USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Fifty years of Boston; a memorial volume issued in commemoration of the tercentenary of 1930; 1880-1930, Pt. 2 > Part 21
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Pope Benedict XV ascended the Chair of St. Peter and assumed the task of guiding the destinies of the Church during the tumultuous years of the war. When Germany attempted to realize the advantages of its driving invasion by presenting pcacc proposals, the allied world refused to accept these terms. Attacks were made upon the dignity and authority of the Holy See by the partisans of the belligerent nations. When Pope Benedict XV addressed his plea for pcace to the Allies and the Central Powers, some criticized his action as being favorable to the Allies; some contended that these overtures were favorable to the Central Powers; others found fault because the Holy Father was guilty of what they termed presumption in interfering in the affairs of the nations. This despite the fact that every nation engaged in the war numbered in its armics thousands of Catholic soldiers.
Some of the newspapers and periodicals of the United States took up this criticism of the Holy Father. Even in this country an attempt was made to put the Holy Father and the Papacy upon the defensive. The underlying causes of hatred and war were forgotten. Fundamentals were neglected. Those who had banished God from their hearts and lives were foremost in criticising the Holy Father and declaring that Catholicity had collapsed.
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His Eminence the Cardinal shattered these ill-founded criticisms by the incisiveness with which he exposed their speciousness and by the effec- tiveness with which he brought to the front the fundamental causes of the conflict.
In a brilliant address delivered in the Madison Square Garden, New York, in the following August, His Eminence restated the Catholic position:
"We ask no favor. Your protection of our liberty is no favor - it is part of the dual contract between our country and ourselves. If you should stand by inactive, while under your very eyes, yes, through your very mails, which we pay for, we are insulted, scurrilously maligned and openly vilified in filthy journals and indecent literature unfit to be printed or read, spread broadcast that dupes and bigots may be poisoned against us, so that we may be robbed even of our public rights, then you are not keeping your contract. This is not liberty.
"You are only wounding the hand, the strongest hand held out to help you. You are spurning the aid of those whom again and again you have found in your hour of direst need the most willing to die for you.
"The Catholic civil allegiance divided? Look across the sea to where all Europe is in arms. Every Catholic is fighting loyally, giving his very life for his own country. Though some of these countries have merited very little gratitude from any Catholic, still the very priests are in the trenches, each a defender of his native land. Where, I ask of any honest witness of these facts under his very eyes, where is this divided allegiance? And the Pope - is there one in this country who after this war will ever dare to accuse the Pope of interference in civil affairs or of weakening the loyalty of citizens? Behold him, the universal father of the faithful, looking out over all the world and weeping and praying for the peace of all nations, offering solace and counsel to all alike - a lonely, pathetic figure like Christ, begging the world to listen that he may heal all and help all."
In 1916, the Catholic Truth Guild inaugurated its campaign. Mrs. Martha Moore Avery and Mr. David Goldstein received the commission of His Eminence the Cardinal and under his direction transformed lay street preaching from a speculation to a reality. The Guild's motto, "For God and Country," was taken from His Eminence's Hymn to the Holy Name. Unusual in its plan and daringly constructive in its methods, the Catholic Truth Guild of Boston set a standard which other dioceses were quick to commend and imitate. The twelve years in which the Catholic Truth Guild has conducted its work, have been rich in spiritual responsiveness.
Meanwhile the oppressive shadow of the Great War was growing. From the position of a bystander the United States was steadily transforming its interest to that of an prospective participant. Every effort was made to post- pone the entrance of the United States into the War and if possible to avoid it altogether.
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On Good Friday eame word that the United States felt compelled to enter the war against the Central Powers. Following the. Proclamation, Cardinal O'Connell wrote to the President :
"Standing upon our solid Catholic position and history from the very foundation of this nation, we reaffirin in this hour of stress and trial our most saered and sineere loyalty and patriotisin towards our eoun- try, our government and our flag. Moved to the very depth of our hearts by the stirring appeal of the President of the United States and by the aetion of our National Congress, we aeeept whole-heartedly and unreservedly the deeree of that legislative authority proelaiming this country to be in a state of war.
