NEW ORLEANS
15
NEW ORLEANS
8324,759. Before his death he had reduced it to about
$130,000. Notwithstanding this burden, the diocese,
through the zeal of Archbishop Janssens, entered upon
a period of unusual activity. One of his first acts,
March, 1890, was to found a little seminary, which
was opened at Pontchatoula, La., 3 September, 1891,
and placed under the direction of the Benedictine
Fathers. He went to Europe in 1889 to secure priests
for the diocese and to arrange for the sale of bonds for
the Uquidation of the debt. In August, 1892, after
the lynching of the Italians who assassinated the chief
of police, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart,
founded in Italy by Mother Cabrina for work among
Italian emigrants, arrived in New Orleans and opened
a large mission, a free school, and an asylum for Italian
orphans, and began also mission work among the
Italian gardeners on the outskirts of the city and at
Kenner, La. The same year a terrific cyclone and
storm swept the Louisiana Gulf coast, and laid low the
lands along the Caminada Cheniere where there was a
settlement of Italian and Spanish and Malay fisher-
men. Out of a population of 1500 over 800 were
swept away. Rev. Father Grimaud performed the
burial services over 400 bodies as they were washed
ashore. Father Bedel at Buras buried over three
huntlred, and went out at night to succour the wander-
ing and helpless. Archbishop Janssens in a small
boat went among the lonely and desolate island settle-
ments comforting the people and helping them to re-
build their broken homes.
In 1893, the centenary of the diocese was celebrated with splendour at the St. Louis Cathedral ; Cardinal Gibbons and many of the hierarchy were present. Archbishop Janssens was instrumental, at this time, in establishing the Louisiana Lepers' Home at Indian Camp, and it was through his offices that the Sisters of Charity from Emmitsburg took charge of the home. He was deeply interested in the work of the coloured Sisters of the Holy Family, now domiciled in
the ancient (juadr i Hall Room and Theatre of on(e-
bellum days, which had been turned into a convent and boarding-school. Through the generosity of a coloured philanthropist. Thorny Lafon, Archbishop Janssens was enabled to pro\ade a larger and more comfortable home for the aged coloured poor, a new asylum for the boys, and through the legacy of .S20,000 left for this purpose by Mr. I^afon, who died in 1883, a special home, under the care of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, for the reform of coloured girls. The St. John Berchman's chapel, a memorial to Thorny Lafon, was erected in the Convent of the Holy Family which he had so befriended. At this time Archbishop Janssens estimated the number of Catholics in the diocese at 341,613; the value of church property at $3,861,075; the number of baptisms a year 15,000 and the number of deaths, 5000.
In 1896 the Catholic Winter School of America was organized and was formally opened by Cardinal SatoUi, then Apostolic Delegate to the United States. After the death of Archbishop Janssens the lecture courses were abandoned. The active hfe led by the archbishop told heavily upon him. Anxious to Uqui- date entirely the debt of the diocese he made arrange- ments to visit Europe in 1897, but died aboard the steamer Creole, 19 June, on the voyage to New York.
Most Rev. Placide Louis Chapelle, D.D., Arch- bishop of Santa Fe, was appointed to the vacant See of New Orleans, 1 December, 1897. Shortly after com- ing to New Orleans he found it imperative to go to Europe to effect a settlement for the remainder of the diocesan debt of $130,000. While he was in Europe war was declared between Spain and the United States, and, upon the declaration of peace. Archbishop Chapelle was appointed Apostolic delegate extraor- dinary to Cuba and Porto Rico and charge d'affaues to the Philippine Islands. Returning from Europe he arranged for the assessment of five per cent upon
the salaries of the clergy for five years for the liquida-
tion of the diocesan debt. In October 1900 he closed
the little seminary at Ponchatoula and opened a
higher one in New Orleans, placing it in charge of the
Lazarist Fathers. The Right Rev. G. A. Rouxel was
appointed auxiliary bishop for the See of New Orleans,
and was consecrated 10 April, 1899. Right Rev. J. M.
Laval was made vicar-general and rector of the St.
Louis Cathedral on 21 April, and Very Rev. James
H. Blenk was appointed Bishop of Porto Rico and con-
secrated in the St. Louis Cathedral with Archbishop
Barnada of Santiago de Cuba, 2 July, 1899. Arch-
bishop Chapelle was absent from the diocese during
the greater part of his administration, duties in the An-
tilles and the Philippines in connexion with his position
as Apostolic Delegate claiming his attention, never-
theless he accomplished much for New Orleans. The
diocesan debt was extinguished, and the activity in
church work which had begun under Archbishop Jans-
sen continued ; returning to New Orleans he introduced
into the diocese the Dominican Fathers from the
Philippines. In the summer of 1905, while the arch-
bishop was administering confirmation in the country
parishes, yellow fever broke out in New Orleans, and,
deeming it his duty to be among his people, he re-
turned immediately to the city. On the way from
the train to his residence he was stricken, and died 9
August, 1905 (see Chapelij;, Placide Louis). Auxil-
iary Bishop Rouxel became the administrator of the
diocese pending the appointment of a successor.
The Right Rev. James Hurhert Blenk, S.M., D.D.,
Bishop of Porto Rico, was promoted to New Orleans,
20 April, 1906.
IV. CoNTEMroHARY CONDITIONS. — Arclibishop Blenk was born at Neustadt, Bavaria, 28 July, 1856, of Protestant parentage. While a child, his family came to New Orleans, and it was here that the light of the true Faith dawned upon the boy; he was baptized in St. Alphonsus Church at the age of twelve. His primary education having been completed in New Orleans, he entered Jefferson College where he com- pleted his classical and scientific studies under the Marist Fathers. He spent three years at the Marist house of studies in Belley, France, completed his pro- bationary studies at the Marist novitiate at Lyons, and was sent to Dublin to follow a higher course of mathematics at the Catliolic University. Thence he went to St. Mary's College, Dundalk, County Louth, where he occupied the chair of mathematics. Later he returned to the Marist house of studies in Dublin where he completed his theological studies. 16 August, 1885, he was ordained priest, and returned that year to Louisiana to labour among his own peo- ple. He was stationed as a professor at Jefferson College of which he became president in 1891 and held the position for six years. In 1896, at the invitation of the general of the Marists, he visited all the houses of the congregation in Europe, and returning to New Orleans in February, 1897, he became the rector of the Church of the Holy Name of Mary, Algiers, which was in charge of the Marist Fathers. He erected the handsome presbytery and gave a great impetus to re- ligion and education in the parish and city, being chair- man of the Board of Studies of the newly organized Winter School. He was a member of the Board of Consultois during the administration of Archbishop Janssens and of Archbishop Chapelle; the latter se- lected him as the auditor and secretary of the Apos- tolic Delegation to Cuba and Porto Rico. He was ap- pointed the first bishop of the Island of Porto Rico under the American occupation 12 June, 1899. A hurricane overswept Porto Rico just before Bishop Blenk left to take possession of his see; through his personal efforts he raised over $30,000 in the United States to take with him to alleviate the sufferings of his new people. The successful work of Bishop Blenk is a part of the history -of the reconstruction along
