Journey of Faith:The Congregation of the Mission in the U.S.A.

Saint  Vincent  had  first  sent  his  priests  to  Rome  as  a  way  of  having  direct  communica9ons  with  the  Holy  See  (1631).  By  1659,  the  Vincen9ans  were  able  to  find  a  permanent  residence  in  the  Monte  Citorio  district  of  Rome.  This  was  to  be  the  star9ng  point  of  the  American  Vincen9an  mission.

In  1815,  Louis  William  Valen9ne  Dubourg,  a  Sulpician  priest  who  had  been  named  apostolic  administrator  of  Louisiana  (a  sprawling  area  which  had  come  under  American  rule  in  1803),  went  to  Rome  to  recruit  priests.  On  his  arrival  in  Rome,  he  found  out  that  Louisiana  was  to  be  made  into  a  diocese  and  that  he  was  to  be  its  first  bishop.  He  resolved,  however,  not  to  accept  the  appointment,  unless  he  could  obtain  sufficient  priests.

Coming to America: Origins

Bishop  Dubourg

One  evening,  on  returning  to  Monte  Citorio,  Dubourg  heard  a  young  Vincen9an  priest  giving  a  spiritual  conference  to  a  group  of  clerics.  So  deeply  impressed  was  the  bishop-­‐elect  that  he  resolved  to  have  this  priest,  and  perhaps  more  of  his  Community,  for  his  sparsely  seTled  diocese.  The  young  priest's  name  was  Felix  De  Andreis.  

De  Andreis  had  long  wanted  to  serve  on  the  foreign  missions,  especially  China.  Dubourg  spoke  to  the  young  priest  and  asked  him  to  accompany  him  to  the  United  States,  primarily  to  establish  a  seminary  in  Louisiana.  Two  days  later  Dubourg  had  an  audience  with  the  Pope  and  received  final  approval  for  De  Andreis  and  five  or  more  other  Vincen9ans  to  go  to  Louisiana.

Coming to America: Origins

Felix  De  Andreis,  C.M.

A[er  their  arrival  in  America,  the  missionaries  were  to  be  given  a  month  to  survey  the  local  scene  and  discern  its  needs.  Before  seTling  in  any  place  or  parish,  the  missionaries  would  start  with  a  mission  “in  order  to  make  a  good  beginning  and  promote  the  solid  and  permanent  welfare  of  these  poor  souls…”  whose  state  could  not  “be  otherwise  than  deplorable,”  “through  ignorance  and  vice,  since  neglec9s  urenda  filix  innascitur  agris  ["in  neglected  fields  there  springs  up  the  coarse  fern  which  must  be  burned"  Horace,  Sa9res  1,3,37.]”

It  was  also  foreseen  that  they  would  erect  a  seminary  as  soon  as  possible,  aided  by  the  modest  fees  required  of  the  seminarists.  All  of  this  sounded  simple  enough,  but  as  we  will  see,  their  journey  had  many  tedious  and  difficult  turns.

The Plan

Since  the  an9cipated  seminary  was  to  be  founded  in  lower  Louisiana,  the  study  of  French  was  necessary.  The  missionaries  would  depart  from  Rome  in  two  groups,  one  of  which  would  travel  by  sea,  the  other  by  land,  un9l  they  would  eventually  meet  in  Toulouse.  

BY  SEA  A[er  a  journey  of  more  than  two  months,  the  missionaries  arrived  at  Toulouse  on  19  January  1816.

BY  LANDFrom  Piacenza  the  small  band  went  to  France  by  way  of  the  Alps,  a  perilous  journey  in  the  depth  of  winter.  They  joined  their  fellow  missionaries  at  Toulouse  on  25  January  1816.  

The Journey, Part 1: Rome to Toulouse

Shortly  therea[er  they  again  divided  into  two  groups  and  met  at  Bordeaux  in  early  February,  1816.  They  stayed  there  almost  four  months,  during  which  everyone  studied  French,  and  the  priests  ministered  and  preached  in  the  local  parishes.  

The Journey, Part 2: Toulouse to Bordeaux

The  former  seminary  at  Bordeaux,  as  it  looks  today

On  24  April,  they  were  stunned  by  a  leTer  from  Dubourg  that  informed  them  of  two  important  changes.  The  first:  he  would  not  be  journeying  to  America  with  them.  The  second:  the  site  of  the  proposed  seminary  had  been  changed  from  lower  to  upper  Louisiana.  

The  impulsive  bishop  had  administered  a  major  shock  to  the  small  band!  His  original  inten9on  had  been  to  found  the  seminary  near  New  Orleans.  But  adverse  circumstances  there  caused  Dubourg  to  change  his  see  to  St.  Louis.  English  now  became  as  important  as  French,  and  the  missionaries  would  have  to  undertake  the  study  of  a  new  and  complex  language.  Two  of  the  priests  gave  up  in  despair  and  abandoned  the  group.  Two  new  recruits,  however,  came  forward.

