July 14th
Rev. Misters Murray & McAuley (subdeacons) were ordained deacons.
July 16th
The aforesaid men were ordained Priests. Thomas Auphney (?) left seminary of his own accord.
July 18th
Rev. Mr. McAuley appointed to assist Rev. Thomas O’Donnell of Ottawa. On same day Rev. John Brady appointed pastor of the new church at Galena & Rev. Mr. Murray appointed as[sistant] of Rev. Mr. Petiot (?).
August 1846
August 2nd [handwriting seems different]
Dedicated the German Catholic Church of St. Peters. #30
#30 + St. Peter was the first German parish in Chicago. For additional information on its history see: Koenig, History of Parishes, I, 768-770.
August 15th
Dedicated the G[erman] C[atholic] C[hurch] of St. Joseph. #31
September 1846
September 16th
Misters George Hamilton & James Gallagher received in the cathedral the subdeaconship.
September 18th
The same men were ordained Deacons.
September 19th
The same promoted to the dignity of the Priesthood.
#31 + St. Joseph served the German Catholics on the north side of the Chicago River while St. Peter served German Catholics south of the Chicago River. For additional information see: Koenig, History of Parishes, I, 506-508.
September 23rd
The Rev. Walter Quarter returned from Pittsburgh bringing 6 Sister of Mercy to establish a convent of their order in Chicago.
September 29th
Mr. Joseph Ryan received in the cathedral the minor orders & subdeaconship.
Founder of the Sisters of Mercy
September 30th
The same was ordained Deacon.
October 1846
October2nd
The Rev. Joseph Ryan ordained Priest.
[p. 53] September 23rd
[additional note on Sister of Mercy]
the following are the names of the Sisters of Mercy that came in company of V[ery] Rev. W. J. Quarter from Pittsburgh to form the first foundation at Chicago viz. Sister Mary Frances Ward, superior of the community of Sisters of Mercy at Pittsburgh, Sister Mary Agatha O’Brien to be superior of the new foundation at Chicago, Sisters Mary Vincent McGirr, Mary Gertrude McGuire, Mary Elza[beth] Corbitt & Mary Eva Smidt (?). #32
October 1846
October 9th
see outside [not sure of the meaning of this entry]
October 13th
Bishop left Chicago in company of Rev. Mr. Carroll pastor of Alton and of Rev. George Hamilton as[sistant] pastor at Alton on the visitation of his diocese south.
October 14th
Layed (sic) the cornerstone of a new church at LaSalle, that is being built by Rev. Misters Mantuon(?) & Mark Anthony Culle(?).
October 18th
On the River Illinois (Sunday) preached in the boat in the afternoon.
October 19th
At Alton
October 21st
At St. Louis
October 22nd
At Belleville. Left same day for Vincennes, In[diana]
October 25thPreached in the cathedral at Vincennes, forenoon and afternoon.
#32 + Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland in 1831. The first group of Mercy Sisters arrived in the United States on December 10, 1843. Waiting for them in New York City were Bishop Michael O’Connor (Pittsburgh) and Bishop-elect William Quarter. He was able to secure a promise from Mother Francis Xavier Warde to send a group of Mercy Sisters to Chicago in the future. In less than three years, the first group of Mercy Sisters arrived in Chicago on September 23, 1846. For ten years, they were the only group of religious women working in Chicago. For further information on their arrival in Chicago and early pastoral work see: Sr. Mary Josephine Gately,[ R.S.M.], The Sisters of Mercy: Historical Sketches, 1831-1931 (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1931), 260-264; Sr. Mary Eulalia Herron, [R.S.M], The Sisters of Mercy in the United States, 1843-1928 (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1929), 49-58; n.a., Reminiscences of Seventy Years (Chicago: Fred J. Ringley Company, 1916), 37-46; and Garraghan, The Catholic Church in Chicago, 117-119.
October 26th & 27th
Visited St. Francisville, Mt. Carmel, Coffee(?) #33
#33 + St. Francisville and Mount Carmel are in the southeastern part of Illinois near the border with Indiana. The distance between Chicago and those two cities is between 280-290 miles.
