Harold Stansell, S.J.

VICARS APOSTOLIC
1850-1885

John Baptist Miège, S.J.
Vicar Apostolic of The Indian Territory
(1850-1859)

James O'Gorman, O.C.S.O. (Trappist)
First Vicar Apostolic of Nebraska
(1859-1874)

James O'Connor
Second Vicar Apostolic of Nebraska
(1875-1885);
First Bishop of Omaha
(1885-1890)

Prologue

During the decade of the 1840s very significant developments took place in the unoccupied lands west of the Missouri river which multiplied the problems of government. Vast expanses of land, some already claimed by the United States government, such as the Oregon Territory, and others gained as a result of the war with Mexico, proved to be very attractive to land hungry Americans who began to migrate to the northwest and the west in increasing numbers. After a slow beginning in 1840, the migrations began in earnest in 1842. A year later about 1,000 people traveled over the trails that led to Oregon and intermediate places. In 1845, 3,000 men, women and children set out on the long and arduous journey over the Oregon and other trails. By the end of 1845 about 6,000 people had relocated themselves in the northwest and the west.>1850>1 These developments posed problems for the government of the United States and the leaders of the various churches.

The response of the government of the United States has been more than adequately recorded in general histories and specialized studies. The concern of this undertaking is the response of the authorities of the Roman Catholic Church to the new challenge. It had long been the policy of the Holy See to establish a vicariate apostolic in regions that were being occupied and developed for the first time. A vicariate apostolic is defined in canon law as “a certain portion of the people of God which is not yet erected into a diocese, due to particular circumstances and whose pastoral care is entrusted to a vicar apostolic . . . who governs it in the name of the Supreme Pontiff.”>1850>2

As early as 1843 the Holy See, in response to a request by the American Bishops, with the endorsement of Joseph Signay, Bishop of Quebec, established the Vicariate Apostolic of Oregon which included the lands west of the Rocky Mountains. Six years later, the bishops again petitioned the Holy See to establish another vicariate for the territory between the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains. This petition reflected the growing concern of the bishops for the spiritual and temporal welfare of the Indians who were being relocated in the area of the Great Plains. On July 19, 1850, the Holy See established the Vicariate Apostolic of The Indian Territory. It is doubtful that the bishops, much less the officials of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, had the slightest realization of the vastness of the vicariate which they established. That area has aptly been described as measuring, “almost seven hundred miles from north to south and approximately six hundred miles from east to west and included in addition to the future state of Nebraska those of Kansas, Oklahoma, the Dakotas south and west of the Missouri River, and Montana, Wyoming and Colorado at least as far west to the crest of the Rocky Mountains.”>1850>3

John Baptist Miège, S.J., Vicar Apostolic of The Indian Territory, 1850-1859

The Roman authorities designated John Baptist Miège, S.J., a native of Savoy only recently arrived in the United States, to be Vicar Apostolic. This appointment made Miège the first official prelate with jurisdiction over the future state of Wyoming. However, since the territory was so vast it is reasonably certain that the bishop never set foot in that part of the vicariate. After his episcopal consecration by Peter Richard Kenrick, Archbishop of St. Louis, Miège established his residence in the St. Mary’s Potawatomi Mission where Jesuits of the vice-province of Missouri were evangelizing the members of the Potawatomi tribe. This decision gave the bishop a base for his operations in his efforts to become acquainted with the vicariate. Soon after he was settled the bishop had an opportunity to extend hospitality to Father DeSmet who was on his way back to St. Louis after his memorable experience at the Great Council in Wyoming in 1851. DeSmet noted with disarming simplicity that “we reached St. Mary’s, among the Potawatomies on the 11th of October. Bishop Miège and the other fathers of this Mission received us with great cordiality and kindness.”>1850>4 No doubt, DeSmet held the attention of his hosts as he gave an account of his experiences in Wyoming and his assessment of the meeting of the Great Council at Horse Creek.

A year and a half later, April, 1853, DeSmet spent a considerable amount of time with Bishop Miège when the two traveled to Europe. DeSmet later wrote: “In the month of April of this year 1853, with the approval of the consultors of the Vice-Province, the Reverend Father Provincial sent me to Europe in company with the Right Reverend then Vicar Apostolic of Western Indian Territory, east of the Rocky Mountains. His Lordship was to proceed to Rome, myself to France, Belgium and Holland, both on business of the Society [of Jesus].”>1850>5

The bishop was not a good sailor; nevertheless, there must have been plenty of opportunity for the two to compare their experiences. It is possible that Miège experienced a growing realization of the extent of the vicariate as well as the weight of the responsibility for the pastoral care of the people who were moving into the territory.

After his return to the vicariate Miège moved his residence from the St. Mary’s Mission to the recently established town of Leavenworth, Kansas so that he could provide for the growing numbers of people who were making their homes in that area. Shortly after he had established himself in Leavenworth the bishop found time to visit Nebraska. He made two trips into that region; one in 1854, and a second excursion in the following year. The bishop was somewhat overwhelmed by the vastness of the territory entrusted to his care. He decided that something must be done about the matter and when the bishops of the area met in the First Provincial Council of St. Louis in 1855 Miège persuaded them to petition the Holy See to divide the vicariate of Indian Territory. The Roman authorities moved with proverbial slowness while making a decision. Finally, in 1857, the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith approved the division and established the vicariate of Nebraska. At the same time Rome requested Miège to continue as administrator until a vicar apostolic could be appointed. The new vicariate included “the present state of Nebraska all of the two Dakotas lying west of the Missouri River, all of Montana and Wyoming as far as the crest of the mountains, and the northeastern corner of Colorado which lay north of the fortieth parallel and east of the crest of the mountains.”>1850>6

For more than two years Miège continued to administer both vicariates. Finally, in 1859, the Holy See designated James Miles O’Gorman, O.C.S.O., prior of the Trappist monastery of New Melleray, near Dubuque, Iowa, as Vicar Apostolic of Nebraska.

