THE AMERICAN FLEET CATHOLIC CHAPTERS IN AMERICAN HISTORY

New Zealand Tablet, 30 July 1908, Page 10

THE AMERICAN FLEET CATHOLIC CHAPTERS IN AMERICAN HISTORY

The visit of the American Fleet to Auckland represents more than the mere touching of so many warships of a friendly Power at a New Zealand port. It represents the embodiment of the power and wealth and progress" of the mighty nation whose standard is that of the Stars and Stripes. This auspicious visit recalls the vicissitudes through which that great young nation has passed on its onward and upward march, from the small and tentative beginnings of white settlement, up to the majesty and the striking force which are represented by the great leviathans of its navy that are soon to assemble in friendliness within the landlocked waters of the Hauraki Gulf. In that long and toilsome progress, Catholics have borne an honorable part, and the object of this paper is to give our readers some idea of the debt •which -the great young Power west of the Atlantic— and, indeed, the whole of the North (as well as the South) American continent — owes to its noble Catholic pioneers. - American- chronology can safely begin only with the first voyage of Columbus in 1492." Upon* this voyage he was accompanied by Father Bernard "Monticastri ; but there is no 'record of his ever having celebrated Mass on this continent.' Upon liis second voyage,- September 25, 1493, he took with him Father Giovanni Borgagnone and Giovanni de Tisni, who labored in the Isle of Spain and adjacent islands. Upon Columbus 's last voy--age, May 9, 1502, a Franciscan friar, Alexander, died and was buried at sea. "As in this paper (writes Mr. Victor Dowling) I shall have to do entirely with the>origins and foundation of the Catholic Church iri the present territory of the United States and Canada, I will now proceed to' that fruitful source of inspiration, leaving the equally glorious record of .the missionary work in Central and

South America with a single reference to' the fact that as early, as 1511 in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo the first public protest , against human slavery vi the New World was uttered .by the - Dominican Father, Anthony de Montesinos. It is not surprising that in spite of the heroic work done for civilisation l>y Catholicity in this New World, so much, of -its glory is hidden in. darkness and ignorance. The natural tendency of non-Catholic - .histories, unwilling to discern the true evangelical spirit, has ,been to attend, only to the commercial side of the early history of the country, and to find in warfare, rapine and commerce more congenial subjects' for discussion than in the saving of souls. The First Mass on American Soil. - - From such evidence as is now obtainable, the sacrifice of< the Mass was first offered on the North American continent in 152 1. The second voyage of Ponce de Leon is the real starting point of Catholic worship on this continent. He erected- his first settlement near Charlotte • Harbor, on the west shore of Florida. On September 8, 1565, Menendez began the City ,of St. Augustine. A cross was erected and Mass offered ; the spot was marked, and was known, as ' Nombre de Dios ' (Name of God). The first shrine was there erected, under the name of Nuestra Senora de la Leche. Thus began the permanent service of the Catholic Church, maintained with but brief interruption for more than 300 years. The first administration of the sacrament of Confirmation occurred in 1603, at St. Augustine, when Bishop Cabezas de Altamirano, of Santiago de Cuba, paid the first episcopal visit to these shores. In 1634 there were in the Province of Florida 35 Franciscans maintaining 44 missions, with a flock of 30,000 converted native's. No words can picture the sufferings and hardships of these missionaries. Yet the harvest repaid them well, as when in two years a single priest baptised 5000 Apalaches. The First Church in Mexico. On August ii, 1596, Real de San Juan, the first city in New Mexico, was founded, and by August 23 the first church was begun, which was dedicated September 8, under the name of St. John the Baptist. Father Escobar accompanied Onate in 1604, reaching the Gila and Colorado and following the latter to its mouth reached the Gulf of California, passing through the Zuni and Moqui towns. In 1607 Santa Fe was founded. The first Indian Church in New Mexico was erected at San Ildefonso, and by 1608 there were 8000 baptisms. From 1618 to 1628 Father Salmeron baptised 6556 Jemes and wrote a catechism and other works in their language. Early Spanish Mission Work. By 1630 there were 52 churches and chapels among the Indian Pueblos, and the number of baptisms reached 80,000. Between 1622 and 1630 Father Benavides erected the first church at Santa Fe. Among the purely temporal benefits of the" work of the missionaries was the introduction of horses, cattle, and sheep ; improved machinery for spinning and weaving ; the establishment of schools and trade schools and the introduction of trenches for irrigation. In 1689 Don Alonso de Leon, accompanied by Father Da"mian Hazanet, visited the Ceni tribe, called ' Texas,' which means ' We are friends,' and founded the first mission, that of San Francisco, on May 24, 1690. Thereafter numerous other missions were established. In 1730 was founded the City of San Fernando, near the garrison of San. Antonio, which name it afterward took. A chapel was erected," and a parish church was completed July 17, 1732. .Spaniards Civilised the Natives. The Apostle of .Arizona is the famous Father Eusebius Kuhn, S.J., who travelled more than 20,000 miles and baptised more than 48,000 people. He founded many missions, among them that at San Xavier del Bac. He learned the languages .of the various tribe's, translated their catechism and prayers, built .houses and chapels, formed missions and towns. His food on journeys was parched corn, and he never slept in a "bed. " ~ Lower California was visited by' Vizcaino, accompanied by Franciscan Fathers", %in 1596, who on a second voyage reached Santa Barbara, Monterey, and the Bay of San Francisco. In December, 1601, upon the latter voyage, Fathers Andrew aa.i Anthony offered up Mass beneath a spreading oak at Monterey. ~ -Jn 1697 Father Salvatierra commenced his labors, which reached as far as Oregon. In 1770 Father Junipero Serra, the Apostle of the Pacific Coast, arrived at Monterey, and within a "few years 21 missions were stretched along the coast. The Govern-

