If you knew Father Tom Connolly, you would like him, because--well,
just because Father Tom Connolly was one of the kind whom everybody
liked. He had curly black hair, over an open and smiling face; he was
big, but not too big, and he looked the priest, the _soggarth aroon_
kind, you know, so that you just felt that if you ever did get into
difficulties, Father Tom Connolly would be the first man for you to
talk it all over with. But Father Tom had a large parish, in a
good-sized country town, to look after; and so, while you thought that
you might monopolize all of his sympathy in your bit of possible
trouble, he had hundreds whose troubles had already materialized, and
was waiting for yours with a wealth of experience which would only
make his smile deeper and his grasp heartier when the task of
consoling you came to his door and heart.
Now, there lived in the same town as Father Tom another priest of
quite a different make. He, too, had a Christian name. It was Peter;
but no one ever called him Father _Peter_. Every one addressed him as
Father _Ilwin_. Somehow this designation alone fitted him. It was not
that this other priest was unkind--not at all--but it was just that in
Father Tom's town he did not quite fit.
Father Ilwin had been sent by the Bishop to build a new church, and
that on a slice of Father Tom's territory, which the Bishop lopped off
to form a new parish. Father Ilwin was young. He had no rich brogue on
his tongue to charm you into looking at his coat in expectation
of seeing his big heart burst out to welcome you. He was
thoughtful-looking and shy, so he did not get on well and his new
church building grew very slowly.
I have given you the characters of my little story, but, for the life
of me, I can not tell you which one is to be the hero and which the
villain--but, let that go, for I am sure of one thing at least: this
story has no villain. But it followed just as naturally as day follows
night--for which figure of speech, my thanks to Mr. Shakespeare--that
when Father Ilwin failed to do well, he grew gloomy and sad; and just
as naturally--God help us--there was enough of human nature in Father
Tom to say, "I told you so" to himself, and to have him pity Father
Ilwin to others in that superior sort of way that cuts and stings more
than a whip of scorpions. Then, when Father Tom spoke to some of his
people of Father Ilwin's poor success and said, "He meant well, good
lad," they all praised the soft, kind heart of Father Tom; but when
Father Ilwin heard of this great kindness he just shut his lips
tightly, and all the blood was chased from his set face to grip his
heart in a spell of resentment. Why? Oh, human nature, you know! and
human nature explains a lot of things which even story-writers have to
give up. Of course, people _did_ say that Father Ilwin was ungracious
and unappreciative; yet, as I write, much as I like Father Tom, I have
a tear in my eye for the lonely man who knew well that the only
obstacle to his success was the _one_ that people never _could_ see,
and that the _obstacle himself_ was never _likely_ to see.
But let us go on. Of all the things in this world that Father Tom
believed in, it was that his "parish rights" were first and foremost.
So he never touched foot in his neighbor's parish, except to pay him a
friendly visit, or to go to his righteous confession. He visited no
homes out of his territory, though he had baptized pretty nearly every
little curly-headed fairy in each. They were his no longer and that
was enough. He wanted no visitor in his limits either, except on the
same terms. So no one in Father Tom's parish had helped much in
building the church across the river. The people understood.
It had never occurred to Father Tom that his own purse--not _too_
large, but large enough--might stand a neighborly assessment. No, he
had "built his church by hard scraping, and that is how churches
should be built." Now, do not get a bad opinion of Father Tom on this
account. He thought he was right, and perhaps he was. It is not for me
to criticize Father Tom, whom every poor person in the town loved as a
father; only I did feel sorry that poor Father Ilwin grew so thin and
worn, and that his building work was stopped, and people did not seem
to sympathize with him, at all, at all. Over in his parish there were
open murmurs that "the people had built one church and should not be
asked now to build another"; or "what was good enough for Father Tom
was good enough for anyone"; or "the Bishop should have consulted _us_
before he sent this young priest into Father Tom's parish." In the
other part of the town, however, everything was quiet enough, and none
would think of offending his pastor by showing any interest in Father
Ilwin, financially or otherwise. Father Ilwin said nothing; but do you
wonder that one day when a generous gift was announced from "the Rev.
Thomas Connolly, our respected fellow citizen," to help in the
erection of a Soldier's Monument for the town, Father Ilwin read it
and went back into his room, where, on the table, were laid out the
plans of his poor little church, and cried like a baby?
[Illustration: "Father Ilwin read it and went back into his room,
where on the table were laid out the plans of his poor little church,
and cried like a baby."]
It happened that Father Tom rarely ever left his parish, which was
again much to his credit with the people. "Sure, _he_ never takes a
vacation at all," they said. But at last a call came that he could not
refuse, and, having carefully made his plans to secure a monk from a
monastery quite far away to take his place over Sunday, he left to see
a sick brother from whom he had seldom heard, and who lived far in the
Southwest. Perhaps it was significant, perhaps not--I do not know, and
I do not judge--that Father Tom was particular to say in his letter to
the monastery that, "as the weather is warm, the father who comes to
take my place need only say a Low Mass and may omit the usual sermon."
It was known that Father Tom did not care for preachers from outside.