"We have prayed that we might be spared the dire neeessity of enter- ing the conflict; but now that war has been deelared, we bow in obedi- enee to the summons to bear our part in it with fidelity, with courage and with the spirit of sacrifice which as loyal citizens we are bound to manifest for the defense of the most saered rights and the welfare of the whole nation.
"Acknowledging gladly the gratitude we have always felt for the protection of our spiritual liberty and the freedom of our Catholie institutions under the flag, we pledge our devotion and our strength in the maintenance of our country's glorious leadership in those posses- sions and principles which have been Americas' proudest boast.
"Inspired neither by hate nor fear, but by the holy sentiments of truest patriotie fervor and zeal, we stand ready, we and all the floek committed to our keeping, to co-operate in every way possible with our President and our National Government, to the end that our beloved country may emerge from this hour of test stronger and nobler than ever.
"Our people, now as ever, will rise as one man to serve the nation. Our priests and eonseerated women will onee again, as in every former trial of our country, win by their bravery, their heroism and their service, new admiration and approval.
"We are all true Americans, ready as our age, our ability and our eon- dition will permit to do whatever is in us to do, for the preservation, the progress and the triumph of our beloved country.
"May God guide and direet our President and our Government, that out of this trying erisis in our national life, may at length come a closer union among all the citizens of America, and that an enduring and blessed peace may crown the sacrifiees which war inevitably entails."
During the trying days of the war every ageney of the archdiocese was directed to the furtheranee of national interests. The spiritual wants of the faithful were attended to. Although war-time conditions greatly inereased the ealls made by the faithful upon the ministrations of priests and religious, the expansive administration of the diocese speedily made the necessary adjust-
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ments, and in a time of special stress the diocesan institutions functioned admirably. At the outbreak of the influenza epidemic, His Eminence the Cardinal offered the entire establishment and personnel of St. John's Seminary as a convalescent hospital.
This patriotic offer met the hearty approval of the Public Health Com- mittee. The chairman of this committee accepted the offer of His Eminence in the following spirit of appreciation:
"The present influenza epidemic once again illustrates the splendid co-operation of all our citizens when Massachusetts faces a great emner- gency. No better example of this spirit of unity could be found than in the presentation by His Eminence, Cardinal O'Connell, of St. John's Seminary in Brighton to the Commonwealth as a convalescent hospital. The regular hospitals of Boston and the surrounding cities are now filled to their capacity with influenza patients who have passed the crisis of the disease but are not yet strong enough to return to their homes.
"The establishment of a convalescent hospital at St. John's Seminary, which stands near the crest of the Lake street hill, and is, in the opinion of medical advisers, ideal both in situation and construction for the care of convalescent patients, will permit the removal of many male patients from the regular hospitals at an earlier date than has hitherto been possible and the consequent reception of many new patients at these hospitals."
With measured tread the activities of the diocese continued to develop. The unexpected growth of past years had become the normal expansion of the present. Parishes were divided. Missions were established. Older parishes were able to enlarge their structures and improve their facilities. More than the regular parochial development of this time, one diocesan institution deserves special attention. The reader will not pass it without observation because it was an innovation in American Catholic life that has since been adopted by other sections of the Catholic world. That institution is the Guild of St. Apollonia.
A small group of dentists had gathered together for scientific and pro- fessional discussion. Their early meetings had proved especially gratifying. Turning to the patronage of St. Apollonia, they resumed in 1920 the work that had suffered from the interruption of the Great War. Arrangements were made to extend the dental facilities of Boston to parochial school children in need of service. A bus was procured and through the regular routing of this bus every district in the diocese was provided with necessary treatment for the children.
The work accomplished by the Guild of St. Apollonia in the Diocese of Boston pays lasting tribute to the foresight of His Eminence the. Cardinal as well as to the Catholic spirit of the dentists of Boston. "The idea has succeeded beyond my wildest dream," His Eminence said of the Guild of St. Apollonia at a later date. Within the past year a national organization founded upon the principles of the Boston Guild of St. Apollonia has been established and our Holy Father has conveyed to it his approval and benediction.
