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CHAPTER VI.
The Right Rev. Herman Joseph Alerding, D.D.
The Fourth Bishop of Fort Wayne.
[Page 53]
The present [in 1907] Bishop of Fort Wayne
was born in Westphalia, on April 13, 1845. During his infancy, the
family emigrated to America, and made their home in Newport, Kentucky.
He attended the parochial schools of Corpus Christi Church. All the
children of the parish, boys and girls, numbering about one hundred and
fifty, were taught in one room, by one teacher. Scenes such as transpired
there are wholly foreign to the present time. The education was in
every respect strenuous. From his earliest boyhood days, he felt
an inclination and a desire to become a priest. Encouraged by the
Rev. John Voll, pastor of Corpus Christi Church, he received his first
lessons in Latin from this zealous priest. He was sent to the diocesan
seminary in Vincennes, Indiana, from 1858 till 1859. Bishop Carroll
was unable to accept him, as a student for the diocese of Covington, and
application having been made to Bishop de St. Palais, of Vincennes, he
was adopted by that prelate for the diocese of Vincennes. The second
year of his studies was spent in the old St. Thomas' Seminary, near Bardstown,
Kentucky. In the fall of 1860, he was sent to St. Meinrad's College
and Seminary in Spencer county, Indiana, which institution was conducted
by Benedictine Fathers, who had come to this country from Einsiedlen, Switzerland.
Here he finished his studies, and received the Holy Orders from Bishop
de St. Palais; Tonsure and Minor Orders on September 18, 1865, Subdeaconship
on June 18, 1867, Deaconship on June 21st of the same year, and Priesthood
on September 22, 1868.
His first appointment was that of assistant
to the Rev. John B. Chasse at St. Joseph's Church, in Terre Haute, where
he remained until October 18, 1871. While here, he had charge also
of the missions Rockville and Montezuma, and the station Rosedale in Parke
county, and of the mission Sullivan and the station Farmersburg, in Sullivan
county. On October 18, 1871, he was removed to Cambridge City, where
he was the [54] pastor of St. Elisabeth's Church, till August, 1874.
Here he found a demoralized congregation, which had been interdicted for
some six months, and was financially involved. After a time the debt
was paid, but the location of the church was most objectionable.
The following paper, by Bishop de St. Palais, will explain the condition
of things, satisfactorily: "In consideration of the circumstances,
in which the congregation of Cambridge City is place, and of the many sacrifices
the members of said congregation, though small in number, have made to
build up their church, and that, notwithstanding all their effots to do
so, they now, after years of struggle, find the same hemmed in on all sides
by the newly constructed railroads, in such a manner, that divine service
is thereby frequently disturbed, and consequently the necessity, of procuring
a more suitable location for the House of God, is apparent; I, therefore,
not only authorize the pastor of said congregation, the Rev. H. Alerding,
to collect funds for this purpose, but I also herewith strongly recommend
the Reverend Gentleman to the generous and charitable sympathies of all,
on whom he may call for the furtherance of his laudable undertaking.--Maurice
de St. Palais, Bishop of Vincennes." The generous support given Father
Alerding enabled him, as already stated, to liquidate the indebtedness
on the church property, and also to purchase a new site for a new church.
While pastor at Cambridge City, he had charge also of the stations Knightstown
and New Castle in Henry county and Hagerstown in Wayne county. The
churches at Knightstown and New Castle were built by him and whooly paid
for. It was during his pastorate, that Bishop de St. Palais visited
all these places, and administered Confirmation.
In 1873, the Rev. Joseph Petit had organized
St. Joseph's Congregation, at Indianapolis, having erected a two story
building on East Vermont street, which was to be church, school and pastoral
residence. Father Petit resigned in 1874. Bishop de St. Palais
built a roomy three story addition, to the structure erected by Father
Petit, and made it St. Joseph's Seminary. It was at this juncture,
in the summer of 1874, that Father Alerding was transferred to Indianapolis,
and appointed to the position of procurator for the Seminary, and [55]
pastor for the congregation, which continued to have regular services in
the Seminary chapel. The Seminary continued for one year, and was
then abandoned. Immediately upon the advent of Bishop Chatard to
the diocese, Father Alerding was directed to build a new church in some
other quarter, in order that the Bishop might use the old building as a
hospital. A site was bought on the corner of North and Noble streets
for $5,500, on which the present St. Joseph's Church was erected and was
dedicated, on July 4, 1880. The church cost $25,000. A priest's
house soon followed at the moderate cost of $2,500. At the instigation
of the pastor, the Sisters of Providence erected the St. Joseph's Academy,
south of the church. Later, a building, 100x50 feet, with four large
school rooms on the first floor and the entire second floor for a hall,
was erected. At the close of Father Alerding's pastorate a debt,
not at all burdensome, remained upon the valuable church property.
A red latter day in the history of St. Joseph's
Church was September 22, 1893, when the congregation celebrated the Silver
Jubilee of its organization, and the pastor the Silver Jubilee of his ordination
to the priesthood. It was a day of joy and still lives in the memory
of Father Alerding and his friends.