trenches for irrigation.

ment discipline and methods of these missions have been the subject of universal praise. Their improved agricultural appliances .made the. State a garden spot. . The history of the Church in the English colonies is, as might be surmised from the intolerant spirit of the age, one of struggle* and persecution. Still, from the gloom shine forth lessons of fortitude and courage which, "with their proof attendant of Catholic tolerance, form one of the brightest pages in our history. Persecution in English Colonies. Jhe first overt act that occurs is in 1623, when Sir George Calvert, a convert to the Catholic faith, obtained a patent for the province of Avalbn, in Newfoundland, for the purpose of making it a refuge for his persecuted fellow-religionists. He reached Ferryland in his new possessions July 23,' 1627, with; colonists and two priests, Mass being openly said in a chapel. He also allowed his Protestant colonists a minister and chapel. Discouraged by the climate, he removed his settlement to Virginia. 1 When he went there, however, the Governor sought to make himtake the oath of supremacy. Satisfied that there was no home' in Virginia for a Catholic, he sought and received a grant of' territory north of the Potomac. This he called Maryland. \ Heroic Jesuit Pioneers. His projects were carried out by his son Cecil. The Ark and the Dove set sail from Cowes on^November 22, 1633, and on board were the Jesuits, Fathers Andrew White and John Altham, and the lay-brother Thomas Gervase. On Annunciation Day, 1634, they landed at Saint Clement Island, where Mass was celebrated for the first time, and before a Cros_s hewn from a tree they recited the Litany of the Holy Cross. At Saint Mary's a chapel was built and a settlement begun, and ' Religious Liberty obtained a home, its only home in the wideworld, at the humble village which bore the name of St. Mary's. '■ Jesuits came constantly to the colony and labored among the ; Indians. Father White penetrated to Kittamaquindi, whose king, Chilomacon, he baptised July 5, 1640. The king's wife, 1 j child, and chief councillor were also baptised. A mission was here established. Father White wrote Indian catechisms and grammars, and was the first to attempt to reduce an Indian language to grammatical forms. When Claybourne and his Virginia followers invaded Maryland in .1645 he captured Fathers White and Copley, who were sent in chains to England for trial. In 1649, Leonard Calvert called a council, which, composed of nine Catholics and five Protestants, passed the celebrated ' Act concerning religions,' which is the proud boast of Maryland, insuring, as it did, perfect equality and liberty to all believing in Christ. At this time the Catholics numbered three-fourths of the population. Catholics Excluded from the Protection of Laws They Made Themselves. In 1652 an assembly was convened by the Commonwealth i Commissioners, whose first act, after depriving Catholics of the '• right to sit therein, was to exclude Catholics from the protection of the laws of toleration they themselves had made. Priests were hunted from their houses and driven into Virginia, where they remained in hiding until the authority of Lord Baltimore was restored, when religious toleration was again reinstated. In the colony of New Netherland, or New York, there were but few Catholics. In 1626 there were two Catholic soldiers at Fort Orange, a Portuguese Catholic woman and a Catholic Irishman were met by Father Jogues at New Amsterdam in 1643. In 1674 James sent Anthony Brockholls, a Catholic, as second to Governor Andros. He was at various times Commander in Chief and member of the Council. Father Hennepin in 1677 was invited to visit some Dutch Catholics at Albany. William Douglas, a Catholic, elected to the Assembly from Bergen in New Jersey, was excluded and a new election ordered. » New York's Catholic Governor. The first Catholic of commanding position' in New York was Thomas Dongan, who- had been' Governor of Tangier, and who was appointed Governor in 1682. He sought to establish a Jesuit mission at Saratoga. Father Thomas Harvey embarked with him, and, arriving at Nantasket in August, 1683, travelled overland with him to New York. It is believed the Superior <! the Maryland Jesuits, Father Gulick, after travelling through New Jersey, was here to meet him. The first spot where Mass .was regularly said in New York was in the small chapel within the fort, which was served by two priests in attendance on the Governor. Governor Dongan's first act was to convene the first Legislative Assembly, which on- October 30, 1683 'passed a

• Bill of Rights -s imilar to that of Maryland, guaranteeing freedom of conscience to all.

(To be concluded.)