USA > Indiana > History of the Catholic church in Indiana, Volume I > Part 52
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building, with its appurtenances, is about $100,000. Rev. B. T. Borg is at present the chaplain of the institution.
Rev. B. Theo. Borg is a son of Gerhard and Mary Borg, the for- mer of whom was a farmer, and both of whom are now deceased. Rev. Borg was born March 1, 1836, in Hanover, Germany, and came to the United States in May, 1857, attended St. Vincent school, near Pittsburg, Pa., and studied, also, at St. Mary's seminary, at Balti- more, beginning the study of theology in 1860. He was ordained, in 1868, under Bishop Spalding of Baltimore, and said his first mass June 13. 1868. He was first located for two years in Penn- sylvania; was then placed in charge of St. Joseph's, at Dyer, Lake county, Ind., and then came to Fort Wayne as assistant to the bishop, and retained this position three years; he was next appointed assistant priest at St. Mary's church; then went to Avilla, Noble county, Ind., where he remained for eight years, doing effective work and was next selected for his present position in September, 1887. Father Borg has achieved considerable celebrity as an educator and is most zealous and faithful in the discharge of his onerous duties.
INDIANAPOLIS, MARION COUNTY.
St. Vincent's Infirmary was opened in Indianapolis, April 27, 1881, by four Sisters of Charity from Emmitsburg, Md., with Sis .. ter Theresa O'Connor as first superioress. The house first used was the old St. Joseph's seminary at Vermont and Liberty streets. The present building, at South and Delaware streets, was erected in 1887 at a cost of $108, 000. It is is a large, handsome structure, well lighted, heated by steam, and modern in all its appointments. It has thirty-eight private rooms and eight large wards, providing an air space of 1, 500 cubic feet for each patient, will easily accom- modate 150 persons, and is considered by competent judges an ideal hospital; the ventilation is a special feature and is second to none in the country. In the sixteen years of its existence there have been cared for 5,864 sick or injured; of these 2,762 were paid for, full price; 1, 185 were under price or paid for in part, while 1,917 were cared for entirely free of all charge, averaging a little over
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one month for each free patient. There is a training school for nurses in connection with the hospital.
LAFAYETTE, TIPPECANOE COUNTY.
St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum .- In 1866 the Right Rev. J. H. Luers, bishop of Fort Wayne, purchased 1, 100 acres of land near Rensselaer, in Jasper county, and built an orphan asylum for boys and girls. When, a few years later, the Rev. George A. Hamil- ton, pastor of St. Mary's church, LaFayette, died, he bequeathed in his will about $10,000, in real estate and money, for the pur- pose of establishing a manual labor school in the vicinity of LaFay- ette for orphan boys. The property included about 580 acres, situated at Davis Ferry, between LaFayette and Battle Ground. The Davis tracts were devised to Rev. Hamilton by the will of William B. Davis, who, in consequence of his Indian extraction, was known as " Indian Bill." The project was further encouraged by Messrs. Owen Ball and J. B. Falley, who donated fifty-one acres of land south of LaFayette, and on the latter tract Right Rev. Bishop Dwenger, in 1875, began to build.
The asylum building is situated over Fourth street hill, just across Durgee's run, on a commanding eminence reached by a gracefully winding road. It is built of brick with stone trimmings, and is one of the most imposing of the many educational buildings throughout the country. It covers 121 feet of ground in length and 113 in breadth, and is four stories high, with a deep basement under every part of the house. It is surmounted by a tower seventy-five feet high, from the top of which a fine view of the surrounding country and part of the city streets greets the vision. The cost of the building was $33,000.
The formal opening of the asylum took place in April, 1876, the occasion being observed by appropriate ceremonies. The first step thereafter was to part the boys from the girls at Rensselaer and bring them here. Thus the school opened with thirty-one boys, presided over by Rev. B. Hartmann and seven Sisters, who did the work about the house.
After the formal opening of the asylum the Brothers and Sis- ters of the Holy Cross from Notre Dame, Ind., took charge of the
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educational and domestic departments. When the latter were recalled in 1894, the Sisters of St. Francis, from the mother-house in LaFayette took charge. There are two school rooms, one a kindergarten, and the other for the more advanced pupils. They are taught all the branches of a good education, after which they pass to the manual labor department in the house or on the farm.