James O’Gorman, O.C.S.O. (Trappist), first Vicar Apostolic of Nebraska, 1859-1874

James O’Gorman, a native of county Tipperary, Ireland, had emigrated to the United states in July, 1849. He was a member of the first contingent of’ Irish Trappists from Mount Melleray. He and his companions came to Iowa in response to an invitation by Mathias Loras, bishop of Dubuque. Eight years after the monastery was established the abbot of Mount Melleray in Ireland, Bruno Fitzpatrick, appointed O’Gorman prior of the American foundation. After his appointment as Vicar Apostolic O’Gorman traveled to St. Louis where episcopal orders were conferred on him by Peter Richard Kenrick, Archbishop of St. Louis, on May 8, 1859. The two co-consecrators were John Baptist Miège, O’Gorman’s predecessor, and Henry D. Juncker, bishop of Alton, Illinois.

The new vicar was anxious to find out the extent of his jurisdiction. The first major stop on his way to Nebraska from St. Louis was Leavenworth, Kansas whore he spent a week with Bishop Miège and, no doubt, learned what his predecessor knew about the vicariate. He then preceded to St. Joseph, Missouri. He had considered making that city the site of his cathedral in accordance with the recommendation of Archbishop Kenrick. However, his reception by the local priest, Thomas E. Scanlon, was less than enthusiastic so he decided to go further north.>1850>7 After a brief visit in Nebraska City he moved on to Omaha. Members of the Omaha City Council had made a generous offer to donate property for a church if the bishop would choose that city for his headquarters. O’Gorman turned the offer down but, nevertheless, decided to establish his residence in Omaha.

Bishop O’Gorman’s experiences during the first years of his administration were much the same as those that tested the patience and endurance of all frontier bishops during the years of westward expansion. His energies were expended in the Territory of Nebraska which at the time was his primary and pressing responsibility. His activities have been meticulously recorded by Rev. Henry W. Casper, S.J., in the first volume of his history of the Catholic Church in Nebraska and there is no need to review them in this history.

However, the vicariate was on the threshold of a momentous development which, despite of the preoccupation with the Civil War, remained high on the agenda of the United States Government: namely, the need for the development of railroad systems. After the war phenomenal progress was made in the expansion of railroads. One advance that would widen the horizon of Bishop O’Gorman and add to his responsibilities was the culmination of long and arduous planning for a transcontinental railroad to be constructed by the builders of the Union Pacific moving west from Omaha-to meet with the builders of the Central Pacific moving east from Sacramento, California. The directors of the Union Pacific were fortunate in obtaining the services of Glenville Mellen Dodge as chief engineer. Dodge had resigned from the army after a very successful tour of duty during which he had been promoted to the rank of Major General of the United States Volunteers. Dodge assumed his duties as Chief Engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad (May 6, 1866). One historian of the Union Pacific wrote that those responsible for the appointment of General Dodge did not fully realize how fortunate they were in obtaining the services of that outstanding engineer. Charles E. Ames wrote: “The directors, officers, and employees of the company, delighted as they were, hardly could appreciate at the time how lucky they were to win the services of this renowned soldier-engineer. In retrospect, this was one of the brilliant events in the history of the U.P.>1850>8

It is tempting to relate once again the fascinating story of the building-of the Union Pacific railroad but that would not serve the purpose of this history. However, it is important to record the fact that the directors of the Union Pacific and those who worked with and for them were responsible for preparing the way for the future incorporation of Wyoming as a state into the United States. The land that had been by-passed for almost three decades was finally occupied and permanent settlements were established, and this was due to the progress of the railroad. General Dodge in his account of the building of the railroad noted that as the builders progressed they established bases for the delivery of the necessary materials at locations usually from 100 to 200 miles apart. Of the bases that survived and became towns or cities in Wyoming the following are noteworthy: Cheyenne, Laramie, Rawlins, Green River, and Evanston.>1850>9

The first of the towns mentioned, Cheyenne, came into existence when, on July 2, 1867, General Dodge staked out land for a town and reserved 320 acres for a railroad terminal. He named the town Cheyenne to commemorate “one of the most important tribes of Indians on the plains.”>1850>10

Among those who were interested in the progress of the railroad, not the least was the vicar apostolic of Nebraska who was particularly concerned about the spiritual welfare of the railroad workers, many of whom were from his native Ireland. In the fall of 1867, before the railroad reached Cheyenne, Bishop O’Gorman dispatched the Reverend William Kelly to minister to the Catholics who worked for the Union Pacific.

William Kelly, a native of Ireland, was the first Catholic priest to be canonically assigned to the territory which eventually would become the Diocese of Cheyenne.>1850>11 Kelly had visited the United States in 1853 as an Irish Christian Brother on a fund-raising tour seeking financial support for All Hallows College, Dublin, which had been established as a training school for Irish missionaries destined to work in English speaking countries. Kelly traveled extensively while working on that project. He was favorably impressed with the work of the church in the United States, so much so that shortly after his return to Ireland he decided to leave the Christian Brothers, return to America, and study for the priesthood. He attended the Vincentian seminary in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, from 1856 to 1857. During the year 1858 he sought a bishop who would adopt him. During this year he met Bishop O’Gorman who accepted him for the vicariate of Nebraska and ordained him in June, 1859. For some eight years Father Kelly exercised his ministry in various places in the vicariate. When he was sent to Cheyenne in 1867 he was a seasoned priest who was very familiar with life on the frontier. His assignment to Wyoming was reminiscent of the scriptural commission to the disciples when they were given a mandate to proceed to preach the “Good News” with only the bare essentials and to be sustained by the peoples’ hospitality. Kelly traveled to the railroad camps of the Union Pacific where he made contact with the people who were anxious to have a priest to minister to their spiritual needs.

