Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 17.djvu/284

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

DIVINE WORD 268 DIVINE WORD

United Statbs.^^£. Mary*B Mission House. — One 120 Catholic negroes attend the church. There are of the last important works blessed by the founder 350 children attending school, about 80 being Cath- was the erection at Techny, HI., of St. Mary's Mis- olic; 10 Sisters and 2 priests are working in this sion House for the training of American boys for mission. In May, 1910, the mission at Meridian the foreign missions. Pope Pius X gave his Apo&- was opened. The Catholics number about 100; tolic Blessing to the new foundation, and on 2 school children, 250; Sisters, 9; priests, 2. At Little February, 1909, the mission house was opened with Rock, Ark., a start was made in October, 1910. six boys in attendance. On 26 April Archbishop There are 2 priests, 8 Sisters, 210 Catholics, 300 Quigley, of Chicago, dedicated the mission college, school children. Greenville, Miss., welcomed the The first six boys were graduated from the college missionaries in 1913. The first Catholic high school course on 24 June, 1915. The following fall saw for negroes was opened in this mission in 1917. The them ready to enter the newly erected American first seminary for uesro priests is another note- novitiate of the society, and on the feast of Our worthy foundation. These negro priests will be Lady's Nativity they received the habit of clerics, religious, afiiliated with the Society of the Divine The first scholastics made their vows on 8 Septem- Word, but having their own specific work in the ber, 1916, and the first ordinfttion of priests took missions among ttieir own people. The seminary place 1 May, 1921. After twelve years of prop;ress has been transferred to Bay St. Louis, Miss., and is I

St. Mary's reports the following figures: 33 priests, known as St. Augustine's Mission House. There 29 scholastics, 51 Brothers, 20 brother-novices, 7 are 30 candidates at present. In 1917 the society postulants, 20 candidates for the brotherhood, 190 took charge of St. Monica's parish in Chicago, the candidates for the priesthood. . only parish for negroes in the archdiocese. There

The society is responsible, to a great extent, for are about 250 children in the school, taught by the the present missionary spirit in the Middle West. Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. The number of Through its Mission Press about 5,000,000 mis- Catholics is difiScult to estimate, owing to peculiar sionary pamphlets have been printed and dis- conditions, and constant moving, tributed throughout the coimtry within the past ten Europe.— In 1906 the society had 6 mission houses years. The "Christian Family," a monthly family in Europe. The number has grown to 22, distributed Catholic magazine, was first issued in 1906. It has as follows: 4 in Holland, 11 in Germany, 2 in Aus- at present more than 100,000 subscribers. The Ger- tria, and 1 in Poland, Spain, Hungary, Switzerland, man Catholic monthly, "Familienblatt," reaches and Italy.

about 15,000 subscribers. The "Little Missionary Foreign Mi88i0N8.-P^»ppine 7s2anA.-On 15 first appeared in September, 1915. It is iffiued in August, 1909,' the first two missionaries landed each school month, and is read by 100,000 school j^ the Philippine Islands and opened a mission in children and adults, '^e official organ of the ^bra, Northern Luzon. The refigious condition in society in the United States is 'Our Missions, the province was deplorable at that time. Abra launched on 15 Januaiy, 1921. It contains mis- ^as the stronghold of Aglipayism and had no Cath- sionaiy information from all the fields of the qHc school. To these difficulties were added the society, and is sent to about 40,000 fnends, bene- ggvere poverty of the missionaries, the long journeys factors, and subscribers. The society also fostered on foot, the difficult Ilocano dialect that had to be the "Catholic Studente' Mission Crusade, ' the first mastered, and hard living conditionj. It is not convention being held at Techny 27-30 July, 1918. surprising that five missionaries succumbed in a

An event of far-reaching importance for the Mis- ghort time. But the fruits of these sacrifices were sion House was the sendmg forth of the firrtmiSMon g^eet: Aglipayism is all but dead in Abra, many band which sailed from Seattle 3 December, 1919. pagans have embraced the Faith, an effective sys- The first Amencan missionaries of the societv were tem of Catholic schools has been established. The Rev. Fred Gruhn Rev. Clifford King and Rev. report of the mission for 1920 shows: 28 schools Robert Clark The latter two went forth as ^^ 2,007 pupils, 49 teachers, 12 churches and scholastics, and after spendmg a year in the semi- chapels, 15 priests, 8 residences of missionaries, 3 nary at Yenclwwfu, 8. Shantung^ were ordained to Brothers, 23 Sisters, 50,000 Catholics. 12,500 heathen, the pnesthood 10 October, 1920, being the first «r ^ t t <n/v»» ai. j»_i • T * xt

Amencan boys taken into tiie society as priests. Nygata Japan.^ln 1907 the distnct of Nygata

. Tr . ,*. . TT -r ..^-^^ .r .X was given to the society. The mission hes 100 miles

Sacred Heart Mission House.^ln 1912 the society northwest of Tokyo. It was erected into a pre- established its second American miMion house at fecture apostolic in 1912 There is a population of Girard, Erie Co., Pa. The work has progressed 6,206,000, of whom only 466 are Catholics. A seminary well. Reports of 1921 show: 8 priests, 5 Brothers, ^^h 10 candidates has been opened. An orphanage 70 students preparmg for the pnesthood. and hospital are successfully mamtained. Figures

Sacred Heart Novitiate, — ^The third foundation of for 1920 show: 14 priests, 12 Sisters, 10 residences the society is located at East Troy in the diocese of missionaries, 6 churches and chai^els. In a new of Milwaukee, on the shores of beautiful Lake territory assigned to the missionaries there is a Beulah. The novitiate was transferred from Techny population of 5,000,000 and scarcely any Catholics, to East Troy 8 September, 1921. At present there The capital of this new district is the famous city are 10 novices, witn 2 priests and 2 Brothers. of Nagoya.

Negro Missions.'-At the suggestion of Archbishop Sonda Islands, Dittch East 7ncKes.«-The mission Quigley the society undertooK to work among the is known as the Endeh-Flores mission and com- negroes of the South. Mother Katherine Drexel prises also the Dutch part of the Island of Timor, came to Uie aid of the first missionaries and made besides many intervening groups of islands lying their pioneer efforts a success. The first mission to the east of Java. The district was taken over was opened at Vicksburg, Miss., in 1906. To-day from the Jesuits in 1912, erected into a prefecture there are 260 Catholic negroes in the congregation apostolic in 1913, and to-day it is one of the most and about 300 children in the well equipped school, flourishing mission fields of the society. The 1020 Jackson, Miss., was the scene of the second mission report shows: 26 priests, 12 Brothers, 30 Sisters, 10 in 1909. Among a negro population of 11,000 there catechists, 5653 boys in 75 elementary schools, 1151 was not a single Catnolic. In spite of enormous girls in 10 schools, 601 boys in 4 boarding schools, difficulties, the work has made progress and to-day 349 girls in 2 boarding schools, 171 teachers, 18