USA > Indiana > History of the Catholic church in Indiana, Volume I > Part 5
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The details of the relations existing between Father Gibault and the commonwealth of Virginia through Gen. Clark may never be known in their completeness, but enough is known to evidence the fact that before Gen. Clark appeared upon the scene the peo-
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ple of Vincennes and Kaskaskia were won over to the American cause. Were these people not thus influenced by "the patriot priest of the west," the small army commanded by Gen. Clark would have been annihilated by the British garrisons at these places, aided by the people. Such a fate overtaking Gen. Clark, what would have been the future of the territory and the people? Who is able to paint the picture, had Gibault been an Arnold! And yet there are rich men in the city of New York who, a few years ago, proposed to erect a monument to Arnold, the traitor, in Central park, and there are indifferent or prejudiced men-some of them rich-in Indiana, who up to this writing, 1898, and ninety-four years since his death, are not making a move to do honor to the memory of the " patriot priest of the west."
The genius of Catholicity and democracy in government fused so completely in the soul of Father Gibault that with all his strength he lent himself to the American cause. He hoped for much for from government in America; his labors in behalf of such a government were in keeping with the intensity of his hopes and desires. The truth is, he spent himself for religion and liberty.
And yet under the guise of the opposition of Bishop Carroll, of Baltimore, to granting title to church property to any individual priest, Father Gibault's request to Gov. St. Clair to grant him five acres of land near Cahokia to be a home for him in his old age, was denied. So that, after sacrificing his property and himself, and influencing his people in favor of the American cause as against that of the British, he was left unrewarded and died in poverty and privation.
The late Hon. William H. English, of Indianapolis, in his his- tory, "Conquest of the Northwest Territory, " says:
There was no reason, however, why his (Father Gibault's) great services should not have been properly recognized, but they never were. As far as the author is advised, no county, town or post-office bears his name; no monument has been erected to his memory and no head-stone marks his grave, as its location is entirely unknown.
It was well for him that he could turn to the religion of which he had been so faithful a servant and find consolation in the trust that there was a heaven where meritorious deeds such as his find reward, since they were so poorly appreciated and requited on earth.
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Let us now look farther into the part he took in the events which resulted in the acquisition of "the territory northwest of the river Ohio."
During the long period between Father Gibault's arrival in the Illinois coun- try and the capture of Kaskaskia he was a leading character in everything pertain- ing to the spiritual, social, educational and material prosperity of the ancient French villages. The good priest and those unsophisticated, humble, but honest and loving people, were bound together by the closest and tenderest ties; and it is not at all surprising that he had great influence with them.
Father Flaget became the first bishop of Kentucky in 181I, when that state, as at present bounded, had a Catholic population of about 6,000. In fact, it was from Kentucky, whose Indian name means "Dark and Bloody Ground," that Indiana received not a few of its subsequent Catholic population.
If this Indian name, Kentucky, suggests to the mind a forbid- ding picture, surely the vast expanse of country stretching thou- sands of miles in every direction presented a very inviting one to the civilized eye of the missionary. The unbroken forests, the coursing streams-nature undisturbed everywhere united to woo him of the pent-up class-room, the narrow street and the restraints of monastic life. So that we, a hundred years later, can draw a mental picture of that day and country, showing not only these things, but also roving bands of savages sought out by the lonely and laborious missionary, whose consuming zeal for God's honor and the salvation of souls spread around him a halo which com- manded the admiration and reverence of the savage. It is said that the Christian engaged in prayer presents one of the most sublime pictures; but since there be prayers and prayers, the life of the faithful missionary is a continuous prayer, presenting a pic- ture the beauties of which require a special grace to fully compre- hend and enjoy.
Many priests labored in the wilds of what are now the states of Indiana and Illinois from the year 1702, the year of the building .of Fort Vincennes, Fort St. Mary (now Fort Wayne) and Fort "Ountanon." The names of not all of these priests are obtaina- ble, not even of all who served as pastors, temporary or otherwise, of St. Francis Xavier's church, at Vincennes. It is said, however, that while the name of the first pastor-the Jesuit who accom- panied the French expedition for fort-building --- is unknown, that -(46)
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of his successor was Father Mermet, who was at Vincennes in 1707. The third was Father Senat, who was murdered, burned at the stake, by the Indians in 1736; and the fourth was Father Conic, who, according to Bishop Bruté, was pastor at Vincennes in 1748, there being no evidence going to show how long before or since that year his ministrations continued.
