CHAPTER LVII

CHAPTER LVII

BISHOP O’REGAN SELLS THE PARSONAGE OF THE FRENCH CANADIANS OF CHICAGO, POCKETS THE MONEY, AND TURNS THEM OUT WHEN THEY COME TO COMPLAIN—HE DETERMINES TO TURN ME OUT OF MY COLONY AND SEND ME TO KAHOKIA—HE FORGETS IT THE NEXT DAY, AND PUBLISHES THAT HE HAS INTERDICTED ME—MY PEOPLE SEND A DEPUTATION TO THE BISHOP—HIS ANSWERS—THE SHAM EXCOMMUNICATION BY THREE DRUNKEN PRIESTS.

The Holy Scriptures say that an abyss calls for another abyss (_abyssus abyssum invocat_). That axiom had its accomplishment in the conduct of Bishop O’Regan. When once on the declivity of iniquity, he descended to its lowest depths, with more rapidity than a stone thrown into the sea. Not satisfied with the shameful theft of the rich vestments of the French Canadian Church of Chicago, he planned iniquity, which was to bring upon him, more than ever, the execration of the Roman Catholics of Illinois. It was nothing less than the complete destruction of the thriving congregations of my French Canadian countrymen of Chicago and St. Anne. The removal of the French-speaking priest of Chicago from his people, as well as my removal from my colony, were determined.

Our churches were, at first, to be closed, and after some time sold to the Irish people, or to the highest bidder, for their own use. It was in Chicago that this great iniquity was to begin.

Not long after Easter, 1856, the Rev. Mons. Lemaire was turned out, interdicted and ignominiously driven from the diocese of Chicago without even giving the shadow of a reason, and the French Canadians suddenly found themselves without a pastor.

A few days after, the parsonage they had built for their priest in Clark street, was sold for $1,200 to an American. The beautiful little church which they had built on the lot next to the parsonage, at the cost of so many sacrifices, was removed five or six blocks southwest, and rented by the bishop to the Irish Catholics for about $2,000 per annum, and the whole money was pocketed, without even a word of notice to my countrymen.

Though accustomed to his acts of perfidy, I could not believe at first the rumors which reached me of those transactions. They seemed to be beyond the limits of infamy, and to be impossible. I went to Chicago, hoping to find that the public rumor had exaggerated the evil. But alas! nothing had been exaggerated!

The wolf had dispersed the sheep and destroyed the flock. The once thriving French congregation of Chicago was no more! Wherever I went, I saw tears of distress among my dear countrymen, and heard cries of indignation against the destroyer. Young and old, rich and poor among them, with one voice, denounced and cursed the heartless mitred brigand who had dared to commit publicly such a series of iniquities, to satisfy his thirst for gold and his hatred of the French Canadians.

They asked me what they should do; but what could I answer? They requested me to go again to him and remonstrate. But I showed them that after my complete failure, when I had tried to get back the sacerdotal vestments, there was no hope that he would disgorge the house and the church. The only thing I could advise them was to select five or six of the most influential members of their congregation to go and respectfully ask him by what right he had taken away, not only their priest, but the parsonage and the church they had built and transferred them to another people. They followed my advice. Messrs. Franchere and Roffinot (who are still living) and six other respectable French Canadians were sent by the whole people to put those questions to their bishop. He answered them:

“French Canadians: You do not know your religion! Were you a little better acquainted with it, you would know that I have the right to sell your churches and church properties, pocket the money, and go eat and drink it where I please.”

After that answer they were ignominiously turned out from his presence into the street. Posterity will scarcely believe those things, though they are true.

The very next day, August 19th, 1856, the bishop having heard that I was in Chicago, sent for me. I met him after his dinner. Though not absolutely drunk, I found him full of wine and terribly excited.

“Mr. Chiniquy,” he said, “you had promised me to make use of your influence to put an end to the rebellious conduct of your countrymen against me. But I find that they are more insolent and unmanageable than ever; and my firm belief is that it is your fault. You, and the handful of French Canadians of Chicago, give me more trouble than all of my priests and my people of Illinois. You are too near Chicago, sir; your influence is too much felt on your people here. I must remove you to a distant place, where you will have enough to do without meddling in my administration. I want your service to Kahokia, in my diocese of Quincy; and if you are not there by the 15th of September next, I will interdict and excommunicate you, and forever put an end to your intrigues.”

These words fell upon me as a thunderbolt. The tyranny of the bishop of my church and the absolute degradation of the priest whose honor, position and life are entirely in his hands, had never been revealed to me so vividly as in that hour. What could I say or do to appease that mitred despot? After some moments of silence, I tried to make some respectful remonstrances, by telling him that my position was an exceptional one; that I had not come to Illinois as his other priests, to be at the head of any existing congregation; but that I had been invited by his predecessor to direct the tide of emigration of the French-speaking people of Europe and America. That I had come to a wilderness which, by the blessing of God, I had changed into a thriving country, covered with an industrious and religious people. I further told him that I had left the most honorable position which a priest had ever held in Canada, with the promise from his predecessor that, as long as I lived the life of a good priest, I should not be disturbed in my work. As I soon perceived that he was too much under the influence of liquor to understand me, and speak with intelligence, I only added:

“My lord, you speak of interdict and excommunication! Allow me to respectfully tell you that if you can show me that I have done anything to deserve to be interdicted or excommunicated, I will submit in silence to your sentence. But before you pass that sentence, I ask you, in the name of God, to make a public inquest about me, and have my accusers confront me. I warn your lordship that if you interdict or excommunicate mu without holding an inquest, I will make use of all the means which our holy church puts in the hands of her priests, to defend my honor and prove my innocence. I will also appeal to the laws of our great Republic, which protects the character of all her citizens against anyone who slanders them. It will then be at your risk and peril that you will pass such a sentence against me.”

