Bishop Buddy Scrapbook 1937 (3)

• M; d ar ru nd 1fficult !or anv one of u;- to realize the awful re– spon-ibility of hat final tep hen, by ordination mere man i endued with po ·er from on High to o!fer the adorable acrifice of he .Ia ,, to adminL ter the sacramen ", to preach the Word of God. ·•Fortified with the sublime prerog– ati\·e.- of the,e God given powers Father Johanne;- turned his hand to the plow and ne ·er looked backward. If you were to ask what was the under– lying motfre that made him a great patriot and a great churchman de– voted to the best interests of God and cduntry, my answer would be that he Jived always in the presence of God. On that substantial foundation his life was reared and out of that unity came the trinity of Yirtues-humility, justice and charity-U1at dominated his every action, that made him so be– loved, of God and man, that enabled him to stand four square to all the winds that blew. ·wen poised and deliberate. his bearing like his life was upright. His achievements were but the fruits of this great tree. "The priests of the Leavenworth Diocese will cherish his memory as their kindly shepherd and Father in Christ. But we priests of St. Joseph know him best as the ideal priest. Indeed, he was the glory of the priest– hood. As must needs be, we had our share of trials and sorrows in our day, but no matter how many of us proved unworthy, we could always point to Father Johannes as the faithful exponent of the priesthood, the man of prayer, the Alter Christus ancl the Vir Del. "We marveled at the long hours he kept vigil in the confessional. where mercy and hope abounded and where every penitent felt the grace 'to be reconciled to God.' How well he exem– plified the charity of Christ as fore– told by the Prophet-'The bruised reed he shall not break and the smoking flax he shall not quench.' He had been sent to teach the Gospel to the poor- } to heal the contrite of heart. In each function__?f !1;is s~c::_d r?_f!_i_ce, ,whether at a marriage feast or at the bedside of the dying, his presence brought in– spiration for the better things. "But the outstanding constructive work of his life was that of teacher. As a true ambassado1·, he spoke the Word of God with all the eloquence and conviction 'of one having power . . . going, therefore, teach ye all na– tions, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to ob– serve all things whatsoever I have commanded you . . , For I give you to understand, Brethren, that the Gospel which was preached unto you is not according to man; for neither did I receive it of man, nor did I learn it; but by the revelation of J'esus Christ.' "The eloquence of Bishop Johannes brought many souls t(; the truth. He literally carried out the injunction of St. Paul: 'Preach the Word; be in– stant' in season, out of season; re– p-rove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine.' With the ideal of Christ ever before his mind, the great teach– er we are laying to rest never lost sight of his mission. Where force of argument failed to co1r:ince his priest– ly life compelled respect so that like his divine Master he could challenge the whole world. 'Which of you shall convince me of sin?" , "With this background it is no won– der that the elevation of Father Jo- , hannes to the episcopate rejoiced the Church of God. His advent to the diocese of Leavenworth was greeted by a loyal and enthusiastic priesthood. It mattered not whence he came nor how obscure-sufficient that he was sent by Rome. This authority unites the see of Peter with the see of Leav– enworth and again manifests to the world the four marks of the Church– one. holy, Catholic and Apostolic. "Here in Leavenworth there was placed on the shoulders of its fifth bishop the heavy burden of glorious traditions in the records of his illus– trious predecessors. The pioneer, Bishop Miege. zealou missionary of the Society of Jesus, laid the founda– tion and in the construction of this magnificent Cathedral bnilcl.ed more wisely than he knew. The learned Benedictine, Dishcip Louis :vrary Fink, known as the organizer, saw the divi– sion of the original diocese. 1

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ful to pray for you. May our glonons St. known for his greatness Patrick, whose feast day you always kindness of manner. He~___________;;______ Catholic hi11:h , chools a . Christian education. 1 honored receive you at Y?u.r c_ommg. • • h p r ~1an of .Ass1s1 with the " ty dear friends vou . ,ay t e oo ., that while each o~e· of thousands of your flocks who ha~e ff ·l gone before us, greet you at the poi t– sors completed an e ec 1 ( Heaven May the Immaculate a~cording to the plan of_ ~/ f f God ~,·ho cherishes every Bishop Johannes by a, 11 fe~.;~~~ 1 ~citalion of your soul stirring anct1ty and progressive H . 1 Marv may She. the Queen of measured up to each and Aa~stles · iead you to the vision of "The Yery motto ,au P .. • arms 'Deo Servare Reg1 God. serve God is to reign-i motiYe of his regime. n~ 1r!l'hH1 to career of Bishop