Change of Plans

Arrangements  were  made  to  sail  on  an  American  brig  called  The  Ranger,  which  weighed  anchor  at  midnight  on  12/13  June  1816.  On  board  were  thirteen  missionaries:  De  Andreis,  Rosa9,  Acquaroni,  Carreo,  Ferrari,  Deys,  Dahmen,  Gonzalez,  Tichitoli,  Blanka,  Flegifont,  Boranvaski,  and  de  LaTre.  Before  boarding  the  ship,  they  made  one  last  break  with  their  pasts:  they  laid  aside  their  cassocks  and  donned  the  black  suits,  9es,  and  round  hats  that  were  characteris9c  of  the  American  clergy.  

The  group  quickly  turned  the  ship  into  a  floa9ng  seminary.  Spiritual  exercises  were  held  with  regularity,  and  classes  were  given  in  theology  and  English.

The Journey, Part 3: Bordeaux to Baltimore

Sea  voyages  in  that  age  were  dangerous  and  uncomfortable,  and  this  one  was  no  excep9on.  

Some  were  afflicted  by  sea  sickness.  They  encountered  at  least  one  serious  storm.  

The  missionaries  made  a  novena  to  St.  Vincent,  and  fasted.  Their  prayers  were  answered:  on  26  July  they  arrived  safely  at  Bal9more.  

Arrival in Baltimore

De  Andreis  wrote,  "Our  first  impulse  on  landing  was  to  kneel  and  kiss  the  ground  but  the  place  where  we  disembarked  was  so  crowded  that  we  deferred  doing  that."

The  band  had  landed  in  a  foreign  country,  with  a  limited  command  of  the  local  language,  and  eighty  pieces  of  baggage.  They  were  quickly  welcomed  and  helped  by  the  Sulpicians  of  Saint  Mary's  Seminary.  Some  lodged  at  the  seminary,  while  others  were  given  hospitality  in  two  local  parishes.  

Arrival in Baltimore

Following  instruc9ons  he  had  received  from  Dubourg,  De  Andreis  immediately  wrote  to  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  also  a  Sulpician  and  the  bishop  of  Bardstown,  Kentucky.  Flaget  quickly  replied,  urging  the  group  to  come  to  Kentucky  before  the  onset  of  winter.

On the Road Again: to Kentucky

Nazareth, KY is 3 miles north of Bardstown. In 1813, there were 6 Sisters of Charity there and Catherine Spalding was named their first Mother Superior.

Side Note:

Bishop  Flaget

The  Sulpicians  at  Saint  Mary's  took  up  a  collec9on  in  the  city  to  help  with  the  expenses  of  the  journey  and  donated  some  booksfor  the  proposed  seminary.  The  Jesuit  superior  at  Georgetown  also  contributed  funds.  De  Andreis  made  prepara9ons  for  departure.  The  band  was  again  divided  into  two  groups.  The  first,  under  the  leadership  of  Brother  Blanka,  was  to  go  on  foot  to  PiTsburgh  together  with  the  wagons  carrying  the  baggage.  They  departed  on  3  September  1816.  The  second  group,  led  by  De  Andreis,  le[  by  stagecoach  a  week  later.

First step to Kentucky: Baltimore to Pittsburgh

The  journey,  as  described  by  De  Andreis,  was  harrowing.  The  roads  were  primi9ve  and  dangerous.  At  one  point  Acquaroni  and  two  companions  became  lost.  At  another  a  landslide  almost  killed  them  all.  The  climax  came  when  the  stagedriver  decided  that  he  could  not  cross  the  flooded  Juniata  River  and  le[  his  passengers  at  an  inn.  They  eventually  crossed  by  canoe  and  caught  another  stage  on  the  other  side.  For  the  last  segment  of  their  trip  they  were  compelled  to  abandon  the  stagecoach  altogether,  put  their  possessions  in  a  wagon,  and  walk  to  PiTsburgh.  It  had  taken  them  nine  days  to  cover  240  miles.  It  is  small  wonder  that  De  Andreis  admiTed  to  feelings  of  melancholy  as  he  recalled  the  beauty  and  warmth  of  Rome.

First stage to Kentucky: Baltimore to Pittsburgh

Pain@ng  “The  Juniata  River”  by  George  Inness.  Near  Harrisburg,  PA

Nego@a@ng  a  muddy  road

Though  they  were  well  received  and  lodged  by  both  Catholics  and  non-­‐Catholics  in  PiTsburgh,  they  were  delayed  there  because  Brother  Blanka  had  not  arrived  with  the  baggage.  When  he  did,  the  Ohio  River  was  too  low  to  permit  them  to  take  a  flatboat.  It  was  not  un9l  26  October  1816  that  the  river  had  risen  sufficiently  to  permit  their  departure.  

