OCR Text |
Show ARCHBISHOP HUGHES FEARLES-3 CHAMPION OF THE CATHOLIC CATH-OLIC CHURCH. His Early Strangles to Seen re aa Edncaiion Pnncrfal In Oratory and Debate Courage Shown In the Know Nothinu Times. Patrick llugUs, the father of the first archbishop of New York, was a native of the county of Tyrone, says The Irish World. He was born in the penal days and lived and died while the penal code was still in existence and rigorously carried out. He was a small farmer. John Hughes was born ! in or near Clogher cn June 24, 17D7. Time passed on, and John Hughes emerged from infancy to boyhood. The authorities permitted schools to be es- -X ARCHBISHOP HUGHES. tablished at Augher and Auchnacloy. Both of these he attended and became j a proficient, but his father did not con- j tinue prosperous, and he was reluctant- ly compelled to take his boy from school to work as a laborer on the farm. In this laborious occupation he continued for years,' spending his nights In study, storing his miud with all the knowledge he could glean from the books that came in his way. So great were the persecutions under which the Catholics suffered that even the prudent Patrick Hughes could endure en-dure them no longer. He resolved to emigrate to America. Accordingly in 1816 he came to this country and settled in Chambersburg. Next year his son John joined him at that place and afterward his wife and children. At this time Dr. Clarke says: "John worked for a year or more with his father, working in stone quarries, mending roads and applying himself to any honest labor that presented itself. But it was not long before he became aware of his providential proximity to the College and Theological Seminary of Mount St. Mary at Emmitsburg, Md., nor was he long ,in applying, though unknown and unintroduced, for admission to its classes upon the condition usual in such cases of his rendering in return by teaching the youngest scholars and by such other services as he could perform. But I there was no vacancy at the time. "Disappointment did not discourage him, but he went from time to time to the college to seek admission and was told each time there was no vacancy. Far from becoming disheartened, he became only the more vigilant in watching his opportunity, and for this purpose he went to Emmitsburg and obtained work there in order to be at hand when the long sought vacancy should occur. He worked as a day laborer la-borer on a little stone bridge over a small stream on the road from Em-, mitsburg to Taneytown. His deportment deport-ment and associations gained for him a consideration not usually accorded to laborers. Here he made the acquaintance acquaint-ance of Rev. Mr. Cooper, the benefactor of Mother Seton, who was then pastor at Emmitsburg. "So anxious was he to enter the sacred sa-cred inclosure of the mountain that he begged Mr. Dubois, the president, to " receive him in any capacity until a vacancy va-cancy occurred. He was not embarrassed embar-rassed when told that the only situation situa-tion vacant was one in the garden. He joyously accepted this position as one step toward the priesthood. In return for his superintendence of the garden he was to receive board, lodging and private instruction. There seems to have been a chain of providential circumstances cir-cumstances leading the way to Mount St. Mary's. His duties were faithfully discharged in the garden, and his hours of study were availed of to the best advantage. ad-vantage. His Latin grammar was frequently fre-quently his vade mecum in the garden, and the observation of this fact by the president led to his being relieved mostly of the garden and introduced a3 a regular student in the college in 1S20." I In 1823, having already received ecclesiastical ec-clesiastical tonsure and subdeaconship, he was made a deacon and attached himself to the diocese of Philadelphia, He was ordained a priest by Bishop Conwell at St Joseph's church, Philadelphia, Phila-delphia, Oct 15, 1S2G. He was after ward appointed to the pastoral charge of St. Joseph's. Here his sermons attracted at-tracted general attention. In 1S29 he preached a powerful sermon in St Joseph's Jo-seph's church in commemoration of the great event just accomplished In Ireland Ire-land through the untiring efforts of Daniel O'Connell. This sermon was his first ' great effort at pulpit eloquence, aud it was a grand success. It was afterward aft-erward published in pamphlet form and was inscribed to Daniel O'Connell. In. 1837 Bishop Dubois of New York, having asked on account