The spacious dormitories are located in the third and fourth stories. The whole building is thoroughly warmed in winter by steam. The kitchen contains a large range and all necessary appliances for the successful exercise of the culinary art. The dairy is kept replenished by a number of fine cows, the pick of those kept at the farm near Davis Ferry.
The institution is governed by a board of directors, of which the right reverend bishop of the diocese is president. The number of children in the asylum in 1898 was 150. There are no other funds available for the support of the orphans but what are derived from the cultivation of the farm and from the annual collec- tion in the churches throughout the diocese. After 1880, the Rev. John H. Guendling was the director of the asylum, until appointed vicar-general of the diocese, July 20, 1898, and of this reverend gentleman more may be read in his personal sketch in Vol. II.
He was succeeded at St. Joseph's Orphan asylum, at LaFay- ette, by his brother, Rev. Charles B. Guendling, late secretary and chancellor of Bishop Rademacher. Announcing his appointment to the directorship of that institution, the Fort Wayne Journal remarked:
No clergyman of any church has left a Fort Wayne pastorate with deeper regrets on the part of parishioners and friends than the Rev. Charles B. Guend- ling, who will preach his farewell sermon at high mass this morning. Father Guendling will be missed by many of all creeds, for he has impressed himself as a faithful minister of God and at the same time as a genial, courteous and cultured gentleman. Father Guendling is a younger brother of the vicar-general. He was born in Peru in 1868, and early in life determined to follow in the footsteps of his brothers. Completing the course prescribed in the parochical s hools of his native town, he entered St. Francis seminary, Milwaukee, in 1882, and after finishing the classical course, went to Rome to study theology. He was ordained in 1892, by Cardinal Parocchi, in the church of St. John Lateran, Rome, and in July of that year came to Fort Wayne. He has been stationed at the cathedral since that date. (610)
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Father Guendling enjoys the reputation of being one of the finest pulpit speakers in the city, combining with a natural gift of eloquence a mind deeply versed in sacred and profane learning. Personally affable, kindly, generous of heart, and possessing a fund of humor inexhaustible, Father Guendling won for himself a place in the hearts of all who knew him. His departure is regretted, but the best wishes of all will follow him to his new field of labor. Father Guendling possesses business abilities of a high order, and his services in the responsible position: assigned him, as head of a great institution, will prove valuable.
St. Elizabeth Hospital. - Six Sisters of the order of St. Fran- cis left their native country and convent home at Olpe, Westphalia, and arrived in the United States on December 12, 1875. Of these, Sister Clara, superioress, Sister Bonaventure and Sister Agatha have gone to their eternal reward. Of the surviving Sis- ters, Mother Alphonsa is at present provincial superioress for the United States, Sister Augustina is superioress at Grand Island, Nebr., and Sister Rose directress of St. Boniface school in LaFay- ette, Ind., where they settled upon the invitation of the late Rt. Rev. Bishop Dwenger, of Fort Wayne, soon after their arrival.
Unknown and without means they began their work of charity, and for this purpose rented an unoccupied building in the neighbor- hood of St. Boniface's church, which served them for a dwelling and hospital until October, 1876. The first helping hand was ex- tended to them by the late Albert Wagner, who donated to them two vacant lots on Hartford and Fourteenth streets. On these was erected the first of the present block of buildings in 1876. The efforts of the Sisters on behalf of the sick and unfortunate were soon appreciated, and in the course of time accommodations were added to the hospital proper and to the Sisters' dwelling as necessity demanded and as the means were obtained. The east wing was built in 1880, the west wing, together with the chapel, in 1883. But still there was want of room, so that a new hospital became, in the course of time, an absolute necessity, and, relying on the assistance of benefactors, the Sisters resolved to build.
In February, 1896, the contract was let and work progressed without interruption or accident until the building was complete in all its details. The new hospital fronts on Fourteenth street and connects with the buildings on Hartford street. It is 150 feet long and forty-six wide, with verandas on the east side to every story.