October 28th
Left Vincennes for St. Marie, Jasper Co[unty] Picquet’s Settlement. #34
#34 + Ste. Marie is 54 miles northwest of St. Francisville. It was established in 1837 by French immigrants called the Colony of Brothers. Joseph Picquet played a key role in organizing the colony and recruiting members for it. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ste._Marie,_Illinois.
November 1846
November 1846
November 1st
Gave Confirmation at St. Marie to 39 persons
November 3rd
Left for Teutopolis, Effingham Co[unty].
November 4th
Gave Confirmation in same place to about 39 persons. Left for Highland.
November 5th
At Highland & next to Shoal Creek.
[p. 54] November 5th
Left Shoal Creek afternoon & reached Belleville same evening.
November 6th
Left for St. Louis
#34 + Ste. Marie is 54 miles northwest of St. Francisville. It was established in 1837 by French immigrants called the Colony of Brothers. Joseph Picquet played a key role in organizing the colony and recruiting members for it. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ste._Marie,_Illinois.
November 7th
Left St. Louis for Alton & continued on the stage for Springfield.
November 8th
In Springfield. Preached forenoon & afternoon.
November 9th
Left for Peoria. That night in Peoria & 10th in same place.
November 10th
Left same place in boat for Peru. Continued on in stage from Peru.
November 12th
reached Chicago in the afternoon.
November 21st
Sister Gertrude professed as a religious of the order of our Lady of Mercy in the cathedral. Ceremony commenced at 9 o’clock. A Pontifical High Mass. Sermon by the bishop. Church crowded with Protestants.
October] 9th
[this entry follows that of 11/21]Sisters Mary Eliza[beth] Corbitt (called in religious Sister Josephine) and Mary Eva Smidt (called in religious Sister Veronica) took the white veil. A Pontifical High Mass in the cathedral. Service commenced at 9 o’clock. Sermon by Rev. Jer[emiah] Kinsella, president of the University of St. Mary of Lake.
December 1846
Nothing of interest #35
#35 + Not sure why the diary, beginning in October 1846 through March 1847, has such brief or no entries. It does seem strange that Bishop Quarter, who in previous diary entries offered a wide range of comments, found nothing of interest to note in almost a six-month period. Maybe health reasons limited his energy for writing, although no direct evidence supports this. The lack of entries from October 1846 through March 1847 remains a mystery.
January 1847
February 1847
March 1847
no entries in the diary for these months
April 1847
April 3rd Holy Saturday
Bishop officiating pontifically conferred tonsure on Misters Burns, Baltes [later Bishop of Alton/Quincy], & Pendergast. Minor orders Misters Hugh Brady, Mich[ael] Pendergast. Subdeaconship Misters James Kean, Lawrence Hoey, Hugh Brady, Michael Pendergast & Henry Cail. #36
#36 + Although the first name is not given in the diary for “Baltes” who received tonsure on April 3rd, he likely was Peter Joseph Baltes who became the second Bishop of Alton (IL) in 1869.
Alton/Quincy
April 4th Easter Sunday
Bishop officiated pontifically and conferred subdeaconship on Mr. John Bradley [p. 55] & deaconship on Hugh Brady, James Kean, and Mich[ael] Pendergast.
April 11th
Dominica in Albis. Bishop officiated pontifically & raised to the dignity of the Priesthood Rev. James Kean & Rev. Mich[ael] Pendergast.
Nuns Taking White Veil
[April 10th] [entry out of chronological order]
On Saturday morning before Low Sunday the bishop gave the white veil in the chapel of the convent of the Sisters of Mercy to two young ladies both from N. York City — Miss Mary Murholland(?) called in religion Sister Mary Francis De Sales & Miss Ellen Reiley called in religion Sister Mary Theresa.
Spiritual Retreat for the Clergymen of the Diocese of Chicago
#36 + Although the first name is not given in the diary for “Baltes” who received tonsure on April 3rd, he likely was Peter Joseph Baltes who became the second Bishop of Alton (IL) in 1869.
