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Show FIRST MISSIONARY IN AMERICA FATHER PEREZ THE FRIEND OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. Father Melendez Positively Asserts the Dominican Was the First to Preach. Catholicism In America, Historians have written a great deal in order to establish the claims of certain cer-tain individuals to the honor of having been the first to undertake missionarv labor in the new world. Manv are of the opinion that this title belongs to Father Jean Perez de Marcher.a, a devoted de-voted son of St. Francis, and the stanch friend of Columbus, the discoverer of the new world, says the Rev. Ambrose Sanning, O. F. M. F., in the September is-sue of the Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia. Philadel-phia. Others call this statement into question, and even persistently deny the fact. A member of the Franciscan order. Father Beaumont, in his "Ap-parato "Ap-parato alia Cronaca dell Mecboaean," after diligent research and careful consideration con-sideration of the different statements, concluded that Father linn t,m, Ac Marchena did not accompany Colum-' bus in his first voyage to America. So far this point appears to be settled. It is almost beyond doubt that no priest sailed with tihe great discoverer on his first voyage. This expedition was a venture; hence we can scarcely assume that a priest would devote his life and energies to the testing of an experiment. experi-ment. Columbus, who always entertained enter-tained the highest veneration for the prjestly character, and for Juan Perez in particular, would not have permitted his reverend friend to join the expedition expedi-tion naturally so fraught with risk and uncertainty, even had the father proffered prof-fered his services. , In fact, there is no historical document, docu-ment, not. even the slightest tradition, to corroborate the statement that any priest took part in this first expedition so full of adventure and peril. Not, indeed, in-deed, that they lacked the courage, but their chances for working in their Master's Mas-ter's service were toofneagre to justify the undertaking. Father Beaumont, however, is certainly in error when he infers from the fact of the Benedictine Father Bernard Boil having been appointed ap-pointed vicar apostolic, that Father Perez did not accompany Columbus on his second voyage to the new world. This circumstance would not have prevented pre-vented the zealous and learned Franciscan Fran-ciscan from hastening to win souls for Christ's kingdom. Besides the appointment appoint-ment of the Benedictine Father Boil instead of a Franciscan of the same name was due to the intrigues of the wily King Ferdinand. He who tries to deduce and prove too TYini-'li iiciiollv in?c in nrnuincr nothing Qui nimium probat, nil probat. Moreover, More-over, Father Beaumont knew nothing of the documents relating to the second voyage, as they were discovered only after the date of his writing. These chronicles establish the fact that the important and honorable commission of accompanying the great discoverer on his voyages had been intrusted to this distinguished Franciscan. He was ordered by royal mandate to assist his friend Columbus in perfecting his explorations, ex-plorations, by keeping a careful diary, in which were to be noted descriptions of the seas, countries, mountains, variations var-iations of latitude, distances from given islands and continents, etc:, already al-ready explored or to be explored, in order or-der that accurate charts, illustrating the route, followed, could be prepared. pre-pared. Protestant authorities have displayed ingenuity in their end?avnrs to defraud the Franciscan order of this honor. "Intelligent "In-telligent Protestants," says Count Ro-sellv, Ro-sellv, "could not deny the profound knowledge of the astronomer who accompanied ac-companied Christopher Columbus on his vovages, but they attempted to raise a "doubt as to the person, claiming that the individual was not identical with the guardian of La Rabida, Juan Terez de Marchena, as the documents in ouestion refer to a certain Anthony Perez, whereas the Franciscan for whom this honor is claimed bore the name of Jauan (John)." The name had evidently been used .-rroneously. and was corrected in a letter written by t,-1w,ii in f'nlnmhiia . This the historian Murtoz frankly acknowledges. It is also certain that after this letter of Queim Isabella no further record on this point of the great Genoese is to be found. It is to be deplored that the account ac-count of his second voyage, written by Columbus himself, was lost. In this, no doubt, there was frequent mention of his cherished friend, ' companion and protector. Here we find the cause of the great diversity of opinion which exists on this subject. The obscurity which veils this second voyage, on account ac-count of the total want of historical records, forms sufficient explanation. Count Rose'lly very naturally adduces strong reasons why Father Perez would not, indeed could not, refuse the royal commission conferred by the good queen, to whose interests he was so devoted. de-voted. An array of historians, whose, names are far too numerous to admit mention in the limited space allotted our narrative, narra-tive, prove beyond the shadow of a reasonable