Cincinnati

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The Archdiocese of Cincinnati (Cincinnatiensis) comprises that part of theState of Ohio lying south of 40 degrees, 41 minutes, being the counties south of the northern line of Mercer, Auglaize, Hardin, all west of the eastern line of Marion,Union, and Madison counties, and all west of the Scioto River to the Ohio River, an area of 12,043 square miles. Thesee was erected 19 June, 1821; the archdiocese created 19 July, 1850.

Early missionary life

As early as 1749 aJesuit, Joseph de Bonnecamp, had traversed Northern and EasternOhio with De Blainville, who at the time was taking possession of the Valley of the Ohio in the name ofFrance. In 1751 anotherJesuit, Armand de la Richardie, established a mission station at Sandusky. In 1795 Rev. Edmund Burke (afterwards firstBishop ofHalifax) spent a short time among the Indians along the Maumee, but with little success. In 1790 a colony of French settlers located at Gallipolis on the Ohio, and Dom Peter Joseph Didier, aBenedictinemonk, built achurch, but growing discouraged left after a few years. TheRev. Stephen T. Badin visited Gallipolis in 1796. Bishop Flaget of Bardstown had charge at this time ofKentucky andTennessee and the territory divided today into the States of Illinois,Indiana,Michigan,Wisconsin, andOhio. In company withFather Badin he made a tour of NorthernOhio, passing through Chilicothe, Lancaster, and Somerset. The country was nothing but primeval forest. He met the firstCatholics at what is today known as Somerset, and in response to their earnest appeal he asked theDominicans to come to their spiritual aid. In this way Father Fenwick, in later years the firstBishop of Cincinnati, was commissioned to take charge. It was here that he met John Fink, and in the latter's house, on the spot now occupied by the Somerset High School, theSacrifice of the Mass was first offered for the asembled thirteenfamilies. Some two years later Father Fenwick visited Somerset a second time, and secured from the Dittoefamily a tract of three hundred acres for theDominican Order on condition that a church andmonastery be erected as early as possible. The buildings, at first small and primitive, have since been replaced by the more beautiful and commodious structure of St. Joseph's Priory. It was early in 1811 that the first attempt was made to organize a congregation in Cincinnati. TheCatholics interested in the work met on 13 December in the house of Joseph Fabler, but no definite action was taken. Bishop Flaget was passing through Cincinnati in 1814 on one of his episcopal visitations. The city, which today numbers within its corporate limits 400,000 people, and is one of the great centres of art, commerce,education, and religion, was at the time practically a wilderness dotted here and there with a small number of log-cabins reared by the sturdy settlers. On this occasion he met the representatives of theCatholicfamilies of Cincinnati. Their names, recorded in the early annals of the church, were Michael Scott, Patrick Reilly, Edward Lynch, Patrick Gohegan, John McMahon, John White, P. Walsh, and Robert Ward. Mr. Scott was one of the earliestCatholic settlers inOhio, coming fromBaltimore in 1805 and eventually moving to Cincinnati. It was in his house that Bishop Flaget, on the occasion of his first visit, celebrated the firstMass in Cincinnati; on this occasion thebishop urged the erection of a church as soon as means would permit. Theirfaith,courage, and spirit of sacrifice can be truly appreciated when one remembers the obstacles which confronted them, and the spirit of religious bigotry with which they wereobliged to contend. A city ordinance forbade the erection of aCatholic church within the city limits. An appeal for assistance to theCatholics in the East met with a ready and generous response,property was secured on the northwest corner of Vine and Liberty Streets, and with logs cut in the timberland of William Reilly, in Mayslick, Ky., rafted to Cincinnati, and carted by oxen to the site outside the corporate limits, they constructed in 1822 the firstCatholicChurch in Cincinnati, a plain, barn-like structure. On the recommendation of Bishop Flaget,Ohio was made adiocese 19 June, 1821, with Cincinnati as thesee.

