Vincentian Heritage Journal

Volume 3 | Issue 1 Article 4

1982

Recollections of the Establishment of theCongregation of the Mission in the United States,Part 3Joseph Rosati C.M.

Follow this and additional works at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj

This Articles is brought to you for free and open access by the Vincentian Journals and Publications at Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusionin Vincentian Heritage Journal by an authorized editor of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact wsulliv6@depaul.edu,c.mcclure@depaul.edu.

Recommended CitationRosati, Joseph C.M. (1982) "Recollections of the Establishment of the Congregation of the Mission in the United States, Part 3,"Vincentian Heritage Journal: Vol. 3 : Iss. 1 , Article 4.Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol3/iss1/4

131

Recollections of the Establishment ofthe Congregation ofthe Mission in the

United States of America, III.

By Joseph Rosati, C.M.Translated and annotated by Stafford Poole, C.M.

(The first Vincentians have arrived at Saint ThomasSeminary in Bardstown, Kentucky, the last stage of their

journey to Missouri. After almost a year's delay, theyfinally reach the Barrens in October of 1818.)

Mr. Deandreis was given charge of the theology classby Mr. David. It was attended by the seminarians of thediocese of Bardstown and by those of Msgr. Dubourg. Inthat way Mr. David had time to give the missionaries aclass in English, which Mr. Deandreis himself attended, his"spelling book" in hand. And indeed, he used to say thatthe words of Jesus Christ were to be fulfilled in us to theletter, Nisi efficiamini sicut parvuli, non intrabitis inre~num coelorum ["Unless you become like little children,you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew18:3)]. On the other hand, the holy and learned Mr. Davidalso gladly exchanged his classes in theology for that smallclass in English and also with equal pleasure took thetruuble to stammer for us beginners some insights that

132

were truly sublime and worthy of him. "What happinessfor me," he used to say to his scholars, "to teach youEnglish. I will share in the merits of your labors and whensomeday you will preach the word of God in the differentcountries to which you will be sent, I will proclaim it insome way through your mouths."

Under such a capable teacher, the majority of themissionaries made rather rapid progress in English. Afteronly a few months they were in a condition to preach, tohear confessions, to go visit the sick and to exercise all thefunctions of the ministry. Mr. Rosati preached his firstsermon in English at Saint Thomas on QuinquagesimaSunday! and continued thereafter to preach from time totime in the same church, at Saint Joseph's in the town ofBardstown, at Holy Cross, Saint Mary's, Saint Charles, etc.Mr. Deandreis also gave his first sermon at Saint Thomason the first Sunday of Lent and continued quite often toadminister the word of God in various nearby areas. Mr.Ferrari began his preaching in English at almost the sametime. This progress encouraged our missionaries a greatdeal because the English language had at first frightenedthem very much.

At the same time they were practicing their French,which they had the opportunity to speak at the seminary.In order to have the opportunity to speak to theseminarians in English, they joined them in their threehours of work which, at that time, they did every day afterdinner. They sawed wood with them, not only for the useof the house but also for the different constructions andbuilding projects that were being done. They followedthem and helped them in the garden [and] in the fields,and they made it their pleasure to join them in every kindof work. On their walks on their free days, at the other

1 The lallt Sunday before Alih Wednellday.

133

times of recreatiun, with an English book in hand, theypracticed reading, translating, and they attempted toaccustom their foreign voices to the difficulties of Englishpronunciation. The young American seminarians assistedthem in this with the best grace in the wodd and withadmirable patience helped them to acquire the knowledgeand use of their language.

At the same time Mr. Deandreis busied himself in theirregard with all the duties of a zealous superior. Hereminded them of their obligations in his spiritualconferences, he comforted them in their pains, relievedtheir doubts, built up their courage [and] reanimated theirfervor in private interviews that he frequently had withthem. He had their confidence and almost all had chosenhim as their director and ordinary confessor. Neither didhe neglect their needs. With a fatherly solicitude he tookcare of all their necessities and had a special care for theirhealth, especially when they were not well. Thus he lovedthem like a father caring for the dearest of his children.2

On April 12, Mr. Rosati, together with Mr. Chabrat,left Saint Thomas for his first mission and on the 21st theyarrived at Vincennes in the State of Indiana, one hundredand fifty miles from Bardstown. This small town is one ofthe oldest foundations in the entire country. It had beenfounded by the French. Their descendants still preservedthe language and religiuIl uf their fathers. There was a logchurch [and] a house for the pastor, but after the death ofMr. Rivp.t, in the month of February, 1804, there had. notbeen a resident priest for very many years. They werevisited only a few times a year by Mr. Donatien Olivier, thepastor of Prairie du Rocher who, in order to give them theconsolations of religion, had to cross the open prairies fora distance of almost two hundred miles. After the erection

2 The translation of these last words is uncertain.

134

of the diocese of Bardstown, Msgr. Flaget used to visitthem himself on occasions and he sent there in successionMessrs. Badin, Ncrinekx, and Chabrat. These visits hadsustained the Creoles of Vincennes in their religion. Messrs.Chabrat and Rosati arrived there on April 21, 1817. Sinceboth at Vincennes and in the neighboring countrysidethere were a number of Catholics who spoke English, Mr.Chabrat took charge of their instruction and entrusted thecare of the Creoles to Mr. Rosati. He preached to themevery Sunday and Holyday in French and taught catechismin the same language each day to a large number ofchildren of both sexes who were preparing for their FirstCommunion. Fifty-two of them had the happiness ofmaking it on Pentecost Sunday.

At that time a large number of Indians were atVincennes, either to sell their furs or for business with theagents of the American government. Mr. Rosati went tosee them, accompanied by an interpreter. When one ofthem, a venerable old man of the Miami nation named TheOwl, learned that he was a priest, he arose, came beforehim, gave him hand and said that he saw him with greatpleasure, that he knew that he was the minister of theGreat Spirit, the Master of Life, charged to show to menboth by words and example all that they ought to do, that,as for himself, being totally ignorant as he was, he never leta day pass without saying in the morning, "Great Master ofLife, you have preserved me this night. I thank you.Preserve me also during this day." He told him that he Was

happy to possess the papers that the Great Spirit had givenhim in order to instruct the others. At the same time hegave very great signs of respect and friendship.

