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Show BISHOP SCANLAN'S EARLY ' : STRUGGLES IN SALT LAKE CONTHIBTTTED. The history of the Church in. Utah, j briefly sketched in the columns of The ! Intermountain Catholic, is- only a repe- j tition of her history in all new coun- : tries. Ever the eame, there could be ' no novelty in her history. Wherever, t or whenever the mustard seed of Cath- I olic faith has been planted, be it in I the frozen north, or beneath the South- j era Cross, it is but a repetition of the I Avork first begun in Bethlehem by her j divine founder, continued by his chosen ' twelve and their successors down J through the centuries. Circumstances in different countries and at different times may have varied the methods of planting the seed of divine di-vine faith, but not the faith itself. "What Sts. Peter and Paul did in Rcme Ft. Augustine did in England, St. Patrick in Ireland, Honiface in Germany, Ger-many, Jordan in Pol ixid, or Francis Xavier in India, and a De Smet among the American Indians. All animated with the same spirit and fired with the same burning zeal, could not, having the same end in view, present new phases in their labors. Like causes produce - gimilar effects, though the results may ' not be always equal. THE WORK IN UTAH. In reviewing the work done in Utah eince '57, when the first Catholic, priest began his labors, down to the present, the results have been greater than that attained in most states, when all circumstances cir-cumstances connected with early history histo-ry of the church and down to the past few years; have been considered. Its numerical strength was small in the beginning; its means limited and under un-der these adverse circumstances the first misisonaries were obliged to commence com-mence at the foundation of all its material ma-terial ed-inces. The first three Cath-! Cath-! olic priests who came to Utah to plant the faith have gone to their reward. Their beginnings, though small, were indeed great. A priest in '6S securing a site for a future church, and not one Catholic I'araily in the city, shows the efforts then made to work for the j honor and glory of God. His second successor in 'IX, under circumstances a little more favorable, succeeded in erecting the church, where the Catholics Cath-olics at present worship. BISHOP SCANLAX'S COMING. I The fourth in succession, the present I Bishop of the diocese, took up the J work of his predecessors in '72, and I with the material growth of the I Church since that date his life and la- ' 1 bors are so intimately interwoven that a history of the Church without frequent fre-quent mention of his; name would be incomplete. The churches, schools, hospitals hos-pitals and orphanages' which are in the different parts of Salt Lake diocese owe their origin to Bishop Scanlan, who has been at ail times aided and encour-j encour-j aged by zealous and devoted priests, !ard has received the co-operation of a generous public. From the commencement of his administration ad-ministration the present Bishop has proved himself not only a zealous mis-sioner, mis-sioner, a devoted church man, but also a thorough business man. His policy Jhas been from the beginning conservative, conserva-tive, while the principle which directed ell his actions has been that of the Di vine Master, viz., charity. Uncompromising Uncom-promising in his faith and devotion to Catholic truth, he has always confined himself strictly to his work. As a Shepherd of Souls he has devoted his life to his flok, ever striving to impress im-press them with their duties and obligations, obli-gations, carefully avoiding ever to say an unkind word of those -who differ from him. THE BISHOP'S POLICY. II By no influence could he at any time S during the twenty-six years of his pas- I toral charge in Utah be induced to take cny part in the agitations of the Utah problem. The feelings of others were for him something sacred, and why not respect the same. Wherein he differed from others all know. It was needless for him to put himself on record by waging war on those who believed and taught differently from him. To do so v.as not in line with the principle svhieh directed his church work. Whilst leaving all men according to their consciences con-sciences in the hands of a just God, he i is for the inquirer a stern Catholic; j offers only what he has, viz., the Cath olic Church as the true way to salvation. salva-tion. His judgment lead him to adopt this coruse from the beginning, and to 1 it. as the wisest and most prudent, he still clings. Through it, respect for Catholic truth and practices has not been lessened. On the contrary, all, irrespective ir-respective of creed, commend the wise, charitable and