The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 1, 1903, Page 11

SARCIA DIEGO STORENO. F/RST LROHBIS D brate the g0l Jul ese, which was Bull fifty true, -is not he Papal de cross to t France in t pi: Valiey, b suppréssed t < were taken-up Father Sterra dv e du- translated int workd. .In 1546 about the time country and Mexico. broke ing to the political changes, no Bi was appointed to succeed him un Iz that year the Dominicans were ing & councl], or chapter, of their order in Rome There were representa from all parts of the world present, among the number the Very Rev. Joseph Sardon Alemany, a Spanmard by birth, but head of the order in this country, where be had long resided The Pope was anxious to eppoint a successor to the wacant see of California, and concluded wery wisely that no better person could be_found than the Dominican Prior, who stage traveler. s seems to me to be sald the Archbishop. sagne. asked his com- ou a Bishop?” . in surprise. 1 am the Archbjshop of San Fran- was thie reply. H ded that the Archbistop n afterward becams s, and that the Archbishop admirer than his fellow one day tre ho did not had often Walking down the street D met a gentleman W , but who in his clerical robes t him, under ths sion that he only a priest, an g .to'a new parish that had latey esiablished somewhere in the State, “The Archiblshop ought to send a young t to such a large parish.” : Archbishop has no young is he to do%’' asked the what e a young mam” said his n't you go?” mallpox epidemic in rs ago the s jhat it was found im- nodate them all*at the for the occasion. The , under Mother Russell, rse the aff a this ted esider well T called to 3 was a very 4 n,-and though broad and liberal led a very esthetic life. Iis to others, r ned no furniture but a small ticular in observing all the fusts and regulations of the church. Altnough an Archbishop, he attended sick calls when- ever requested. One evening he returned from a visit SAN FRANCISCO'S FIRST CATHE- DRAL AS IT APPEARED IN 1854 and one chalr, and he was very par-. eould speak both English and Spanish, to a sick person and, not having finished understood fully American ideas and sen- his prayers, entered the cathedral on timents, mnd yet by reason of his Span- lifornia street with his key through ish birth would be perfectly acceptable to the front door. Some one In the distance the Spanish residents of California, who, gaw a man entering the church, but was of course in that day formed a majority unable to see who it was and immediately of the Catholics of this Btate. Accord- concluded that it was g burglar. He ingly, Pathet Alemany became Bishop prom Aletnany, and the ese of Monterey was created, thus cutting off the California ehurch from its connection with Mexico, following the lines of the poiitical separa- tion of the two countries. The see over which Bishop. Alemany was called upon to preside included Cali- fornia, Nevada and Utph. Three years later, however, 1t was decided to separ- ste Southern California (from Santa Crus County south) from the rest of the y notified the police and a squad was sent up to surround tihre cathedral. The church was carefully examined with- out the supposed burgiar being discovered until finally the Atchbishop came from & corner where he was saying his prayers and asked if.it was impossible for a man to even pray in San Francisco in quiet Just when Archbishop Alemany re- celved the palllum, or insignia of -his new office, is doubtful, but it was not until 1854, and meantime he had moved @iocese and to create the Archdiocess Ban ¢ 3, nterey to San Francisco and had ¥rancisco, which,. therefors, included all oy, yp his residence at the'presbytery Northern Celifornia, Nevada and Utah. It is difficult to say what the exact Gatholic population of that immense ter- ritory was fifty years ago, but a con- eervative estimate places it from 15,000 to 20000 souls. The name -Los Angeles was added to Monterey at the time of the separation, and Bishop Arnat, the first was designated as ‘Bishop of erey and Los Angeles,” which is still tle of the Bouthérn Bishopric. the Archbishop Alemany Was a Very unos- s man_and went around from parish over his immense diogese ‘o his.religious duties as qulet- gh he were &-stmple priest. Lo, sree, usually traveled by the stags e only regular method of con- those days, and had many 4 amusing experiencis. occasion he was riding with a « man on the -top of & stage in the mwount s, carrying with him his miter a n by Bishops at religious cer- emgnfes) In & box The Jolting of the stage shook the miter Lox nearly off the weat where it lay, and as it slid aloug the Chinamen noticed it, and, pulling the Archbishop by his coat sieeve, said: “Loskee! Laokee! You will loose your fiddie u will lgose your fiddle!” On another occasion while traveling in & stage with a gentleman, afterward well known in the State, but at the time & new arrival,.the latter said he had seen Bishops and® Archbishops in other places, and that they ere always surs rounded by much pomp and ceremony The speake- was entirely ignorant of the fact that he was talking to an Archbish- op, simply concluding from his dress that kis companion was a Catholie priest. “I do not see that I am surrounded by smuch more pomp than you are,” said the Archbishop. .“n’\‘hn do you mean?