the honor of the Catholicity of LeaY– enworth that priests and people took up the note of their bishop's zeal. The sons of Ignatius aud tile sons of St. Benedict, Franciscans, Carmelites, Au– gustinians, the great religion orders, the bulwarks of the Kingdom of Christ , ou earth-the Sisters of Charity, Bene-' dictine Sisters of St. Scholastica's, Sisters of St. Francis. Ursulines, Sis– ters of St. Joseph, Oblates, and Sisters Servants of :\Iary-a II worked hand in I hand with the secular clergy for the glory of God anrl the sal'l'~tion of souls. letting their lights sl11ne that , the people seeing might glorify their 1 Father in Heaven. "It is not necessary to recount the material monuments that follow Bish– op Johannes. the . chools anll churches erected under bis direction, for these are but corollaries of a fervent apos– tolate. Like St. Pan! he was all things I to all men, but the orphans, the poor, · the halt and the lame will grieve most at his passing. "It is true that thf\ Ward ITigh School with its splendid curriculum and its enrollment of six hundred stu– dents; the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine· the organization of the Prop• agation 'or the Faith with its far reaching parish branches, to extend 1 the Kingdom of God on earth, these are indeed endul"ing works. There are generations still unborn who will thanlc God for the fervent promotion hy Bishop Johannes of the Soclalitles of the Blessed Virgin Mary to protect the Faith and morals of the yonng and to foster devotion in thP- acad– emies and high schools of the diocese. "But greatest of all is the deceased prelate's immortal apostolate of_ the poor by establishing in every pansh a conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Already we pray he has mer– ited to hear from the Saviour 'I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I :"as thirsty and ;-ou gave me to drmk, naked and you clothed me, a stranger and you took me in.' ·while other shepherds of Leavern,:orth may . be known as pioneer orgamzer. cxecutn•e. educator, Bishop Johannes :vill be hailed as the apostle of chanty, and in this he harmonized all the elements or his vast diocese. "My dea1· sorrowing peoplP, men die, but the Church lives on. She lives in the hearts of loving. Joya I children. Bishop Johannes is dead, but the in– Duence of his life still lives and throbs to increase your Faith and to warm your hearts with love for Jesus Christ. "And so dear Bishop Johannes. hero of my youth, and inspiration of later years, my devoted friend. farew~ll . In our own halting way we have tned to imitate the consoling messages by which in your day you lifted the hearts of thousands in amiction_ "For me and for many a priest you have pointed a better way-solving our difficulties gently leading us along the path of the Cross. "Your consecrated hands have re– laxed their hold upon the Crosier and are now folded in prayer, significant of the rest you deserve so well. The miter has been liftecl from your brow and in its place you are crowned I anew with the dual coronet of suffer– ing and victory won. Your gol

This is Father Francis Johannes, pastor of Immacu– late Conception parish, St. Joseph, Mo., as he appeared in December of 1927 when he was appointed Bishop of the Leavenworth Diocese. He had spent practically all 1 1 . of his life in the one parish, including thirty years as a priest.--Catholic Register Photos. =-========- WILL LIVE ON AS CHARITY APOSTLE i Influence of Bishop Johannes Not Dead, Bishop Buddy Says in Sermon. Touching Farewell at Funeral m Cathedral to Farmer Pastor and Friend. "Would that someone else had been chosen to recall the beautiful lesson of his life and deeds. For one who loved him dearly this is indeed a try– ing ordeal. Let it be offered then in union with the prayers of my brother priests and as an act of filial devotion-together with the gracious tribute of so many prelates of the Church and the worthy representation from officials of the state and city. "In His divine providence God chose for Francis Johannes a home ac–

quainted with poverty, suffering and privation but where the light of Faith burned brightly under the inspiration of good and virtuous parents. In this first school he learned by example to love God and Him only to serve. Even in tho·se early days the Immaculate Conception church in St. Joseph, Mo., provided a parochial school, the first of its kind in that city. The Raintly pastor, Monsignor L nnenhan,p, ~h_ol>e memory is still held in bened1ctlon, I recognizing the talent and piety of young Francis, gave him every op. portunity for development– "Completing elementary branches under those splendid educators, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Corondolet, the future priest and bishop look up academic and collegiate studies in St. Benedict's College, Atchison, where he distinguished himself for steadfast– ness of purpose and a love of learning. It is consoling to see here today so many Benedictine Fathers represent– ing that grand old college which bas made it possible for hunrlreds of as– pirants to the sacred priesthood to pursue their studies. Says the Holy Ghost: 'Blessed are they who do and teach, they shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.' "The rector and faculty of St. Fran– cis Seminary in Milwaukee saw gifts of leadership in Francis Johannes and appointed him prefect during his years in that institution. A brilliant course in philosophy and theology prepared him for the priesthood and soon the long looked for day- of days arrived when the young Levite consecrated all the powers of body and soul to tha service of Jesus Christ.

Bic,hop Francis Johannes is dead but the influence of his life still lives, and he will be hailed among the former chief shepherds of the Leaven– w Jrti, Diocese as the "Apostle of Char– ity,· said Bishop Charles F. Buddy of Say, Diego in his sermon in the Leavenworth Cathedral Wednesday mar ing at the funeral of Bishop Jo– harn1es. Bishop Buddy was a boy in Immaculate Conception parish, St. Joseph, when Bishop Johannes was pastor there. In • art, Bishop Buddy said: "Ho-,r often the walls of this Ca the– dral have rung with his eloque nce, pleading the cause of the Savior– justii::e and truth, plentiful redemp.. ti01 for all. But now those lips are ., forever and instead of be ing on his throne where for nine y he presided in regal splendor, his remains lie motionless before the altar wh::e bishops, priests and people a r e brought low and in mourning. "In my last visit with him less that.. two months ago, your beloved bishop and my life long friend, robed in his garb of a prince of the Church, spoke in tones of affection never to be for– gotten words of hope and encourage– ment. Today, behold him clothed in the majesty of death. 'Ecce Sacerdos magnus' . . . 'Behold the high priest who in bis day was plP.asing to God and was found just.'