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Three stories of brick with turret surmounting the center gable rise over a high basement of freestone. Terra cotta and sand stone trimmings are notable features in the ornamentation of the front, which terminates at either end in a semi-sexagon. The interior is arranged more with a view to comfort than elegance, yet it presents a most pleasing appearance. From basement to attic the building is divided in the center by broad corridors running the entire length from north to south. On either side of the corridors are arranged wards and private rooms for the sick. The kitchen occupies the north end of the basement, and serving rooms are arranged on each floor. The operating room, with tiled floor, marble wash-stands, etc., on the southwest corner of the second floor, is large and well equipped for its purpose. The hospital has all the latest improve- ments, such as electric bells, speaking tubes, dumb-waiters, steam heating, etc., and is complete and modern throughout. An ele- vator, operated by a water motor, makes access to each floor easy. The plans were drawn by Bro. Adrian, of the Franciscan order, St. Louis, Mo. The hospital was dedicated on January 6, 1897, by the Rt. Rev. Joseph Rademacher, bishop of Fort Wayne.
The new hospital became an absolute necessity on account of the great number of patients applying for admission. With the growth of LaFayette applications of destitute sick persons became very numerous; for it must be borne in mind that the Sisters, desirous of doing "the greatest good to the greatest number," receive patients without distinction as to creed, nationality, race or sex, and without regard to the ability of paying fees. The same is true when the Sisters are called to nurse patients at their homes; they exact no remuneration, but of course expect to meet with the regard due to their character as ladies and religious workers. They eschew controversies on religious topics, but reply to candid inquiries, and do not hesitate to advise Catholics to attend to their spiritual duties in case of dangerous illness. When patients are not Catholics the Sisters ask if they wish to see their own clergy- man, and send for him when requested. Attempts at proselytism are not countenanced.
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street, is the mother-house of the Sisters of this community in the United States, and the place of the novitiate or training school.
From six members in 1875, the community has grown to about 400, who have charge of hospitals and schools, outside of LaFayette, viz: In Cleveland, O .; Terre Haute, Ind. ; Logansport, Ind .; Memphis, Tenn .; Emporia, Kan .; Omaha, Neb .; Columbus, Neb .; Humphrey, Neb .; Denver and Colorado Springs, Colo. Four classes of St. Boniface's school, LaFayette, were most suc- cessfully conducted by the Sisters from soon after their arrival here. They also give lessons in music, fancy and plain needle work, etc., in their modest, but comfortable dwelling, on the corner of Tenth and Ferry streets.
The new hospital, with furniture, etc., represents a cost of over $50,000. With alms collected from door to door, the Sisters undertook its construction. There was a generous response from the citizens of LaFayette when the sisters called on them, and private rooms were furnished by a number of them. At a fair held for the benefit of the hospital in February, 1897, societies, business men and citizens generally without distinction of creed co-operated liberally, so that the sum of $3, 300 was realized; yet there remains to be paid the greater part of the debt incurred by the building of the hospital, and the Sisters are confident that they will not be left to struggle alone with the burden assumed in its erection.
St. Anthony's Home for Aged Poor .- After considering the project of establishing a home for the aged poor in LaFayette for some time, the Sisters of St. Francis, in charge of St. Elizabeth's hospital in that city, purchased, in the fall of 1897, an eligible site with a house and the necessary out-buildings, together with about twenty acres of land in a retired part of the city. There is no place in the vicinity of LaFayette better suited for such an institu- tion. A large and beautiful grove adjoins the property, the sur- rounding are healthy, and the home will be removed from the din and bustle of the city, making a quiet place for aged people to spend their declining years. All old people now inmates of St. Elizabeth's hospital, will be removed to the new home when it is
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ready for occupancy, and all who hereafter apply to the hospital to be cared for during life, will be sent to the new institution, which will be known as St. Anthony's home.
LOGANSPORT, CASS COUNTY.
St. Joseph's Hospital at Logansport was established in 1893 by the Sisters of St. Francis, of Lafayette, of the Third order of St. Francis of the Prepetual Adoration. St. Joseph's hospital, pital, like all other Catholic institutions of like character, extends its care and treatment to all people desiring its aid, irrespec- tive of race, nationality, sex or religion, and is pleasantly situ- ated on the south bank of the Wabash river, within easy access of the city, its lands comprising ten acres.