Some weeks later that same old man feU ill and showedgreat pleasure on seeing the priest. Mr. Rosati had beennotified and went without delay to a creole home, wherethe good old man had retired. He found him lying on the

135

floor, covered with a blanket. The Indian sat upimmediately and, after having taken Mr. Rosati by thehand, he told him that he was quite ill, that he would notrecover, that he did not regret this world, that on thecontrary he desired nothing else than to go see the GreatSpirit, that he knew that in the condition that he was in itwas impossible to go there and that he desired thatsomeone show him the way.

Mr. Rosati took the occasion to speak to him of thenecessity of Baptism, instructed him in Lhe principalmysteries of our holy religion and prepared him to behaptized. 'fhe Tndian showed a great desire to re~eive t.his

sacrament and, as he was in danger, Mr. Rosati baptizedhim without delay. When' he asked him what name hewished to take, he answered that he wished to be calledMichael. After the baptism, Michael did nothing but pray.He was heard to repeat frequently these French words, Oh,

mon Dieu, man Dieu! Mr. Rosati went to see him the nextday. The poor old man at first made his excuses that hecould not speak to him because he was very ill. The nextday he died. He was given a solemn funeral. A Mass ofRequiem was sung. As he was one of the chiefs of hisnation, there was a large number of Indians at his burial,among whom was his son, a pleasant young man whospoke English and who seemed impressed by theceremonies. He told Mr. Rosati that he would try to dielike his father. He was exhorted to have himself instructedin the true religion.

Among the children who frequented Mr. Rosati'sinstructions, there was one named Simon Petit la Lumiere.He was very attached to the two missionaries and he wasalmost always with them. He manifested a great desire tofollow them and to go to the seminary. Consent wasobtained from his grandfather, for he had lost his parents.He then went with Messrs. Chabrat and Rosati to Saint

136

Thomas Seminary, where he persevered in his vocation.After his ordination to the priesthood, he was sent toIndiana where he did a great deal of good. He is now (in1840) the Vicar General of the Bishop of Vincennes.

In the month of September, 1817, at the end of theretreat that the priests and brothers of the Congregationmade according to their custom, some letters were receivedfrom Baltimore that announced the welcome arrival ofMsgr. Dubourg with a very numerous company of priests,yuung ecclesiastics, and pious laity who were devotingthemselves to the missions of his diocese. Msgr. Dubourgasked his venerable confrere, t.he Bishop of Bardstown, toplease go to Saint Louis together with Mr. Andreis [sic]and some other missionary in order to announce to theCatholic inhabitants of the area his intention of livingamong them with the majority of his clergy and of settingup in their city some establishments for the religIOUSand literary education of their children.

Msgr. Flaget gladly lent himself to the wishes of his oldfriend and on October 2 set out on horseback for SaintLouis with Messrs. Deandreis and Rosati and BrotherBlanka. It was a trip of more than three hundred miles[and] the routes were then bad and difficult. They got lostmany times and one night, in the deepest darkness, theywere on the point of falling off a cliff when, by adisposition of Providence, the horses refused to go on.They stopped, lighted a fire and retraced their steps.Another timp, aftpr having been exposed to the rain for along time, they could scarcely find a way of drying theirclothes in the homes where they stopped, and sometimesthey did not find any food there. The venerable Bishop ofBardstown, accustomed [to this] after so many years ofhis laborious ministry during which, according to his ownaccount, he had become identical with his horse,sympathized with the new missionaries and encouraged

137

them by his example.After a journey of nine days, they finally reached

Kaskaskia [Illinois], a village that is almost entirelyCatholic and French, one of the most ancient foundationsin that country. It had formerly been the center of theJesuit Fathers' missions among the Indian nations thatlived in those vast and beautiful regions in large numbers.Mr. Deandreis and his companions were moved to tearswhen, on descending the hills that bordered the other sideof the river [the Mississippi], [on] that magnificent plainon which the village was located, they saw rise up the spireof the church steeple, crowned by the Cross. They paidreverence to the sign of our redemption which at that timeone so rarely saw look down on the towns and villages ofthe United States. Their emotion was renewed again in apleasant way when, having come down to the house ofColonel Pierre Menard, one of the most respected citizensof Illinois, they heard the sound of a large and beautifulhell which after sundown invited the faithful to recall thegreat mystery of the Incarantion of the Eternal Word andto recite the prayers of the An~elus. These Catholiccustoms, together with many others that are veryappropriate to sustain the faith and support piety amongthe faithful, have been faithfully preserved in the parishesinhabited by the descendants of the French (who arecalled Creoles) throughout the country. Msgr. Flaget andthe missionaries whom he was leading were now able torelax from the fatigues of their long and laborious journeyamid the care that Mr. Menard and his estimable familyshowed them under their hospitable roof. 3

The holy Bishop of Bardstown had already visited thisregion and had given some missions there with great

3Pierre Menard (1766-1844) was a fur trader, merchant ,andfirst Lieutenant-Governor of Illinois. He was very important in theearly history of southern Illinois.