It would be interesting to know more about the daily activities of Father Kelly. However, there is not a exact record of the day to day progress of his ministry, but as time went on, it was obvious that Father Kelly was making an impression and that his presence on the scene on the railroad and in that railroad town was appreciated by those who were interested in some kind of orderly development of the booming town. The priest exercised his ministry for some six months before he was able to establish a permanent base for his operations. The base was provided by the authorities of the Union Pacific who donated four lots on the northeast corner of 21st and O’Neil streets to the Catholic Church.>1850>12 Father Kelly with some of the members of his flock lost little time in undertaking the task of building a church and a parochial residence. The project was completed by the end of the summer of 1868 and the Catholics of Cheyenne had a proper, if not majestic, place for worship and the pastor had his own residence, all at the cost of some $4,000.>1850>13

Father Kelly made good use of the church in Cheyenne. In addition to providing an opportunity for members of his flock to attend Mass on Sunday, the pastor made generous provision of time for those who might wish to go to confession on Saturday by making himself available from two to six in the afternoon and seven to nine in the evening. He took a dim view of the practice of the saloon keepers of opening their places of business at 9:30 in the morning, even on Sundays. Father Kelly had more than sufficient experience with his Irish compatriots to understand that some of them had a proclivity for drinking alcoholic beverages. Consequently, he let it be known that he strongly objected to the custom of early openings of the bars every morning. It is interesting to record that the owners of the bars agreed to keep the saloons closed from 9:30 A.M. until 12 noon on Sundays. Sunday was a busy day for the pastor because he knew that he could not neglect the children and consequently he taught catechism at two o’clock in the afternoon.>1850>14

Gradually, Father Kelly became more familiar with the extent of the territory that was entrusted to his pastoral care and did his best to minister to those who needed his services. When possible, he offered Mass in Laramie City and Fort Sanders. On the other days of the week he exercised his pastoral ministry along the railroad where the section houses were converted into temporary churches.>1850>15

Father Kelly was anxious to have Bishop O’Gorman visit Cheyenne to witness the progress of the church there and to administer the sacrament of confirmation. The Cheyenne pastor had more than sufficient time to prepare the candidates for the sacrament because the bishop had many pressing problems in the vicariate and his efforts to solve those problems kept him occupied for a period of ten months after he had received Father Kelly’s invitation. Finally, in July, 1869, Bishop O’Gorman, accompanied by the Reverend James M. Ryan and Reverend Millany arrived in Cheyenne and on the eleventh day of that month confirmed twenty children and adults. Father Millany preached the sermon.>1850>16

The next day the bishop and his companions, including Father Kelly, traveled to Laramie City, a mission of Cheyenne. Some Catholics gave the bishop a document in which were recorded the names of persons who pledged money needed to build a church. A total of thirteen hundred and twenty-seven dollars was pledged for the project. J.W. Donnellan was chosen to be treasurer of the congregation.>1850>17 Bishop O’Gorman presided at the laying of the cornerstone of the proposed church. No further progress was made in building the church until the first local pastor arrived in Laramie early in 1872.>1850>18

Shortly after Bishop O’Gorman returned to Omaha following his confirmation tour in Wyoming he recalled Father Kelly from Cheyenne. Father Kelly had labored in Wyoming for some two years. During that period he had established a sound foundation for the Catholic Church in that territory. He had supervised the building of the first parish church and parochial residence in Cheyenne and had traveled far and wide to bring the sacraments to those who desired the ministrations of a priest. During the brief period of his tenure as pastor he assisted at thirteen marriages, baptized forty-eight persons and prepared twenty for the sacrament of Confirmation.>1850>19

On October 9, 1869, Philip Erlach became the second pastor of the church in Cheyenne. In the year and six months of his pastorate he baptized forty-three persons. Father Erlach extended the area of his responsibility when he responded to the needs of the people who were interested in the reports that gold was being mined in South Pass City and Atlantic City. He also visited Fort Laramie and Fort Fetterman. In April, 1871, Father Erlach was transferred to a parish in Nebraska.>1850>20

The next pastor, William Byrne, was destined to remain in Cheyenne for two years and five months. He was the first pastor to have a priest to assist him, namely, Eugene Cusson, a French-Canadian, who had been ordained for service in the vicariate. He arrived in Cheyenne in May, 1871. It is clear that Father Cusson took some of the pressure off of the pastor; the baptismal register indicates that he baptized twenty-two persons. No doubt, Father Cusson found other ways to assist the pastor. During Father Byrne’s incumbency, Bishop O’Gorman visited Cheyenne and on September 15, 1872, confirmed thirteen persons.>1850>21

Father Byrne did not enjoy the luxury of having a priest to assist him for more than seven months. Early in 1872, Bishop O’Gorman requested Father Cusson to move to Laramie City to minister to the Catholics in a town that was growing rapidly as an important center for the activities of those who were working for the Union Pacific Railroad. Father Cusson’s experience in Cheyenne prepared him for the task of establishing a Catholic community in Laramie. He realized that it was necessary for him to acquire a secure title to property on which he could build a church. once again the officials of the Union Pacific Railroad Company came to the aid of Father Cusson when they issued “quit-claim deed to lots I and 2, block 190, generously donating this land to the Catholic Church (June 19, 1872).”>1850>22 After acquiring the property, Father Cusson moved with dispatch and made the necessary preparations for acquiring those things needed for building a church. In due time a stone church was ready and was placed under the patronage of St. Laurence O’Toole, a twelfth century bishop in Ireland who became the first Irish Archbishop of Dublin.