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Boston was the pioneer in experimenting with the idea of the Guild of St. Apollonia. Successes attained here elicited many inquiries from dentists visiting Boston from other parts of the country. It has been quite the accepted thing for a visiting dentist from Canada or Mexico to drop into a Boston rec- tory and inquire concerning the Guild of St. Apollonia. Upon the Boston guild a national organization has been modeled. In originating the Guild of St. Apollonia, Boston served the Catholic children of the entire Western Hemisphere.
A campaign was launched in 1920 in the interests of a greater Boston College. The dreams and the hopes of the Rev. Thomas I. Gasson, S. J., did not appear so visionary in that year as they had seemed to some people previ- ously. The buildings constructed upon the site overlooking the twin reservoirs in Newton were not adequate to house all the applicants. The beautiful Gothic Administration Building was far too small for the enrollment in the college. A few years before it had been considered sufficient. His Eminence the Cardinal encouraged the Jesuit Fathers in their ambition to construct additional buildings. By personal gratuity and by diocesan support His Emi- nence aided the project. He marshaled the faithful of Boston in a successful campaign to make possible larger enrollment at University Heights. Inspiring the people of Boston with enthusiasm for this center of higher education in New England, His Eminence made possible the construction of the new build- ings so necessary and helpful to the young men of Boston.
During all these years His Eminence the Cardinal had been influencing pro- foundly the thought of the United States by his addresses and pronouncements upon the leading problems of the times. That these stimulating and sound thoughts might be preserved to benefit thousands who would find spiritual and civic guidance in their perusal they were given permanent form.
The Sermons and Addresses of His Eminence were published by the Pilot and were given a hearty welcome throughout the English-speaking world. Of them it was said: "They will form a permanent record of the activities of one of the most distinguished members of the American hierarchy, while to the close readers of volumes III and VII, which cover the years of his tenure of the diocese inuch insight will be given regarding the progress of Catholicity in that section of New England. Happily the time has not come for a complete estimate of the Cardinal's place in American Catholic life, yet these volumes show something of the learning, ability and eloquence which, added to his other priestly qualities, have enabled him to achieve so high a place today. Further, they show his intense love of country and his reasoned pride in his American citizenship, which he is at pains to reconcile with his Catholic faith against the wild fanaticism of self-styled hundred per cent Americans."
In 1924 new honors came to the Archdiocese of Boston through the Holy Father's signal favor to its Cardinal Archbishop. Personal legates had repre- sented the Sovereign Pontiffs at various assemblies in the past. To the Holy Name Convention at Washington in 1924 His Eminence the Cardinal went as Papal Legatc. This was the first occasion upon which an American had appeared in America as a Papal Legate. In this appointment the Catholic people of America read the Holy Father's high esteem for America and His Eminence the Cardinal.
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The year 1925 was also featured by the phenomenal response inade by His Eminence the Cardinal and the faithful to the observance of Holy Year in the Boston pilgrimage to Rome. While in Rome the pilgrims were happy to listen to the complimentary remarks of the aged Cardinal Vannutelli when he said:
"It has been my great happiness for a long number of years now to know intimately your Cardinal, who comes here with you for this pilgrimage, to show again the great love of religion that has always characterized Boston and many parts of the United States.
"I have known him for inany, many years. He came here to Rome a young man and administered the North American College in a most successful way, with credit to himself and the college, and we all learned to love and admire his steadfastness in the things that he did, which always seemed to be for the advancement of the Church and those of it."
The Holy Father felicitated the Boston pilgrims for the accomplishments of their chief shepherd when he said:
"We rejoice to welcome to the Eternal City again your beloved shep- herd, who is bound to us by so many ties of loyalty and affection. We have had many evidences of his attachment but we regard this one as the mnost comforting of thein all, because after our proclamation of the Jubilee Year to the whole world the first response in a great and organized way has been from the Cardinal Archbishop of Boston, thousands of miles away."
