby m announced that the marriage of any n person so divorced may not take place ' in Trinity church or in any of the ii chapels of this parish." . ' 3 The announcement is signed! by:, the I Rev.. Dr. Morgan Dixon of Trinity 1 church, and the postors of St.-Paul's, St. John's. St. Luke's, Trinity, St.v 1 Agnes. St. Chrysostom's, St. Augus- t -l tine's and St. Cornelius' chapels. i What Ma Be Done. ' - A Catholic exchange which is usual- I.j ly reliable states that at the present M time there are no less than eighteen 11 devoted Irish priests in vthis country j collecting funds to build 6r restore or sj otherwise improve various churches in Ireland. Cl All honor to these men! They were g commanded by their bishops to come ever here and plead and they have : obeyed. The work they have undertaken under-taken is most disagreeable. One of ; them recently has told us that over and ! over he has been insulted while mak-' mak-' ing his round doing the begging he was -sent to do. As a rule these clergy-' clergy-' men are to be pitied, j But and here is a question is not i some pity due the clergy of our own ' country, too? They know that in their JJttle parishes, as a rule, the people are poor. There is scarcely enough money t keep the church and the priest and tne various necessary charities going, a- things are. They have their own . churches and schools to build and keep j in . order. The . priest from Ireland i comes and the people are sympathetic. They open their purses for him and give often far more liberally than they o'o to the parish priest. As a result the 1 arish is stripped and the money never let urns. Still, this should not be regretted if there were any actual need of church luilding in the old country. But. in loint of fact,. Ireland is better supplied v. lth churches than is this country. Where is the reason in building fine churches in a country winch the people are leaving by thousands year after war? They are coming here and they need churches here, it is because there is a lark of priests and churches that thousands orf young Irish are lost to ihe faith on arriving here. In coid truth, is there not upon us a solemn obligation before God to provide for those here and those coming rather than for the building of artistic and mighty cathedrals in a land which the I eoole are deserting? What may be-done? We do not know. We do not see what can be done tin-loss tin-loss someone nnikes it plain to the bishops oyer in Ireland that the Irish ii u this country are, as a rule, poor ?!id already the be-n-ers of many burdens. bur-dens. Some day and somehow there must come an end to this incessant round of parliamentary fund collections, collec-tions, cathedral fund collections, and. tunds for other unnecessary purposes. ' in case of famine, give, give, give; but in other cases have mercy on us, because be-cause of the burdens we are bearing 1-ere at home. Catholic Sun. |