| Mrs. H. B. Greeley's report to American Missionary Association |
| Florida From Mrs. H. B. Greeley St. Augustine Sept 30, 1865 Our Sabbath School is prospering not withstanding our great want of teachers. We still hold the children of Catholic parents who have been accustomed to attend, although the priest and "sisters" have been making attempts to draw them away. Two adults formerly Catholics, are now members of my class, and are inquiring what they must do to be saved. About forty men and women belong to my class, all eager to learn the Word of God. Several have recently embrased the Savior. These pious people regularly throughout the year, assemble themselves every Sabbath morning in the Church, before sunrise, for praise and prayer. They are not noisy, as they are in many places, but are quite consistent in their manner of worship. There is a spirituality among them which is like a living flame is constantly burning on their altars, and it shows itself in their strong faith, and their sincere and earnest devotion and consistent lives. Several of them are now able to read the Word of God which is a source of unspeakable comfort to them. Although our numbers and territory here are small compared with most other places in the great field of your work. Yet the labor is as great to us, individually, if we are faithful, as if we and our work were thrown into one of the larger fields and we took our share of it there. This is a Catholic City. There are here 3 priests and 6 sisters in the convent all pratical, if not real jesuits constantly on the watch to draw in unwary souls. As soon as they hear the birth of a colored child, they immediately visit the mother, if she be not a member of some Church, and insist on the child being christened by their priests and they give her no rest until the child is christened; and it is not unfrequently the case that the mother though not a professor of religion brings the child to Mr. G. to christen in order to get rid of their constant teasing. There is a strong power here, but its evidently weakening among the colored people. It seems doubtful now if they succeed in their plan to draw the children of Catholic parents from our schools. There has been quite a little commotion among the parents we have heard they say while talking together, "if they are in favor of colored people learning to read, why haven't they done it before? I want children to go where they can learn any thing the white children do." The "sisters" had given out word that when they opened the day school, they should also take them away from our Sabbath school which, in another case would reduce the number 1/2. I have had over 20 Catholic adults under instruction in my school and I suppose it was the intention to draw all away from Protestant influence. But I trust the Lord will set up a standard against them, and defeat their purpose. It was with much gratification to me that a lady called at my school room one day when there happened to be quite a ruoom full, they all being laborers, it was not often that many were in at the same time. This lady had taught 20 years. After hearing the different exercises and examining their writing books, she said, "I could not have believed it possible that these people could have made such progress in the time. I am astonished at the improvement they have made. Had they been children, I should not have thought it so strange, but should not even have looked for it in them." American Missionary Jan 1866 |