The Work of Restoration in San Francisco

New Zealand Tablet, 18 October 1906, Page 12

The Work of Restoration in San Francisco

In the early part of last month the Most Rpv Dr. Montgomery, Coadjutor-Archbishop of San *£&" Cisco issued a statement concerning the work of restoration carried on in the city. Hi! Grace^wrates •-*" Although it is probable that, as an institution «r corporation, the Church has suffered as greatly from J? w- B^*. 6*6 * as ' any si<a^ it has already ?S People?! fi!3J V* its ol \ cen ? res of infi^S 7 o^' g X 7X 7 "e^cheeS J^ ~ through their churches and institutions. "

'Immediately, after the fire, when, the people moved into the camps in. the parks and squares of the . city and around' the Presidio, the priests and nuns .followed them, and" from that day to this have been working among them,- so that even under, this, stress of ' circumstances the Catholic people have suffered in no way from the spiritual attendance thai;" they were re- „. ceiving in their churches and schools. • ' Even - while attending to these matters the" ' priests have gone back, in almost every instance, to the sites of their churches and schools, and have erected temporary structures for almost all church and school purposes. The., wish of the priest is to be. upon" the ground and offer the facilities for church and school tor all those who may be able to return and rebuild their homes. „Tbe structures, of course, are inexpensive and temporary necessarily because of the uncertainty as to where the residence centres of population will be in the new San Francisco. ,1 *l T^ c best samples of this rehabilitation of the Catholic interest in the. burned district are to be seen in the work done in the parish of St. Joseph, .where Rev P.E. Mulligan has rebuilt at the former site • - in the parish of St. Patrick, where Rev. J6hn Rodgers has gone back into the burned district and made a church home again, and in the parish of St. Rose whose people Rev. John Nugent has searched out ami cared for, although no building has been reconstruct%v% v ?? old > T sl l e - These Parishes were swept clean by the fire Nothing was left, but the priests went into the wilderness, and made centres where the people as they have returned, found their church home wait> rIL£ ' ?i n No^ BB £ ach ' Rev ' others Piperni and Redahan, nobly upheld by their people, have almost completed the rebuilding of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, and in two weeks will rededicate the stencil *u The^ V ?, uths ' Directory, near Guerrero, under Father D. O. Urowley's leadership, has already recovered partially from the grievous blow in the loss <by m • + Xt « ma ® nificeilt ' building. Temporary quarters sufficient for 100 boys, have been built in the rear ot the old building, arid Father Crowley is carrvine on work just as before. The care of these- neglected boys, who are taken when not eligible for Irph&n asylums and preserved from the temptations of a great city for such neglected children, is a work which has grown greatly. These boys are taught ac- ! cording to their age, boarded and lodged there In some instances homes are secured for them when at a pioper age, or they are sent to the Agricultural lOoTa^ Ruth h erfol - d ; in , Na P a valley ; consfsUng U of 1000 acres ; where, besides being taught regular cllssos daily according to their age, t& 7 are fiSSSed hK wise in horticulture and dairy work making th*m most useful and intelligent citizen^ This worl! F is u£ nT er r, v* D> °- Cl^wley, with Fathers Morgan and McGough as assistants. The work is one whtoh twenty-five years of usefulness has. gained far it the confidence of the entire city and State. It receive!" no aid from either city, State, or county, as such but is supported by voluntary contributions Riven in SrS^cs; * its patrons »*> *& ~«s and one on Sixth, near Brannan-run somewhat on £ 2 J, incß SJ the Youth's Directory, were wSeT out by the fire. The Sisters of the Holy Family who Hyp at Hayes and Fillmore streets, had tS^rchaJge and are again going ahead undismayed. The SisteS make it their -articular work" to tak« the* ohiE - of mothers, who, relieved of that care, ko out^?' work in/ order to make a living for the faSlv The • Sisters take charge o£ these c&dren, of bo?h se^s irrespective of race or religion, and keep them from . early morning until nightfall, . when t*e mothSs cS for. them and take them home. During the day 'S are fed and taught according to thei?age froVthe kindergarten up to the class of common s&Sse . This institution, like the .Youths' Director? '■ subneo S t,l ft en ?*s T* c voluntar 7 contributions^! the people of San Francisco, and it is but iustice to .Sv on the part of the Sisters that they merit L^SJ' . support, -and on the part of the public that tw ß2s ' ley^ho^Tt t0 . reC&Ve - "• ■ t^&y^<&% Begin Their Work Over Again ''* J" • "'''

charge of the Christian Brothers ; the Convent of Notre Dame ; St. Vincent's Academy, and the two large Presentation convents at Taylor and Ellis and Powell and Filbert streets. All these churches; schools, colleges, homes amd refuges weie destroyed by " the fire, the earthquake doing little damage to any of them. Within the Unburned District' ' , . and in the city of San, Francisco, "St. Brigid's, at Van Ness avenue and Broadway, and the Church .of Holy Cross, on Eddy Street, near Scott, were' seriously damaged, but are being repaired. St. Cathedral suffered somewhat, its most serious damage being that- to the beautiful marble altar, a gift of the late Mrs. Coleman. Some of the other churches in the city were shaken somewhat, but the damage was inconsiderable.

1 The Archbishop and his clergy have been so occupied with their insurance interests that it has been impossible to reckon even approximately, the monetary loss of the Church, but it runs into the millions. Our resources, however, are proportionate to our losses ; our educational institutions, both primary and advanced, are all of them cared for ; our friends in the East and throughout the State are aiding us in the work of rehabilitation, and a visit through all our parishes would show that the Church is caring for the spiritual ami educational needs of its people.'