Alton (Illinois)

Alton (Illinois)
Alton (Illinois)
    Alton
     Catholic_Encyclopedia Alton
    The Diocese of Alton includes that part of Illinois lying south of the northern limits of the counties of Adams, Brown, Cass, Menard, Sangamon, Macon, Moultrie, Douglas, and Edgar, and north of the southern limits of the counties of Madison, Bond, Fayette, Effingham, Jasper, and Crawford. It was created, 29 July, 1853, by the division of the Diocese of Chicago, then embracing the whole state of Illinois. The new see was first located at Quincy, but was transferred, 9 January, 1857, to Alton. Its German Catholic population came largely from Cincinnati and settled at Quincy, Teutopolis, and Germantown. Swiss Catholics founded Highland, and Alsatians Sainte Marie. The building of railroads brought Irish Catholics in growing numbers. Cahokia, Kaskaskia, and Prairie du Rocher, which now belong to the Diocese of Belleville, had been settled by French Catholics at an earlier period. Prominent among the lay Catholics of the early period were Peter and Sebastian Wise of Alton, Mr. Shepherd of Jerseyville, Mr. Picquet of Sainte Marie, Charles Routt and his nephew of Jacksonville. Fathers Ostrop, Hinsen and Hickey were energetic missionaries.
    BISHOPS
    Henry Damian Juncker (1857-68), b. 22 August, 1809, at Fenestrange, in German Lorraine; d. at Alton, 2 October, 1868, attended the Pont-a-Mousson Seminary, but emigrated to Cincinnati, where he found an opportunity of continuing his studies in view of the priesthood to which he was raised, 16 March, 1836, by Bishop Purcell. He filled several charges in Ohio previous to his consecration, at Cincinnati Cathedral, 26 April, 1854 by Archbishop Purcell. At Alton the bishop found before him 58 churches, five in course of erection; 30 stations visited by 28 priests; six young men studying for the ministry; two female academies, and a population of about 50,000. This population was made up of old French settlers, some Kentuckians, but especially of Irish immigrants driven away from their country by famine, and Germans, by political disturbances. In Illinois they were finding fertile prairie to till, and railroads to build. Thus they enhanced the prosperity of the State, hitherto only partly cultivated, and depending on the rivers and county roads for its means of communication. The non-Catholic population was not particularly hostile. Priests were very scarce, and vocations to the ministry very limited. In such an emergency the Bishop could only look up to Europe for help. In the fall of the same year he crossed the ocean and secured followers in France, Rome, Germany, and Ireland. After his return, he enlarged his cathedral, erected the present Bishop's House, encouraged the building of churches, schools, convents, and academies. He attended the Second Plenary Council and went to Rome (1867) for the Centenary of the Holy Apostles. His subsequent missionary labours brought on a severe sickness, which proved fatal. He was buried in a vault under his cathedral. He was succeeded by one of his vicars-general, the Very Rev. Peter Joseph Baltes (1869-86), elected 24 September, 1869, and consecrated, 23 January, 1870, in the present Belleville Cathedral (built by him), by Bishop Luers, of Fort Wayne, while the Vatican Council was in session. He was born, 7 April, 1820, in Ensheim, Rhenish Bavaria. At the age of six years he emigrated with his parents to Oswego, N.Y. He attended school at Holy Cross College, Worcester, Mass.; St. Mary's of the Lake, Chicago; and the Grand Seminary of Montreal, where he received ordination, 21 May, 1853. His missionary charge were Waterloo and Belleville. At the time of the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore (1866) he was made vicar-general, and theologian to Bishop Juncker. Bishop Baltes soon made himself felt by the indomitable energy with which he introduced order and uniformity in matters of liturgy and discipline. Under his administration was enacted the special law under which most of the church property is held in Southern Illinois. The burning, in the early part of 1884, of the convent built by him while in Belleville, in which twenty-seven lives were lost, proved a severe shock to his constitution. Sickness prevented him from attending the Third Plenary Council. He lingered for several months, going to his reward, 15 February, 1886. He was buried side by side with his predecessor. After a vacancy of more than two years, the Rev. James Ryan, then rector of St. Columba's church, Ottawa, in the diocese of Peoria, was appointed, 27 February, 1888. At the same time the diocese was divided, the southern half being made into the new diocese of Belleville. Bishop Ryan was born near Thurles, Ireland, 17 June, 1848. When seven years old, he emigrated with his parents to Louisville, Ky., studied at St. Thomas's and St. Joseph's Colleges, Bardstown, in that State, finished his studies at Preston Park Seminary, Louisville, and was ordained, 24 December, 1871. After a few years of mission labours and teaching, he followed Bishop Spalding to Peoria, laboured on several missions and built a number of churches. He was consecrated, 1 May, 1888, at the Alton Cathedral, by Bishop Spalding. He held the first synod of the Alton Diocese, 27 February, 1889.
    STATISTICS
    At present (1906) the diocese numbers 119 diocesan priests, 35 religious, 428 sisters, 143 parishes, 65 parochial schools, with 9,000 pupils, 2 asylums, with 110 children, 9 hospitals, 2 preparatory seminaries, with 330 students, 23 theological students, 2 colleges, 3 academies, with 380 students. Of late years many immigrants, Italians, Poles, Slavonians, and Lithuanians have come to the diocese, working in the coal mines that are everywhere opening, and taxing the energy of several of the clergy to their utmost capacity. The population of the diocese is 751,107, of which number 75,000 are Catholics.
    SHEA, Hist. Cath. Ch. in U.S., IV; Golden Jubilee of St. Boniface's Church (Quincy); Silver Jubilee of Highland; New World, Christmas ed. (Chicago, 1900).
    F.H. ZABEL
    Transcribed by John Fobian In memory of George Willard Fobian