The  flatboat  was  immediately  converted  into  another  floa9ng  seminary,  with  a  fixed  schedule  of  spiritual  exercises  and  classes.  

Second stage to Kentucky: Pittsburgh to Louisville

Flatboat  descending  the  Ohio  River.

The  missioners  had  9me  to  enjoy  the  beau9es  of  the  new  country  and  to  stroll  along  the  riverbanks  during  stopovers.  Rosa9  admired  the  color  and  variety  of  American  birds,  though  he  considered  their  song  inferior  to  those  of  Europe.  De  Andreis,  on  the  other  hand,  was  more  concerned  about  his  first  sight  of  raTlesnakes,  which  he  described  in  detail  in  leTers  to  Europe.

They  reached  Louisville  on  19  November  and  were  immediately  invited  by  Flaget  to  come  to  the  seminary  of  Saint  Thomas,  a  few  miles  south  of  Bardstown,  where  he  had  his  residence.

Second stage to Kentucky: Pittsburgh to Louisville

On  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  River.

Thus,  the  first  Vincen9ans  who  traveled  from  France  had  arrived  in  Bardstown,  KY.  The  original  inten9on  was  to  leave  the  clerics  at  the  seminary  of  St.  Thomas  while  the  rest  of  the  expedi9on  went  to  St.  Louis.  Because  of  oncoming  winter  and  the  lack  of  accommoda9ons  in  St.  Louis,  it  was  decided  that  all  would  spend  the  winter  at  St.  Thomas.  As  it  turned  out,  they  spent  almost  two  years  there.  They  studied  theology,  French,  and  English,  and  the  priests  ministered  to  Catholics  scaTered  through  Kentucky  and  Indiana.

Settling Temporarily in Bardstown

St.  Joseph  Cathedral,  Bardstown,  KY.  The  cornerstone  was  laid  in  1816  and  the  first  services  conducted  in  1819.  It  is  the  first  cathedral  west  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains.  Ins@tu@on  s@ll  in  opera@on.

First  chapel  at  St.  Thomas.

Bishop  Dubourg  was  ini9ally  displeased  with  the  decision  to  stayat  Bardstown,  but  a[er  his  arrival  in  Bal9more  with  new  recruitsfor  the  mission  (September  1817)  he  asked  De  Andreis,  Rosa9,Blanka,  and  Flaget  to  go  to  Saint  Louis  to  prepare  for  his  arrivalthere.  When  they  arrived  there  in  October  they  found  a  town  of2000  persons,  wooden  buildings,  unpaved  streets,  and  no  resident  priest.  They  were  also  disappointed  to  discover  that  the  local  Catholics  were  totally  apathe9c  about  the  arrival  of  their  bishop.

Kentucky to St. Louis, Missouri

Engraving,  on  a  ten  dollar  note  issued  by  the  Bank  of  St.  Louis  in  1817;  the  earliest  known  illustra@on  of  St.  Louis.

While  Flaget  was  trying  to  ignite  some  enthusiasm  for  Dubourg's  coming,  a  delega9on  arrived  from  the  Barrens  SeTlement,  about  eighty  miles  south  of  the  city.  They  represented  a  small  colony  of  Catholics  of  English  descent  who  had  migrated  from  Maryland  byway  of  Kentucky  early  in  the  century  and  who  were  eager  to  have  the  services  of  a  resident  priest.  Up  to  that  9me  the  seTlement  was  only  visited  by  a  priest  once  a  month.  

The  delegates  made  a  preliminary  offer  of  a  tract  of  land  for  the  proposed  seminary,  in  return  for  which  they  would  have  the  ministra9ons  of  the  seminary  priests.

Laying Plans and Getting Started in St. Louis

Benedict  Joseph  Flaget

Flaget  returned  with  Rosa9  to  Bardstown,  which  they  reached  on  6  November.  De  Andreis,  who  was  in  delicate  health,  stayed  at  Sainte  Genevieve,  Missouri.  On  1  December  Bishop  Dubourg  arrived  at  St.  Thomas,  accompanied  by  five  priests,  one  deacon,  two  subdeacons,  nine  seminarians,  three  Chris9an  Brothers,  and  five  Flemish  laymen  who  intended  to  form  a  community  of  brothers.  

