mortgage church property without permission from
Rome, and there they are constantly becoming more conservative and ever
more strict.
It is true that friction was caused here
and there, as at St. Agatha, New Germany and also in St. Clement's on
account of the transfer of the church property to the Episcopal
Corporation, yet it is remarkable that there was not more of it after
so old a custom was being gradually changed into one which the people
did at first understand with difficultly.
On Jan. 18, 1848, Rev. Jos.
Sadler came and assisted the two others, till May 14, 1848, when
he left the Order, went to Milwaukee, Holy Trinity Church and the
Seminary 1866; to Rochester, N.Y.; was at the Hospital in Cincinnati,
O.; returned to Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, then to Vienna, Austria, where
he died Dec. 23, 1887.
During this time these three Fathers
attended: St. Agatha with Mass every Sunday; St. Clement's with Mass
every second Sunday; New Prussia with Mass every second Sunday; New
Germany with Mass nearly every Sunday. Other stations, like
Preston, Williamsburg, Strassburg, South East Hope, Rainham, were also
looked after with regularity.
At Rainham one acre of Crown land was
secured. by them, and a log or frame church erected on it, and a school
organized. The church has disappeared with the congregation.
The cemetery is said to be in a deplorable condition.
At St. Agatha the church was
entirely too small for the Congregation. Under Father Rupert
Ebner, S.J., who came here in 1849, the church was enlarged by moving
the Sanctuary back and prolonging, the body of the church by one-third.
Now the church had nice proportions. The steeple was
covered with the old-fashioned tin. Painted immaculately white
and with the tin-covered steeple, the church on the high elevation was
certainly a beautiful sight, and for years the most beautiful building
in the County and far beyond.
The writer still remembers with
satisfaction with what pleasure and pride, when a boy on his way to
church, he admired the stately building on the hill, its tin-covered
steeple glistening gloriouslv in the sunshine as if inviting the
faithful for miles around to the service of the Most High. The
steeple was crowned with an artistic iron cross made by the genial
blacksmith, John D. Miller, of Bridgeport. This cross now adorns
the Sisters' burial plot in the cemetery.
To the side altars a high altar was soon
added. Antony Kaiser II., and Lucas Dorschel made all. the
altars, and Mr. Ferdinand Walter and his brother painted and decorated
them in 1851 quite artistically. Mr. Walter still expresses his
admiration for the Fathers whose life and works he could watch closely
while lodging with them when finishing the altars. He had grown
up during the turbulent years of the 40's in Baden and was to some
extent imbued with the anti-Catholic and free notions of his time.
He had never before seen a live Jesuit, who was the most hated
and reviled being at that time. On acquaintance with them. he
found that they were pious to a degree, learned, immensely laborious
and extremely kind.
At this time the Fathers were already
installed in the new comfortable brick Rectory, which had been built in
1848. A fine stone school was erected in 1854, with quarters for
the teacher in it. Father Ebner tells in various letters about
the troubles and cares and labors the building of the school cost him.
This building is still standing, but used
only for meetings. A set of bells was soon placed in the steeple,
one of 200 and the other of 100 pounds, costing $130.00. Ever since
they send their joyful voices far across fields and forest to invite
the faithful to recite the Angelus at morning, noon and night; to
summon the people to Mass and Vespers on Sundays and Holy Days, as
well