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIII. — New York: Robert Appleton Company. . 1910.


Catholic encyclopedia.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Alton (Illinois) — Alton Brücke von Alton, Illinois nach West Alton, Missouri Lage in Illinois …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Alton, Illinois — Geobox|Settlement name = Alton native name = other name = category = City etymology = official name = motto = nickname = image caption = The Clark Bridge which connects Alton to West Alton, Missouri symbol = country = United States state =… …   Wikipedia

  • Alton (Illinois) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Alton. 38° 54′ 02″ N 90° 09′ 35″ W …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Marquette Catholic High School (Alton, Illinois) — Marquette Catholic High School Address 219 East 4th Street Alton, Illinois, 62002 USA Coordinates …   Wikipedia

  • East Alton, Illinois — Geobox|Settlement name = East Alton native name = other name = category = Village etymology = official name = motto = nickname = image caption = symbol = country = United States state = Illinois region = Madison region type = County district =… …   Wikipedia

  • Alton Railroad — Chicago and Alton Railroad system as of 1918, including the Toledo, St. Louis and Western Railroad (Clover Leaf) in orange, parent of the Alton until 1921 …   Wikipedia

  • Alton Steel — is a steel manufacturer, based in Alton, Illinois. The company is a reincarnation of the Laclede Steel Company, which halted operations of its mill in 1998. [cite web |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2003/January/03 enrd 033.htm |title=U.S.… …   Wikipedia

  • Illinois locations by per capita income — Illinois is the eleventh richest state in the United States of America, with a per capita income of $23,104 (2000). Illinois Places by Per Capita Income # Kenilworth, Illinois ndash; $101,086 # Glencoe, Illinois ndash; $84,134 # North Barrington …   Wikipedia

  • Alton — steht für: Alton Towers, einen Themenpark in Großbritannien Bistum Alton, ein Bistum in den USA Vertrag von Alton, eine Übereinkunft im Jahre 1101 zwischen König Heinrich I. von England und seinem Bruder Robert II., Herzog der Normandie Alton ist …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Alton — is the name of several places:Canada*Alton, Ontario *Altona, Ontario *Alton, Nova Scotia *North Alton, Nova Scotia *South Alton, Nova Scotia *Altona, British Columbia *Altona, Manitoba *Old Altona, Manitoba *Alton, QuebecNew Zealand*Alton, New… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”