There are two leading events connected with, and essential to, the history of the Catholic church in the state of Indiana: The one is the first ministrations of priests of the church in these parts, and the other is the establishment of the diocese of Vin- cennes.
Touching the first, we have a special Indian tradition going to show, as above stated, that "the first white man who visited the ter- ritory, now Indiana, was a French Jesuit missionary, who came from the old French mission of St. Joseph, of Lake Michigan, which was one of the oldest Jesuit missions in the lake region. This mis- sionary came among the Miamis (Fort Wayne) in the latter part of the seventeenth century, probably in 1675."* Another tradition, less probable and unsupported by anything like general use by careful writers, is, that as early as 1660 Jesuit missionaries had visited in the vicinity of Vincennes, and presumably saw the site of the old fort itself while engaged in their calling of teaching the Indians Christianity.
Tradition ceases and history proper begins for the church in Indiana with the following entry upon the records found at Vin- cennes, as copied by both Father Alerding and others:
June 25, 1749. I baptized John Baptist, son of Peter Siapiachagane and of Catherine Mskieve; Francis Filatraux was god-father and Mary Mikitchenseive, god-mother .- SEBAST. LUD. MEURIN.
From that date until 1836 there were about thirty prominent among the itinerant missionaries and pastors who ministered to the faithful at Vincennes and vicinity. Henry S. Cauthorn, in his elaborate history of St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, gives lengthy sketches of most of these priests, together with the dates of their arrival and departure.
*History of Indiana, by Goodrich and Tuttle.
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Thus we find that Rev. Louis Vivier arrived at Vincennes in 1753 and left there in 1756; Rev. Julien Devernai, 1756-1763; Rev. Father Gibault, 1770-1789. It was only during the last four of these years that Father Gibault was resident pastor of Vincennes, for in 1784 Rev. Louis Paget is recorded as having ministered there, as did others also between 1770 and 1789. Rev. Joseph Flaget came in 1792 and left in 1795.
Rev. Francis Rivet came the same year, 1795, and remained until 1804. He was the first priest to draw a revenue from the government; for congress, on the recommendation of President Washington, who was besought in the matter by Bishop Carroll, of Baltimore, had appropriated a $200 annuity for the support of the Catholic priests at Vincennes.
Rev. D. Olivier made occasional visits from 1804 to 1814. The other missionaries halting at Vincennes during these years were Rev. Urbain Guillet, a Trappist monk, 1808, Rev. Charles Nerinckx and Rev. Steven T. Badin. Rev. Guy J. Chabrat attended Vincennes from 1815 to 1817, with intermissions, during which Fathers Badin, Richards* . and Rosati officiated. Father Blanc, 1818-1820; Father Champomier, 1823-1831; Father Picot, 1831-1833; Father Lalumiere, 1833-1836, and Father Petit also in 1833.
Among the missions established by the black-robed Jesuit priests among the Indians along the rivers of Indiana, and to which enough importance has been attached to have them men- tioned by some writers, one has been overlooked, but about whose existence prior to 1795 there can scarcely be a doubt. It was located on the White river, at the juncture of Marion county with Morgan and Johnson counties. In fact, it was in Decatur town- ship, Marion county. Mr. John Dollarhide, the father of C. T. Dollarhide, of the Bowen-Merrill company, of Indianapolis, heard of the mission after he left his home in Randolph county, N. C .; and when he settled in the vicinity of the mission, in 1820, he verified nearly all that had been told him concerning it -- not only that there had been a clearing made there twenty-five years before,
* Rev. Father Richards was elected delegate to congress from the territory of Michigan in 1823. He served his term.
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as he judged from the growth of young trees and underbrush, but also that certain articles belonging to the Indians had been unearthed, together with human bones from what must have been the mission cemetery.
Judge Franklin Harding, of Johnson county, Ind., who died a few years ago, said that Maj. Harding, of Kentucky, a relative of his, told him that the mission was destroyed by a band of men from his state in 1795, and that no quarter was given the Indians.
