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"Vol.1.-l-iiIo. 3.‘ .
‘ THE CATHOLIC VVEEKLY INSTRUCTOR,’
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V ' 1,. CHAPTER .. , -
. ,ln the spacious library of C-- Hall. sat
Sir Felix C--. the youthful heir of a distin-
guished name, and a handsome fortune, that. by
the death of his father; in the prime of life, had
early devolved upon him. The antique looking
. V0lUmE. which had riveted his attention for some
time. was thrown aside. and the reader re-
, mained in apparently prodiund thought. ' ' l
1 Youth and beauty combined,.are always
calculated to attract. but. there was something
more than either. in the appearance of Felix
Cj. That lofty brow‘. where ‘Genius sat
enthroned,’ those dark kindling eyes, and the
expression of deep melancholy visible upon a
pale countenance, that glowed not with the ‘
usual health and bloom of his age, rendered
him strikingly interesting. . , , '
- I‘ Starting up with some sudden determination,
h he gazed from the orielwindow of the apart-
ment, upon one of those lovely scenes. which
the stately homes of oil! England so often dis-
v l"l3Y- The bmad park, whose noble trees were
lllstbudding into beauty; herds of gentle deer
I‘0V1"’.;; about, some stretched lazily upon the
green swurd, others drinking in the smooth
Wale“ 0l the lake,'whose bosom reflected the
bright blue sky of early Spring, without a sin-
gle cloud? presented a picture of cheerful hap-
Pln855. Well suited to the season. . U T .- ‘ .
‘yet the cloud deepened upon. the brow of
'l13;)’0“"f3 mlmv as he gazed, not with‘ the
lllwglltv ‘halt in 3 ‘"011 Space of time. he would
3V8 pa-fled ‘Vllll “ll "'8 beauty of these,‘ his
‘ X, lawful possessions, forever..b.,( Wm, me 59,,
, l'0wful knowledge, that. he must also resign the
‘dreadful a conflrmationof the truth.
and tell her all.
lies open before me, where I can satisfy the
deep yearnings of a soul that aspires to higher
.. things than earth's delusive joys could ever
give!" A sudden glow illumined his face; his
eyes beamed with seraphic fire; his spirit seem-
‘ ’ ed enjoying a foretaste of heavenly bliss: but
the momentary light ‘faded rapidly--the cloud
‘ darkened again, he was not yet free from the
’ bonds of earth, for he turned and left the room
lwithadeepsigh.‘ ““ ‘i i’ i
Sir Felix C: was once a bright star in
the'most selectlcircles of L-n. alternately
courted, admired and flattered by‘all the gay
butterflies of fashion, for hislworldly advan-
tages. his personal and mental attractions. ‘ But
‘ is not upon his short career. in the whirl of
fashionable dissipation, that we desire to linger;
of a highbom and beautiful lady, the.world
seemed to regard him as one of Fortune's
chosen flivorites, when a sudden change came
over this object of so much envy and admira-
,, tion. ‘He appeared no more In the gay scenes
. of which he was once so bright an ornament;
he shunned and gradually forsook entirely, his
former friends and associates; disappointment
seemed to have driven the glow of beauty from
the fair cheek of Lady E ; and the world,
in vain tried to unravel this mystery-it daily
ecame more inexplicable. Numerous were
the reasons assigned, but ‘Rumor, with her
hundred tongues,‘ did not succeed in spreading
the right one, which we can give in a fw
wordsug ‘ ' "
late how,’ step by step, Felix C: born and
brought up in the Reformed Religion. became
an ardent and zealous convert to the Ancient
Faith. ' He moreover felt, that God called upon
him to forsake all for Him: to use the words of
a more powerful pen, “ His quick spirit had
been wrought to that point, when crowns and
kingdoms, wealth, power and fume, were as
dust in the balance, against the sufferings and
labors, the trials and glories of n Missionary)!