Dubourg  was  determined  to  go  immediately  to  his  new  see  city  in  spite  of  the  inclemencies  of  winter.  He  le[  on  12  December,  together  with  Flaget,  Father  Stephen  Badin  (who  was  the  first  priest  ever  ordained  in  the  United  States  in  1793),  and  a  seminarian.  On  31  December  they  reached  Sainte  Genevieve  and  were  welcomed  by  De  Andreis.  When  Dubourg  and  De  Andreis  arrived  in  Saint  Louis  on  6  January  1818,  another  deputa9on  from  the  Barrens,  consis9ng  of  the  trustees  of  the  parish  church,  awaited  them  to  discuss  the  offer  of  land.

Arrival of Bishop Dubourg

Rosa@,  who  later  became  the  first  bishop  of  the  new  St.  Louis  diocese

Dubourg

By  April,  Dubourg  had  an  opportunity  to  visit  the  site  personally.  He  was  sa9sfied  both  with  regard  to  the  land  and  the  disposi9ons  of  the  people.  The  offer  was  accepted,  and  the  seminary  was  to  be  established  at  the  Barrens  SeTlement,  now  Perryville,  Missouri.

The  offer  was  of  640  acres  of  land.  The  parishioners  subscribed  $1500  to  be  paid  in  five  yearly  installments  for  the  construc9on  of  "a  seminary  of  learning"  on  the  land.

Arrival of Bishop Dubourg

During  this  9me  De  Andreis  remained  in  St.  Louis.  He  helped  evangelize  the  African-­‐Americans,  both  slave  and  free.  It  caused  some  surprise  among  the  local  popula9on  that  a  man  of  culture  and  gen9lity  would  do  such  work.  Equally  notable  was  his  concern  for  the  Na9ve  Americans.  De  Andreis  was  fascinated  by  the  possibility  of  being  a  missionary  to  the  Indians  and  apparently  achieved  some  mastery  of  the  local  dialect.  He  translated  the  Our  Father  and  intended  to  begin  a  catechism.  On  3  December  1818  he  opened  the  first  American  novi9ate  of  the  Congrega9on  of  the  Mission  in  Saint  Louis,  using  a  small  house  on  church  property  next  to  the  bishop's  house.  He  called  the  novi9ate  Gethsemane  and  considered  it  the  one  thing  closest  to  his  heart.  At  about  the  same  9me  he  began  teaching  theology  in  a  boys  school  founded  by  Bishop  Dubourg,  the  predecessor  of  the  present  Saint  Louis  University.

Meanwhile, Back in St. Louis...

De  Andreis  and  the  Indians.

The  move  of  the  remainder  of  the  faculty  and  seminarians  from  Bardstown  to  the  Barrens  was  delayed  for  over  a  year.  One  obstacle  was  the  slow  pace  of  construc9on  of  the  new  seminary.  Neverthless  on  15  September,  twenty-­‐five  priests,  brothers,  and  seminarians  le[  Saint  Thomas,  going  by  boat  to  the  junc9on  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  and  from  there  by  land  to  the  Barrens  arriving  2  October.  Since  the  buildings  were  not  ready  for  them,  and  they  had  to  lodge  with  some  of  the  local  people.  At  the  site  of  the  seminary  itself  there  were  only  three  log  cabins,  one  of  which  served  as  a  kitchen  and  refectory,  the  other  two  as  lodgings  for  those  designing  and  building  the  seminary.

The  seminary  of  Saint  Mary's  of  the  Barrens  had  begun  its  long  and  evenvul  history.

Completion of the Move to the Barrens

One  of  the  cabins

St.  Mary’s  of  the  Barrens  Seminary

During  the  nineteenth  century  St.  Mary’s  func9oned  as  a  lay  college,  a  Vincen9an  seminary,  diocesan  seminary,  parish,  working  farm,  and  small  academy.  The  diocesan  seminary  was  relocated  to  St.  Louis  in  1842,  and  in  1868  the  Vincen9an  seminary  moved  to  Germantown,  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  The  division  of  the  American  Province  into  East  and  West  led  to  the  reopening  of  St.  Mary’s  as  an  apostolate  school  in  1886.  Two  years  later  the  novi9ate  and  scholas9scate  returned.  In  1888,  St.  Mary’s  once  again  became  an  ac9ve  seminary  and  served  as  the  Western  Province's  house  of  forma9on  un9l  the  mid  1980s.

St. Mary’s of the Barrens

Source:

The American Vincentians: A Popular History of the Congregation of the Mission in the United States 1815-1987 by John Rybolt, C.M.http://via.library.depaul.edu/vincentian_ebooks/18/

Other interesting links to explore:

http://www.st-thomasparish.org/html/bishop_flaget_log_house.html

http://archive.org/stream/historicaltribut00howl#page/n7/mode/2up

http://news.library.depaul.edu/news/post/2012/09/Felix-DeAndreis.aspx

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01470c.htm