138

success and there had administered the Sacrament ofConfirmation. There he had earned the esteem andaffection of the Creoles and of the Americans and on hisreturn to his diocese had taken with him the hearts of theinhabitants of the entire region. Thus they had learned withjoy of his arrival and hurried to visit him. The missionariescould well congratulate themselves on entering the countrywhich they were to cultivate under such auspices. In themorning they all had the happiness of celebrating HolyMass in the parish church. It no longer had a residentpastor. The venerable Mr. Olivier, pastor of Prairie duRocher, was in charge of it and he came there to officiateone or two Sundays a month. As soon as that holy priesthad been informed of the arrival of Msgr. Flaget atKaskaskia, he went in haste and, after having presented hisrespects to Monseigneur, he embraced the missionaries andcongratulated himself on having from then on a goodnumber of coworkers who had come to share his apostoliclabor.4

Messrs. Olivier and Menard accompanied them to theshores of the Mississippi. In a small ferryboat they crossedthis magnificent river, which is almost a mile wide, evenmore than thirteen hundred miles from its mouth. On theother side they found Mr. Henri Pratte, the pastor ofSainte Genevieve, with a goodly number of hisparishioners. Msgr. Flaget and the missionaries were alllodged with the pastor, near the church, and were heapedwith care and friendship by Mr. Pratte, his family, and allthe people in the parish, who on other occasions haddistinguished themselves above all the other Catholicpopulation of the region by their eagerness and zeal toprofit by the instructions of Msgr. Flaget. They wereparticularly devoted to him and he for his part cherished

4Father Olivier apparently believed that the missionaries weregoing to remain in that area.

139

them like well-beloved children. The young priest was anative of Sainte Genevieve. He had made his studies andbeen ordained to the priesthood in Canada. He hadreturned only two years before and been given charge ofthe parish by Msgr. Flaget. He had worked with great zealand success to sustain in it the fervor that Msgr. Flaget'smission had inflamed in the hearts of the inhabitants. Hewas cherished and esLeemed by all.

On the following day, Sunday, Mass was celebrated inthe Church of Sainte Genevieve. Mr. Deandreis sang theparish Mass and Msgr. Flaget preached in French. AfterVespers he gave a second sermon and announced thepurpose of his journey. He spoke to them of their newBishop, of the numerous colony that he was bringing withhim, of his intention of fixing his dwelling in the region,and of procuring for them a great number of spiritual andtemporal advantages, especially that of giving a goodreligious and literary education to their children. Heobserved to them that no choice had yet been made, eitherwith regard to the Bishop's residence or with regard to theestablishments to be made; that due regard would be paidto the zeal that the inhabitants would show for haVing these[establishments] and the ease with which the resourcespresented would enable the projects that they had to becarried out. He concluded his talk by inviting the heads offamilies to assemble at the rectory in the morning.

The majority of the fathers of families assembled atthe pastor's home on the following Monday and Tuesday.Msgr. Flaget, Pastor Pratte, Messrs. Deandreis and Rosatiwere present. There was a great deal of talking and amanifestation of a desire to have some establishment forthe instruction of the young people, but nothing specialwas decided on. An estimable old man cried out, "Ah, Isee well that Pain Court [short of bread] has won out over

Misere [wretched]." On that occasion he was a prophet.

140

Pain Court was a nickname that the inhabitants of theregion gave to Saint Louis and Misere was the nicknamefor Sainte Genevieve.

On the following Wednesday, Msgr. Flaget,accompanied by the missionaries, was escorted to the riverby the pastor and a number of parishioners. They crossedit on a small platform of planks on two canoes orhollowed-out tree trunks and, having arrived at the otherside, they found Mr. Olivier there with a number ofparishioners from Prairie du Rocher, where they went tospend the night. The following morning, after havingcelebmted Holy MasR, they were rejoined by the pastor ofSainte Genevieve who accompanied them to Saint Louis.In the evening they reached Cahokia and spent the night atMr. Garrot's. At that time Mr. Savine was the pastor ofthat parish. He lived on a small farm a mile from thechurch. They saw him the next day.

Finally, they reached Saint Louis which at that timewas little more than a smull village. Almost all the houseswere of wood. The streets were not paved and the housesthere were strewn at intervals along First and SecondStreets. There was none along the riverbank. The churchwas a poor and small frame building. It was on SecondStreet. To the north was a cemetery and to the south astone house for the pastor, in very poor condition. It wasdivided by a wooden partition into two rooms, one largeand one small. The whole thing presented a picture ofdeRolation _ For many yearR there had been no reRidentpriest. Mr. Savine, the pastor of Cahokia in Illinois, sixmiles from Saint Louis, came there to officiate every thirdSunday. In the small room, a bed was prepared for Msgr.Flaget, while the others slept on the floor in the sameroom on buffalo skins. General Pratte, the pastor'sbrother, wanted Msgr. Flaget to stay with him, but he didnot wish to leave the missionaries. It was he who sent

141

breakfast to the rectory every morning and offered histable for the other meals during the stay that they made inSaint Louis.

On Sunday, October 19, Msgr. Flaget sang Mass andpreached in French. After Vespers he preached in English.Msgr. Flaget, who was well known and very muchesteemed in Saint Louis as well as in all the territory thathe had visited while he was pastor of Vincennes and afterhe was Bishop of Bardstown, called together an assemblyof inhabitants and spoke to them of the motive that hadbrought him to visit them. In general, they showed a greatdesire to have the Bishop in their town. Theycommissioned Msgr. Flaget to request that of him ontheir behalf and promised to cooperate to the best of theirabilities with the estabishments that he was proposing tomake. There was, in truth, some one person who gave along talk by which, while appearing to view with pleasurethe establishment of a bishop in Saint Louis, he strained toprove that the inhabitants of that parish ought not for thatreason do any more than all the others in the territory,who had an equal interest in it; that before supporting abishop and the establishments that he wished to make, theland adjacent to the church, together with the house thatwas there, because they were for the use of the pastor ofthe parish, ought not and could not be given to the Bishop.This man was allowed to talk on. He was known as aperson who had no religious feelings. Msgr. Flagetcontented himself with saying that the Bishop was notcoming in order to ask them for a livelihood; that neitherhe nor the establishments that he would make would be atthe expense of the inhabitants; that since he had beencommissioned by Msgr. Dubourg to make whateverueLerminaLiun he might juuge most suitable as tu theresidence and the location of the establishments to bemade, he saw with pleasure their good dispositions, he

142

accepted their offer in the name of Msgr. Dubourg, and heassured them that Saint Louis would be the place ofresidenee of Msgr. Duuourg and Lhe eenLer of his principal

establishments. It was decided that there should be someimmediate repairs on the parish house in order to make itlivable. Msgr. Flaget directed Pastor Pratte to supervise andencourage the work and asked him to stay in Saint Louisfor that purpose. Mr. Deandreis replaced him at SainteGenevieve. At the same time, some zealous Catholics, atwhose head were Messrs. Jeremie and Cannor, took up asubscription to help the new Bishop meet the considerabletravel expenses of his numerous company. A thousanddollars was collected and given to Msgr. Flaget to beforwarded to the new Bishop.