Yes, he, who from his very birth had been sur-
rounded by all the luxuries of life; whose lot
seemed to‘ be cast ‘midst the pleasures and
vanities of thislworld;‘ had heard and reslpoln.
ded to ‘the. hidden call, and renouncing.his
earthly ties, had chosen a life of toll. suffering
and privation, for the greater glory and love of
his Saviour! ‘ , “f ‘ , ,
,The mother's anxious thoughts were with
her darling, her idolized son, he who had been
the pride of her life, but who had lately grieved
her by his strange, distant behaviour, when
Felix entered the room to explain all-to inflict
a sore pang upon the kindest and tenderes: of
:-
re
m
rts. , p , V
l e fl.-lt deeply the anguish of that trial, but
the sacred and solemn words that once fell
from the lips of his God, tfllethat lovcth father
or mother more than me. is not worthy of me’:
sounded in the depths of his soul and he falter-
ed not, but told her all, in a calm voice. Hor-
ror and agony at first deprived Lady,C
utterance; she had fearedlto hear some awful
disclosure, but never,in her most anxious hours,
imagined one as terrible as this ‘ That Felix,
whom she was so fund and so proud. had
forsaken the faith of his father, of his whole
family, and become a Papist. when the very
name was considered a disgrace in England,
would have been a severe blnw enough; but,
that he was wild enough to wish to join tht Je-
suits. and leave his native land forever. seemed
incredible-for an instant, she thought he had
been stricken with sudden madness. But, alas:
his calm looks and calmer tones proved too
0
'5
o
T‘
-Precious treasure of a mother‘: love. v -‘I can
sudice it to say. that, as the intended bridegroom of g
It would exceed the limit of this tale, :6 re- .
frruinirrnsrory ‘0r,,‘,cA'ruoLicvKNow1.i:ocn AND rim vxnsrnucrrox or1YoU'rn, sIIALLrnr.-‘con oo.n:c'r Ann OUR. AIM. , - .
. 1-in ..urnLI-rim, s.tTunD.dr, .r. 1;-rm l1"'2o,,l1s49.
no longer delay," he murmured, “ but must go vain. Fcliirbore patiently the trials of that
Whyclo I linger i, This is hour, and when his voice could he heard above
weakness, worse than weakness, when a paththe ‘passionate language of his mother, he said
inpa firm tone-,“I must go, mylmother, into
distant lands. then let yoilr blessing attend my
parting sl<-pshlet us not part in anger.’ Look
upon your son," he added, in a deep, earnest
tone, " as a far happicnbeing; than you have
ever known him; and pray, that he may labor
faithfully in the vineyard of. the Master who
has choscr. him for His own." ’
The lolly piety of Felix seemed to have little
e ect upon, his parent; she looked upon him as
a wild dreamer,‘ and could not enter into any
of his f'es-liiigs; but the tender heart of the mo-
ther triumphed at last. and porting-the dark
hair from the brow of her noble son, she kissed
and blessed him fondly, and listened in the si-
lence of resigned despair, to the plans of his
future life, which were these. After a novitiate
at Louvain, he intended
mission at Rome, to be sent as a
Missionary to the wilds of America. Father
Brock. (who had been his instructor in the
Catholic Faith. and also received him into the
Church)‘ was anxious to accompany him. .;
.tt,!tt agreea-
,, With fcnyngs not In our power to describe.
Felix C----- was admitted into the Society 0
Jesus..assuming the name of Father Francis,
and shomy afterwards, with a few other Jesuits,
he sailed with a colony for the shores of Mary-
land,-[theirs the glorious errand of unrolling,
for rhehrst time. in the fire air of the West, the
broad banner of Czitholicityl : ; , .‘
CHAPTER II. .
The career open before Father Frhncis was
one of no slight labor and diflicully, but, all
who have dwelt with attention upon the early
settlements of any of our States.‘urc well aware,
even the most prejudiced Historians dare not
deny’. Illa?-‘ in the various trials which'Ibe de-
voted Jcsuils, as Missionaries, ham met with,
in their holy endeavors to dispel the gloom of
barbarity. by the sublime truths of the Gospel;
they have net-or shrunk from the most severe
tonures the cruelty of men buried in the depths
of heathen darkness could conceive or execute:
often meeting the Martyr‘: fate with undaunted
and even joyous aspect-glorying in the bloody
wn,vnm-.-,.l......
