---

When Rev. L. Edward Deimeke was handed a copper box recovered from the cornerstone during demolition of the former St. Patrick's School in Watervliet, the pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish didn't know what he'd find inside.

Among some old coins and a decree from the mayors of Albany and Watervliet were two surprising items: a copy of The Catholic News, dated Aug. 1, 1925; and a copy of The Evangelist from the same month.

The former publication is the forerunner of Catholic New York, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of New York. The latter would seem like a mystery, since The Evangelist wasn't founded until 1926 - but what Father Deimeke had discovered was actually an issue of The Evangelist newspaper's predecessor.

Mission magazine
Published by the Albany Diocese's office of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, that early version of The Evangelist was a monthly magazine dedicated to coverage of the mission Church. Its stated purpose was "to spread the Gospel; to diffuse a knowledge of the Catholic religion; to cultivate the missionary spirit; to arouse a practical interest in the support of missions at home and abroad."

Subscriptions cost local Catholics $1 a year for 12 issues. (Nearly 90 years later, The Evangelist only costs $18 a year for 48 issues.) Then, as now, The Evangelist was a member of the Catholic Press Association, the professional association for Catholic newspapers, magazines, newsletters and publishers in the United States and Canada.

The editor was Msgr. John F. Glavin, who also served for 61 years as pastor of St. John the Evangelist parish in Rensselaer, now part of the Parish of St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph. Not coincidentally, the magazine was published in Rensselaer.

On March 19, 1926, The Evangelist mission magazine would evolve into The Evangelist diocesan newspaper. Msgr. Glavin is considered the newspaper's founder; Rev. Joseph Dunney became its first editor.

What's inside
Few issues of The Evangelist mission magazine remain. Paging through the fragile 1925 copy reveals many interesting tidbits from the Church near and far:

•  Under the headline "From Our Foreign Mail Bag," a priest from the Philippines writes of his despair at having to close six schools in his province of Abra for lack of funds. He pleads for support, calling it "a terrible loss" that "would cripple the mission work besides discouraging the missionaries."

•  Rev. Alexis Cunneen of "C.P., N.Y." offers a homily opining that the greatest sin in the world is to set a bad example, citing disrespect for the faith, profanity, drinking and divorce: "Last year, 165,000 divorces were granted in this country. Marriage is no longer regarded as divine. Are not the newspapers filled with the scandals of our so-called society? It is all the result of bad example."

•  A lengthy analysis explains the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, a Church teaching that wouldn't be declared a dogma of the Church for another 25 years, until Pope Pius XII did so in the only formal exercise of papal infallibility so far.

•  In the "Question Box" - still a popular feature of The Evangelist, now written by Rev. Kenneth Doyle of the Albany Diocese - readers ask about how often to receive communion ("at least once a year," but "as often as possible," the unnamed columnist replies), whether marrying in one's teens is acceptable (yes, with proper caution and advice from parents and confessors) and whether a new mother must be "churched" after childbirth (no, but such a blessing is deemed "most beautiful"). One young reader's question isn't published, just the answer: "A girl nineteen should know that such an act is a sin."

•  An essay by Rev. J.J. Wynne, a Jesuit, has the headline, "The Blood-Stained Fields of Auriesville: America's Priceless Heritage." It describes the trials of St. Isaac Jogues and his companions and their eventual martyrdom while serving as missionaries to Mohawk Indians in the area, and even makes reference to St. Kateri Tekakwitha, who would be canonized in 2012. The essay concludes with a description of the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, still a pilgrimage spot in the Albany Diocese.

•  "Office Notes" written by Mary E. Glavin, Msgr. Glavin's secretary (and presumably a relative of the editor), note that "the heat has little effect upon us when the mail brings such fine parish reports as arrived during the past month. Of course, the larger the report, the more cooling the effect!" Later in the issue, a "report of parish branches for June" lists financial contributions (without noting whether these are for the Diocese or The Evangelist) from 45 parishes, including seven in Albany and eight in Troy. Some parishes had sent as little as $2; St. Mary's in Troy managed more than $300.

•  Msgr. Glavin himself writes about the Albany Diocese's "holy year pilgrimage to Rome." The year 1925 was a jubilee year for the Church, during which Pope Pius XI asked Catholics to pray for "peace among peoples." According to Msgr. Glavin, 42 local Catholics had boarded the Ss. Colombo, an Italian steamship, to visit Rome on July 1. On July 12, he reported, "Italy is in sight." He promises to describe the Eternal City in the next issue.

•  Other essays encourage vocations, share news on priests and bishops and even discuss the Church's view on evolution, noting wryly: "The Catholic mind is not easily alarmed at anything science may discover."

Advertisers
Nearly half of the magazine is filled with advertisements. Though most of the businesses no longer exist - including the H.P. Miles Ice Company, offering "lake ice of superior quality;" Keller's Never Krum Bread; and Barney's department store in Schenectady - there are some advertisers today's readers would recognize. W.B. O'Connor Church Goods has changed locations, but is still open in Latham; The College of Saint Rose in Albany still takes in "day students and boarders," as its 1925 ad notes. Orange Motors of Albany can still boast of "real service in a daylight shop."

After 88 years, the Church and the Diocese have changed a great deal - but opening an old box shows that many things remain the same.[[In-content Ad]]

---