Msgr. Flaget left for Sainte Genevieve with Messrs.Deandreis and Rosati and Brother Blanka. Mr. Deandreisstayed there with the Brother and Msgr. Flaget,accompanied by Mr. Rosati, left for Kentucky. They hadvery many difficulties on their trip. In Illinois, as the resultof long and heavy rains, they found very many small riversswollen and the territory they crossed flooded. One night,they were obliged to camp on the bank of one of theserivers that they did not have the means of crossing. Theyhad no other bed then the ground, stretched out by a largefire under the stars and without any nourishment. Awagoner had allowed them to enjoy the fire that he hadmade on condition that they would go cut and carry thewood. Neither the holy Bishop nor his eompanion were

very skilled at wielding an axe. One had to be content withtheir services in hauling the wood. On another night,having been stopped in the same way by a small river thathad overflowed, they were forced to stay in a small cabinwith about thirty other persons, some of whom weredrunk, others were blaspheming and swearing horribly. Allwere making a frightful noise. One could not even go

143

outside, the rain was falling in sheets. There was no choicebut to remain with them and to witness their dances andtheir orgies during a large part of the night. Finally, onNovember 4, 1817, they arrived safely at Saint ThomasSeminary, where they impatiently awaited the arrival ofMsgr. Dubourg.

Finally, on December 1, this prelate landed atLouisville with his numerous company and from therewent to Saint Thomas Seminary. He had with him fivepriests, that is, Messrs. Vallesano, Rlane, .Tanvier, Bertranil,and de la Croix; a deacon, Mr. Jeanjean; two subdeacons,Valentin and Brassac; and nine ecclesiastics: Desmoulins,Kosten, Deparcq, Perroden, De Neckere, Degeister,Barrou, Neil, and Maechaut; in addition, three brothers ofthe Christian Schools, Brother AUbin, the ~uperior, Land]Brothers Antonin and Fulgence; finally, five Flemings whowere devoted to the mission and who intended to form acommunity of brothers. Mr. de la Croix had been namedtheir Superior. It should be noted that Msgr. Dubourg hadsent Mr. de Crugy, his Vicar General, and Mr. Portier, adeacon, from Baltimore to New Orleans by sea. Also, whilehe was in Europe, he had sent to Louisiana Messrs. Moni,Mina, Bigeschi, Bighi, Reboul, Oder, and Richard. Finally,Lwu yuung ecclesiasLics, Magne and Duprat, who had comewith him to America, left the mission at Baltimore.s

S Most of the persons mentioned played important roles in thelife of the Church in upper and lower Louisiana. Antoine Blancbecame Bishop and first Archbishop of New Orleans. De la Croixwas for many years in various parishes in lower Louisiana. HerculeBrassac became a close friend of Rosati's and was for several years avicar in Europe for the American bishops. Leo de Neckere becameBishop of New Orleans in 1830. The Brothers of the Christianschools mentioned by Rosati later (1819) founded an academy atSainte Geneiveve. Michael Portier became the Bishop of Mobile,Alabama. The Flemish Brothers later helped to build the first collegebuilding of Saint Mary's Seminary and they are occasionallymentioned in Dubourg's letters. Very little is known about them.

144

We believe that we owe it to the memory of Msgr.Dubourg to preserve here the memory of this greatundertaking of populating the barren lands of his vastdiocese of Saint Louis with ecclesiastics and religiouscommunities, [an undertaking] that no one but him couldhave conceived and much less carried out. On his arrivalthere were only four priests, two in Illinois and two inMissouri, that is, Mr. Olivier at Prairie du Rocher, and Mr.Savine at Cahokia in Illinois, Mr. Pratte at SainteGenevieve and Father Marie-Jof;eph Dunand at Florissantin Missouri.6

Mr. Deandreis, during his stay in Sainte Genevieve, notonly busied himself with parish business but also, becausehe had been appointed Vicar General by Msgr. Dubourg,considered it his duty to gather the necessary informationabout the current state of that part of the diocese and,according to what he could put together from differentsources, he made out the following table that he thenpresented to the Bishop.

6 Father Dunand was a survivor of an ill-fated attempt tofound a Trappist monastery in the Mississippi Valley. Part of hispastoral labor was directed to the settlers at the Darrens, which hevisited from time to time. He was instrumental in encouraging theCatholics there to offer Bishop Dubourg the land for Saint Mary'sSeminary.

Part of the Diocese in Upper Louisiana in 1817Table of parishes or congregations

established or that could be established

(continued on next page)

Number7

Names of the districts

St. Louis

Florissant orSt. Ferdinand

Carondelet orVidepoches

Cote sans Dessein

Saint Charles

Portage des Sioux

Sainte·GenevieveNew Bourbon

Their location

at 39° latitude

15 miles northwestof Saint Louis

6 miles 1;0 the southwest

140 miles to the west

20 miles to the west

27 miles northwest

60 miles to the southeast

Number ofCatholicfamilies

about 125

about 56

about 55

about 30

about 40

about 65

about 140

Means of support and remarks

It would be necessary to unite them to·gether; all these districts together at thevery most can support one priest. Thereis a good rectory and 144 arpents of land.These could also support another.