While these developments were under way, it was becoming quite evident that Bishop O’Gorman’s health was deteriorating. He suffered a mild stroke early in 1874. His health had not been robust and the problems of administering such a vast territory with but few priests and very limited financial resources drained his strength. Bishop O’Gorman succumbed rather suddenly on 4th July, 1874. He had served his church well and bequeathed to his successor a legacy that presaged a brighter future for the Catholic Church in Nebraska. It is understandable that Bishop O’Gorman did not have the, resources which would make it possible for him to hand on a mature church in the territory of Wyoming to the man who would follow him, but certainly he left a church that had a good beginning in that region.

James O’Connor, second Vicar Apostolic of Nebraska, first Bishop of Omaha, 1875-1890

When Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick, of the metropolitan See of St. Louis, learned of the death of Bishop O’Gorman, he appointed Reverend William Byrne, who had been a pastor in Cheyenne from April, 1871 to September, 1873, administrator of the vicariate until a successor to Bishop O’Gorman could be selected. Those responsible for the selection of bishops moved with unaccustomed alacrity and appointed Reverend John Ireland Vicar Apostolic of Nebraska on February 12, 1875. Father Ireland’s bishop, Most Reverend Thomas L. Grace, O.P., had other plans for the pastor of the cathedral of St. Paul, Minnesota. Specifically, he hoped to have Father Ireland as his coadjutor and eventually, his successor. Bishop Grace went to Rome and made his plans known to the officials of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. After some consideration the officials of the congregation acceded to the bishop’s request and revoked the appointment of Father Ireland as Vicar Apostolic of Nebraska.>1850>23 In due time, John Ireland was designated coadjutor-bishop of St. Paul with the right of succession. It is interesting to speculate, in view of the subsequent career and the influence of John Ireland in the hierarchy of the church in America, on the effect he might have had in the progress of the vicariate of Nebraska.

While the process of selection of a vicar was resumed, important events took place in Laramie and Cheyenne. Father Cusson had gained stature as a churchman who was interested in the welfare of the people of Laramie; one who was willing to help as much as he could to serve the needs of the people. A pressing problem confronted the officials of the Union Pacific Railroad Company who had established a rolling mill, that is, an establishment where metal, especially iron and steel, was rolled into plates and bars. In such a factory the incidence of serious accidents was rather high. The officials of the railroad had undertaken to open a small hospital but soon realized that it was too much for them to maintain. In their dilemma they, along with the county commissioners, asked Father Cusson if he could persuade some Catholic Sisters to open a hospital where they could nurse those injured in the mill. Not long after this request was made, Father Cusson traveled to Cheyenne on business. By a strange coincidence he met Mother Xavier Ross, foundress of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, on the platform of the railway station. After the exchange of introductions, Father Cusson asked Mother Xavier if she could send some Sisters to meet with the interested officials of the railroad and the county to discuss the feasibility of establishing a hospital in Laramie. After some discussion, the Sisters agreed to undertake the task of opening a hospital. In January, 1876, Sisters Joanna Bruner and Martha Meed arrived in Laramie where they were given “space in an old frame house belonging to the railroad and located near the tracks.”>1850>24 On February 1, 1876, a twenty-four bed hospital was formally opened under the patronage of St. Joseph. In due time, Sisters Mary Agnes Toole and Mary dei Pazzi Lane joined the pioneering staff.>1850>25

Progress was also made during the interregnum in Cheyenne where Reverend John McGoldrick, who had succeeded Father Byrne, was pastor; he held office from September, 1873 to October, 1877. Father McGoldrick realized that the church, which had been built in 1868, was no longer adequate for his parishioners. consequently, “he secured two lots at the northeast corner of 19th and Carey Avenue as the site for a new church.”>1850>26 The pastor was also concerned about obtaining land for a Catholic cemetery. With the generous assistance of the mayor of Cheyenne, Lawrence Bresnahen, arrangements were undertaken for the transfer of ten acres of land as soon As the legal technicalities could be resolved. The negotiations had been initiated in April, 1876; it took some time before a final settlement was reached.>1850>27

In the meantime, the process of selecting a successor to Bishop O’Gorman was resumed after the appointment of John Ireland had been withdrawn. In time the name of James O’Connor, a priest of the diocese of Philadelphia attracted the attention of the authorities in Rome, who, after they had reviewed his credentials, appointed him Vicar Apostolic of Nebraska.

James O’Connor, a native of Ireland, came to the United States with his older brother, Michael, in 1839. The latter had been invited to come to Philadelphia by Coadjutor Bishop Francis Patrick Kenrick who appointed him rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. the younger O’Connor had decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps and entered the seminary. Some two years later he transferred to the Urban College of the Propaganda in Rome. When he had completed his courses in philosophy and theology he was ordained a priest on March 25, 1848. In early April the young priest returned to the United States where he joined the recently established diocese of Pittsburg which had been entrusted to the jurisdiction of Michael O’Connor as its first bishop. It will not serve the purpose of this history to record the facts of the career of James O’Connor as a priest in the Diocese of Pittsburg. However, it should be noted that after Michael O’Connor resigned as bishop of that diocese on May 30, 1860, his younger brother found it difficult to work with the new ordinary, Michael Domenec, C.M. Serious differences developed between the two churchmen, so much so, that James O’Connor transferred to the Diocese of Philadelphia. The bishop of that diocese, James F. Wood, appointed him rector of the seminary, a post which he held for some nine years (1863-1872).