™ asked the trav- of St. Francis Church on Vallejo street, which thus became the first cathedral of San neisco. At that time there were only.two Cath- olic churches in this city, the old Mis- sion Dolores, on Dolofes street, and St. Francis, the latter & cheap, frame build- ing which stood on the site of the present church. The new Archbishop immediately set to work to build his cathedral, Old St. Mary’s, now the Paulist Church, on the corner of California and Dupont streets. St Patrick’s, with its accom- panying orphan ssylum, was created ebout this time &lso, on the present site of the Palace Hotel. The Dominicans bullt St. Bridget's on Van Ness avenus, where & splendid new church is now in process of construction. The parish records of St. Francis are of much his- torical interest and contain the mames of many identified with the growth and de- velopment of not only 8an Francisoo, but California and the whole coast. The first entry is that of the baptism of Dr. Bam- uel Johnson Tennent, who lived at Con- tra Costa. The doctor was an English- man and & convert to the Catholic faith. The first burial was that of Captain Ra- ballan, which took place August 7, 184, The pastor was Father Langlois, who after tl ppointment of Archi.shop Ale- many, Bishop of Monterey, became Vicar General of the diocess, the position now held by Very Reverpnd Father Prender- The cathedral on California street cost $187,000 and for a long time was the larg- est and most imposing bullding in the city. Its interior is handsome and many of the early families of the State con~ t.r;buled liberally to its.ersction and beau- tifying. . S ‘Within the period between the founding of the archbishoprip and the Civil War the Catholic church made great strides in this city and State. The Jesuits re- turned to Californla in 1852 and the follow- ing year openéd Santa Clara College. Later they bullt St. Ignatius Church and College in this city, where the Parrott- building now stands. The Sisters of Char- ity, whose mother house is at Emmets- burg, Md., had arrived (four sisters under Mother Frances) in 1851 and opened an orphan asylum. The Sisters of Mercy, the Bisters of Notre Dame, the Dominican Sisters and, the Presentation Nuns all es- tablished themselves here about this time and opened hospitals and schools for giris. A collegé for boys had also’ been or- ganized under the charge of the clergy, But in 1857 the Christian Brothers wers asked to take charge of the work, which they did, and subsequently moved the in- stitution to Oakland, where they erected the splendid buflding now known as Bt. Mary's College, besides establishing the Bacred Heart College on Eddy street, in this city. Later the Franciscan BSisters, the Bisters of the Holy Name, Mesdames of the Sacred Heart and finally, quite re- cently, {he|Little Bisters of the Poor all began their special work here. This city and archdiocess has the dis- tinction of being the original home of the Bisters of the Holy Family, founded by Vicar General Prendergast, who made a specialty of conducting kindergartens, where little children aretaught and where working mothers can bring their children ‘while they: go out to earn their dally bread. The sisters also conduct & number of Bunday-schools and do an immense amount of charitable and educatioral work. The Young Men's Institute is also of California origin{ It is designed for the laity, for the purpose of interesting tr m in church work and making them aux: - ries to the clergy. There is also the League of the Cross, & total abstinence organization, which is doing & great work in helping the younger generation to be both good patriots and good Christians. The changé of the political corntrol of the country from Mexico to the United States, and the discovery of gold, caused *& great increase of population, many of whom were Catholics, and many others who afterward jolned the church; and every year of Archbishop Alemany's rule saw new churches erected, new schools and institutions opened and a greater and greater extension of the church work. In 1866 the Cathollo population of the Arch- diocess had outgrown the’ possibility of one man properly managing it, and a new diocese was created, including Northern and Eastern California with Nevada and Utah. Rev. G. V. O’'Connell, an Irish priest, was appointed t0 the new see with THE SUNDAY OCALL. AN AIO LS S W YR S AT A A ARcH BI1SHOP PNTON T CGOIMERY: Marysville as his residence. Subsequenfly Into details concerning sl that has been the episcopal residence was movedq to done for the cause of religion gnd the ex- Grass Valley and then to Sacramento, tension of the church, under Archbishop and later Eastern Nevada and Utah were Riordan. The eviderices of his work are cut off and ‘made into the new diocese of on -all sides. Every Institution shows Salt Lake. Bishop O'Conngll, buildings haye been erected at the Boys’ who was progress and improvement. Splendid néw - -lic school in not ‘a yoyng man at the time of his ap- pointment, resigned and was succeeded by Bjshop Morbgue, who, dying at Sac- ramento in 189, was succeeded by Bishop Grace, now in charge of that diocese. Mention has been made of the advent of the Sisters of Charity, who opened an orphan asylum on the present site of the _Palace Hotel, but it- will be interesting’ to recall that their school, opened in 1852, at the same locality, was the first Catho- the city. Subsequently Notre Dame College for Girls was opened at Ban Jose, and now there are over forty girls' schools in the present limits of the Archdiocese alone. In 1853, notwithstanding the division of the diocese, the work became sc heavy that Archbishop Alemany asked the Pope, Leo XIII, to give him a coadjutor, or as- sistant, and, in compliance with