Bishops

Edward Fenwick

Edward Fenwick, a native ofMaryland and a member of theDominican Order, was appointed the firstBishop of Cincinnati, and made Administrator Apostolic of Michigan and the eastern part of the North-western Territory. He wasconsecrated by Bishop Flaget in St. Rose's Church, Washington County,Kentucky, 13 January, 1822, and arriving in Cincinnati the same year he took up his residence at the junction of Ludlow and Lawrence Streets in a small house which served as an episcopal palace and a place of worship. Hiscathedral, the log-church on the outskirts of the city, was several miles distant and at times almost inaccessible. The prohibitive ordinance had in the meantime been withdrawn, and the little edifice was placed on rollers and moved by oxen through the streets of Cincinnati to the site now occupied by the College of St. Francis Xavier. Shortly before, the diocese being withoutpriests,churches, orschools, Bishop Fenwick made a trip toEurope in quest of aid. Having received generous assistance from the nobility ofFrance and the reigning pontiff, he purchased upon his return the ground on Sycamore Street (the present site ofSt. Francis Xavier's church), and on 19 May, 1825, thecorner-stone of the old St. Peter's Cathedral was laid. The completed edifice was dedicated by Bishop Fenwick 17 December, 1826. The Athenæum, dedicated toSt. Francis Xavier, was opened 11 May, 1829, with Rev. H. Montgomery asrector, fourtheological and six preparatory students. Among the many gifts which thebishop had received inEurope was a printing press, and from this went forth in October, 1831, the first edition of "The Catholic Telegraph", one of the oldestCatholic papers in theUnited States. At this time theclergy were few; the diocese extended from the Ohio River to the Lakes; theCatholics, limited in number, were scattered over the most distant points, and thebishop was compelled to visit his flock by stage, on horseback, or on foot. Cholera was raging throughout hisdiocese in 1832, and on 26 September of the same year he was stricken and died at Wooster. His remains were brought to Cincinnati and deposited in the oldcathedral, nowSt. Francis Xavier's, 11 February, 1833. In 1846 they were transferred to the newcathedral, where they now repose. When he assumed charge of thediocese, in 1822, his flock numbered fiftyfamilies, the churches did not exceed five, and hisclergy were the few pioneers brought fromEurope; when he died, in 1832, theCatholic population had grown to seven thousand. The churches throughout the diocese and theclergy had increased proportionately; acathedral andseminary had been erected.

John Baptist Purcell

John Baptist Purcell wasconsecrated secondBishop of Cincinnati, 13 October, 1833, in the Baltimorecathedral, Archbishop Whitfield being the consecratingprelate. Immediately after hisconsecrationBishop Purcell attended the SecondProvincial Council ofBaltimore, and then with borrowed funds set out for hissee. Upon his arrival in Cincinnati, 14 November, 1833, he found there only one church — St. Peter's Cathedral. Four Sisters of Charity had arrived in Cincinnati 27 October, 1829, to take charge of the firstcathedralschool, and with sixorphans under their care started the first asylum fororphans in the diocese. Thediocese was growing andclergy were needed. Theseminary was removed from the city to Brown County in 1839; but in 1845 it was brought back to the city, and the seminarists continued their studies in theJesuitcollege under Father Nota up to 1848, when they were transferred to the episcopal residence, under the supervision of the Rev. David Whelan. On 27 January, 1847, Michael and Patrick Considine conveyed to thebishop a tract of five acres on Price Hill for a newseminary, of which thecorner-stone was laid on 19 July, 1848. The centre wing wassolemnly blessed and opened 2 October, 1851, under the name of Mount St. Mary's of the West. From this institution went forth for a half-century theclergy of the Middle West. Its history is inseparably interwoven with the history of thediocese, and its students cherished with feelings of reverence the names of its presidents, Fathers Hallinan, Quinlan, Barry,Rosecrans, Pabisch, Hecht, Byrne, Murray, and Mackey, all men of great learning and deeppiety. In 1904 it was transferred to its present site:Cedar Point, Hamilton County,Ohio. The first Germanparish church, theHoly Trinity, was erected in 1834, and the Rev. John Martin Henni, afterwards the firstArchbishop ofMilwaukee, was the firstpastor. In 1837 he founded the "Wahrheitsfreund", the first GermanCatholic paper in theUnited States. In 1907 it was merged with the "Ohio Waisenfreund".Bishop Purcell was always an ardent advocate ofCatholiceducation and a pioneer in the defence ofparochialschools. The progress ofCatholicity was such in the thirties as to cause alarm in certain quarters. Lyman Beecher's "Plea for the West" had gone forth, and the sentiment it moulded found expression in thePurcell-Campbell debate. TheOhio College of Teachers was in session, and the occasion was seized by the Rev. Alexander Campbell to accuse theCatholicChurch of being an enemy to enlightenment. He issued a challenge for an open debate; it was accepted, though reluctantly, byBishop Purcell. The debate commenced 13 January, 1837, in the Campbellite church, and continued for seven days. Much of the existing prejudice was removed, and the numerous conversions toCatholicity following the controversy were ampleproof that theChurch and its doctrines had been ably and eloquently defended by the youngBishop of Cincinnati. From this time an impetus was given to the spread ofCatholicity in Cincinnati and throughout the diocese. The fertility and wealth of the Ohio Valley had become known; many immigrated from the Eastern States, andOhio received a large proportion of theEuropeans whom unsatisfactory conditions at home induced to cross the sea to seek their fortunes in theNew World.