7 Apparently it was intended that the total number of parishes and settlements be inserted here but it was not.

S"Empty Pocket," a nickname for Carondelet, apparently because a racetrack was located there.

"'",.j:>.01

The Barrens

Mine a BretonMine Lamotte

Mine Richwood

Apple Creek

Cape Girardeau

New Madrid or L'Ansede la Graisse9

Arkansas

81 miles southwest about 80 The Church and the priests of the Barrens

70 miles to the southwest about 12 have sufficient support. Nevertheless, atthis moment, I have no one to tell me ....

55 miles to the southwest about 12 t!'-

precisely what it is. The church has been~

55 miles to the southwest about 10 built there (a log cabin) and dedicated to

90 miles to the southwest about 10 Assumption of the B. V.M., and they have

125 miles to the southeast about 8begun tD build a rectory in the form of asmall seminary. In truth, it would be too

225 miles southeast about 15 much work for one priest. It would benecessary to put a community there. 1O

750 miles southeast about 20

This last place would bebetter suited to the priestto be placed in Natchez,since it is only 300 milesfrom Natchez.

Thus the entire diocese can be servedby 5 priests. At this time there cannotbe support for a larger number.

9 A nickname meaning "Greasy Cove."

10 Apparently this was written before the Catholics at the Barrens settlement made their offer of land to BishopDubourg, but also it indicates that Deandreis may already have been aware of the proposal. It seems that he mayhave been preparing Dubourg for it in this report. In all probability, however, no work had yet been done on arectory or college building.Deandreis' comment about the log cabin church is the earliest indication that the Barrens parish was dedicated to theAssumption. It has often been assumed that the name was given to the ch urch at a later date because of the large mural of theAssumption behind the main alter.

147

OBSERVATIONS. What a, pleasant change has takenplace between 1817 and 1840! Today the Catholicpopulation totals mOfp. than fifty thousand souls. Tn thp.

diocese there are 74 priests, and there is need for manyothers, 55 churches and chapels, 12 communities ofreligious, one seminary, two colleges, two orphanages, onefor the deaf and mute, two flourishing communities ofJesuits and Lazarists, almost two hundred students of bothsexes in religious institutions, 34 young seminarians, 121religious, etc, ctc.

One must thank God for so many benefits.After Msgr. Dubourg had conferred with the holy

Bishop of Bardstown about what course to take with hiswhole group and, because the winter was advanced, hedecided to leave his second colony in Kentucky with thefirst and to leave immediately for Saint Louis in thecompany of Msgr. Flaget and Mr. Badin. Mr. Neil, who wasindisposed, was the only one whom he took with him.They left from Saint Thomas some days later and atLouisville they embarked on a steamboat, on which theywere obliged to spend the Christmas holidays because theirjourney was very much delayed by the ice. They landed atBrazeau at Mr. Femvick [sic for Fenwick, later known asWidow Fenwick's landing], where they planted a Crossand on their knees thanked God with fervent prayers forthc success of the labors that the new Bishop and hisco-workers were going to undertake for the glory of Godand the salvation of souls in the lands that they were goingto cultivate. From there they went to Sainte Genevievewhere Mr. Deandreis, who was taking the pastor's place atthat time, received them at the head of the parishionerswho were delighted to see their first shepherd.

In Saint Louis he was received, in Mr. Deandreis'words, in triumph and his talents, his piety, his gentleness,and his eloquence won all spirits and all hearts. Msgr.

148

Dubourg wanted to have Mr. Deandreis near him, not onlyas his Vicar General, but also to have charge of the parishof Saint Louis. This holy man [i.e., Deandreis] then set towork with a zeal, a dedication, and a success thatastonished everyone. Instructions, confessions, visits to thesick, sermons in English and French, he embraced them all.What aroused the admiration of the inhabitants of SaintLouis and especially of those who knew and appreciatedhis talents and learning was to see a scholar of the firstorder applying himself with a special ardor, dedication,and pleasure to the instruction of the poor negroes, toteaching them prayers and the basic elements of religion,without being repelled by their coarseness.

While the Superior of our Missionaries was thusworking in Saint Louis, his confreres in Kentuckycontinued to learn English and French and regretted theirseparation from their leader. Mr. Rosati had been givencharge of them and of all the Missionaries of Msgr.Dubourg's diocese. He also replaced Mr. Deandries in thechair of theology which he discharged for the seminaristsof the two dioceses. Mr. David continued his lessons inEnglish, which were attended by the new arrivals whoremained at the seminary. Most of this number were youngecclesiastics. The Reverend Dominican Fathers tookMessrs. Jeanjean, Desmoulins, Janvier, and Vallesano intotheir house of Saint Rose. Mr. Badin extended hospitalityto the Flemish Brothers and to Mr. de la Croix, theirSuperior. The Brothers of Christian Schools stayed at SaintThomas Seminary. Some of the priests were placed inCatholic homes. Everyone applied himself with more orless ardor and success to learning English and everyone alsolonged for the moment that would reunite them with theirprelate and bring them to the end of their journey. Theyreceived the letters that came from Saint Louis with joyand obvious pleasure. In the midst of his numerous

149

occupations, their venerable Bishop did not forget themand encouraged and supported them. But it was, in aspecial way, Mr. Deandreis who was charged withinterpreting the sentiments of affection of their commonfather and he added to those the consoling news of theprogress that religion was making in the diocese and hekept them abreast of all that could be of interest to them.