that re- quest, Father P. J. Riordan, pastor.of one of the largest parishes in Chicago, was selected for the honor and labor, and having been consecrated, he came to this city and assumed the-arduous dutles of the. position. One year later Archbishop Alemany resigned his charge and retired to his native fihd. Spain, where he spént the remalining years of his life in the quiet and repose of a Dominican Mo- nastery, of which order, as already stated, he was a member. He is burled in his native town af Vich, and a beautiful mar- ble monument has been erected by Arch- bishop Riordan over his grave. Wlhien the present Archbishop assumed control of the archdiocese the Catholio population ' was about 125000. It had churches and schools but it needed many more, and above all the surroundings of the cathedral had become such that the removal of the chief church of the arch- diocese to a more eligible locality was imperative, and he very shortly after- ward began the construction ef the splen- 4id edifice on the corner of Van Ness ave- nue and O’Furrell street, the cornerstone ©of which was laid in 1887. 5 The cathedral completed, the’ most pressing need was for a eminary where the young priests could be edu- cated, obviating the necessity -and ex- pense of sending them to distant parts of the United Btates to recetve their ecclesi- astical education. He accordingly erect- ed the fine seminary at Menlo Park and put it in charge of the Sulpiclan Fathers, who make & specialty of educating can- didates for the priesthood. It would take more space than The Call can afford to go _Orphan Asylim near San Rafasl New churches have.gone up, not only in vari- ous parts of the city, but in all parts of the archdlocese. The Little §isters of the Poor ‘have come to take'care of the aged and a splendid building for their use, the gift of a generous Cathollo, 1s'now being erected in the western part of the city. The Paulist Fathers have been {nvited to take charge ‘of old St. Mary’s and do misslonary work over the State The Ma- rist Fathers minister to the wants of the many French Catholics, the. Franciscans conduct two churches for the Germans (one a magnificent building with monas- tery and school adjoining) and the Sale- sian Fathers one for the itallans, while a new church for the Slavonians, under the care of the Jesults, is being ersoted Mendocino County, which has suffered for the want of priests, has been put un- der the care of Capucians, the ploneers of which order have just arrived in the Btate. : Besides the orders already named there are the Brothers of Mary and Bisters of Bt. Joseph, and the Ursuline Bisters en- .gaged in charitable and educational work. Almost all the churches are large and substantial edifices bullt of brick and stone, and even In the country dis- tricts, In small towns like Ban Mateo, Tomales and Point Richmond, the churches are handsome edifices, artistl- cally decorated both inside and out, and a credit in every way to those responsi- ble for their erection. All the work of planning, directing and advising in an archdiocese as large as thls, however, cannot but consume a good, deal of any man's vitality, and last year Bishop Riordan asked for a coadjutor in his .turn, and Bishop George Montgomery of Los city, where he is beloved and admired by Protestants and Catholics elike, was with the approval of the clergy and laity allke selected for the honor, and with his assistance the good work will no doubt go on with ever increasing vigor. ' But a few statistics, dry though figures usually are, will give the best idea of the progress that has been made since Bishop Alemany became Archbishop. The one dlocese of Monterey has expanded into three dioceses and one archdiocese; the fifteen to twenty thousand Catholics to 260,000, of whom nearly 250,000 are in this archdiocese alone. The little school started Angeles, who had formerly been & By the Sistery of Charity en the Palnce Hotel site is now represented by sixty Colleges and scademies and sixty-thres parochial schools, . with over 20,000 puplls, The humble orphan asylum of the Ststers of Charity is now replaced by fifteen asy- lums for boys, girls or infants There is a protectorate with-a large farm for wayward boys, & Magdalen home for un~ fortunate girls; there are eight hospitals, foulr homes for the aged, three schools for the Indlans, a deaf mute school, three seminaries for priests (two conducted by religious orders). In this archdiocese alone thers are 143 churches and chapels, besides & number of stations, attended by 370 priests, but In the territory covered by the ¢ld Monterey diocese, for which the other statistics afe given, there are #3 priests, three Bishops and two Arch- bishops, with 335 churches and chapels besides stations whers services are held cocasionally. ‘It is truly & wonderful record and ome that should make -the Catholics of Cslifornia feel proud as they celebrate the Golden Jublles of thelr archdiocese this Bunday wmorning. - WHEN POLLY TRIED TO SPEAK. Childrens Everlasting S¢hool ‘Hose 105 And all the faces bright Were gazing at the platform, ‘Where Polly would recite. Then out walked Mistress Polly With numerous little graces, But all her courage left her ‘When she saw so many faces. &T " Joe RO)‘en'bé‘l"é 2 216 MAarkel- ST, The Buth place of Low Prices Yes, a hush was on the schoolroom And not a sound was heard, For pretty Polly’ Perkins Co remember not & word ORh, shivery, shivery shake, Oh, quivery, quivery quake, Polly is trying her very best A good impression to make