Father O’Connor resigned from that position and was assigned as pastor of St. Dominic’s parish in Holmesburg. For four years Father O’Connor gained the experience of actually presiding over a parish. In June, 1876 he received news of his appointment to succeed Bishop O’Gorman as Vicar Apostolic of Nebraska. The vicar to-be lost little time in making plans for his episcopal ordination. On August 19, 1876 Bishop Patrick J. Ryan, coadjutor bishop of St. Louis conferred episcopal ordination on James O’Connor; he was assisted by Bishops William O’Hara of Scranton, and Jeremiah F. Shanahan of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Bishop O’Connor was installed in his cathedral in Omaha on September 24, 1876 by Bishop Patrick J. Ryan acting in the name of Archbishop Kenrick of the metropolitan See of St. Louis.>1850>28

Bishop O’Connor spent his first eight months as vicar becoming acquainted with his jurisdiction. He introduced some standard procedures which seem to have been somewhat neglected by his predecessor, such as the establishment of a diocesan council, that is, a number of priests with whom he could consult and who would offer advice when it was sought. A second matter that required attention was the need to regularize the procedures related to the acquiring and ownership of property.>1850>29

High on the vicar’s list of agenda was his need to find out as much as possible about his vast jurisdiction. To satisfy this need he began a visitation of the vicariate on May 1, 1877. He traveled by rail through Nebraska and southern Wyoming and visited the Catholic communities along the way. At each visit, the bishop carefully recorded the pertinent information regarding the status of each church. If the Catholic community had a church, the bishop recorded its size and condition. he was interested in the number of practicing Catholics in each locality. He uniformly noted: “whether or not the Church had a burial ground, whether the Church property had been deeded to the bishop, and in addition he wrote down his observations on the accouterment of the sacristy and sanctuary, the personnel of the Church committee, the ability of the congregation to support a pastor, its indebtedness, the number of times attached missions were visited by the priest, the existence of church societies, and the number of baptisms and marriages performed since January 1, 1876.”>1850>30

Travel across southern Wyoming was facilitated by the Union Pacific Railroad. Obviously, Cheyenne was the first city in Wyoming to be visited. After he gathered the information that he was looking for, Bishop O’Connor conferred the sacrament of Confirmation on fourteen persons on May 10th. He proceeded to Laramie where he found considerable development of the Church under the guidance of Father Cusson who had been pastor since 1872. No doubt, the bishop was impressed by the existence of a hospital in that town as well as with the work of the Sisters of Charity. Father Cusson was in a position to brief the bishop on conditions in Rawlins, Green River and Evanston since he visited these communities on a more or less regular schedule. The bishop received a warm welcome in Rawlins. Later he confirmed eight persons in Green River; the service was held in the school since there was no Catholic church in that town. His final visit in Wyoming was to the town of Evanston where he appointed a committee to see what could be done about building a church. Fortunately, at the time there was a Baptist Church for sale. Father Cusson purchased the church from the Baptist Home Mission Society for $1,100. It is worthy of note that the Catholics of Evanston paid for the church within one month.>1850>31

After the visit to Evanston Bishop O’Connor made short stops in Utah and Idaho and spent some time in Montana. Eventually he returned to Omaha traveling by boat down the Mississippi River. it is reasonably certain that on the completion of his visitation of the vicariate, a trip which had taken some three months, the vicar apostolic had a much improved comprehension of the vastness of the territory that was entrusted to his pastoral care.

While the bishop reviewed the status of the vicariate and made plans for the future, further progress was made in Laramie. Father Cusson persuaded the Sisters of Charity to open a school. The Sisters were well disposed to accept the challenge because teaching young people was one of the goals of their congregation. Fortunately, they were able to rent a building near the parish church and in September, 1878 they were ready to accept students. Sisters Loretta Foley and Francis de Sales Cannan taught some eighty pupils distributed over the eight grades.>1850>32 Encouraged by the initial success of the venture, the Sisters purchased a frame building on A Street in 1879, recruited more teachers, named the school St. Mary’s Academy, and continued to teach an increasing number of students. By the year 1891, the academy accommodated one hundred and twenty pupils.>1850>33

There seemed to be no limit to the involvement of the Sisters of Charity in the development of Laramie. In 1878, the Sisters decided that the facilities of St. Joseph’s Hospital were no longer adequate for the number of patients that needed medical attention. The sisters purchased land east of town and under took the project of building a new hospital. They initiated a fund-raising campaign. Unfortunately, the campaign did not receive the support it deserved, in spite of the fact that the Territorial Legislature appropriated $3,000 for the proposed hospital. Since the necessary funds were not forth-coming, the project was suspended until a more propitious time.

Early in 1879, Bishop O’Connor transferred Father Cusson to Nebraska City. The French-Canadian priest had merited well of the Church in Wyoming. He bequeathed a church, a school, and a hospital to his successor. Besides taking care of his flock in Laramie, he traveled widely in order to minister to the Catholics in an area that included South Pass City, Atlantic City, the site of the future town of Lander, Rawlins and Evanston. He had accomplished much during his seven years as pastor of St. Laurence O’Toole in Laramie.>1850>34

In Cheyenne, the fourth pastor, John McGoldrick, succeeded Father William Byrne in September, 1873. He realized that the Church which had been built in the time of Father Kelly was no longer adequate to accommodate the growing number of Catholics in Cheyenne, consequently, he purchased two lots at the northeast corner of 19th and Carey Avenue as the site for a new church. The pastor was also anxious to acquire property for a cemetery and this project was successful because Lawrence Bresnehen, as mayor of the city, used his influence to arrange for the transfer of ten acres to the church authorities.>1850>35 Father McGoldrick was not able to capitalize on these opportunities because he had contracted tuberculosis and did not have sufficient energy to carry out his plans for a new church. He steadily lost ground from August, 1877 on and finally succumbed on October 18, 1877. He was the first pastor in Cheyenne to die while in office. His body was taken to Omaha for interment. Bishop 0’Connor who was aware of the situation, dispatched John T. Lee to Cheyenne to assist the ailing pastor. Father Lee remained in the city until July 1878 as assistant to McGoldrick’s successor, John J. Jennette, who needed all the help he could get because he was also responsible to the parish in Sidney, Nebraska. Father Jennette supervised the construction of a church in Sidney as well as the laying of the foundation for a brick church in Cheyenne on the property that had been acquired by Father McGoldrick. Jennette’s Sunday schedule was published in the Cheyenne Daily Sun for March 17, 1878 under the heading “Church Services: Mass at 9:00 A.M. followed by a High Mass and sermon at 10:30 A.M. Sabbath {sic} School at 3:00 P.M. Rev. J. Jennette, pastor.”>1850>36 He accomplished much in less than a year as pastor (December, 1877 to August 4, 1878).