Dr. Ryland T. Brown, in one of the Indiana geological reports, refers to the positive existence of the mission, but says that it was not destroyed until 1808, and then not by Kentuckians but by a company of men from Madison, Ind.
William Landers, the father of Hon. Franklin Landers, of Indianapolis, declared before he died that he had met and knew, before 1820, an Indian who was educated in the rudiments of Christianity and civilization at the mission referred to, and which he said was conducted by Jesuit priests.
About six years ago, 1892, there were printed in the Indianap- olis News many facts according with the above, from the pen of Judge Banta, of Franklin, Ind.
In 1833 the needs of the Catholic communities lying north of the Ohio river were represented to Pope Gregory XVI, who, on May 6th of the following year, erected the diocese of Vincennes. Vin- cennes was the thirteenth diocese established in the United States, that of Baltimore, 1789, being the first; the others were as follows: New Orleans, 1794; New York, 1808; Boston, 1808; Philadelphia 1808; Bardstown, 1808; Charleston, 1820; Richmond, 1821; Cin- cinnati, 1821; Mobile. 1824; St. Louis, 1826; Detroit, 1832.
The Papal bull creating the diocese of Vincennes is said to be a choice piece of church Latinity, following no previous rule as to matter or form, going straight to the point aimed at; overflowing with a spirit of zeal, and while simple is yet quite brilliant, with a finish as elegant as that of some of the masters. Bishop Bruté, the first bishop of the diocese which this bull created, and who was himself a finished scholar, thus renders the Latin into very
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good English. We present his translation of that important docu- ment as follows:
PAPAL BULL CREATING THE DIOCESE OF VINCENNES.
Gregory XVI, Sovereign Pontiff. For a perpetual memorial. Among the. very great and weighty cares and anxieties which continually burden and harass us in the government and administration of the Universal church entrusted to us by Divine Providence, the most urgent assuredly is that which regards the state of all the dioceses throughout the entire world: for in us it belongs, in virtue of our supreme power and judgment, to establish them, to determine and change their limits, as times and circumstances, and especially the spiritual good and advan- tage of the faithful, appear to require it. Since, therefore, by the united suffrages of our venerable brothers, the bishops of North America, it has seemed very fitting,. in order to extend and strengthen the Catholic religion in the province or state of . Indiana, to erect and establish, with certain fixed limits, a new diocese, whose see shall be at the city of Vincennes, we have referred for examination, a subject of so much importance to the congregation of our venerable brothers, the cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, who are placed over the concerns of the Propaganda. Having therefore weighed all things maturely, and considered particularly the spiritual good which would accrue to the people of those countries, by the advice and counsel of the same, our venerable brothers, we are assured that the establish- ment of this new diocese and episcopal see would be very useful.
Of our own will, therefore, and of our certain knowledge, and in the plenti- tude of our apostolic power, we, by these letters, do erect and establish in the- province or state of Indiana, in North America, a new diocese, of which the see shall be the city of Vincennes, from which city the diocese shall receive its title. The extent of the diocese shall be the state of Indiana, and one part of Illinois,. the other part to be attached to the diocese of St. Louis, so that the limits of each diocese in the state of Illinois be determined in the following manner: Beginning from the river Ohio, which separates Kentucky from Illinois on the south, directly from Fort Massac, let a right line be drawn through the eastern boundaries of the counties of Johnson, Franklin, Jefferson, Marion, Fayette, Shelby and Macon, to the Grand Rapids of the Illinois river, which are eight miles above the town of Ottawa, in the county of Lasselle, and hence to the northern boundary of the state,. so that the western part of the state of Illinois belong to the diocese of St. Louis,. and the eatsern part to the diocese of Vincennes.
We therefore ordain that these letters are and shall be inviolate, valid and efficacious; that they have and retain their full power and entire force, and that. each and every article specified by us, be strictly fulfilled, and thus, as aforesaid, be without authority judged and defined, by all ordinary judges whatsoever, and even delegated auditors of causes, the apostolical palace and the cardinals of the: Holy Roman church withholding from each and all of them ary right to assign a different judgment or interpretation; and that if any such be attempted knowingly, or through ignorance, by anyone, whatever may be his authority, the same shall be null and void, apostolic constitutions and ordinances and all other things to the contrary notwithstanding.
