Bishops

Bishop Hurth was succeeded by Bishop Francis Frederick Linneborn, CSC, who was also born in Germany. He was already 65 when he took over the diocese. He was consecrated April 11, 1909 in Rome and took over his See in Dacca on Christmas Eve of that year. During the First World War some Italian and German-born priests and religious in some Bengal dioceses were repatriated or interned. Fa¬ther Louis Lazarus, CSC went back to Germany from 1914 to 1919.’ Bishop Linneborn obligingly died on July 21, 1915 after his health’ failed suddenly. Father Emile LaFond, CSC served as administrator’ for two years, residing at Solepur where he took the opportunity to allocate himself a new house.’

Bishop Louage was succeeded by German-born Father Peter Hurth, CSC, who was appointed only 18 days after the death of Bishop Louage. He had a brilliaKit career in the USA as an educator before being named bishop of Dacca. He was President of St. Joseph’s Col¬lege, Cincinnati and President of St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. He had a reputation in both the USA and E. Bengal as a man of great energy. Bishop Hurth was consecrated Sept. 16, 1894 at the Sacred Heart Church, Notre Dame, Indiana and left on the same day to start his trip to E. Bengal. When he arrived in Bengal there were only 15 priests, one Brother and seven Sisters. Bishop Hurth realised the great importance of education and concentrated on schools and catechists. He began building the present old St. Gregory’s High School building. It survived the great earthquake of June 12, 1897, though the cathedral church, whose construction was begun by the Benedictines, was laid waste. The bishop designed the new cathedral himself, but Fr. Fallize gave the solemn blessing in his absence (in Europe) on September 14, 1898. The problems of the climate and the environment told on the later missionaries as on the earlier ones. Fr. AdolpheGaudon died on July 14, 1902 at .the tender age of 26 after being in the country only three years. He had come as a deacon and was ordained by Bishop Hurth on January 21, 1900. He suffered from TB and had caught a cold on his way to Akyab, dying in Chittagong of complications.’ ” Another young (29 or 31) French missionary, Fr. Leon Badier, CSC died of cholera in Gdurnadi March 31, 1909, only a few days after a Cathechist Sister had also died of cholera in Dacca. Father Badier had worked only six years in E. Bengal. He was ordained by Bishop Hurth in Chittagong November 19, 1905.” The new civil Province of East Bengal and Assam was an-nounced in 1905. The capital was to be in Dacca and work there had already begun when Bishop Hurth celebrated a Solemn Mass on Oc¬tober 16, 1905 in honour of the event. Due to strong popular Hindu Bengali opposition (because the new province was predominantlyMuslirri), the division lasted only until 1911, when the two Bengals were reunited. But in 1946 the predominantly Muslim district of Sylhet was cut off from Assam and joined to the province of E. Bengal. Thus, Sylhet District became part of East Pakistan after the Partition of In¬dia in 1947. Bishop Hurth resigned February 15, 1909. After leaving he was appointed bishop of Neuva Segovia, Vigan in the Philippines on December 12, 1910. He retired in 1926 and was named Titular Arch-bishop of Bosra, Assistant to the Pontifical Throne and a Count of the Holy See. He died in Manila on August 1, 1935 and was buried in Vigan. Fathers Sy Wyss and Walt Marks on their way to India in 1934 were probably the last community members to visit him. Father Clancy summarised his important work in a few words: “Bishop Hurth left behind a solidly established school system, suitable residences for his missionaries, flourishing mission centers and a spirit of alert progres-siveness.”

Father Augustin Louage, CSC became the first bishop of Dacca in 1890 at the age of 65. He was chosen bishop by Pope Leo XIII on October 24, 1890 and was consecrated in the chapel of the Fathers of Holy Cross, Neuilly, on January 11, 1891. Archbishop Fabre of Montreal, who was “an intimate friend of his” presided at the ceremony’. The “saintly”‘ bishop had an extraordinary career. After or-dination he worked for three years on the island of Bourbon. He then served as professor of Latin and Greek on the islands of Martinique and Guadaloupe. He was a pastor in England. He taught English for a while in France before joining Holy Cross and making his Novitiate and Profession in France. He left the congregation, however, going toNorth America in 1863 and joining the diocese of Wheeling. He was directing the construction of a theological college when he fell from the third floor but survived, breaking several bones, which were badly set and required two operations. Influenced by a Holy Cross priest, Father C. Lamonier, CSC, he rejoined Holy Cross at Notre Dame in 1871. After profession in 1873 he became Master of Novices until 1880 and also taught Dogmatic Theology as well as Philosophy and Latin Literature at the University of Notre Dame. In 1880 he was elected Canadian Provincial for seven years. When Holy Cross re¬turned to E. Bengal in 1888 Rome singled him out as the first bishop of Dacca. He was received in Dhaka on March 10, 1891. In spite of advanced age and frail health, it was written of him: Here he found a field from which many a man would have shrunk in dismay and despair. The territory entrusted to his guidance was large, the number of priests only seven, poverty reigned everywhere. After three years of his administration, the number of priests has increased to thirteen, new churches and chapels have been built at Boxnagore, Mausaid and Rangamati..and schools have been opened in every mis-sion, where there was none before.’ In 1884 Bishop Louage had 15 priests and one catechist under him. With characteristic missionary zeal he built three churches, four chap¬els, tworesidences for missionaries and rebuilt the Chittagong or¬phanage. He blessed the new chapel at Mausaid, dedicated to St. Augustine of Canterbury, on April 17. 1893. Father John Adelsperger, CSC was in charge, though resident in Dacca. BiShopLouage blessed the Church of the Sacred Heart at Rangamattia on November 14, 1892 (“a beautiful, large and well-situated church”), with Father FabianusLangelier as the new rector.’ The church was blown down, though, in 1898 and in later years was served from Tumilia. In 1893 Solepur was a centre of four villages, with about 800 Catholics, under the pastorship of Father Bourque, who had been there since 1888. There was a small but neat church and a school with 50 pupils.’ Father Fallize built a beautiful bungalow in 1893 at Bandhura, where the priest had been “doorkeeper of the commodious church of the Mission.”‘ There had been a residence but it developed “falling Baksanaar where the riest was living in a part of the old church built by Bishop Dufal in 1860. The church gave out and a new and more spacious building was dedicated by Bishop Louage February 20, 1894, under the patronage of St. An¬thony of Padua.’ At Tumilia in 1893 there was a flourishing parish of about 3,000 Catholics, with Father Fourmond as pastor and Father Langelier as his assistant. But in 1894 Father Larbiou appealed for a new church to replace the one levelled by a ferocious storm in March.   Because of failing health the Civil Surgeon advised Bishop Louage to go to Europe or the hills for a rest, but he said: “The Holy Father entrusted to me the diocese of Dacca and like a good soldier I must remain at my post until I am recalled by my superiors or death.” In April he appointed Father Fallize as administrator and died on June 13, 1894.