The hospital was opened to its first patient October 3, 1893, and from that time on it continued in its good work and became so popular with the general public that in 1896 it became necessary to increase its accommodations and an additional wing was joined to the original building, so that it now has ample capacity for the treatment of twenty-five patients. The institution is in charge of eight Sisters of St. Francis, who are employed as nurses and in attending to the other duties that devolve upon attachés of institu- tions of this nature, and at the head of these is Sister Mahala Adriana, who has been indefatigable in the discharge of her chari- table duties since the opening of the hospital. St. Joseph's has, indeed, proved a blessing to the citizens of Logansport, as well as to the journeying stranger or the sojourner, to whom any accident may befall, or who may be seized with illness while away from home and friends, as its doors are open to all.
TERRE HAUTE, VIGO COUNTY.
St. Ann's Providence Orphan Asylum, Terre Haute, begun by Bishop Bazin, at Vincennes, in 1848, and fostered by the Sisters of Providence, was removed to Terre Haute in 1876. It took its present name after its removal. It is for girls only, of whom there are ninety at present in the institution. Twelve Sisters of Provi- dence have charge of the asylum, and its excellent management is most creditable to them. The building is spacious and is conve- (614)
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niently located, in that it is removed from the busy center of the city. It is worth $40,000. Kev. John Ryves, the pastor of St. Ann's church, is also chaplain of the asylum.
VINCENNES, KNOX COUNTY.
St. Vincent's Orphanage. - The asylum for Catholic orphan boys, at Vincennes, known as St. Vincent's, was opened in April, 1851, in the college building, but some years later was removed by Bishop de St. Palais to the rural site it now occupies at Highland, three miles from the crowded city, the property having been pur- chased by the late Bishop Hailandiere. The institution is under the charge of twelve Sisters of Providence, with Sister M. Theo- dore as superior, and the number of orphan inmates is about 113. Rev. George Steigerwald is the chaplain, and the little unfortunates are made as happy under the tender care of the kind Sisters as if they had never been deprived of their natural guardians.
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CHAPTER XVII.
CATHOLIC SODALITIES AND FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS - ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS -CATHOLIC KNIGHTS OF AMERICA - AMERICAN SONS OF COLUMBUS -- CATHOLIC BENEVOLENT LEGION -YOUNG MEN'S INSTITUTE.
T "HE ties of brotherhood, in the sense of the word which embraces the whole human race, are well known to be remarkably strong with the laity, as well as the clergy, of the Catholic church, and from this fraternal feeling have sprung some of the noblest institutions designed to unite men together for common benefits, for aid and for protection, that exist anywhere in the world, and in the histories of the sodalities and orders given below will be found a record of the peculiar objects for which the societies named have been organized.
THE ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS.
The origin and early history of this organization, in Ireland, is vague and uncertain, and, for the most part, traditional. The first that is authentically known of the order is of its existence and labors during the persecutions of the Catholics under the penal laws, though a tradition places its origin in the eleventh century, when it was founded by Harmonia, a son of Prince Tours, of the county of Fermanagh. He was the counselor of his father, and whenever any dissensions arose between the higher and lower classes he always took the side of the peasantry as against the aristocracy, and success always attended his efforts. At length his father banished him, and he repaired to the borders of Cavan and Meath, where he established himself and created the order, the members calling themselves Knights of St. Patrick and Knights of the Shamrock Plume, in honor of the plume which Harmonia on (616)
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all occasions wore in his cap. The Hibernian motto, Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity, was as applicable in those primitive days as at present, for it is said of them that their mission was to right the wrongs of the people and do good for all. During the life of Harmonia, he seems to have been the sole leader, for after his death it is said that each county had a branch of its own, but all were united in a national organization under the leadership of a priest named Father Godfrey.
Many conflicting stories of its origin exist, one being that the order was instituted by two women after the siege of Limerick, but this is undoubtedly wrong, as evidence of its existence during the reign of Elizabeth was not wanting, as many deeds of their charity and valor during those troublous times have been handed down in song and story. The lack of written evidence concerning the order can be attributed to two causes: The opposition of the govern- ment, which always opposed every organization of the Irish Cath- olics, and the enforced illiteracy of the people under the barbarous penal code which made it a felony for an Irish Catholic either to give or receive an education. Parents were not allowed to instruct their own children nor even send them to another country to be instructed.