It was at Bardstown that some of the priests andecclesiastics of Msgr. Dubourg's diocese began to feel aninclination toward our Congregation and to give quite clearsigns of their vocation. Of this number were Mr. Ferrari

and Mr. Carretti, priests, and Messrs. Dahmen andTichitoli, ecclesiastics. In this regard the priests, andespecially the Superiors of the Congregation, had followedthe maxims and examples of their Holy Founder. Theyhad always avoided saying a single word to attract to theirCommunity any recruits, whether priests or seminarians,for they believed that it belonged to God to call us to thestate to which He destines us and that when He calls us Heknows well how to find the means to make us know andfollow our vocation, without any meddling by interestedparties. This is the course that, by the mercy of God, hasalways been followed in America. And also the bishopshave not had any difficulty in permitting their SUbjects tofollow their vocation. Msgr. Dubourg made known to thesegentlemen that he was not opposed to their joining thesons of Saint Vincent. It was hoped that Mr. Ferrari wouldbe kept in Kentucky and a request to this effect was madeto Msgr. Dubourg, but, when he made representation thathe wanted to enter the Congregation of the Mission, Msgr.Dubourg refused to grant the request. ll Thus these

llRosati's somewhat confused text does state that Dubourgwas both willing to have his priests join the Vincentians and alsorefused.

150

gentlemen regarded themselves as belonging already to the

Congregation and thought with joy of the happy momentwhen their desire would be fulfilled.

Msgr. Dubourg had already chosen the spot which,under the circumstances, seemed most suitable for theseminary. It had been impossible in the beginning, wheneverything was yet to be done, after the enormousexpenses of gathering together in Europe [and]transporting to America those numerous colonies ofecclesiastics and supporting them after their arrival, it hadbeen impossible [sic] to situate the seminary in a town, tobuild a building there large enough to receive theseminarians and those who were to direct them and tomeet the expenses of a quite costly upkeep. The rural areaspresented, under all these aspects, the fewest difficulties.Providence appeared to make known Its views on thesubject of this establishment and to (;tesignate the place

' .."where it was to be situated.

A number of good Catholics, natives of Maryland [and]descendants of those first confessors of the faith who inorder to preserve the religion of their fathers had left theirhomeland and taken refuge in the land granted to LordBaltimore, emigrated first to Kentucky, then passed intothat land known under the name of Upper Louisiana andsettled on the lands that the Spanish government gavethem. They preferred to the incalculable advantages of aricher soil that they had found in some regions12 and theychose a region calleu the Barrens (that is, sterile) becauseof its nearness to the village of Sainte Genevieve whosepastor, Mr. Maxwell, spoke English. Since it was at adistance of twenty or thirty miles, they could sometimes

12This sentence is garbled in the original. The apparentmeaning is that they preferred the .advantage of religious freedomand practice in an area whose soil was not so rich to that of betterlands without religion.

151

go to the church, have their children baptized and have the

hope of receiving the Last Sacraments before passing tothe next life. There were at that time some thirty or fortyCatholic families at the Barrens.

When Father Marie-Joseph Dunand, a Trappist wholived at Florissant, at a distance of almost one hundredmiles, passed through this region by chance, he was askedto visit it at some time or another. He encouraged them tobuild a church and promised to go there to offer [Mass]three or four times a year. This was carried out by both

parties. The church was a log building (log house) with aceiling. It had a small sacristy with a chimney. That waswhere confessions were heard. These visits, although rare,served to support in these good people not only faith butalso piety which, together with a simplicity of patriarchalcustoms, drew to them the esteem and confidence of theirneighbors.

As soon as they learned of Bishop Dubourg'sdetermination to estahlish himself in Saint Louis, theytook up a subscription among themselves and in that waygot together enough money to buy a section of land, thatis, six hundred and forty acres, and on the arrival of thisprelate in their territory they sent him a deputation com­posed of some of the most respected heads of families intheir parish. They offered him this land, asking him to bepleased to make use of it for the kind of establishment

that would assure them the advantage of a resident pastorin their midst and the means of having their childreninstruced and, at the same time, they promised him to helpbuild the necessary buildings and to support those whomhe would send to begin the establishment. He was giventhe titles to this property according to the formsprescribed by the laws of the territory. Msgr. Dubourg

went in person to the Barrens, was charmed by the areawhose soil, without heing extremely rich and of the first

152

quality, was nevertheless good and fertile, the climate veryhealthy, and the people of pure and simple habits and veryattached to religion, all the duties of which they carriedout with edification. He thought that Providence wasdeclaring Itself clearly in favor of that spot, which he thusdesignated as the locale for the seminary. The necessarypreparations were then begun and Msgr. Dubourg had Mr.de la Croix come from Kentucky with that community ofyoung Flemings who had devoted themselves to themission under the name of Brothers and under theimmediate authority of the Bishop. They arrived at theBarrf~n~ on [hlank] ,13

It was also in the spring of that same year, 1818, thatMessrs. Acquaroni and Carretti were called to SaintLouis. The latter, an excellent recruit, a Canon of thefamous collegiate church of Porto Maurizio, an excellentmusician, had already learned French and English with agreat deal of ease. He had also decided to enter theCongregation of the Mission. His health, however, was verydelicate. He was threatened by consumption. Msgr.Dubourg kept him at his residence in Saint Louis and Mr.Acquaroni was given charge of serving the parishes of Saint

Charles, Portage des Sioux, and La Dardenne, almost all ofwhose Catholic inhabitants spoke French.

In 1818 Msgr. Flaget was the only bishop in all thewesL un Lhis side of Lhe Allegheny MoullLains. Although hisdiocese of Bardstown was, strictly speaking, composed ofthe States of Kentucky and Tennessee, he neverthelesstook care of the whole country. He visited it in person andhe sent missionaries there when he could. He asked Msgr.Dubourg, at least temporarily, for some of his priests inorder to station them in Detroit, in Michigan, and atVincennes, in Indiana. He [Dubourg] agreed all the more

13 The date is left blank in the original.

153

because in those missions they spoke French, the languageof the Catholics who lived there. He agreed to make thissacrifice for the general good of religion. Mr. Jeanjean wasordained to the priesthood at Saint Thomas by the holyBishop of Bardstown and some time later went with Mr.Blanc to Vincennes. Messrs. Janvier and Bertrandaccompanied Msgr. Flaget to Detroit and were left inMichigan. The other priests and clerics, having remained inKentucky, waited impatiently for the moment of theirdeparture for Saint Louis. Finally, although it was scarcelypossible to prepare and build a residence to receive such acrowd, Msgr. Dubourg decided to have them come toMissouri, counting on Providence and hoping that hismissionaries would voluntarily subject themselves to thepainful sacrifices asked by the circumstances that theywere in. He then wrote to Mr. Rosati to come with theentire group that was in Kentucky and recommended tothem the greatest possible economy.

