Creation of a Secular Clergy
For a while Abbot Wimmer gave the proposal serious consideration. The initial success of his missionaries in Texas encouraged him to make an appeal to King Louis of Bavaria, his patron, for aid in establishing such a foundation. Early in 1861, he informed King Louis that besides the three colleges established by the Benedictines at St. Vincent, Pennsyl- vania; St. Cloud, Missouri; and Atchison, Kansas, he was considering a fourth in Texas. In his report to the Holy Congregation for the Propa- ganda of the Faith, the good Abbot wrote, "Father Hoermann started a fourth college at San Jose [Te:Xas] .. .. We are hoping . .. that after the war we will be able to open a Seminary in that State." After the war conditions did not improve in Texas an_d the Benedictines in San Antonio and the surrounding German communities became dis- heartened. Sickness thinned their already thin ranks and in 1867 Abbot Wimmer regretfully informed Bishop Dubuis that he would not be able to continue the work in Texas, much less carry out the plans for a Seminary at San J ose. 25 St. 111ary's Seminary-College Offered to tlee Holy Cross Fathers, 1870. The college building in Galveston stood unused. At the request of Bishop Dubuis, Father C.M. Chambodut, the Vicar General, wrote on August 26, 1869, to the Very Reverend Edward Sorin, Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross, "Would you accept a fine building in Galveston and found there a college ... where you could carry out your own plans of teaching without being interfered with by anybody? ... I do not know of any society I would like so much to see here as the Society that has done so well at Notre Dame." 26 This was the first proposal made for the coming of Holy Cross men to Texas.ir The Superior General, taken by surprise, replied, "Give us time ... :sFellner, op. cit., 596-597. C. A. T. 26 C. M. Chambodut to Edward Sorin, August 26, 1869, Arc/riv,s (Priests Society) Notre Dame Indiana. Copies furnished to Reverend James P. Gibbons, C.S.C., through courtesy of Brother Bonaventure Foley, C.S.C. 27 Very Reverend Edward Sorin, C.S.C., founder of the University of Notre Dame, was born near Paris, France, February 6, 18 I 4, studied at the University of Paris and after graduation entered the Seminary of Le Mans. He was ordained May 27, I 838, and in 1839 joined the Auxiliary Priests of Le Mans, who had been united with the Brothers of St. Joseph on March 1, 1837, to form the Congregation of Holy Cross in August, 1840, deriving its name from their headquarters at St. Croix. In response to the request of the Bishop of Vincennes, Indiana, he ,vas sent as Superior with six Brothers to Indiana in 1841 and founded the Colle.i:-e of Notre Dame in November, 1842 1 which was chartered as a university in t 844. He was elected Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1868.
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