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Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, under the ring of the Fisherman, the 6th day" of May, 1834, and in the fourth year of our Pontificate. For Cardinal Albana. A. PICCHIONI.
THE FIRST BISHOP OF VINCENNES -- HIS FIRST PASTORAL LETTER.
The diocese of Vincennes having been created, the next thing be done was to supply it with a bishop. Who was to become that dignitary? Teaching moral, theological and classical learning in Mount St. Mary's seminary, Maryland, was Rev. Simon Will- iam Gabriel Bruté de Remur. He was chosen for the position, and was consecrated at St. Louis, October 28, 1834, by Bishop Flaget, assisted by Bishops Rosati and Purcell. The zeal of the newly-made bishop caused him, the day after his consecration, to address his first pastoral letter to his scattered flock in the wilds of Indiana and Illinois. It is as follows and is an index to the saintly character of Bishop Bruté:
Simon, by the grace of God and the appointment of the holy see, bishop of Vincennes, to the faithful of our diocese. Grace be unto you from God the Father and the peace of our Lord, the Savior Jesus Christ.
Beloved brethren, Divine Providence sends me among you as the first bishop of the newly-erected diocese of Vincennes. Through the unanimous call of the bishops assembled in council in Baltimore last year, and the appointment of the common father of the faithful, Gregory XVI, the vicar of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on earth, as expressed in his bull of May last, unworthy as I am of so great an honor, and of myself unequal of the charge, my only trust is in God; and, therefore, earnestly calling for your prayers, that I may obtain His Divine assistance, I come to be your chief pastor. I come to be a first link in the succession of those who, for ages to come, we do so trust in God, are destined to attend their co-operators in a divinely instituted ministry to your spiritual wants and those of your future progeny.
When you are thus entrusted to our care by the great Shepherd of our souls, the warning of the Apostle of the nations, to us and to our successors in the same charge, in the bosom of the Catholic church, is to be received with the sacred mixture of fear and confidence that it necessarily creates. "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath placed you bishops to rule the church of God which he hath purchased with His own blood."
Saying "yourselves are all the flock," the divine word, my brethren, forcibly marks that the interest and duty, both of the pastors and flock are the same: To live in the same obedience and fidelity to their Lord and his church, having made it an inseparable allegiance; to embrace his law, receive his grace and save together their souls for the life to come. For, my brethren, every day spent on this earth makes us draw nearer and nearer to eternity and that judgment of God that awaits every one of us. Amidst all the anxieties and distractions of the present life, a
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last day is approaching. Death will soon bid us go and leave all the occupations, pains and pleasures of this world, to be shared by other passengers, like ourselves, passengers of a day. Death will soon call us to " stand at the tribunal of Christ " to receive from him the sentence of condemnation, happiness or misery through that immense eternity.
Yes, beloved brethren, let one common interest and purpose cement our union in Christ; to save together our souls. To reach heaven and avoid hell is our common aim, to live a good life and do penance (for who needs not penance?) our common duty. Giving glory to God and cherishing peace with all is our consola- tion on earth; " faith, hope and charity, these three things," must prove our whole treasure, as they are the only certain pledge of real and lasting happiness.
Such, my brethren, is the whole object and seal of our union in Jesus Christ. He came to save us on the cross; we will trust and serve him as our Lord and Savior. He taught first his divine doctrine, then instituted his church to preserve it unchangeable to the end of time. We will, the pastor and flock, with one heart, follow his doctrine, obey his only true church, the sacraments of his grace, and, above all, the Eucharistic sacrifice; we will ever consider it as the richest legacy of his love, established by him for our blessing; therefore, neither to be neglected nor abused. Our baptism we will faithfully remember; in penance, through sincere confession and contrition, we seek the remedy of our sins; in communion, the sup- port and joy of our souls.
Your bishop, beloved brethren, entering thus on his duty, begs humbly and earnestly your prayers, and entreats also fervently the God of Mercy to bless you; to fill you with that spirit of peace, charity and piety which has the best promises, both of the present time and of the life to come. Jesus Christ said: "I am the way, the truth and the life." May he ever find the pastor and the flock his faithful followers and receive them together in the kingdom of his glory; may he give rest to those who have gone before us, your departed friends, for whom we shall hence- forth unite our prayers to yours, especially at the divine sacrifice.