The pilgrimage to Rome did not interfere with the plans for enlarging St. Elizabeth's Hospital. The crying need of the sick was generously answered in the construction of the Cardinal O'Connell House, and thus a magnificent addition was provided for an institution already ministering effectively to the sick of Boston. Equipped with the most modern scientific appliances, the Cardinal O'Connell House was a most welcome contribution to the buildings upon the hilltop in Brighton.
During this year Cardinal O'Connell dedicated the new church of St. Rita at Lowell. This was but one of the numerous dedicatory ceremonies attended by His Eminence during a period when the stupendous growth of the diocese was being marked by the construction and erection of one parish after another.
The year 1926 witnessed a continuation of the same notable progress, both in the spiritual life of the people and in the physical properties designed and constructed for their use. The year is important in the annals of the Archdiocese of Boston because within it occurred the twenty-fifth anniversary of the episcopal consecration of its Cardinal Archbishop. On this occasion priests and laymen united in a magnificent spiritual tribute to their beloved Cardinal. Young people and old folks hallowed the months immediately preceding the anniversary by weaving an unprecedentedly magnificent spiritual garland for their Archbishop. The Sovereign Pontiff sent his personal greet- ings, and from all parts of the world came testimonials reflecting the world
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position attained by the Cardinal Archbishop of Boston, through his unremitting labors of twenty-five years and his brilliant utterances upon matters of world import.
In an address to members of the Diocesan Couneil and the Knights of Columbus, in accepting the gift of a new addition to the Seminary, His Eminenee said:
"I thank the priests of the Arehdiocese of Boston for the truly royal gift which you in their name offer me and the archdiocese, as a memorial of their affeetion and loyalty on this twenty-fifth anniversary of my episcopal conseeration. Nothing they might offer on this happy occasion could possibly bring greater joy to my heart.
"To all of us, prelates, priests and people, the Seminary is a saered and precious possession. It is the very center and eradle of all eeelesi- astieal life. So that to the heart of the priest everything connected with the welfare of the Seminary quickly and vitally appeals. But the magnitude of this gift of my beloved priests, representing as it does not only deep devotion but evident saerifiee, touched me to the quiek and moves me to say today what all my predecessors have said -'the elergy of Boston is the most generous hearted body of priests in the whole world.' Never has any great purpose been pre- sented to them for their co-operation and support, but instantly they have hastened to give of their very best to the work.
"The Seminary is very dear to me as it is to you. The new structure which at last gives us ample space for present and future development will add to the effieieney of the whole institution and will be a eon- stant reminder to all within its saered walls of the splendid generosity of the priests now in service in the archdiocese as well as a beautiful publie recognition of my episcopal jubilee.
"God will certainly not fail to bless all those who have eo-operated in doing a noble work for His Church and for my part I will never forget their greatheartedness in making this day one of thanksgiving to them and to God, the Giver of all gifts.
"Your noble words touching iny labors here among you move me deeply. I ean sum it all up in a single sentence, - we have worked together, suffered together, rejoieed together, and the years and the labors have brought us into a union of mutual love and reverenee blessed by Almighty God.
"You have not been ignorant of the attitude and aetion of a few outside this archdiocese aiming to ereate disunion and dissension, but have wisely ignored them, and by a elose union to me and to one another have rebuked them in the charity of silence. That is the Christian way of contrasting bigness to pettiness, and that is the way, that has always been the way, of Boston's prelates and priests. But we make no promise that that silenee will never be broken if the welfare of the archdiocese, dearer than life to us all, demands plain speech.
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"And so to you and to all the priests of the archdiocese, I give again the pledge of my devotion and sincere affection, and in the name of our Holy Father and in my own name I beg Almighty God to bless and reward you. Pius XI has praised and blessed our work of twenty-five years of united and fruitful labor. That puts forever the seal of God's powerful approval upon it that for us is more than sufficient. That and that alone counts in the balance of just judgment. Your kind words of loyalty serve only to increase the value of the Holy Father's message.
