BUFFALO
38
BUFFALO
Salle, with two Sulpicians and a party of twenty-five
men, started to explore the region of the Great Lakes
in search of a north-west passage to India. They
skirted along the southern shore of Lake Ontario,
crossing the mouth of Niagara River, until they
reached Burlington Bay, where the party disbanded.
La Salle went again in 1678, with Father Hennepin,
in a large vessel which entered the Niagara River on
6th December, to the strains of the Te Deum. The
next day a party with Father Hennepin ascended the
river in a canoe, and landed on the northern shore,
near the present suspension bridge on the Canada
side. On 11 December, 1678. they landed on the
other side of the river where Father Hennepin said
Mass. This was probably the first Mass celebrated
within the present limits of the Diocese of Buffalo.
A little fort was built there as a protection against
Indian assault. Then they proceeded up the river,
about five miles above the Falls, where the " Griffon "
was built. Father Hennepin remained there all
winter, holding service for the men in a little chapel
until the vessel was towed up the river to the present
harbour of Black Rock, where it anchored until it
was in readiness to sail as the first vessel on the
lakes.
Catholic Settlers. — After Denonville had de- stroyed the Seneca towns in 1687, he sent a detach- ment of his army to establish a fort at the mouth of the Niagara River. A garrison of one hundred men was left there with a chaplain. Many died the following winter, and the fort was abandoned. It was reoccupied in 1726, and from that date regular services were held in the chapel Until 1759, when the fort capitulated to the English. Soon after the Revolutionary War the Government began building military roads, and the State legislature made ap- propriations for building highways, and these offered intending settlers better facilities for proceeding farther inland. There was a highway through the State before 1820, reaching to Lake Erie. Buffalo and Erie County offered advantages to intending settlers, and about 1820 many Alsatians located in the vicinity. Many of these were Catholics, but they had no priest, and they could only keep alive the religious spirit by family devotions. The Rev. Patrick Kelly, ordained by Bishop Connolly of New York in 1821, was sent to minister to the Catholics of the western part of the State. He visited Buffalo the same year, and held one public service in a little frame building on Pearl Street. The Rev. Stephen Badin was the first priest to remain any length of time in Buffalo. His field of labour was Kentucky, but sickness compelled him to seek rest. He visited Buffalo for six weeks as the guest of Louis Le Cou- teulx, who then lived at the corner of Main and Exchange Streets. Here he said Mass for the Catho- lics of the town; and he urged them to organize and form a congregation. Mr. Le Couteulx started the good work by donating a site for church, cemetery, and priest's residence, at the corner of Main and Edward Streets. The deed was sent to Bishop Du- bois as a New Year's gift in January, 1829. Bishop Dubois visited Buffalo the same year and concluded that the number of Catholics in the vicinity required the attention of a resident priest , so the Rev. John Nicholas Mertz was sent as the first pastor of Buffalo. On this occasion Bishop Dubois sang a solemn high Mass in the court-house; and in the afternoon a
procession corn| .1 of different nationalities marched
from the court-house to the site for the new church where the ground was blessed by the bishop. Father Mertz rented a little frame building on Pearl Street, back of the old Eagle Tavern; and here he held services until the "Lamb of God", a rough timber church, was erected on the property at Main and Edward Streets. The corner stone of this first church of the diocese was laid 8 July, 1831, but the
church was not opened for services until the follow-
ing year. In the next five years congregations were
formed at Lancaster, Williamsville, North Bush,
East Eden, and Lockport. Father Mertz, with his
assistant, the Rev. Alexander Pax, looked after the
spiritual interests of the Catholics of the first four
places, and the Rev. Bernard O'Reilly of Rochester
attended the Catholics of Lockport.
Buffalo grew quickly after becoming a city. The church on Main Street was too small for the rapidly increasing numbers. The English-speaking mem- bers withdrew from the church in 1837 and formed a separate congregation, renting the second floor of a building at the corner of Main Street and the Terrace; where the Rev. Charles Smith said Mass for them once a month. Father Smith was employed on the other Sundays at Java, or in looking after the spirit- ual well-being of the Catholics employed in the con- struction of the Genesee Valley Canal. Soon after- wards property was bought at the corner of Ellicott and Batavia Streets, for a church for the English- speaking Catholics of the city. The Rev. John N. Neumann, who was afterwards Bishop of Philadel- phia, and who has been proposed for canonization, went to Buffalo in July, 1S36, and laboured zealously for four years in the missions of Erie County and vicinity. The missionary then had few of the com- forts and conveniences of the present day and Father Neumann was often compelled to tramp many miles over rough roads, or through the forest, carrying his vestments on his back, to say Mass or to administer to the sick. The Rev. Bernard O'Reilly of Roches- ter, who was afterwards Bishop of Hartford, also did effective work among those engaged in building the Erie Canal and in constructing the locks at Lock- port. The Rev. Thomas McEvoy of Java attended to the spiritual wants of the Catholics of three or four counties. He resided at Java, and from this place he frequently visited clusters of Catholics in Allegany, Wyoming, Steuben, and Chautauqua counties. Among the lay people Louis Le Couteulx was the greatest benefactor of the incipient church in Buffalo. He located at Buffalo in 1803, and it was at his house, corner of Main and Exchange Streets, that the Catholics were first assembled and were urged to form a congregation. Besides donating the site for the first church, he also gave the land for the Deaf Mute Institute, the Infant Asylum, the Immaculate Conception church, and the Buffalo Or- phan Asylum. Other lay people of that period and later prominent in church work were: Patrick Mil- ton, Maurice Vaughn, Patrick Cannon, John Con- nolly, Mrs. O'Rourke. Mrs. Row™, Mrs. Kimniit, and Messrs. Ambrose, Feldman, Fisher, Steffan, Din- gens, Lautz, Paul, Diebold, Gittere, Pfohl, Wechter, Doll, Smith, Miller, Hager. Guinther, Yogt, Davis, John Straus, Gerhard Lang, anil their families.
The Very Rev. John Timon, a Visitor General of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincent ians) was consecrated first Bishop "f Buffalo in the cathedral in New York, 17 October, 1847, by Bishop Hughes. The new bishop appointed the Rev. Bernard O'Reilrj . pastor of St. Patrick's church, Rochester, his vicar- general, and began a retreat for his priests; then he gave missions for his people in the sixteen churches of the diocese. Many of these were plain frame structures, without architectural ornament, and many of them had no altar except a table or some rough timber fitted up for the purpose. In many cases services were held in rented buildings, es- pecially where public works attracted large numbers ot men bul gave no promise of permanent settle- ment. Such was the case along the Erie Canal and
tin' Genesee Valley Canal, where services were held in the largest workmen's shanty, or in the nearest town hall. Men engaged in these public works were attracted by the fertility of the soil or the advantages
