Document #2

"Father Alexius Toth Abandones Catholicism in Favor of Orthodoxy"- 1890

Historical Background

This document is a statement that was given by Father Alexis Toth describing his meeting with the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Saint Paul, Minnesota, John Ireland, on December 19, 1890. Father Toth was a widowed Greek Catholic priest from what is today eastern Slovakia, who arrived in the United States in late 1889 to serve a Greek Catholic parish in Minneapolis. As Father Toth records in his statement, when he presented his credentials to the local Roman Catholic archbishop, he was rebuked by Archbishop John Ireland, who felt that a man who had been married could not be a Catholic priest. Archbishop Ireland's reaction to Father Toth is similar to the reaction that many Roman Catholic (also referred to as the Latin Rite) bishops and church leaders in the United States had when confronted with Greek Catholic priest who observed what the Roman Catholics viewed as strange customs. Father Toth's anger and frustration to his reception is characteristic of the attitude that many Greek Catholic priests had towards the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States at this time.

'I arrived in America as a Uniate, and as a former professor of Church Law. I was fully aware that in America I as a Uniate, must obey the Latin Rite Bishop, in whose Diocese I will serve. This is demanded by the Union and several Papal Decrees, because there is no Greek Rite Catholic Bishop in the United States of America. All this was written in my credentials. The city of my appointment was Minneapolis, Minn., in the Archdiocese of Archbishop John Ireland. As a faithful Uniate and acting on advice of Bishop John Valyi, I presented myself to Archbishop John Ireland December 19,1890, kissing his hand (without a genuflection that was my great mistake, which I later recognized), I handed my accreditations to the Archbishop. I well remember as he just had read, that I am a Greek Rite Catholic, his hands began to tremble. It took the archbishop about 15 minutes to read my accreditations, after that he firmly questioned me (the conversation was in Latin). "Do you have a wife?" I replied, "No, but I had one, I am a widower." When the Archbishop heard this, he threw my documents on the table and in a loud voice shouted: "I have already sent a protest to Rome not to send such priests here." I asked the Archbishop, "What kind of priests do you mean?" The Archbishop's reply was, "Such as you are." I replied, "After all I am a Catholic priest of the Greek Rite, I am a Uniate, was ordained by a valid Catholic Bishop." The Archbishop: "I do not consider you, nor your bishop as a Catholic, furthermore, there is no need here for a Greek Rite Catholic priest. It is sufficient, we have a Polish priest, he can be the priest for the Greek Rite Catholics." I replied, "But, he is of the Latin Rite, our people will not understand him, nor turn to him, they even built a church for themselves." Archbishop Ireland replied; "I did not give them permission, neither will I give you jurisdiction to work here." I was bitter of such a rude fanaticism from the representative of the Papal Church, so I sharply replied: "In such case I do not need your jurisdiction, nor your absolution; I know the laws of the Catholic Church, I know how the Union was established and in such manner I will go forward." The Archbishop became pale white, so did I. Word after word followed, that it is not worth to renew the conversation.

Two days later Fr. Jacob Pocholski the Polish priest came to see me, he was in fear. "For God’s sake Father, what did you do? The Archbishop wrote to me, that I should not have any relations with you. He does not consider you as a valid priest, he firmly ordered me that I announce all that from the pulpit, forbidding the people to accept any of the Sacraments from you."

I answered, "Concerning you Father, you do as you please and I will not give, up, and as far as I am concerned, I do not care what the Archbishop and you will do."

The order of the Archbishop was announced in the Polish Roman Catholic Church, that he does not consider me a Catholic, and that all my work is useless, and forbade the Greek Rite Catholic Rusin people to attend their church. The Archbishop also complained to Rome and was threatening many of the Greek Rite Catholic Rusin immigrants stating, that he will chase their priests away. At that time, I had received letters from a few of my friends as to how the Latin Rite Bishops and priests treat them. I have informed the Uniate Bishop of Eperjes about all this, asking his instructions, but I did not receive a reply. That would be the day, when a Uniate Bishop would dare to say anything contrary to a Latin Rite Archbishop. Still, I wrote the second and third letter, still no reply. Finally, I received instructions from Canon Joseph Dzubay: "For God’s sake, suffer, and if the Archbishop doubts that you are a Catholic verify it with an oath." Another letter came informing me to describe in writing, how the Archbishop received you, describe it wisely because it will be sent to Rome. I have even done that. Then Canon Joseph Dzubay informed me that the truth was very sharply written, therefore it could not be sent to Rome, even though all was done according to instructions, such a letter which says, the Latin Archbishop do not respect the Union, etc., could not be sent to Rome

The Catholic Bishops and their clergy treated the other Uniate clergy the same way. All this was done, because THEY WERE MARRIED and conducted their Divine Services in the Slavonic language, and most of all, that they caused a financial loss to the Latin clergy. The Roman Catholics did not permit them to their churches, accursed and belittled them. The Pittsburgh Latin Rite Bishop expressed himself: "That a MARRIED PRIEST COULD NOT BE A GOOD CATHOLIC NOR A CATHOLIC AT ALL."

All of our complaints to Rome received such an answer: RECALL these priests to the Old-country.'