Bishop Joseph Baltes
Alton/Quincy
April 18th
The exercises of the spiritual retreat for the clergymen opened Sunday evening the 18th of April in the chapel of the University of St. Mary of the Lake, chapel of “The Holy Name of Jesus,” by a Jesuit father from St. Louis of the name of Rev. Di Maria, S.J. This father is the Jesuit Professor of Theology in the Ecclesiastical Seminary of the Jesuits attached to the University of St. Louis. Nearly all the clergymen of the diocese assembled at the retreat. Some 3 or 4 are absent owing either to indisposition or the difficulty of travelling from a remote part of the diocese, but even then may yet arrive before the exercises of the retreat are brought to a close. #37
#37 + Information on Father Francis Di Maria, S.J. (1808-1870) can be found in Eleanor C. Donnelley, A Memoir of Father Felix Joseph Barbelin, S.J. (New York: Christian Press Association Publishing Company, 1886), 219-234 accessed through https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31175035160335. The Donnelley book provides information on Di Maria’s childhood and early life as a Jesuit, but little information of his time as a seminary professor. He also is mentioned briefly in Gilbert Garraghan, S.J., The Jesuits of the Middle United States (New York: America Press, 1938), v. III, 301-302.
The sermon at the High Mass on Sunday was [p. 56] preached by the Rev. Mr. Feely (?) as[sistant] pastor at Ottawa. The subject of his discourse was mysteries in general & the Holy Eucharist in particular. In the afternoon at Vespers Rev. George S. Hamilton, as[sistant] pastor at Alton preached. Subject Purgatory.
[p. 57]
[p. 58] [numbering of the next two pages is out of sequence. The diary indicates the next two pages as 56 and 57, whereas they should be 58 and 59. The numbering will reflect the page as indicated in the diary]
Clergymen at Synod
[signed by their own hand]
Very Rev. Walter J. Quarter [crossed out]
Jeremiah S. Kinsella
Dennis Ryan
Patrick McCabe
Patrick McMahon
Augustus Brickwedde
Bernard McGorisk
John Ingoldsby
Andrew Doyle
G. H. (?) Fortmann (?)
Michael Connolly
John Brady
Berhard Hermann Plathe
John Cavanaugh
Patrick James McLaughlin
Philip Conlon
Patrick Thomas McElhearne
James Gallagher (?)
Mark Anthony
James A. Kean
Michael Pendergast
[illegible name] van Clostere (?)
Raphael Ranaldi
Alphonsus [illegible name]
P. Scanlan
J. G. Schafer
G. H. Ostlangenberg
William Feely
James Griffith
Francis Derwin
George Hamilton
W. Masterson
J. Rogan (?)William Quarter, Bishop of Chicago
[p. 57]
Clergymen absent from synod for just causes and with permission
V. Rev. W. J. Quarter
Rev. P. Donaho — Kaskaskia
Rev. W. Kinister (?) — Teutopolis
Rev. Murray — in Ireland for health
Rev. Brennan — deceased (?)
McAuley — sick in Galena
V. Rev. Mr. Badin — in New Orleans
Rev. Mr. Jung — Shoal Creek
Rev. Mr. Drew — Shawneetown (?)
Rev. Thomas O’Donnell — Brooklyn, N.Y.
[page numbering now continues with p. 59]
[p. 59] April 1847
April 29th
Rev. Tousaint Cour Jault [Courjoult] arrived from Vincennes and after three days retreat in seminary he received faculties, temporarily, and was sent to Burbonas Grove (sic). Rev. G[eorge] Hamilton appointed pastor at St. Francisville, Mt. Carmel, & Caffee(?). Rev. James Griffith to Nauvoo Fountain Green and St. Augustine’s. #38
May 1847
May 18th
Bishop left Chicago for visitation of southern part of the diocese. Rev. James Kean accompanying him.
May 23rd Pentecost Sunday
Administered Sacrament of Confirmation at Alton.
#38 + Father Jault was replacing Father Badin who was in New Orleans.
May 25th
Administered the Sacrament of Confirmation at Quincy. Laid the cornerstone of a new church for Germans. Rev. A. Brickwedde pastor. #39
May 30th Trinity Sunday
Administered the Sacrament of Confirmation at Belleville & blessed (?) the church. Rev. Mr. Ostlangenberg pastor.
June 1847
June 3rd Solemnity of Corpus Christi
Administered Sacrament of Confirmation at Kaskaskia.
June 4th
Administered Sacrament of Confirmation at Prairie du Rocher.
#39 + The Catholic Almanac (1848), [139] lists St. Boniface as the German parish in Quincy.