prudent course of the Sjllt. Rev, Bishop Scanlan. x After his three predecessors, who I were the first to plant .the mustard seed of Catholic faith in Utah. , the ' work of development and extending the ' Church's influence through her institu-! institu-! tions- rested with Father Scanlan. How that could be best done he solved to his own satisfaction. To reach the, heart manpnust be appealed to through the senses. Twenty-five years ago, when the church was in her infancy, this couid not be done through beautiful beauti-ful and grand churches, and even if it could, the erection of such edifices was impossible. The best and most attainable means were through her institutions, i. e., her schools, hospitals and other charitable institutions. To found such was the first object of Father Scanlan's earliest labors in Utah. The many churches and other nstitutions in the state bespeak be-speak his success. The casual visitor or settler of recent years have often asked, why, with your fine academies, hospitals' and other up-to-date institutions, institu-tions, you have not in the past built a large and grand church? By the present they guage the past, forgetting that till twelve., years ago the present church with orfly one mass on Sundays was more than ample for the Catholics of Salt Lake; that twenty years ago there were not three Catholic Catho-lic families in the city; that when the present Bishop assumed charge of this parish his congregation rarely exceeded exceed-ed twenty souls. HOPES WERE THEN REALIZED. Three years ago his most sanguine hope could not induce him to expect getting in his whole diocese what one generous soul during the present year gave for a home for the orphans, and live persons gave for his future Cathedral, Cathe-dral, and without which a beginning j could not be made. Without an appeal to his people, or any cost to them, he managed by means unknown ever to himself to secure the present site where his future Cathedral will stand. Had an effort been made two years ago to collect funds for the buildings which are now being built, it would be a mis-I mis-I take, and an unsuccessful attempt. "There is a time for everything," and j to antitcipate the proper time would be j an error in judgment. Bishop Scanlan awaited an opportune time, when all, not members of his own church alone, but others with faith in the future of Salt Lake, and wishing to impress strangers with that idea, nave iioerauy I donated and promised the means for ! the buildings already commenced. GLORIOUS HISTORY. Tracing the progress of the Church for more than a quarter of a century in Utah, it will compare favorably with any diocese in America; nay, more, nowhere no-where do we know has the mustard seed of Catholic truth planted under such adverse circumstances developed j so rapidly and gained so much. This is ! especially true if measured by the nu- j merical strength of its members. j Had the Church, in its infancy, been j directed by a less energetic and zealous pastor than its present Bishop, who unselfishly un-selfishly sacrefised his own comfort for the Church's welfare, the advancement would not be what it is today. In '75 St. Mary's Academy was founded. found-ed. When. Sisters M. Augusta and Raymond, Ray-mond, accepted the mission the real j work of building un the material edi fice began. The highest subscription received by Father Scanlan for the work then begun was $100, and that only from a few persons. NOT THREE CATHOLIC FAMILIES HERE. There were not three Catholic families fami-lies in Salt Lake at that time, and the entire congregation would not exceed thirty persor.-s. Under these, circumstances circum-stances energy, backed by courage, was needed to begin a work which, when completed, would cost at least J25.000. But the hand already put to the plow was not to be retarded. His faith on final success was not human. If it had been he would not have, in the face of so marry difficulties, begun. He knew that "Nisi Dominus aedifi ca-verit ca-verit domium, in vanum laboraverient, qui aedificanteam." The work begun was finished, and its success lead to the foundation of similar institutions in Ogden, Park City, Silver Reef and Eureka. The little seed of Christian truth was so slow in its growth; but was all the more secure in its development, develop-ment, gradually taking deep roots wherever planted. The Church with its property nearly free from encumbrances, encum-brances, also with "its many religious institutions, all the work of one head show a progress in twenty-five years that has no parallel in America. If the developments of the next twenty-five years should be in the same ratio and ' in proportion to the numerical strength and wealth of its members. ?fe |