Father Jennette was transferred to Omaha in August, 1878. His successor, John A. Hayes, concentrated on the project of bringing to completion- the building of a church and a parochial residence and both were finished in due time. Father Hayes planned a public celebration to commemorate the event. On May 25, 1879 the church was dedicated and placed under the patronage of St. John the Baptist. Since Bishop O’Connor was in New York where he attended the dedication of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the vicar general, Daniel I. McDermott, presided at the ceremony assisted by Hugh Cummiskey of Laramie, Michael F. Cassidy of Rawlins and the pastor. Rev. Daniel Hayes was also present; he seems to have disappeared from public scrutiny soon after the dedication. A number of lay persons were recognized and identified by a reporter from the newspaper, The Cheyenne Daily Sun, namely, “Luke Morris, Mayor Lawrence Bresnehan, John Crowley, John Phillips, Daniel Fitzgerald, Timothy Dyer, Mrs. McKnight, Misses Mollie Moran, Annie McKay and Toulson.”>1850>37

During Father Hayes’ tenure, the parish became firmly established but growth required more financial support than was provided by thee Offertory collections. The pastor and leaders in the parish decided to organize a fair. The venture was a social and financial success, so much so, that the promoters kept the fair operating for a couple of sessions beyond the advertised evenings of January 17-20.>1850>38 The promise of continuing growth under the guidance of Father Hayes faded when he was struck down by typhoid fever. He survived a first attack and was on his way to recovery when a recurrence of the fever proved fatal. An obituary note in a daily newspaper recorded that “he quietly passed away like a child sinking to peaceful slumber.”>1850>39 Father Hayes was the first priest to be buried in the cemetery which the Church had acquired some years earlier.

A little more than two months after the death of Father Hayes a memorable event took place in Laramie. It has been noted above that the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth had to suspend plans for building a new hospital in Laramie because they were unable, at that time, to liquidate some outstanding debts. They did not however, entirely abandon the project. In due time building was resumed. Early in 1883 the new hospital was ready to receive patients. It was a three-story brick building which could accommodate some fifty patients. The pastor of St. Laurence O’Toole, Hugh Cummiskey, dedicated the new facility on January 25, 1883. Father M. F. Cassidy of Rawlins assisted at the dedication.>1850>40

In 1884, two notable events took place; events which demonstrated that the Church in Wyoming was becoming firmly established and was developing north of the southern belt. In that year Bishop O’Connor, who was aware of his responsibility to provide spiritual and educational facilities for the Indians who lived on the Wind River Reservations, sent Daniel W. Moriarity, recently ordained for service in the vicariate, to minister to the Catholics in Lander and to contact the proper authorities of the Indian Bureau to ascertain what could be done to help the Indians on the reservation. Father Moriarity succeeded in building a stone church in Lander and initiated conversations with the authorities responsible for the conduct of affairs pertaining to the reservation. The bishop needed financial help and he turned to Catholics in eastern dioceses and appealed for funds to make it possible to build a school on the reservation. An early response was made by Edward McGlynn, pastor of St. Stephen’s parish in New York City. Father McGlynn promised an annual gift of at least $200.00 plus sufficient Mass intentions for one and possibly two priests for each day of the year. Bishop O’Connor showed his appreciation for this contribution by designating St. Stephen patron of the proposed mission.>1850>41

The Church’s ministry among the Indians was limited by the policy of the United States officials in charge of Indian affairs. The government officials allowed one church organization to a tribe. Since the Episcopalians had established a school at Fort Washakie for the Shoshone Indians the Catholic Church had to limit its missionary activity to evangelizing the Northern Arapaho tribe.>1850>42 While Father Moriarity worked in the Lander area the bishop, who was aware of the activity of Jesuit priests and lay brothers in the Rocky Mountain Mission in the Northwest, endeavored to obtain men from the Society of Jesus who would establish a mission for the Northern Arapaho. He wrote to the vicar general of the Society and asked for men to come and work among the Indians on the Wind River Reservation. It seemed providential that at the time of the bishop’s request there were German Jesuits who had recently established a mission in Buffalo, New York. These men had left their native land because the anti-Catholic policy of the government of the recently unified German Empire made it very difficult for them to carry on their ministry in that country. The vicar general of the Society urged the superior of the Buffalo Mission, John B. Lessman, to send some men to the Wind River Reservation. The superior responded by sending, in the spring of 1884, Reverend John Jutz, S.J., and a lay Brother, Ursus Nunlist, S.J., to Wyoming. A little later Father John Aschenbrenner, S.J., took over in Lander, relieving Father Moriarity for another assignment.>1850>43 This promising beginning proved to be a disappointment and after a year and a half the Jesuits were recalled to Buffalo. The mission was eventually established at the time when the vicariate apostolic became part of the diocese of Omaha.