"Today I ask you to forget me. My joy has been fulfilled in your glorious union at the altar where together we have offered up the. Holy Sacrifice in thanksgiving and in united prayer, and in the millions of masses and communions offered by the faithful of our archdiocese in thanksgiving to God for all His blessings to me and to my flock.
"This sacred spiritual garland, its hundred of thousands of masses said and offered, these millions of communions and prayers, the fruit of a united devotion all over the archdiocese now offered to me as their most precious gift, is now and forever shall be to me the greatest treasure, the highest monument, the choicest memorial. No words of mine could express my gratitude for such tender and sacred proofs of the love and devotion of my priests and people.
"The past is already recorded. Let us go forward with hands joined and hearts united to labor still more valiantly, still more zeal- ously, still more unselfishly for God's eternal glory and the glory and progress of His Kingdom on earth.
"To you, Sir Knights, who today represent the whole lay body of the archdiocese and in their name offer mne words of consolation and attachment I return my thanks, heartfelt and sincere. Where in all the world is there a laity more strong in the faith, more devoted to their Church? All the world knows that nowhere else is there more activity in good works, more reverence and devotion to prelate and priest, more vocations to the priesthood and the religious state, more converts to the Faith than here.
"To you and to every man, woman and child, I return for all their wonderful demonstrations of devotion and affection my pledge of affection and devotion; and upon them all I ask Our Heavenly Father to send His choicest blessings of health, happiness and prosperity. And so to all the clergy and people of the archdiocese who have so enthusiastically observed this jubilee in the way of faith and love, I give from my heart my affectionate benediction."
In the month of June, 1926, Boston sent a large representation to the Eucharistic Congress at Chicago. Directed by His Eminence the Cardinal the Boston pilgrims not only took a leading part in the impressive ceremonies of the Congress, but they also attended the consecration of the National Shrine in honor of the Jesuit martyrs at Midland, Ontario.
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If the Eucharistic Congress at Chicago reached the zenith of organized devotion for the year 1926, it must be said that the Mexican anti-religious developments of that year reached the nadir. Upon the subject of Mexican persecution His Eminence the Cardinal took a strong Catholic and patriotic tone. In a masterly pastoral letter he stated unequivocally the situation in Mexico and invited the Catholics of the archdiocese to initiate a spiritual campaign in the interest of their suffering co-religionists in Mexico. Novenas and triduums were conducted throughout the archdiocese and the faithful of Boston stormed heaven with supplications for the relief of an oppressed and persecuted neighboring country.
On the twenty-ninth day of July the diocese made further expansion with the blessing of the Keith Academy at Lowell. His Eminence the Cardinal opened the academy for boys as a memorial to Mrs. Mary Keith and took over the reconstructed George estate as a high school for girls.
When His Holiness, Pope Pius XI, requested the Catholic people of the United States to subscribe to the fund for the welfare of the Near East, Boston, by its splendid support of the project, took its place again among the most active supporters of the aims of the Holy Father. The diocese set apart one Sunday in the early part of the year 1927, and upon that day the priests of the diocese made known the special appeal of the Holy Father and exhorted the faithful to co-operate with the plans to alleviate the distress in the Near East. From no diocese did Our Holy Father receive a more spontaneous response than that given in an appreciable and effective way by the Archdiocese of Boston.
On Wednesday, the nineteenth of January, 1927, His Eminence the Cardinal blessed the new Keith Memorial Chapel at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. This chapel was made possible by the charitable spirit of the Keith family. Through this edifice one of the great needs of the hospital was supplied, and a chapel of fitting ecclesiastical architectural lines adorned the group of hospital buildings upon the hill at Brighton.
On July the second the diocese mourned the death of its Auxiliary Bishop, Right Reverend, Joseph G. Anderson, D. D., V. G. Bishop Anderson's life had been notable for his accomplishments, particularly in connection with the details of organizing the charities of the diocese. Through many years he had served the charities of the diocese and had broadened his field of labor upon his consecration as Auxiliary Bishop. His Eminence the Cardinal pre- sided at the solemn funeral mass at St. Peter's Church, Dorchester, where Bishop Anderson had served as pastor.
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