Mr. Vallesano, one of the priests of the diocese, wentoverland by horseback and was directed to go straight tothe Rarrfms where Msgr. Duhourg was sllpposed to he, ashe had forewarned them, in order to wait for them. Mr.Rosati together with the others, that is, Mr. Ferrari, priest;Messrs. Dahmen, Tichitoli, Deys, Gonzalez, Brassac,Desmoulins, Valentine, Perrodin, Maenhaut, Kosten,Deparq, De Neckere, Uegeister, and Barrou, clerics;Brothers Aubin, Antonin, and Fulgence of the ChristianSchools, and Medard and Francois Baranwaschi, postulantbrothers of our Congregation. 14 These gentlemen went toLouisville where passage had been booked on a smallchaland (Flat-boat) that belonged to Mr. Borgere, a

14 In this and the following paragraph Rosati is againinconsistent in his use and spelling of proper names. In each instancethe names are spelled as they are found in the text.

154

j<'renchman who was going down to New Madrid withsome merchandise. The boat was divided by a partitioninto two rooms. The smaller was occupied by Mr. Borgeracand his wife, the other was for the use of the missionaries.Nevertheless the boat was no more than eighteen feet longand it was relatively wide. It was loaded with all thebaggage and there was scarcely room enough fortwenty-three persons to be able to stand upright. It wasalso in very poor condition and, although repairs had beenmade in Louisville, it always took on a large amount ofwater and more than once it ran the risk of sinking to thebottom. Mr. Borgerac, the ship's master, was also itscaptain and the missionaries formed the crew. They weredivided into several groups and everyone rowed, notexcepting even the Superior, who by right had toencourage the others by his example.

As we have already remarked, the boat could scarcelycontain everyone when standing. Thus it was impossible tofind enough space to sleep. Necessity makes menindustrious. They set about, then, to making a tent on thedeck for the entire length of the boat. Some poles andbedsheets served as the materials. They stood during theday and in the evening stretched out the mattresses tomake one large bed. They congratulated themselves on thisinvention that had in a certain way doubled the availablespace on the boat. And in fact for some days it went verywell. Soon, however, some rain fell in sheets for severaldays. There was no way to protect themselves and on thedeck and in the boat everything was drenched. The poornavigators, all soaked to the skin, had no way of dryingtheir clothes before the return of good weather.Nevertheless, this evil brought them a rather rapid journey.The Ohio, which was low at their departure, rose more thantwenty feet and they were swept along by the rapidcurrent of the water on that lovely river all the way to

155

its mouth. During this trip, as during the others that weremade previously, the same rule, the same exercises of pietywere followed: meditation, reading, prayers, etc. HolyMass every day, the High Mass and Solemn Vespers everySunday and feast day, etc.

When they reached the mouth of the Ohio, they had agreat deal of difficulty in crossing the Mississippi and aftervery strenuous efforts, they touched land on the rightbank of that great river, in the State (then the territory) ofMissouri. In that way they arrived in the diocese to whichthey had been called to work for the glory of God and thesalvation of souls. It was for them a solemn moment. Theyhad to sanctify it by prayer in order to draw down theblessings of heaven on that great undertaking. First theyknelt. A crude cross was made from some young trees thatwere cut in the nearby wood. It was planted on the highestspot on the riverbank and, falling on their kIlee~ in frunt ufthe triumphal sign of our redemption, they intoned theVexilla Regis Prodeunt and chanted it solemnly in three

part harmony. Tears of joy and tenderness fell at the sametime from the eyes of our young missionaries andmoistened that earth that had fallen to their share. Intruth, those who after twenty-two years are still here andto whom God in His Mercy has granted the grace of livingto the time when we are writing these recollections (1840)and seeing what one sees there now can say with rcason,Funes ceciderunt mihi in praeclaris, etenim haereditas meapraclara es mihi. Soli Deo honor et gloria. Nam neque quiplantat neque qui rigat est aliquid, sed qui incrementumdat, Deus. Nisi Dominus aedificaverit domum, in vanumlaboraverunt qui aedificant earn. ["For me the measuringlines have fallen on pleasant sites; fair to me is myinheritance" (Psalm 15:6). "To Gall alune be hunur anllglory." "So then neither he who plants is anything, nor hewho waters, but God gives the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:7).

156

"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain whobuild it" (Psalm 126:1).]

The Chaland or flatboat had to leave our missionariesthere. The owner, Mr. Bergerac, had to go down to NewMadrid. Besides, that kind of boat, which has neither keelnor prow, because it is square and in the shape of a trunk,cannot go against the current or return up river. Msgr.Dubourg had ordered them in the instructions that he hallsent to them in Kentucky prior to their departure to waitat the mouth of the Ohio until he had sent them somehorses from the Barrens or some other means ofcontinuing their journey by land, which was more thanone hundred and twenty miles. Mr. Bergerac agreed to stopthere with his boat, which contained their baggage andserved as their lodging. Tree branches were cut and a cabinwas built to give them shelter, a kitchen and dining roomwere seL up un Lhe gruund by Lhe riverbank, even a bedwas brought there for Mr. De Neckere who had fallen illwith a Vf~ry had fever and who could no longer stand theunpleasant and close air of the boat, and it was placed at

the foot of the cross under a tent. They had already beenthere for some days. Their provisions were reaching theirend. There was no way to buy anything, not even commeal. There was a small farm about a mile away, but it wasdevoid of everything. The owner gave the missionariespermission to go to the orchard as often as they wantedand to gather some peaches. They lived there for somedays. Mr. Brassac was dispatched to the Barrens to ask forsome provisions and to hurry on the horses.

