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SAINT-COSME


343


SAINT-DENIS


In 1852 Rev. Francis Pierz (Pirc), a native of Car- niola, Austria, came from his former Indian missions at Lake Superior to Minnesota to labour among the Chippewa Indians. Finding the country well adapted to agriculture, he announced the fact in some Catholic German papers, and thus caused a large immigration of German Catholics, especially to Stearns county. In 1856 Bishop Cretin of St. Paul sent three Bene- dictines, Father.s Demetrius de Marogna, CorneUus Wittmann, and Bruno Riss, to attend the ever-increas- ing numbers of settlers. They settled on a piece of land near the present city of St. Cloud, where they built a small log house and chapel. In 1857 they erected a college, and opened a school with five pupils. A change of location, however, was desirable, hence land was secured around St. John's Lake, and in 1866 a college and monastery were permanently established. They have now flourishing parishes and a university with more than three hundred students. The first abbot, Rt. Rev. Rupert Seidenbusch, was made Vicar Apostolic of Northern Minnesota (1875). He resided in St. Cloud until 1888 when, on account of poor health, he resigned. He built the present pro-cathe- dral and died 3 June, 1895. The present Diocese of St. Cloud was created in 1889 with Rt. Rev. Dr. Otto Zardetti as its first bishop. Dr. Zardetti, a native of Switzerland, was born 24 Jan., 1846. He was ordained priest 21 Aug., 1870, and in 1881 became professor of dogma in the St. Francis Seminary, near Milwaukee. In 1886 he was made \'icar-general of Bishop Marty of Yankton. As Bishop of St. Cloud, he was ex- tremely active, and renowned as a pulpit orator. In Feb., 1894, he was made Archbishop of Bucharest in Rumania and died at Rome 9 May, 1902. When he took charge of the Diocese of St. Cloud, he found about 30,000 souls in the charge of 69 priests, 52 religious and 17 diocesan. When he resigned, there were about 40,000 souls in the charge of 33 secular priests and 16 religious, besides 19 religious in the monastery. His successor was Rt. Rev. Martin Marty, O.S.B., also a native of Switzerland. In 1879 he wius ap- pointed Vicar Apostolic of Dakota, residing in Yank- ton, in 1889 first Bi.shop of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and 31 Dec, 1894, was transferred to St. Cloud. He took charge of the new see 12 March, 1895, but died 19 Sept., 1896. Rt. Rev. Mgr. Jos. Bauer was administrator of the diocese until 28 Sept., 1897, when the present bishop, James Trobec, ar- rived as third bishop of the diocese. There are about 62,000 souls; 125 i)riests, 78 secular and 47 religious; 115 chur(;hes and 12 chapels; 1 university; 2 acade- mies; 4 hospitals; 1 home for old peoi)le; 1 orphan asylum; jjarochial schools wherever possible. The religious coininuiiitics n-itrcsciilcd in the diocese are the Benedictines and the Holy Cross Fathers; the Benedictine Sisters, who number al)out 100 and have charge of parochial schools, a hospital, and a home for the aged; the Sisters of St. Francis, who have charge of an orphan asylum and three hospitals; the Sisters of St. Mary of the Presentation.

The Diocesan Chronicle. JaMES TrOBEC.

Saint-Cosme, Jean Fran5ois Buisson (Bis.son) DE, b. in Quebec, Canada, February, 1667; killed, 1707. Entering the Seminaire des Missions Etran- geres of Quebec, he was ordained in 1690 and after serving for a time at Minas, Nova Scotia (then Acadia), was assigned to the western mission. He laboured for a time at the Cahokia (Tamaroa) mission in Illinois, until succeeded by Father Jean Bergier, probably about KiOS, after which he followed Fathers Montigny and Da\i()n, of the same seminary, to the lower Mississippi, and took up his residence ainotig the Natchez, about the present Natchez, Mississippi, establishing the first mission in the tribe, api)arently about the end of 1699. The tribes of this region, how- ever, were generally obdurate and neither secular mis-


sionaries nor Jesuits met with success, so that by the end of 1704 all but the Natchez mission had been aban- doned, leaving Father St-Cosme alone. After several years of unrequited labour, he was finally murdered, with three French companions and a slave, while de- scending the Mississippi, being attacked while asleep by a party of the savage Shetimasha. To avenge this death, Bienville, Governor of Louisiana, summoned the Natchez and other friendly tribes to take up arms against the Shetimasha, with the result that the latter tribe was almost exterminated. A cousin of the same name waa also a priest in Quebec (b. 1660; d. 1712).

Shea, Catholic Missions (New York, IH5A); Jesuit Relations, ed. Thwaites, LXV, note (Cleveland, 1896-1901) ; La Have, Journal historique (New Orleans, 1831).

James Mooney. See Duvergier de


Saint- Cyran, Abbe de. Hauranne, Jean.


Saint David's,

Diocese of.


Ancient See of. See Menevia,


Saint-Denis, Abbey of, is situated in a small town, to which it has given its name, about four miles north of Paris. St-Denis (Dionysius), the first Bishop of


Facade, Abbey Church of St-Deni8, XII-Century Gothic

Paris, and his companions, martyred in 270, were buried here and the small chapel built over the spot became a famous place of pilgrimage during the fifth and sixth centuries. In 630 King Dagobert founded the abbey for Benedictine monks, replacing the orig- inal chapel by a large basilica, of which but little now remains. He and his successors enriched the new foundation with many gifts and privileges and, pos- sessing as it did the shrine of St-Denis, it became one of the richest and most important abfx'ys in France. In 653 it was made exempt from episcopal jurisdiction. A new church was commenced in 750 by Charlemagne, at the conscH-ration of which Christ, according to popular tradition, was supposed to have assisted iiT })erson. During the ninth century irregularit ies crept in and the monks transformed themselves into canons with a relaxed rule. Abbot Hilduin tried in vain to