49. Corrigan to Scalabrini¹¹¹

         St. Leon, Florida, February 22, 1894

Most Reverend Excellency:

On my doctor’s advice I am outside the Diocese for a few days, and here yesterday evening arrived your note of the 5th.

            Your Excellency will excuse me if I do not answer for the moment to the unjust accusations of which I have been the target because I do not have with me the appropriate documents. Please consider a few undeniable facts.

 1.    Neither by me nor through my initiative but by the municipal authorities, after a regular trial was instituted, the Church of the Most Precious Blood was sold. Responsible are those who failing to keep their commitments neglected their legitimate duty and who compelled the mortgage holders to take the only possible legal step. To pay the interest due, the Curia disbursed fifty-five thousand lire and nonetheless it was forced to tolerate a disgrace which had never have been heard of in the history of the diocese, i.e. the alienation from the divine cult of a Catholic Church.

2.     Even the Church of St. Joachim, at the same time and for the same reasons, was advertised for sale at auction in the newspapers. Second misfortune.

3.     Had I not paid ten thousand lire out of my pocket, the third property of the Missionaries would have also been sold. Legal steps had already been initiated. They now complain against me because I don’t allow that this series of mistakes and failures should happen or start all over again for other Italian churches, or churches of other nationalities. Allow me to say, Excellency, that I never promised, “to think of everything.” How can I, for example, oblige myself to pay the debts on the Church in Baxter Street which alone amount to six hundred thousand lire?

If Your Excellency thinks that it would be better to remove the Missionaries and send them where there are less financial difficulties, perhaps this would be the best solution. Meanwhile, I have entrusted the Church of the Most Precious Blood to other priests who are more expert with finances.

            The difficulties of the Church of St. Joachim are almost beyond remedy. For the St. Raphael’s Home, I see no other solution than to give it some American, at least for its administration.

            Recently eleven thousand Italians begged Archbishop Satolli¹¹² to make me open the Church at Baxter Street. He replied: “If all of you eleven

thousand petitioners will give in advance one dollar each in order to free the Church from its debts, I will take your appeal into consideration.” It suffices. Having failed in America, the liars now run to Italy.

            I have done more for the Italians than for any other people and they thank me this way. “I loved justice...therefore I die in exile”.

I remain Your most Reverend Excellency’s very humble and devoted

servant,

Michael Augustine, Archbishop of New York