In 1883, Father Alerding published "A History
of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Vincennes." In the preface
Bishop Chatard says: "It seems to me we all, of this diocese of Vincennes,
owe a debt of gratitude to Rev. H. Alerding, on his successful completion
of this history of the beginning of the Faith in our midst. It is
to be regretted that not all corresponded to his request for information,
owing, perhaps to want of information or documentary statements, or to
press of occupation. As far as it goes, he has presented us a recital
having the vividness of actual experience, and the reliability of an extract
of records. The book is also a monument to his industry and untiring
patience, in the midst of financial and parochial work, which might well
have excused him from such an undertaking."
The See of Fort Wayne becoming vacant upon
the death of Bishop Rademacher, little did Father Alerding or his friends,
or the diocesans of Fort Wayne dream that he would be the Fourth Bishop
of the Diocese of Fort Wayne. Yet "BY THE [56] GRACE OF GOD AND THE
FAVOR OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE" such was the case. The Bulls of appointment
bearing the date of August 30, 1900, were placed in the hands of the Bishop-elect
on September 27th, and the consecration took place on November 30th, of
the same year. The consecration took place in the Cathedral, at Fort
Wayne: Archbishop Elder of Cincinnati was the consecrator and Bishop
O'Donaghue Auxiliary of Indianapolis and Bishop Moeller of Columbus, were
the Assistant Bishops. Chaplains to Archbishop Elder were Revs. J.
H. Oechtering, P. F. Roche and El J. Wrobel. Chaplains to Bishop
O'Donaghue, Revs. D. J. Mulcahy and William Schmidt. Chaplains to
Bishop Moeller, Revs. John R. Dinnen and H. M Plaster. Chaplains
to the Bishop-elect, Revs. A. Morrissey, C. S. C. and John Bleckmann.
The other prelates present were, Bishop McCloskey, of Louisville; Bishop
Chatard, of Indianapolis, chaplain Rev. A. J. Kroeger; Bishop Richter,
of Grand Rapids, chaplain Rev. H. F. Jos. Kroll; Bishop Maes, of Covington,
chaplain Rev. R. Wurth, O. F. M.; Bishop Foley, of Detroit, chaplain Rev.
A. B. Oechtering; Bishop Horstmann, of Cleveland, chaplain Rev. F. Nigsch,
C. PP. S.; Bishop Byrne, of Nashville, chaplain Rev. M. J. Byrne.
The priests taking part in the solemn ceremony were:-Rev. G. Horstmann,
cross-bearer; Rev. T. Mungovan, book-bearer; Rev. J. Schmitz, mitre-bearer;
Rev. J. Walsh, gremiale; Rev. J. Tremmel, censer-bearer; Revs. F. X. Labonte
and J. F. Noll, acolythes; Very Rev. J. H. Guendling, assistant priest;
Revs. H. T. Wilken and J. F. Delaney, deacons of honor; Rev. H. Boeckelmann,
deacon, and Rev. John R. Quinlan, sub-deacon of the Mass; Revs. W. J. Quinlan,
J. P. Durham, A. E. Lafontaine and P. J. O'Reilley, masters of ceremonies;
Revs. L. A. Moench and B. Boebner, C. PP. S., chanters, and Rev. J. H.
Bathe, notary. The preacher on the occasion was the Rev. Joseph Chartrand,
private secretary to Bishop Chatard.
The following was Bishop Alerding's first
pastoral letter:
"HERMAN JOSEPH, BY THE GRACE OF GOD AND FAVOR
OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE, BISHOP OF FORT WAYNE.
"To the Clergy and Laity of his diocese,
greeting:-
"On this feast
of St. Andrew, the thirtieth day of November, in the year of Our Lord,
1900, the day of my consecration [57] and elevation to the burden of the
episcopate (Onus Episcopatus), I hasten to send you a word of greeting.
You the clergy, disinterested, self-sacrificing, zealous laborers in the
Lord's vineyard, have done great and enduring deeds for God's glory and
the salvation of souls. God's grace has been bountiful and your co-operation
most generous. The premises given, the same glorious results are
brought about at all times and in all places, as also in the diocese of
Fort Wayne. The leadership of my predecessors in this favorite see,
the Right Rev. John Henry Luers, the Right Rev. Joseph Dwenger, the Right
Rev. Joseph Rademacher--not omitting the administration of Right Rev. Mgr.
Julian Benoit, Very Rev. Joseph H. Brammer and Very Rev. John H. Guendling--has
pointed you upward and onward. Lofty generalship has been at the
head of the devoted priests of this diocese, and what wonder, if the diocese
of Fort Wayne, throughout its length and breadth, is well established and
well ordered.
"To you, the laity, whole-souled and devoted
to your spiritual guides, shall be given merited recognition. The
result of your generous devotedness to holy religion is apparent everywhere,
throughout the diocese. You have furnished the means to erect the
numerous and magnificent churches, evidences of a faith truly active; for,
none but a practically Catholic head and heart will contribute generously,
when the great cause demands it.