The second notable event that took place in 1884 was the arrival in Cheyenne of the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus. The acquisition of these teachers was due to the errors of Bishop O’Connor and Reverend Francis J. Nugent, the pastor who succeeded Father Hayes in Cheyenne. High on Father Nugent’s list of priorities was his determination to establish a parochial school. He was fortunate in being able to obtain the services of the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus whose American headquarters were near Philadelphia. The Sisters opened a school in Cheyenne in September, 1884. The first group of Sisters included Mother St. Michael, Sister Ambrose and Sister Genevieve. Later Sister Imelda and Mother M. Philomena joined the staff. The student body soon numbered one hundred and thirty pupils. Father Nugent, anxious to foster his education endeavor, supervised the building of an addition to the school known as St. John’s Hall; this made it possible for the Sisters to add the fifth, sixth and seventh grades.>1850>44

By the time of Father Nugent’s incumbency the parish had gained recognition as a notable institution in the city of Cheyenne. A daily newspaper noted that, “St. Mary’s (sic) Catholic Church membership is probably the largest in the city, and is in a very prosperous condition. Rev. Father Nugent was unable to furnish the necessary information relating to the Church, being engaged with his ecclesiastical duties. It is unnecessary to state that he meets the approbation of his congregation.”>1850>45

The pastor’s preoccupation included the negotiations that culminated in the purchase of the square block bounded by 24th and 25th Streets, and by Central and Warren Avenues. This property was deeded to the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus with the stipulation that they build and staff an academy. If they failed to do so the property would revert to the diocese.>1850>46 This and other projects of the busy pastor involved a considerable expenditure of money which depleted the financial resources of the parish and established an indebtedness which proved to be an embarrassment to the bishop who had returned to Omaha in 1886 after an extended visit in Rome. Bishop O’Connor borrowed money to pay off the debts that Father Nugent had incurred. It is not surprising that Father Nugent was removed as pastor in Cheyenne and sent to Rawlins.

At the time of his return from Rome in 1886, Bishop O’Connor was the bishop of the diocese of Omaha, which had been established on October 2, 1885. The new diocese included the Territory of Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park. Ever since 1877 when the diocese of Leavenworth, Kansas was established, the former vicariate apostolic of The Indian Territory was being divided by the authorities of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith into a number of ecclesiastical jurisdictions. They were the vicariate apostolic of the Dakotas in 1879, the diocese of Helena, Montana, in 1884, the diocese of Omaha in 1885, and the dioceses of Lincoln and of Cheyenne in 1887.>1850>47

In the period of thirty-five years, the vicariate of Nebraska was governed by three vicars. The first, John Baptist Miège, was appointed in 1850. When he became acquainted with the magnitude of the area entrusted to him, he requested the Holy See to modify the extent of his jurisdiction. It is extremely doubtful that Bishop Miège ever set foot in the region that was to become the Territory of Wyoming. In 1857, the Holy See established the vicariate of Nebraska and appointed James O’Gorman, O.C.S.O. (Trappist), Vicar Apostolic. Bishop O’Gorman was the first Catholic Bishop to visit Wyoming and to administer the sacrament of Confirmation there. In spite of the fact that he was almost overwhelmed by the magnitude of his responsibilities, he did manage to lay a solid foundation for the Catholic Church in Nebraska and Wyoming.

The second vicar apostolic of Nebraska, James O’Connor, administered a continually developing vicariate. On the eve of the establishment of the diocese of Omaha in 1885, there were eight parishes in that city and thirty-seven throughout the state of Nebraska as well as numerous missions. In the Territory of Wyoming there were seven churches and seven presbyteral residences, one hospital, one Catholic academy and two parochial schools. There were an estimated 470 Catholic families in Wyoming.>1850>48 Wyoming Territory remained part of the Diocese of Omaha for nearly three years.

Establishment of the Diocese of Cheyenne, August 2, 1887

Soon after the Diocese of Omaha was a reality, the bishops of the province of St. Louis, after meeting with Archbishop Peter Kenrick on June 18, 1886, requested the Holy See to establish two new dioceses: one for the territory south of the Platte River in Nebraska, the other to include the entire territory of Wyoming.>1850>49 Roman authorities acted on the recommendation of the bishops of the province and established the dioceses of Lincoln and Cheyenne.

The official document was dated August 2, 1887. The limits of the diocese of Cheyenne were set “ad orientem Status Dakota et Nebraska, ad occidentem Status Utah et Idaho, ad meridiem Status Colorado et Utah, ad septentrionalem Status Montana.” The person responsible for sending pertinent information about the diocese to the editors of Hoffman’s Catholic Directory, Almanac and Clergy List noted the date of establishment of the Diocese of Cheyenne as August 9, 1887. This error was repeated in the annual editions of the directory until the 1940s when the error was corrected, though Bishop Patrick A. McGovern published a history of his diocese in 1941 in which he stated that the diocese was established on August 9th. Some reviewer must have raised a question about the validity of this statement because shortly thereafter a request was sent to the chancellor of the diocese of Omaha asking for clarification of the matter. In due time a copy of the official document establishing the diocese of Lincoln and that of Cheyenne was sent to Bishop McGovern dated October 12, 1944. The concluding sentence of the papal document reads: “Datum Romae apud S. Petrum sub annulo Piscatoris die II Augusti MDCCCLXXXVII Pontificatus Nostri Anno Decimo [Given at Rome at St. Peter’s under the seal of the Fisherman the second day of August 1887, the tenth year of our Pontificate.]”>1850>50 The correct date was given in subsequent editions of the Catholic Directory. Finally, in 1887, after thirty-five years, the Territory of Wyoming had its own diocese and its own bishop, before Wyoming became a state in 1890.

NOTES

1850-1887

>1850>1 Billington, 448.

>1850>2 Code of Canon Law, Latin-English ed., (Canon Law Society of America).

>1850>3 The Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith had what kind of supervisory jurisdiction in the United States, 1789-1908.

