CHAPTER VI.-THE REV.
SIMON SANDERL, C.SS.R., IN WATERLOO
COUNTY 1844 TO 1846, IN GUELPH 1846 TO 1850.
Father Sanderl came to
Waterloo County early in the year 1844. He made his home in St.
Agatha, and lived in two rooms of the old church-school, like his
predecessors had done. He began a new Register, telling in the
margin where he performed his ministrations so that it is not difficult
to trace his footsteps. In it the following places are
continually mentioned: Wilmot (St. Agatha), Preston, New Germany,
Kingsbush (St. Clements), The Huron Tract (South East Hope), Alona,
near Toronto, Peel County, Chippawa, Rainham, Guelph, Greenwood, near
London, Puslinch, Wellesley, and Woolwich. His last baptism here
was Nov. 2, 1846.
Sometime while at St. Agatha a serious difference
arose concerning the old trouble about the Church Deed. The
School Board had the Title to the site of the log church school, and
they have it still. The new church was built across the street on
land donated by Nicolaus Dietrich. As yet he had not given a
deed. The friction seems to have been about the site of the new
church, and became so acute that the church was closed for a time, when
or how long could not be established. It is said that the Bishop
and some priests had come to the village without celebrating Mass.
The trouble was not settled then., but the church must have been
re-opened after some time, leaving the settlement of the difference to
a more propitious time. A letter of Father Schneider indicates
that this difficulty had arisen when the building of the new church was
proposed. It continued to disturb the parish till the Jesuits finally
succeeded in persuading the people to give the title to the Episcopal
Corporation of Toronto, May 24, 1848.
Then a joint deed was made covering the
cemetery, given by Margaret Gatchene, beside the old schoolhouse, by
Alois Schneider and Bernard Brenner for two acres on the southeast
corner, and by Nicolaus Dietrich for two acres on the northeast corner,
the site of the church. On June 18, 1890, another plot of one and
53/100 of an acre was purchased from Mr. Joseph Kaiser to enlarge the
cemetery, the price being $120.00.
In October, 1847, Father Sanderl left
Waterloo Couuntv for Guelph, when Father Gibney had died, Oct. 17,
1846. There a fine stone church had been built by Father Gibney
after the destruction of the first church of frame, Oct. 10, 1844.
The new church had scarcely been,completed, and but poorly
furnished when Father Gibney died. Hence Father Sanderl must have
found much to improve and a considerable debt to pay. He no doubt
was hard pressed by creditors and had, in consequence, to be very
active in collecting dues and subscriptions.
This brought upon him a serious
difficulty which unfortunately put an end to his further usefulness as
pastor. The story of the trouble is told differently by different
people. The sum and substance of it is this:
A member of the parish had a child to
bury, and came to the pastor to make arrangements. The pastor
demanded his dues from the man before he would bury the child.
Thereupon the man went away and buried the child himself.
Hearing this, the pastor ordered the child's corpse to be
exhumed, and, as some say, sold to the doctor.
When the storm broke over Father
Sanderl's head he fled from Guelph and retired, at first secretly, to
the island in Puslinch Lake a few miles south