Communities of sisterhoods were invited to share the burden of supplying the growing needs of religion. The Sisters of Charity arrived in Cincinnati in 1829; the Sisters of Notre-Dame in 1840; theUrsulines in 1845; the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in 1857; theSisters of Mercy and St. Francis in 1858; theLittle Sisters of the Poor in 1868; and the Religious of the Sacred Heart in 1869. To these were addedreligious orders of men. TheJesuits established a house in 1840; and there followed in succeeding years the Fathers of the Precious Blood (Sanguinists), theFranciscans, thePassionists, the Fathers of the Holy Cross, and the Brothers of Mary. Thecorner-stone of the present St. Peter's Cathedral was laid in 1841; it wasconsecrated in 1845. Thepersonality of thebishop was strong and magnetic, and attracted all classes to him. The first Germanorphan asylum for boys was opened in 1839, and that for girls in 1843. Eventually they were combined, and the GermanOrphan Asylum at Bond Hill is the successful outgrowth of both. Under the auspices of the St. Peter Benevolent Association for Orphans, formed 25 December, 1833, St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum was opened on 24 July, 1855. It is a monument to the generosity of the people andministers to the needs of the four hundred inmates. Sixteen churches were built in the city and the immediate neighbourhood; theparochialschools were equally numerous. TheCatholic population now exceeded 50,000, and it was deemednecessary to erect a second diocese for the northern half of the state, atCleveland, of which, on 10 October, 1847, the Rev. Amadeus Rappe wasconsecrated the firstbishop. Not long afterwards Cincinnati was made anarchiepiscopal see (19 July, 1850).

In 1853 a wave ofKnow-Nothingism was sweeping over the country. Philadelphia and Louisville had been the scenes of riotous outbreaks. TheMost Rev. Cajetan Bedini, titularArchbishop ofThebes, who had been appointednuncio to the court ofBrazil, and had been commissioned to investigate certain causes of complaint atBuffalo and Philadelphia, arrived at Cincinnati in June, 1853. Prior to his coming popular prejudice was appealed to, his character was maligned, and crimes imputed to him of which he was innocent. On his arrival in Cincinnati the smouldering spirit ofKnow-Nothingism was fanned into a flame. OnChristmas night, 1853, while the guest of theArchbishop of Cincinnati, a mob determined upon his death marched to thecathedral, threatening to burn it. The loyalty of the people to theirarchbishop, who counselledprudence and forbearance, put to shame and disarmed the spirit of revolt, while the action of the mob, disgracing the hospitality of Cincinnati by insulting an unoffending visitor of one of her citizens, was abhorred by every lover oflaw and order. Archbishop Hughes was the champion of theChurch in the East and the vigilant guardian of her interests;Archbishop Purcell was the power which moulded her destiny in the West. His tongue and pen were always active in her defence. Broadminded and devoted totruth, he wasloved by all, irrespective of creed. Convinced that he was right, he never swerved from the path whichduty marked out for him to follow. Able and wise and fearless as a churchman, he was none the less loyal as a citizen. When the clouds of civilwar were gathering, he proclaimed himself an advocate of the Union in opposition to the sentiments of a large number of his people, hoisted the flag upon thecathedral spire, and delivered an address, classic in thought and expression, which breathed the spirit of the patriot and lover of peace. He was signallyhonoured byPius IX; and on the silver jubilee of hispriesthood andepiscopacy, in 1851 and 1858, on his return from theVatican Council, and on the occasion of the golden jubilee of hispriesthood in 1876, theclergy andlaity, non-Catholic andCatholic, vied with each other in their demonstrations of devotion to this patriarch of the West, who had laboured incessantly for half a century in the vineyard of the Lord.