But far'abler' pens than mi .,lhare dwelt
upon the noble ellorts, the untiring patience of
these persecuted Brethren. Genius, in thrilling
strains. has rnadeknown to the world, their
tails. their privations, their entire renunciation
of all that renders life comhirtnblc or agreeable,
for the glory of God--the salvation of souls;
and he, whose bright career of virtue it has
been my humble attempt to depict, faltercd not
Q
to
at the harassing dlfliculliesaround him, and .
engaged with all the energies of his‘ mind in
the noble work. ‘ ‘ V - - i “
‘ Governor Calvert (the first Lord Baltimore)
and his company made their settlenient,upon
the east bank of ‘the river St Mary‘s.", The
natives received them kindly, and listened to
their friendly words with apparently peaceful
feelings The first care of the Jesuits was to
find some place where they might offer up the
holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in thanksgiving fbr
their safe arrival in Maryland. An Indian gave
them up his Wigwam. and having arranged it
in the best manner their circumstances would
ndmimhey assembled together, in what they
called. " The First Chapel of Maryland." , ’
Fervent prayers, from hearts glowing with
gratitude, ascended to the throne of the Most
High, and earnest were the pt-tilions,.ever and
anon breathed forth, that the Faith thesepious
men so highly pn'zed-for which they were
V , Christianity. .
- WIIOLE NO. 138
. ’ I . t , . , l. 1 i ‘ . ‘
they have: rejoiced. if,the’ Future had been
thrown open to their view-if their eyes could
have rested upon the rich harvest, other toil:-rs
like themselves, gathered in the same field I .
The Jesuits commenced immediately to learn
the Indian language, the.didiculties of the at- V
tempt being much increased by the number of
dialects used among the dil‘f'crt=nt tribes. The
gentle conduct and virtuous dispositions of? the
Indians, in the immediate vicinity of St. Mary's,
encouraged the Missionaries to hope that the
mild doctrines of Christianity would be received
with gratitude and joy. But the little Missinu
had much to contend with; Captain (Jlairbornc,
whose name is often mentioned inthe early
annals of Maryland, endeavored by every means
in his power to excite the suspicions of the In-
dians against the colony, and also filled Iheir
minds .with prejudices against the Catholic
Faith. Disease, too, afflicted them. and one
Priest fell a victim to its ravages. His grieved
companions at last ‘decided it would be better
to separate, and disperse themselves among the
different tribes of Indians in places which seem-
ed most favorable for the general diffusion of
4
, It was among the Patuxents, that young Fa-
ther Francis arrived, as the Guardian Angel,
to bring their souls to the knowledge of the
true God. His pcrserering pl(‘i.y‘Ml1:<l‘blGS$Etl
by some successful events; in the course of the
first year, several Indians, whom he had found
leading without shame, the most abandonod
lives, were arrested in their sinful course, by ,
his fervent words; with sorrow, they bewailed
their crimes, confessed them with every mark
of repentance; and finally, soliciting the Sa- ,
crament of Baptism, Fallicr Francis. with eager
joyfreceivcd then into the bosom of the Church.
‘Two years afterwards, he heard the sad
news of Father Brook's death. he who had
been his lIlSil’llCi0I',llllS most revered Father in
Reliyun. A few,weeks before his death, he
had written to Father Francis, speaking in those
words of their mission. “In whatever manner
it shall please the Divine Majesty to dispose cf
us, may His will be done. For my part, I '
would rather, laboring in the’,convei-sion of
these Indians. expire on the bareground. dc-
prired of all human succor. and perisliing with
hunger, than once think of abandoning this
holy work of God.” " This magnunimous son-
timent found an eager response in the heart of
Father I7‘rancis;",vrhen‘, he heard that Father
Brock had at last sunk under his various trials
and privations, the more severe on account of
his advanced age, he knew that the Indians
from the cares of this world into the light of a.
glorious immortality, and he returned with new
ardor to his various duties. ' , . 4 9 ,
Time rolled on, and Father Francis had the
my of seeing around him, a little flock. daily,
increasing in the love and fear of God; but
there were times when a change came over the
zealous Missionary; he felt that his health suf-
fered from the trials and exposures of his life.
His frame. never very strong, seemed to give
way under his daily labors. Yet he murmured
not, and his constant prayer was, that God
would suffer him to complete the good work in-
which he was engaged. before he called him to
Himself. lVhen he received the annual visit of
his Superior, however. shocked at the wasted
appearance, the pale and emaciated fare of the
young Jesuit. he insisted upon bringing him to
St. Mary's. where he could have advice, from
the Physician of the colony,,and enjoyfor a.
time, the test he so much needed. . The con. ‘
Verled lndians, who loved and revered their
devoted Priest, murmured at his intended dew
parture, and the deep. warm feelings expressed ,
ready to shedtheir heart‘: blood, would one
Tears, entreatits and reproaches were all in
day dourish in the strange land. How would
by them to Father Francis, drew tears from
the eyes of those, who WEI'e,W'llXl8$SCS of that -
farewell scene.