47. Corrigan to Scalabrini¹⁰⁷

         New York, November 22, 1893

Most Venerable Bishop:

The situation of the Church of the Most Precious Blood is at a standstill. The owner has re-possessed it and the Missionaries, still there for the moment, will not be able to remain much longer.

            As for Father Morelli, I thought it proper to deprive him of the spiritual and material administration of the Church of St. Joachim and have replaced him with Father Giuseppe Strumia.¹⁰⁸ Father Vicentini told me he would go there and that Father Morelli would leave without fail. But now, Father Strumia refuses to go until his predecessor leaves. The latter refuses to leave until I assume full responsibility for all his debts. This I will not do. Much is too much. There is a deficit of twenty five thousand dollars which is not explainable. I do not accuse him, but I cannot assume debts of which I know nothing.

            Father Provincial complains about Father Sandri. I too received complaints against him. It seems little obedient, and perhaps a little weak in sexual matters.

            The other Missionaries, from what I have heard, are doing well. However, they lack financial expertise. For example, both the Church of St. Joachim and the Saint Raphael’s Home were about to be sold at auction because the mortgage interest had not been paid on time. This should never happen, especially after the misfortune of the sale of the other Church, the second similar disgrace that has happened in more than a hundred years. Imagine, three imminent sales in one month, and

all three without justification. I did not tell this to Father Bandini for prudence, but I had to pay two thousand dollars out of my pocket in order to avoid the disgrace that was threatened.

            Forgive me, dearest Excellency, this painful series of events. Let the Missionaries act in temporal matters as our priests do and under the direction of the Diocese and all will proceed well.

            I am, most Reverend and Venerated Bishop,

Your humble and devoted servant,

Michael Augustine, Archbishop