Father Edward Purcell, thearchbishop's brother, had conducted for years a private system of banking. Simple in its beginning and easy of control, it assumed in the course of years proportions which passed, it may be, beyond the grasp and management of an individual. The crisis and financial reverses came in 1879, it is not known how. In his eagerness to compensate the creditors,Archbishop Purcell attempted to assume the responsibility of thebankruptcy. The courts decided that theobligation was notdiocesan, that Father Purcell was individually responsible, and that churches and institutions were liable for borrowed monies only. Thisindebtedness (of churches and institutions), amounting to some $200,000, was paid. The event hastened the death of Father Edward Purcell, and that of his brother followed on 4 July, 1883, at St. Martin's, Brown County,Ohio, where his remains now rest. The sorrow was universal. Some, it istrue, in the hour of their losses, were disposed to blame, but the majority of citizens,Catholic andProtestant, believed firmly in the honesty of purpose of the deceasedarchbishop and his brother, whose only faults, if such they may be called, were their forgetfulness of self and their willingness to aid their struggling people. Thediocese, which in 1833 comprised theState of Ohio, had grown from infancy to full manhood—400 churches and 100chapels raised their crosses heavenward. TheCatholic population amounted to 450,000, more than 85,000 being in Cincinnati alone. He found one church in Cincinnati upon his arrival; there were now upwards of thirty. The original diocese (embracing Cincinnati,Cleveland, andColumbus) employed the services of 400clergymen, 52religious communities, 3theologicalseminaries, 3 colleges, 25 academic institutions for girls, 22orphan asylums, 1 protectory for boys, 6hospitals, 40charitable institutions, and 266parochialschools. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati at the time of his death had 180,000Catholics.

William Henry Elder

William Henry Elder,Bishop ofNatchez,Mississippi, was transferred to the titular See of Avara and made coadjutor to theArchbishop of Cincinnati, with the right of succession, 30 January, 1880, and succeeded to the See of Cincinnati 4 July, 1883. He had been the first to extend his sympathy and to volunteer assistance to his predecessor in the hour of his affliction. He entered upon his episcopalduties during the crucial period of the financial failure. Its settlement was brought about largely through theprudence and wisdom of his administration. He received from Reuben R. Springer the generous bequest of $100,000, and in 1887 he reopened Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West, which had been closed for eight years. In 1890 he founded St. Gregory's Preparatory Seminary atCedar Point, Hamilton County, the Very Rev. J. C. Albrinck being its firstrector. In 1904 it was transferred to Cincinnati and made a day college. Saintly and retiring, thearchbishop exercised an influence silent but effective by the unostentatioussanctity of his life. Judicious at critical moments, he ruled wisely. Atrue lover ofsouls, he could be found in the confessional up to the close of his eighty- fifth year. He adhered closely to thelaws of theChurch, and exacted a similar fidelity in others. Two provincial councils were called, in 1883 and 1888. Severalsynods were convened and regulations framed, creating system and smoothness in the working of the archdiocese. Thezeal of his predecessor characterized his efforts in behalf ofCatholiceducation. Charitable institutions were placed upon a firm basis, and the administration ofparishes made more methodical. He wasloved by all during life, and was mourned by all at his death, 31 October, 1904.

Henry Moeller

Henry Moeller,consecratedBishop ofColumbus, Ohio, 25 August, 1900, was promoted to thearchiepiscopal See of Areopolis and made coadjutor to Archbishop Elder, with the right of succession, 27 April, 1903. He had been for twenty years Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, previous to his appointment to theSee of Columbus.

Causes of growth

Up to 1829 there was practically no immigration to the West. In after years the fertility and wealth of the country lying between the Eastern mountains and the Mississippi directed thither the tide of incomingEuropeans. TheIrish famine of 1848, and political disturbances inGermany about the same time, sent large numbers ofIrish and Germans to America. Friends had preceded them, and glowing accounts of the agricultural possibilities ofOhio attracted many to the Ohio Valley. Steamboat facilities after 1830 and railroads after 1838 contributed largely to increase the population. The Civil War did not retard materially the progress of religion.

Pioneer priests

The following are worthy of mention: Revs. E. Fenwick,S.T. Badin, J. J. Young, E. Thienpont, J. B. Lamy, Joseph P. Machebeuf, Frederic Rese, J. Ferneding, J. Reed, J. H. Luers, H. D. Juncker, Martin J. Henni, H. Kundig, B. Toebbe, W. Cheymol, J. J. Mullon, Thos. Bolger, and theJesuits Joseph de Bonnecamp and Armand de la Richardie. Eight of thesepriests were raised to the episcopate. Among thelaymen of distinction, the Fink and Dittoefamilies in the early years of theChurch inOhio deserve to be remembered. In subsequent years the following merit special mention: Patrick and Michael Considine, John and Joseph Slevin, Stephen Boyle, Chas. Conahan, Joseph and Patrick Rogers, Joseph Butler, Joseph Heman, J. P. Carberry, Dr. Bonner, Col. McGroarty, James F. Meline, N. H. Hickman, Joseph Kline, B. VerKamp, F. A. Grever, Reuben R. Springer, PatrickPoland, Joseph Nurre, H. Himmelgarn, Joseph Niehaus, and Nicholas Walsh.Mrs. Sarah Peter was active in the founding ofconvents.

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