rea-sonable doubt that Father Juan Perez was the first priest who offered up in the virgin forests of this new and glorious glo-rious world the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, who called the wandering children chil-dren of the forests together to witness the imposing liturgy of divine service according to the Roman Catholic, rite. The author of the Franciscan Annals slates expressly that Father Perez, who , i ' had been instrumental In securing for Columbus the royal favor, with other members of his order, accompanied him on his voyages. Wadding's words are: "Socium habit itineris resrii favoris au-torem au-torem sociis." Father Ronan of the Order of St. Jerome, who in his great humility was wont to call himself the "poor hermit," compiled, by the request of Columbus, an official description of the New World, in which he expressly states that Father Juan Perez and other oth-er members of the Franciscan order accompanied ac-companied Columbus on his voyage of discovery. Then Father Melendez, a member of the Order of St. Dominic, makes express ex-press mention in his work, "Cronaca Provinciate de Peru." of Father Perez haying accompanied Columbus in his voyages, and positively asserts that he and his companions were the first to exercise the ministry of the Catholic priesthood in the newly discovered j lands of America. The same assertion is made by George Cardoso, the author of the "History of the Saints in Por-i Por-i tugal," in his work entitled "Agiologio ! Lusitano" (vol. III., page 40). Father Fortunatus Huber, noted for his profound pro-found erudition and great researches, makes the same statement in his elaborate elab-orate history of the Order of St. Francis, Fran-cis, "Menologium Sancti Francisci;" and the learned Franciscan. Father Peter Pe-ter Simon, in his great work, ','Noticias historiales de las conquistas de Tierra Finne a las Indias occidentales" (prim notic, cap. xvi.), that is, "Historical Notes of the Conquests on the West Indian Continent," says the same. This colossal work has not until the present date been fully published. j By many other historians the same fact is clearly attested. Surely so many and such grave authorities should suffice suf-fice to establish this opinion and to dissipate dis-sipate all doubt about this hitherto contested con-tested point. There are some, it is true, who persist in adjudging to Bernard Boil, in consequence of his dignity as Vicar Apostolic, the honor of having first offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on the shores of America. Yet it seems that Providence decreed otherwise, other-wise, and reserved this privilege for Father Perez, for he was on the admiral's admi-ral's ship which landed considerably in advance of the remainder of the fleet. As a proof of this assumption. Count Roselly cites the following circumstance, circum-stance, which should not be overlooked: "We are," says he, "in possession of a picture, an illustration in a book written writ-ten by the Benedictine Filipono, in commendation com-mendation of the labors of Father Bernard Ber-nard Boil. On this we behold the ship on which the Vicar Apostolic had embarked, em-barked, still apparently far out at sea, while the admiral's ship is lying quietly quiet-ly at anchor." That to Father Perez this privilege was accorded is just, for, says Count Roselly, "this illustrious Franciscan had sheltered Columbus when a homeless home-less and distressed wanderer; he it was that grasped with ready intuition the great projects of his guest's active mind, strengthened and inspired him in his plans of discovery, an dwith extraordinary ex-traordinary zeal and energy brought all his influence to bear at court, in order to secure for the hitherto nameless name-less adventurer the favor and protection protec-tion of Queen Isabella, by which he was ultimately enabled to realize his fondly fond-ly cherished idea. I maintain, therefore, there-fore, that it was the just meed of the j noble Franciscan to be the first to offer of-fer on the pathless ocean the Holy Sacrifice Sac-rifice of the Mass; the first to call down in the name of the Lord Jesus Heaven's richest benisons on the newly discovered discov-ered lands. It was, moreover, quite natural that the queen should appoint him the astronomer of the second expeditionto ex-peditionto whom else would She naturally natu-rally turn, aware as she was of his great reputation in this branch of science sci-ence and his devotion to the cause? To whom belonged greater credit for the part taken in the discovery of the new j "mm man 10 mis nuiuoie son ol ru. Francis? To him, then, was conceded the privilege and happiness of being the first to set foot on the newly found land, to erect on its soil the saving sign of our salvation the Cross and celebrate cele-brate the Holy Mysteries." Father Marcel lino da Civezza, from whose works muc hof the above has been taken, cites many other incidents in corroboration of our assertion. These we shall pass over in silence, as we consider our statement fully established, establish-ed, viz.. that Father Juan Perez da j Marchena of the Order of St. Francis was the first missionary who landed upon the shores of America and consecrated conse-crated it by prayer and sacrifice to Jesus Je-sus Crucified. |