He could preach a little himself, and he knew it.
It was a long and tiresome journey to the bedside of Father Tom's
dying brother, so when the big, good-natured priest stepped off the
train at Charton station in Texas, he was worn out and weary. But he
soon had to forget both. A dapper young man was waiting for him in a
buggy. The young lad had a white necktie and wore a long coat of
clerical cut. Father Tom passed the buggy, but was called back by its
occupant.
"Are you not the Reverend Thomas Connolly?"
"I am," said the priest in surprise.
"Then father is waiting for you. I am your nephew. Get in with me."
Father Tom forgot his weariness in his stupefaction.
"You--you are a clergyman?" he stammered.
"Oh, yes! Baptist pastor over in the next village. Father was always a
Romanist, but the rest of us, but one, are Christians."
If you could only have seen Father Tom's face. No more was said; no
more was needed. In a few minutes the buggy stopped before the
Connolly farm home and Father Tom was with his brother. He lost no
time.
"Patrick," said he, "is that young Baptist minister your son?"
"Yes, Tom, he is."
"Good Lord! Thank Him that mother died before she knew. 'Twill be no
warm welcome she'll be giving ye on the other side."
"Perhaps not, Tom. I've thought little of these things, except as to
how I might forget them, till now. Somehow, it doesn't seem quite
right. But I did the best I could. I have one of the children to show
her."
"How did _one_ stay?"
"She didn't _stay_. She came back to the Faith. She was converted by a
priest who was down here for his health and who was stationed in this
town for about a year. He went back North when he got better. I would
not have sent even for you, Tom, only _she_ made me."
Father Tom felt something grip his heart and he did not speak for a
long minute. Then he took his brother's hand and said in his old boy
language: "Paddy, lad, tell me all about it--how you fell away. Maybe
there was something of an excuse for it."
"I thought there was," said the dying man, "but now all seems
different. When I came here first, I was one of the few Catholic
settlers, and I was true to my religion. I saw the other churches
built, but never went into them, though they tried hard enough to get
me, God knows. But I was fool enough to let a pretty face catch me. It
was a priest from Houston who married us. She never interfered; and
later a few more Catholics came. The children were all baptized and we
got together to build a church. I gave the ground and all I had in the
bank--one hundred and fifty dollars. We were only a few, but we got a
thousand dollars in all. We could get no more, and money was bringing
twelve per cent, so we couldn't borrow. We had to give it all back and
wait. Without church or priest, the children went to the
Sunday-schools and--I lost them. Then, I, somehow, seemed to drift
until this priest came for his health. He got us few Catholics
together and converted my best--my baby girl--Kathleen. She was named
after mother, Tom. We could only raise eight hundred dollars this
time, but the priest said: 'I'll go to my neighbors and ask help.' So
he went over to Father Pastor and Father Lyons, but they refused to
help at all. They have rich parishes, whose people would be glad to
give something; but the priests said, 'No.' They thought helping was a
mistake. It hurt our priest, for he could do nothing on eight hundred
dollars. We needed only another five hundred. But that ended the
struggle. I say my beads and wait alone. Murphy and Sullivan went
away. Keane died. His family are all 'fallen away.' My boy went to a
college his mother liked--and you saw him. The others--except
Kathleen--are all Baptists. I suppose I have a heavy load to bear
before the judgment seat, but Tom--Tom, you don't know the struggle it
cost, and the pain of losing was greater than the pain of the fight."
A beautiful girl came into the room. The sick man reached out his hand
which she took as she sat beside him.
"This is Kathleen, Tom. He's your uncle and a priest, my darling. She
sits by me this way, Tom, and we say our beads together. I know it
won't be long now, dearie, 'till you can go with your uncle where
there is a church and a chance to profit by it."
Father Tom closed his brother's eyes two days later.
He left with Kathleen when the funeral was over. His nephew
accompanied them to the train and said with unction:
"Good-bye, brother, I shall pray for you," and Father Tom groaned down
to his heart of hearts.
Father Ilwin was at the train when Father Tom and his niece arrived
home, though quite by accident. Kathleen's eyes danced when she saw
him and she rushed to shake hands. Father Tom said:
"Sure, I had no idea that you knew one another."
"Yes, indeed, we do," cried the child. "Why, uncle, it was Father
_Peter_ who converted me."
Father Tom heard, but did not say a word.
It was only three days later when Father Tom stood in the miserable
little room that Father Ilwin called his library. On the table still
reposed the plans of the new church, but no sound of hammer was heard
outside. Father Tom had little to say, but it was to the point. He had
profited by his three days at home to think things out. He had arrived
at his conclusions, and they were remarkably practical ones.
"Ilwin, me lad, I don't think I've treated ye just as a priest and
Christian should--but I thought I was right. I know now that I wasn't.
Ilwin, _we_ can build that church and _we will_. Here are a thousand
dollars as a start to show that I mean it. There'll be a collection
for you in St. Patrick's next Sunday. After that I intind going about
with ye. I think I know where we can get some more."
Then and there Father Tom Connolly began to be a Saint.