Under this same inhuman system the national language was forbidden and our holy faith was assaulted in every conceivable way. Its death was savagely determined upon. The celebration of the mass was made treason; the celebrant an outlaw; the par- ticipants felons. Those were the days when to be a Hibernian was to be ready at any time to become a martyr to the cause of church and country. The leaders at this time were Roger O'Brien and Redmond O'Conner, the latter of whom organized a branch of the order in the very heart of London, within a mile of Hampton court. In those times of hatred, bigotry and oppression, when the holy sacrifice of the mass had to be offered on some wild, lonely mountain, or in some secluded glen or dark cavern, away from the haunts of men, it was the oath-bound members of this organization who were placed on guard to protect the noble priest, who, at the risk of his life, officiated at the divine service and administered the sacraments to the faithful. The sign of the order was passed from
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hilltop to hilltop, as a signal of danger, at the approach of the red- coats, thus constituting themselves the protectors and defenders of the church and the promoters of her welfare. These being their principles, it is incredible that they could have degenerated, as some suppose, into the Ribbon-men, White-boys, Rapparrees, or other lawless organizations denounced by the church, and whose objects seem to have been only to gain temporary advantages or wreak vengeance. These societies, too, though they existed throughout Ireland, seemed to have no national organization or fixed principles, as the Knights of St. Patrick, the progenitors of the Hibernians, had. Each locality seemed to have had a different object, and each individual leader a motive of his own. In some localities political ideas were the foundation principles; in others, affairs of a social or personal nature were the only things considered, while yet in others defense against wrong or protection of the weak were the noble objects, while in the north of Ireland acts of violence against .
the hated Orangemen were often the fruits of the organization. In Leinster these organizations took the form of trades unions and interfered with the free employment of labor. It was an offshoot of this last that was transplanted and took root in Pennsylvania during the middle of this century and was known as the Mollie Maguires. It was said at the time of their hateful existence that they were Hibernians, but that noble order disclaimed any connec- tion with them whatever. In 1838 the Hibernians of Liverpool, England, were asked to join the Ribbon-men under the leadership of Richard Jones, for the freedom of Ireland. This would indicate that the two societies were entirely distinct from each other. It may be true, and doubtless is, that many members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians also belonged to the Ribbon-men, but that they were the same organization, or that their purposes were identical, was not a fact.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians was first organized in the United States at Philadelphia, by Matthew Carey, in 1793. There had been a yellow-fever epidemic in that city, and Carey was a member of the board of health, and in order to assist in the most Effective manner in caring for the sick, he organized the Hibernian society, and its members at once entered into the work of charity (618)
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and relief. This again demonstrates the purposes for which the fraternity was originally founded. During all the dark hours of that fever-stricken City of Brotherly Love, the faithful members of this benevolent association administered to the physical and financial needs of all sufferers, no matter what their race or creed. Their noble example was followed by the "Friendly Sons of St. Patrick," whose members, unlike the Hibernians, were not neces- sarily Catholics.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians grew rapidly in Philadel- phia and spread to surrounding cities, and it was not long before its power for good was felt and appreciated by both church and members. It was soon organized in the cities of New York and Boston. At first they had no supreme officers, but were merely a loose confederation of local branches. In 1836 it was more thor- oughly established in New York and its propagation there made such strides that for many years the headquarters were in that city, and the constitution was so framed that all the national meet- ings were held there. The New York members were accused of using the order to subserve political ends, and in 1877, at the last national convention held in that city, it was voted that the next convention should be held in Boston in 1878. This had a purify- ing effect, and the society has ever since been rapidly advancing. Cincinnati secured the convention in 1879, and Hibernianism received a new impetus in the west. Philadelphia, the city of its birth in America, received the convention in 1880, St. Louis in 188 1 and Chicago in 1882, two western cities in succession, show- ing the great good of national organization in this part of the coun- try. It was now decided to hold the conventions biennially, and the next one was held in Cleveland in 1884. St. Paul secured the convention in 1886, Louisville in 1888, and in 1890 the east again captured it and took it to Hartford, Conn., where it again slipped away and went to New Orleans in 1892. In 1894 it reached its most westerly point at Omaha. Here the immensity of the order was irresistably felt, and National Delegate Wilhere, the supreme offi- cer of the order, addressed the assemblage in these words: " This magnificent convention is composed of the largest number of rep- resentative men of our race and creed that have ever come
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