Fifty Years in the Church of Rome

by Charles Paschal Telesphore Chiniquy

The Reverend Monsieur Chiniquy, heretofore curate of St. Anne, Colonie of Beaver, in the Diocese of Chicago, has formally been interdicted by me for canonical causes.

The said Mr. Chiniquy, notwithstanding that interdict, has maliciously performed the functions of the holy ministry, in administering the holy sacraments and saying mass. This has caused him to be irregular and in direct opposition to the authority of the church, consequently he is a schismatic.

The said Mr. Chiniquy, thus named by my letters and verbal injunction, has absolutely persisted in violating the laws of the church, and disobeyed her authority, is by this present letter excommunicated.

I forbid any Catholic having any communication with him, in spiritual matters, under pain of excommunication. Every Catholic who goes against this defense, is excommunicated.

(Signed) ✠ ANTHONY,

Bishop of Chicago, and Administrator of Quincy.

Sept. 3rd, 1856.

As soon as the priests, who had nailed this document to the door of our chapel, had gone away at full speed, I went to see it, and found, what I had expected, that it was not signed by the bishop, neither by his grand vicar, nor any known person, and consequently, it was a complete nullity, according to the laws of the church. Fearing I would prosecute him, as I threatened he shrank from the responsibility of his own act, and had not signed it. He was probably ignorant of the fact that he was himself excommunicated, ipso facto, for not having signed the document himself, or by his known deputies. I learned afterwards, that he got a boy 12 years old to write and sign it. In this way, it was impossible for me to bring that document before any court, on account of its want of legal and necessary forms. That act was also a nullity, for being brought by three priests who were not mentis compos, from their actual state of drunkenness. And again, it was a nullity, from the evident falsehood which was its base.

It is alleged that the bishop had interdicted and suspended me on the 19th of Aug., for canonical causes. But he had declared to the four deputies we had sent him: “That Mr. Chiniquy was one of my best priests, that nothing had been proved against him,” consequently, no canonical cause could exist for the allegation. The people understood very well that the whole affair was a miserable farce, designed to separate them from their pastor. It had just, by the good providence of God, the contrary effect. They had never shown me such sincere respect and devotedness as since that never-to-be-forgotten day.

The three priests, after leaving, entered the house of one of our farmers, called Bellanger, a short distance from the chapel, and asked permission to rest a while. But after sitting and smoking a few minutes, they all went out to the stables. The farmer finding this very strange, went out after them to see what they would do in his stables: to his great surprise and disgust, he found them drinking the last of their whiskey. He exclaimed: “Is it not a shame to see three priests, in a stable, drinking rum?”