of age and Infirmity some relief from the cares of the episcopate, the holy see appointed Father Hughes coadjutor. He was consecrated bishop of Basilopolis in New York on Nov. 26 by Bishop Dubois, Du-bois, assisted by Bishops Kenrlck of Philadelphia and Fenwick of Boston. In 1839 the holy see, in consequence ; of tho increased infirmities of Bishop Dubois, relieved him of the adminis-j adminis-j tration of the diocese and appointed j j Bishop Hughes administrator. j lu the Know Nothing days Bishop j j Hughes was the greatest enemy of and '' the only one dreaded by these fa- j ; natics. They endeavored to enact in j ' New York, as they did in Philadelphia j ! find Boston, the bloody scenes ttat had disgraced Ulster, Ireland. But Bishop j Hughes was at the head of the Cath- j olics in New Y'ork, aud but for the tin- j daunted courage and bold spirit exhib- ited by Bishop Hughes scenes still more disgraceful and fatal would probably prob-ably have been enacted. The New Y'ork leaders of this church burning faction invited their brethren from Philadelphia, more experienced in their favorite occupation, to visit the metropolis of New York. These willing patriots readily accepted the i invitation and were expected in New j Y'ork in May, 1S44, and a grand pro- j cession was arranged. Bishop Hughes j paw at once that the secret object of J this movement was to re-enact the horrid outrages of Philadelphia, and he resolved to defend with his flock the churches to the last extremity. But in the interest of peace he called upon the Irish Catholics of the city to avoid all public assemblies and to shun the occasion of outbreak. lie called upon Mayor Morris and advised ad-vised him to prevent the proposed demonstration. dem-onstration. "Are you afraid," asked the mayor, "that some of your churches church-es may be burned?" "No, sir," replied the bishop, "but I am afraid that some of your3 will be burned. We can protect pro-tect our own. I come to warn you for your own good." "What, then," Inquired the mayor, "would you have me do?" "I did not come to tell you what to do," said the bishop. "I am a churchman, not the mayor of New York, but if I were the mayor I would examine the laws of the state and see if there were not attached at-tached to tho police force a battery of artillery and a company or so of infantry in-fantry and a squadron of horse, and I think that I should find that there were, and If so I should call them out Moreover, I should send for Mr. Harper, Har-per, the mayor elect, who has been chosen by the votes of this party. I should remind him that these men are his supporters; I should warn him that if they carry out their design there will be a riot, and I should urge him to use his Influence in preventing this public reception of the delegates." j It is sufficient to say that no demonstration demon-stration was made by the Know Nothings. Noth-ings. New York was saved from a fearful riot and the credit was justly accorded to Bishop Hughes' prompt and decisive Intervention. The apprehended appre-hended outbreak spent itself in threats of assassination against the bishop and in a fierce paper warfare. In which the instigation of Know Nothing violence vio-lence against Catholics found in him a champion able to defend his own camp and capable of carrying the war into the enemy's country. In 1S30 New York was raised to the dignity of an archiepiscopal see, and Archbishop Hughes went to Rome to receive the pallium at the hands of the pope. On Aug. 15, 1S58, he laid the cornerstone corner-stone of St. Patrick's cathedral, designed de-signed to be one of the grandest church edifices in America, which it is. At a ll , ' 6T. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL, SEW YORK. the ceremony on this occasion 15,000 persons were present The archbishop preached the sermon and gave an outline out-line of his plan for Its erection. He had sent circulars to several prominent Catholics stating that he wanted 100 to subscribe $1,000 each. To this circular cir-cular 103 persons replied favorably, two of whom were Protestants. The cathedral stands today a monument to the genius of Archbishop Hughes. In the fall of 1861, after the breaking break-ing out of the rebellion. Archbishop Hughes, at the instigation of the government gov-ernment proceeded to Europe to exert his influence In behalf of the Union. He was one of the first to raise the stars and stripes over his private dwelling when the southern states seceded. se-ceded. Archbishop Hughes died Jan. 3, 18G4. i |