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Show MISSIONS Of CALIFORNIA j Letter from the Historian of Lower California Califor-nia Rev. Father Zephyrin, 0. F. M., Writes of the Introductory Chapter of the California Missions, Published in The Intermountain Catholic of October 3. St. Francis Orphan Asylum, Watsonville, Cal., Oct 9, 190S. Editor The Intermountain Catholic: In compliance with your invitation I herewitlj submit the explanation of what seems faulty in th introductory chapter of "The Missions and Missionaries Mission-aries of California," of which you printed such a Mattering notice in the edition of October 3. You say, "When the author claims for the Franciscan Fran-ciscan priest Marcos de Nizza the right of discovery discov-ery to Arizona in 1539. is he forgetting the Franciscan Fran-ciscan Juan de la Asumpcion and his brother priest Pedro Nadal, who entered Arizona in 1538, about a year before Fray Marcos and the little (?) negro, Estevan C If you will open "The Franciscans in Arizona" at page 2, you will see that the author was well aware of Fr. Asumpcion's supposed visit to thai territory; but as he was not offering a critical history his-tory of Arizona, only brierly tracing the footsteps of the first Franciscans in all parts of the Western Hemisphere of whom there is documentary evidence, the writer did not deem it worth the while to dwell upon that which is doubtful. There is much confusion confu-sion connected with that "entrada" of the two Fathers, Fath-ers, and at most they did not reach beyond the River Gila. Fr. Marcos, on the other hand, without doubt went right through Arizona into New Mexico; of this we have abundant proof. At any rate, the disquisition dis-quisition on the subject belongs to the volume on ; Arizona. There you will find it. Hence I see ni need for correction. Next you write, "Again, on the sunf page, wbcro does he find the authorities for the statement, 'Thirty-eight (Franciscans) were killed by the natives na-tives of New Mexico and Arizona?' For the lift of us we can find the names of but thirty-four." If you will take up the Very Rev. James H. IV-fouri's IV-fouri's "The Martyrs of New Mexico." you will see that he gives the names of thirty-eight Franciscans. Apart from this I have discovered in the original records and ancient authors that thirty-eight Franciscans Fran-ciscans did. indeed, lay down their life for the faith in the territories mentioned, and you will find them-enumerated them-enumerated on pages 250-257 of the January edition. edi-tion. 15)07, of "St. Anthony's Messenger," Cincinnati. Cincin-nati. Further on you remark. "On page 10 Father Zephyrin, following, we presume, the Franciscan historian Pere Le Clerq, says: 'The French Friars Minor in 1015 entered Canada a3 pioneers of the Faith.' and 'for ten years they were the only missionaries mis-sionaries that lived among the Indians in the vast f territory called New France.' The learned author j will pardon us if we remind him that the Jesuits Pierre Biard and Enemond Masse began the convcr- sion of the savages of Canada as early as'lGll." I I was well aware that these Jesuit fathers had started t a mission on the Atlantic coast and continued it for I about four years. On this point I am willing to j stand corrected. Nevertheless, the Franciscans were the first to penetrate into the interior as far as the Great Lakes. Dr. Shea (vol. 1. 217-213), I mentions two secular priests who had arrived before j the Jesuits. The Franciscan Fr. Andres Thevet I claims to have visited New France as early as 1575. I It is he, then, who should be credited with having I been the st religious that entered Canada. How- ' j ever, the sifting of that question belongs to a his- j tory of the missions of Canada. I believe I have I kept within bounds in the statements in the intro- I ductory of the book in question. Lastly, you assert that "Father Nicholas Vicl. J unless you claim for him martyrium sine sanguine,' t cannot be honored as a martyr." ' In that ease St. i John Nepomueene and others cannoi,be honored as martyrs, because they were merely drowned! Dr. Shea, who refers to ihree authorities ("Catholic I Misisons," p. 10t), tells us that Fr. Nicholas Vicl, " I O. F. M., and his little attendant were hurled into the foaming rapids by an Indian and botli sunk to rise no more. Fr. Viel has ever since been regarded . as the proto-martyr of Canada. That the canoe merely upset, I confess is" new to me. Coming I from such an eminent source, the statement seemed f sufficiently well founded to bo repeated by the way in the introductory chapter of "The Missions and Missionaries of California." Hoping that this explanation will be satisfactory, satisfac-tory, and thanking -you for your kind notice and good will, I am respectfully. FE. ZEPHYRIN, O. F. M. |