SAINT JOHN
355
SAINT JOHN
and Newman's tribute to him in the "Apologia"
will never be forgotten.
Except the biographical sketch prefixed to the new edition of the Raccolta, which work he originally compiled, there is no connected sketch of his life, but references to him will be found in Gasqcet, Lord Acton and his Circle (London, 1906). The information given above has been kindly supplied by the Rev. F. Bacchus, Cong. Orat. See also Gorman, Converts to Rome (London, 1910).
Edwin Burton. Saint John, Christians of. See Nasor^ans.
Saint John, Diocese of (Sancti Joannis), in the Province of New Brunswack, Canada. The dio- cese includes the following counties: Albert, Carle- ton, Charlotte, Kings, Queens, St. John, Sunbury, Westmoreland, York, and a portion of Kent. The City of St. John is the oldest incorporated city in British North America, its charter dating back to 1785; it is also the largest city in New Brunswick. Among the earliest Catholic missionaries to visit New Brunswick, which was then part of Acadia, were the Jesuit Fathers, Biard and Masse, in 1611. They remained until after the destruction of Port Royal by Argall in 1613, and were succeeded by Recollects. With the erection of Quebec into a diocese, special interest was attached to the Acadian missions. Mgr. St. Vallier left the St. LawTence, 7 May, 1686, proceeded to the St. John, and reached Medoctec, an Indian village eight miles below Wood- stock. There the bishop established a mission, and left it under the direction of Father Simon, a Recollect. Subsequently another mission was formed at Auk- paque. After the death of Fathers Simon and Moir- eau, the missions on the St. John passed into the hands of the Jesuits, among whom were Fathers Aubery, Loyard, Danielou, Loverga, Audren, and Germain. The Indian church at Medoctec was probably the first erected in New Brun.swick. On the original site of this church a small stone tablet was discovered in June, 1890, bearing a Latin inscription the translation of which reads: "To God, most Good and Great, in honour of St. John the Baptist, the Maliseets erected this church a. d. 1717, while Jean Loyard, a priest of the Society of Jesus, was Procurator of the mi-ssion." After the Peace of St. Germain-cn-Laye (1632), and notably after the Treaty of Breda (1667), there ar- rived from France colonies of Catholic immigrants, the progenitors of the Acadians now .scattered over New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. About 1767 Rev. Charles-Fran^:ois Bailly, afterwards Coadjutor Bishop of Qviebec, ministered to the Cathohcs along the St. John River. The first native Acadian priest was Rev. Joseph M. Bourg. Born in 1744, he fled during the expulsion (1755) with his parents to the Isle of St. John, but was eventually deported to France; after some years he returned to Quebec, where he was or- dained by Mgr. Briand in 1773. Appointed Vicar- General of Acadia, he had an immense area to govern, with little assistance. In 1813 Bishop Plessis of Que- bec received into his diocese an Irish Dominican, Rev. Charles D. Ffrench, a convert and son of an Anglican bishop, and assigned him to duty in St. John. He celebrated Mass in the City Court Room on Market Square. A church was built soon after- wards, and at the suggestion of Bishop Plessis it was dedicated to St. Malachy; it was opened for worship on 1 Oct., 1815. With the influx of Irish immigrants the number of Catholics rapidly increased. The first resident priest of St. John was Rev. Joseph Morrisset; he was succeeded by Rev. Patrick McMahon, and in 1828 Rev. John Carroll, the last priest prior to the establishment of a diocese in the Maritime Provinces, was sent from Quebec.
Between 1820 and 1827 the Micmac Indians and Acadian settlers at Richibucto were ministered to by Rev. Frangois-Norbert Blanchet, who afterwards be- came first Archbishop of Oregon City. In Aug., 1829,
Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island) was created
an episcopal see, with New Brunswick under its juris-
diction. Thirteen years later New Brunswick was
formed into a separate diocese; its first bishop was
Dr. William Dollard (b. in Ballytarina, Co. Kilkenny,
Ireland; d. 29 Aug., 1851), a man of apostolic virtue
and a typical pioneer bishop. He made his theo-
logical studies at Quebec, and was sent as a mission-
ary to Cape Breton, and afterwards to Miramichi.
He was Vicar-General of the Diocese of Charlotte-
town, and was consecrated bishop at Quebec, 11 June,
1843. His successor was Right Rev. Thomas L.
Connolly (b. at Cork, Ireland), who, after receiving
h i s preliminary
enhonok-d-ioa-;bap.-
HOCTtM-TOS- AN- DC MDCCVIl-
MALECIT^ rACERDOTE
P DANl£
Memorial Tablet of the Chapel
OF St. John the Baptist
Discovered at Meductic, New Brunswick,
June, 1890
education at Cork,
became a novice
in the Capuchin
Order, and was
sent to Rome to
complete his
studies. He was
ordained in the
cathedral at
Lyons in 18-38, and
for the next four
years was sta-
tioned at the Ca-
puchin Church.
Dublin. In 1842
he volunteered for
the Foreign Mis-
sions, and his ser-
vices were ac-
c e p t e d by the
Right Rev. Wil-
liam Walsh (after-
wards Archbishop
of Hahfax). Con-
secrated Bishop of
New Brunswick
15 Aug., 1852, Dr.
Connolly arrived
in St. John, his
epi-scopal city, 11
Sept. of the same
year. One of the first duties he undertook was the build-
ing of a cathedral ; but it was not until Christmas Day,
1855, that the building was ready for Divine service.
In June, 1854, the cholera appeared at St. John, and
did not abate until after the middle of August. It is
estimated that 600 Catholics died of it; as a conse-
quence, about 150 orphans were thrown on the bishop's
hands. To care for them, he organized a diocesan
sisterhood known as the Sisters of Charity. In 1859
Dr. Connolly was promoted to Hahfax in succession
to Archbishop Walsh.
A division was then made of the Diocese of New Brunswick; the southern portion (the present See of St. John) being assigned to Right Rev. John Sweeny (b. in 1821 at Clones, Co. Monaghan, Ireland; d. 25 March, 1901). John Sweeny had emigrated with his parents in 1828; his classical studies were made at St. Andrew's College, near Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, after which he went to Quebec for theology. He was ordained in Sept., 1844, and was first assigned to St. John, whence he went from time to time throughout the country on missions. His next labours were at Chatham and Barachois. He was vicar-general successively under Bishops Dollard and Connolly, and administrator of the diocese on both occasions when the see was vacant. On 15 April, 1860, he was elevated to the epis- copate; and in 1870 he went to Rome to attend the Vatican Council. Under him the cathedral was completed; it was consecrated on 16 July, 1885. Bishop Sweeny was noted for his wisdom, tact, and administrative abihties. The CathoUc settlement of
