CHAPTER XI.-FATHER E. FUNCKEN'S SUCCESSORS AT ST. AGATHA,
JULY, 1888, TO AUG. 32, 1893.
At the death of Father E. Funcken, Father
Schweitzer succeeded him in St. Agatha. He is a native of the
parish, and had assisted the former pastor for several years from
Berlin. He continued to give assistance to the college.
Under him the cemetery was enlarged and the finances of the
parish better regulated. His predecessor had been far too easy in
this regard. In 1890 Father Francis Breitkopf became pastor and
remained, partly with Father Glowacki, till 1893.
CHAPTER XII.- THE REV. HUBERT AEYMANS, C.R.,
AT ST. AGATHA 1893-1911
On August 29, 1893, Father Hubert Aeymans
became pastor and remained till 1911. He brought new life into
the parish. The old frame church was getting shabby. It
cost too much to keep it in repair. In the early sixties Father
E. Funcken had already thought of erecting a new church, the old one
being far too small. When the Saugeen fever broke out and drew
away a large number of his people, New Prussia and South East Hope lost
most of its Catholics. Hamburg got a church of its own. Had
he built a church at that time it would have been far too large later.
Now the population had become more stable and
could erect a church to suit its present and probable future needs.
A beautiful Gothic church of white brick was built in 1899,
costing $13,000.00. To the church was added a fine brick rectory, at a
cost of $5,000.00 in 1904. These costly buildings were paid for
when completed without going out of the parish for funds and without
bazaars and other artificial means of making money.
Chiefly through his efforts and ability, it was
possible to erect the splendid new building for the orphans. He
also graded and subdivided the new annex to the cemetery, and did much
in beautifying the whole of it.
He changed the old system of separating the
sexes in church for family pews, and improved the financial affairs of
the congregation. In 1906 an electric power plant was installed
to pump water by means of a gasoline motor. The windmill
previously used for this purpose did not always give the required
service. The cemetery chapel was also nicely decorated and
painted outside. In 1907 the fine old altars were repainted and
richly gilded.
Two large bells were procured for the new
church tower. The smaller of the old ones was placed in the
steeple of the cemetery chapel.
All these improvements and many more, made in
so short a time, and so quietly and harmoniously, in a parish not
overly strong, fully attest the zeal and industry of the pastor and the
goodwill of the people, a shining example of what can be done when all,
priest and people, work together with zeal and harmony.