With you, we shall honor the saints who reign triumphantly in heaven, call for their protection and that of the angels, to whom, says the divine word, our Lord " hath given charge over us, to keep us in all our ways." We place our cathedral under the special protection of St. Francis Xavier, the whole diocese under that of the glorious mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, toward whom it was, in all ages, the spirit of the church that all Christians should entertain the most tender devotion.
Beloved brethren, "we are the children of the saints," as we pass on earth to go and meet them in heaven. Permit me, then, to conclude with these few words more of the divine scriptures: "The grace of God and Savior hath appeared to all men, instructing us that, renouncing iniquity and worldly desires, we should live soberly and justly and piously in this world, waiting for the blessed hope and the coming of the glory of the great God and our savior Jesus Christ * * * a
* he who shall persevere to the people acceptable, pursuing good works * *
·end shall be saved * * the grace and peace of our Lord be with you."
Given at St. Louis the day after our consecration, 29th, 8th month, 1834. + SIMON, BISHOP OF VINCENNES.
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RT. REV. SIMON WILLIAM GABRIEL BRUTE, FIRST BISHOP OF VINCENNES.
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As if impatient to begin his labors in his new diocese, Bishop Bruté, in company with Bishops Flaget and Purcell, left St. Louis the following Monday after his consecration, November 3, and journeyed on horseback to his future home, arriving at Vincennes November 5, 1834. Mr. Cauthorn, in his history of St. Francis Xavier's cathedral, says that the coming of their new bishop had become known to many of the citizens of Vincennes, and a large number of people of all denominations crossed the Wabash river to meet the approaching prelates and escort them into the town. The installation of the new bishop took place in the cathedral that evening, and the sermon was preached by Bishop Purcell to a con- gregation which completely filled the sacred edifice.
The remainder of the week, continues Mr. Cauthorn, was ·devoted to religious exercises in the church. Many clergymen from a distance were in attendance, including Fathers Abel, Hitzel- berger and Petit, who were all able, learned and eloquent men. Two services were held each day in the church, one at ten o'clock in the morning, and another at six o'clock in the evening, at which sermons were preached in French and English. On Sunday, at ten o'clock, Bishop Brute for the first time officiated pontifically in his cathedral, and Bishop Flaget addressed a large congregation in French. Vesper services were held at 6 o'clock in the evening, and Bishop Purcell delivered a sermon in English. Almost the entire population of the town attended all these services.
On the following Monday the visiting prelates and clergymen left for their respective homes, and Bishop Bruté found himself literally alone in his wild and thinly settled diocese. And it was from this moment on, during the time he was bishop of the diocese, that he gave evidence of and developed, contrary to all expecta- tions based on human reasoning, the wisdom and peculiar fitness of his selection as bishop of the new diocese.
When Bishop Brute came to Vincennes in 1834, it was a very small and poorly built town. The cathedral was situated in the most populous part; but there was not (excepting the cathedral and the small pastoral residence) a single brick dwelling in all that part of the town. The houses were mostly built of logs and plas- tered over with adobe, of a uniform size and appearance, being
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only one story high, with a small porch in front, and generally whitewashed. He had in all his extensive diocese but three priests, and two of these were stationed at a distance of not less than 200 miles from him, and the third, Rev. Lalumiere, who was the first priest ordained specially for the diocese, was stationed some thirty miles distant. The cathedral was wholly unfinished, being no more than the four bare walls, unplastered, and the eight large square timbers supporting the roof were entirely bare, with no sanctuary or any kind of ornamentation. It presented a very des- olate appearance. The entire revenues of the church did not amount to over $300 per annum, and the most of this was paid in produce. The $200 donated him by the Sisters of Charity, when he was appointed bishop, had been necessarily spent in his trav- els before he reached his diocese; and the revenues at his command were nothing compared with the needs and demands of the diocese. The outlook, it must be admitted, was anything but encouraging, and sufficient to dampen the zeal of any ordinary man. But Bishop Bruté, student and recluse as he had previously been all his- life, did not repine, but at once commenced to perform the work that had been assigned him.
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