In the midst of these privations Providence providedour missionaries with some consolations that compensatedthem for their sufferings. One day some of them, whilewalking along the riverbank, saw Lwu canues close to shoreand not far from the canoes a number of children of bothsexes and different ages, but poor, pale, and some

157

stretched out on the ground, trembling with fever. Theylearned that it was a large family that, already poor in theirown country and hoping to better their condition, hadmade a trip of many hundreds of miles down the fair riverand intended to go to Missouri. The only possession thatthey had left was the two canoes in which they had madetheir trip. They had no more provisions except some earsof corn that they had roasted, and, to add to theirtroubles, some of them had been attacked by tertianfever. lS The missionaries, on seeing this, were moved totears and shared with them the little that remained of theirown provisions.

They learned at the same time that this family was notCatholic and they found by the questions that they askedthem that they had no idea whatever of religion. Theybegan to instruct them and discovered in them a goodfoundation, a great desire to learn and even the facility forretaining the instructions given them. An effort was madeon both sides and it succeeded in having them learn whatwas necessary for Baptism, together with the prayers that

they were encouraged to recite every day. In the sameway, they prepared eight or nine children of this family, sohappy in their misfortunes to find in the true Church ahaven of salvation, and they were destined for their solemnreception [of Baptism] on September 27, the day of SaintVincent de Paul's death, which Pope Pius VII of happymemory had granted to our Missionaries in America tocelebrate with the proper office of the Saint under adouble rite. Therefore, all the preparations were made thatwere possible under the existing circumstances to celebrateit with the greatest solemnity. A field chapel was built outof tree branches and decorated with tastefully arrangedfoliage. Under a canopy suspended from the branches they

1SA form of malaria.

158

erected a lovely altar that was decorated with sumecurtains and whatever suitable things were available.Before this, a collection had been made of linen andclothes sufficient to dress the catechumens and to put themin a condition to present themselves to receive Baptismwith decency. Mme. Bergerac, wife of the boat owner, verypious, had not only furnished what was necessary to dressthe little girls, but had also worked constantly for severaldays on the linen and the clothes given by the missionariesto put them into condition to serve the little boys. Then,on September 27, because Mr. Rosati was indisposed, Mr.Ferrari was appointed to officiate. He celebrated a HighMass, which was sung in unison by many voices, gave avery beautiful sermon, and administered the Sacrament ofBaptism to the young neophytes, who were very touchedby it. Mme. Bergerac acted as their godmother and some ofthe missionaries as godfathers. The solemnity wasconcluded with Solemn Vespers and they did not fail toregale the newly baptiz.ed family with a meal, which wasnot splendid nor even abundant, but which was in no wayinferior to that of the missionaries, who had no more

provisions.At that time the banks of the Mississippi were

uninhabited. The steamboats were beginning to go up thisriver, but very rarely. Commerce, which was not at allwhat it is now, was carried on by going down on flat boatsor chalands and, on the return trip, by keel boats, called inFrench berges and in English "reed boats." They werepowered by oar and it was necessary to drag them againstthe current by Tope. On t.he ret.urn t.rip, when one madeten or fifteen miles a day, it was considered a good trip.There was always worry about baggage. It was out of thequestion to ship it by land. Msgr. Dubourg had sent somehorses and a wagon loaded with provisions from theBarrens. However, the latter could not come to the

159

Mississippi through the forests, where there was no routethat was cut through or opened. In the meantime, theysaw one of these berges and signaled it. It camc to land anda bargain was struck with the captain who took charge ofcarrying the baggage to Sainte Genevieve. It was put onboard and one of the postulant brothers accompanied it.Now they were ready to leave the banks of the Mississippiwhere they had lived for ten days. They took leave of Mr.Bergerac and his estimable wife. They bade tender farewellsto the dear neophytes. There was only a small number ofhorses, which were loaded for the most part with boxes oflinens and with blankets which each of the travelers hadbeen instructed to carry. Half of the group leftimmediately with Mr. Ferrari. The other half remained stillanother day on the Mississippi and left in the morning withsome horses that served principally to carry their littlebaggage and those who were more fatigued than theothers. They left almost without eating and counted onreaching some farm or dwelling by evening. But thedifficulty of the roads, the fatigue of the march whichwas almost always done on foot, took them a very longtime. Night overtook them. They were obliged to stop nearan old cabin without a roof. They tied the horses to thetrees, made a large fire, and had no more supper thanwater from a nearby swamp. They spent the night sleepingnear the fire under the blankets they they had had theforesight to bring with them.

They did not wait for sunrise in order to get up. At thebreak of day they set out on the road and, after somehours of travel, they saw the fences of a field and, aninstant later, they discovered a thatched cottage. Theystopped, asked for lunch (we remark that in the country,especially at the time when it was little inhabited, eachhouse served as an inn. One was obliged to receivestrangers who paid for their meals). The poor people who

160

lived there said that they would give us as much food asone would want. They had two freshly killed deer, butthey had neither bread nor vegetables nor anything else.

While they were cooking the meat, the wagon sent byMsgr. Dubourg arrived. There was some flour, somepotatoes, and lard. Thus, after very many days, it waspossible to have a meal, recoup one's strength andcontinue the journey. It happened shortly after that thesecond group stopped to ask for a meal at the same housewhere the first had been on the evening before. They were

told that there was nothing, that a dozen young men hadconsumed everyt.hing in t.he house on the previous day.

Our missionaries laughed a long time over that and happilycontinued their trip to another house where at last theyfound some cornbread and lard. These particulars arereported in order to give an idea of the condition of thecountry in 1818.

At last they arrived at the Barrens.

(To be continued)

It is a maxim of the Saints that a thing Of importanceconcerning the glory of God and the good of the Churchwhieh has been donL, after serious prayer andconsultation, must be regarded as having been well done.

ST. VINCENT de PAUL