>1850>4 Chittenden, II, 689.

>1850>5 Chittenden, II, 693.

>1850>6 Casper, I, 63. Was he in Wyoming on that DeSmet trip to Oregon?

>1850>7 Casper, I, 102. O’Gorman’s activities have been meticulously recorded by Rev. Henry W. Casper, S.J., in the first volume of his history of the Catholic Church in Nebraska and there is no need to review them in this history.

>1850>8 Charles Edgar Ames, Pioneering the Union Pacific: A Reappraisal of the Building of the Railroad (NY: Appleton Century Crofts, 1969), 129. One historian of the Union Pacific, Charles E. Ames wrote: “The directors, officers, and employees of the company, delighted as they were, hardly could appreciate at the time how lucky they were to win the services of this renowned soldier-engineer. In retrospect, this was one of the brilliant events in the history of the Union Pacific.”

>1850>9 Grenville M. Dodge, How We Built the Union Pacific Railway and Other Railway Papers and Addresses (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1910), 31. Microfilm edition.

>1850>10 Ames, 234.

>1850>11 Casper, I, 207.

>1850>12 McGovern, 27.

>1850>13 McGovern, 246.

>1850>14 Casper, I, 208. Father Casper noted that this account must be read with caution because it is dated 1886, seventeen years after Kelly left Wyoming.

>1850>15 McGovern, 247.

>1850>16 Father Millany soon disappeared from the scene. Father Casper, who has researched the archives of the archdiocese of Omaha thoroughly, could not so much as find a first name for the priest. See Casper, I, 209.

>1850>17 Casper, I, 209. Father Casper discovered this information in an Account Book, Laramie, 1869, in the archives of the archdiocese of Omaha, O’Gorman Collection.

>1850>18 McGovern, 119.

>1850>19 Casper, I, 208.

>1850>20 McGovern, 31.

>1850>21 Baptismal Register, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Book I, April 12, 1868 to Nov. 21, 1886.

>1850>22 McGovern, 119-120.

>1850>23 Casper, II, 1. Later, John Ireland was designated coadjutor-bishop of St. Paul with the right of succession. It is interesting to speculate, in view of the subsequent career and the influence of John Ireland in the hierarchy of the church in America, especially during the Americanism debate, what the effect he might have had in the development of the vicariate apostolic of Nebraska.

>1850>24 Sister Julia Gilmore, S.C.L., We Came North: Centennial Story of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth (St. Meinrad, Indiana: Abbey Press, 1961), 49.

>1850>25 McGovern, 120.

>1850>26 McGovern, 31.

>1850>27 McGovern, 31-32. When? And why mention the protracted negos?

>1850>28 Casper, II, 14-15.

>1850>29 Casper, II, 14-15.

>1850>30 Information obtained from the bishop’s Diocesan Record Book, 1876-1917; Casper, II, 43.

>1850>31 Casper, II, 45.

>1850>32 McGovern, 121.

>1850>33 Hoffmann’s Catholic Directory, Almanac and Clergy List, Quarterly, vol. 6, no. 1 (Milwaukee: Hoffmann Brothers, 1891), 394.

>1850>34 McGovern, 122.

>1850>35 McGovern, 31.

>1850>36 The Cheyenne Daily Sun, March 17, 1878.

>1850>37 The Cheyenne Daily Sun, May 25, 1879.

>1850>38 The Cheyenne Daily Sun, January 24, 1882.

>1850>39 The Cheyenne Daily Sun, November 19, 1882.

>1850>40 McGovern, 123. Bishop McGovern wrote that John A. Hayes also assisted at the dedication. But Father Hayes died on November 18, 1882. Did Homer nod?

>1850>41 Casper, II, 286.

>1850>42 In 1868 the United States government established the Wind River Reservation when it concluded a treaty with the Shoshone Indians. Ten years later the government officials violated the terms of the treaty when they forced the Shoshone to share the reservation with the Northern Arapaho tribe. Mae Urbanek, Wyoming Place Names (Boulder, Colorado: Johnson Publishing, 1974), 228.

>1850>43 Gilbert J. Garraghan, S.J., The Jesuits of the Middle United States (NY: America Press, 1938), vol. 3, 513.

>1850>44 Casper, II, 176.

>1850>45 The Cheyenne Daily Sun, July 13, 1884.

>1850>46 McGovern, 43-44. Document for foundation of the diocese of Omaha, October 2, 1885. Whither the information on Nebraska parishes, Casper?

>1850>47 Even before 1877 when the diocese of Leavenworth, Kansas, was established, the former vicariate apostolic of The Indian Territory was being divided by the authorities of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith into a number of ecclesiastical jurisdictions. The vicariate apostolic of Nebraska was detached in 1857, the vicariate apostolic of The Dakotas in 1879, the diocese of Helena, Montana, in 1884, the diocese of Omaha in 1885, and the dioceses of Lincoln and of Cheyenne in 1887. Colorado had been attached to the diocese of Santa Fe somewhat earlier. In 1868 the vicariate apostolic of Colorado and Utah was established and Denver became a diocese in 1887.

>1850>48 Casper, II, 353-355.

>1850>49 Casper, II, 351.

>1850>50 A copy of the papal document was preserved at the bishop’s house in Cheyenne.

***Below, Stansell Notes to original bull Out of place. Ed.

Leo XIII. Omaha archives; bishop's house, Cheyenne. Translation of the definition given in the text: “to the east the States of Dakota [sic] and Nebraska, to the west the States of Utah and Idaho, to the south the States of Colorado and Utah, to the north the State of Montana.”

101,352 was given by Bishop McGovern, but in the chancery copy that figure is corrected in pen and ink to 97,548. Or, 97,914 given by the Official Wyoming State Highway Map, 1996. OCD has a different number.