My calm answer greatly excited his rage. He violently struck the table with his fist, and said:

“I do not care a straw about your threats. I repeat it, Mr. Chiniquy, if you are not at Kahokia by the 15th of next month, I will interdict and excommunicate you.”

Feeling that it was a folly on my part to argue with a man who was beside himself by passion and excess of wine, I replied:

“With the help of God, I will never bear the infamy of an interdict or excommunication. I will do all that religion and honor will allow me to prevent such a dark spot from defiling my name, and the man who does try it, will learn at his own expense that I am not only a priest of Christ but also an American citizen. I respectfully tell your lordship that I neither smoke, nor use intoxicating drinks. The time which your other priests give to those habits, I spend in the study of books, and especially of my Bible. I found in them not only my duties but my rights; and just as I am determined, with the help of God, to perform my duties, I will stand by my rights.”

I then immediately left the room to take the train to St. Anne.

Having spent a part of the night praying God to change the heart of my bishop, and keep me in the midst of my people, who were becoming dearer and dearer to me, in proportion to the efforts of the enemy to drive me away from them, I addressed the following letter to the bishop:

TO THE RT. REV. O’REGAN, Bishop of Chicago.

MY LORD:—The more I consider your design to turn me out of the colony which I have founded and of which I am the pastor, the more I believe it a duty which I owe to myself, my friends and to my countrymen, to protest before God and man against what you intend to do.

Not a single one of your priests stands higher than I do in the public mind, neither is more loved and respected by his people than I am. I defy my bitterest enemies to prove the contrary. And that character which is my most precious treasure you intend to despoil me of by ignominiously sending me away from among my people! Certainly, I have enemies, and I am proud of it. The chief ones are well known in this country as the most depraved of men. The cordial reception they say they have received from you, has not taken away the stains they have on their foreheads.

By this letter, I again request you to make a public and most minute inquest into my conduct. My conscience tells me that nothing can be found against me. Such a public and fair dealing with me would confound my accusers. But I speak of accusers, when I do not really know if I have any. Where are they? What are their names? Of what sin do they accuse me? All these questions, which I put to you last Tuesday, were left unanswered! and would to God that you would answer them to-day, by giving me their names. I am ready to meet them before any tribunal. Before you strike the last blow on the victim of the most hellish plot, I request you, in the name of God, to give a moment’s attention to the following consequences of my removal from this place at present.

You know I have a suit with Mr. Spink at the Urbana Court, for the beginning of October. My lawyers and witnesses are all in Kankakee and Iroquois counties; and in the very time I want most to be here to prove my innocence and guard my honor, you order me to go to a place more than 300 miles distant? Did you ever realize that by that strange conduct you help Spink against your own priest? When at Kahokia, I will have to bear the heavy expenses of traveling more than 300 miles, many times, to consult my friends, or, be deprived of their valuable help! Is it possible that you thus try to tie my hands and feet, and deliver me into the hands of my remorseless enemies? Since the beginning of that suit, Mr. Spink proclaims that you help him, and that, with the perjured priests, you have promised to do all in your power to crush me down! For the sake of the sacred character you bear, do not show so publicly that Mr. Spink’s boastings are true. For the sake of your high position in the church, do not so publicly lend a helping hand to the heartless land speculator of L’Erable. He has already betrayed his Protestant friends to get a wife; he will, ere long, betray you for less. Let me then live in peace here, till that suit is over.

By turning me away from my settlement, you destroy it. More than nine-tenths of the emigrants came here to live near me; by striking me you strike them all.

Where will you find a priest who will love that people so much as to give them, every year, from one to two thousand dollars, as I have invariably done. It is at the price of those sacrifices that, with the poorest class of emigrants from Canada, I have founded here in four years a settlement which cannot be surpassed, or even equaled, in the United States, for its progress. And now that I have spent my last cent to form this colony, you turn me out of it. Our college, where 150 boys are receiving such a good education, will be closed the very day I leave. For, you know very well the teachers I got from Montreal will leave as soon as I will.

Ah! if you are merciless towards the priest of St. Anne, have pity on these poor children. I would rather be condemned to death than to see them destroy their intelligence by running in the streets. Let me then finish my work here, and give me time to strengthen these young institutions, which would fall to the ground with me.

If you turn me out or interdict me, as you say you will do, if I disobey your orders, my enemies will proclaim that you treat me with that rigor because you have found me guilty of some great iniquity, and this necessarily will prejudice my judges against me. They will consider me as a vile criminal. For who will suppose, in this free country, that there is a class of men who can judge a man and condemn him as our Bishop of Chicago is doing to-day, without giving him the names of his accusers or telling him of what crimes he is accused.

In the name of God, I again ask you not to force me to leave my colony before I prove my innocence, and the iniquity of Spink, to the honest people of Urbana.

But, if you are deaf to my prayers, and if nothing can deter you from your resolution, I do not wish to be in the unenviable position of an interdicted priest among my countrymen. Send me, by return mail, my letters of mission for the new places you intend trusting to my care. The sooner I get there, the better for me and my people. I am ready! When on the road of exile, I will pray the God of Abraham to give me the fortitude and the faith he gave to Isaac, when laying his head on the altar, he willingly presented his throat to the sword. I will pray my Saviour, bearing His heavy cross to the top of Calvary, to direct and help my steps towards the land of exile you have prepared for your

Devoted Priest,