"The diocese may be quoted as an example worthy
of emulation in the great work of Catholic education. Priests and
people are a unit in the establishing, the upholding and the regulating
of the schools. A prosperous school means a prosperous parish, a
poor school means a poor parish; no Catholic school means--I will not say--means
no parish, but your imagination may picture the dreary condition and unpromising
future of such a parish.
"And, again, the different religious communities
of men and women, laboring in charities of various kinds, dotting the diocese
throughout with the evidences of prosperity and boundless zeal--aye--and
that institution of institutions, upon which the fire-fiend laid his heavy
hand not less than four times in the current year, without causing this
bulwark of faith and morals to waver even for a moment, in its great battles
for [58] science and religion--the University of Notre Dame. What
a splendid record for the diocese of Fort Wayne.
"Consecrated Chief Pastor of this diocese
at the close of the ecclesiastical year 1900, and at the close, too, of
the ecclesiastical nineteenth centure; and looking back over all that has
been accomplished in this diocese--so briefly enumerated and so imperfectly
withal--need I tell you that my soul is all aglow with joy, trembling with
gratitude to God.
"But, dear brethren of the clergy, beloved
children of the laity, what of the future, what of the twentieth century?
Well, as they did in the nineteenth century; the laity will second the
efforts of their priests in the twentieth as they did in the nineteenth
century. The new Bishop has been sent by the Pope, the same as his
three predecessors had been sent by the Pope. The Holy Ghost rules
the Church today, and will do so till the end of time, the same as He has
done from the beginning. Let us be convinced, that the new century
has even greater things in store for the church than the glorious acquisitions
bestowed in the nineteenth century.
"Profoundly grateful to God for all His blessings
upon our beloved diocese, let us beg Him to continue His vigilant care
over us in the future. May the Holy Ghost descend upon your humble
servant, enlighten his intellect that he may understand his duties, strengthen
his will, that he may firmly adhere to what is right and just.
"May the blessing of Almighty God, of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, descend upon you, and remain
always." The letter was dated at Fort Wayne, Indiana, November 30,
1900.
Bishop Alerding at once began to visit the
various churches of his diocese, and has made it a rule to visit all of
them at least once every three years.
On September 30, 1903, he promulgated a Synod
to be held on November 11th of the same year, in the Cathedral at Fort
Wayne. The Synod was held and consisted of two sessions one in the
forenoon, and one in the afternoon. The Statutes were officially
published on March 19, 1904, and from that date were in full force.
Among other things a new deanery was established, so that at present the
diocese has six deaneries: [59] Fort Wayne, South Bend, Hammond,
Logansport, Lafayette and Muncie. Heretofore each deanery was made
to consist of certain parishes, but since the Synod each deanery consists
of certain counties.
Bishop Alerding was absent from his diocese
from September 7 to November 15, 1905, to comply with his obligation of
the "visitatio ad limina Apostolorum." The clergy made use of the
occasion
of his departure, as an opportunity to present to their Bishop an address,
replete with good wishes and heartfelt prayers for his safe journey to
Rome, and a safe return. Along with the address a generous purse,
by the priests, was presented. His return on November 15th was greeted
with unusual demonstration of joy by the people. The Cathedral was
packed, the long entrance to it left no passage way, and Calhoun street
was crowded the entire length of the Cathedral Square. Amid the ringing
of bells and a grand exhibition of fireworks, thousands of people sttod
in the rain, to bid the Bishop welcome home with deafning cheers.
Mr. W. J. Breen delivered an address of welcome, at the Cathedral entrance.
Having reached the sanctuary the Bishop addressed the vast audience.
From this address we quote one paragraph: "When I knelt at the feet
of the Supreme Pastor of the whole Church it seemed as if knelt there,
every man, woman and child of the diocese of Fort Wayne. When I visited
the great St. Peter's Cathedral, impressed with its vast proportions, I
fancied I saw in the great sanctuary Pius the Tenth, in the full splendor
of grandest church ceremonial, and kneeling there with me my eighty thousand
and more diocesan children. Indeed the great Cathedral could accommodate
them all."
Bishop Alerding brought with him from Rome
a large number of relics, to receive which, and to expose them for the
veneration of the faithful, a place was prepared beneath the altar of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, in the Cathedral.
The Diocese of Fort Wayne, 1857--September 22--1907, A Book
of Historical Reference, 1669-1907. By the Rt. Rev. H. J. Alerding.
Fort Wayne: The Archer Printing Co. 1907.
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+ TABLE
OF CONTENTS +
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PAGE
CHAPTER III.
The Right Rev. John Henry Luers, D.D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . 30-37
The First Bishop of Fort Wayne.
CHAPTER
IV. The Right Rev. Joseph Dwenger, C. PP. S., D.D. . . . . .
. . . . . . . 38-45
The Second Bishop of Fort Wayne.
CHAPTER
V. The Right Rev. Joseph Rademacher, D.D. . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
The Third Bishop of Fort Wayne.
CHAPTER
VI. The Right Rev. Herman Joseph Alerding, D.D. . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . 53
The Fourth Bishop of Fort Wayne.
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