The Cathedral of the Mexican Branch of the Church, and the Neighboring Houses.
THE Mexican Branch of the Church is seeking to do its Christian work with great economy. To continue an important part of that work, generous contributions in its behalf from Christians in other lands are pressingly needed.
With the cordial approval of the Mexican Commission of Bishops, a "League in Aid of the Mexican Branch of the Church" has been organized.
Contributions--whether large or small--in aid of the work of that Branch of the Church, are earnestly solicited, and can be mailed directly to the address of the treasurer of "The League," Miss M. A. Stewart Brown, care of Messrs. Brown Brothers & Co., 59 Wall St., New York, U. S.
Persons sending contributions to the League, who may desire to have their gifts forwarded to Mexico through any of the other church societies, are requested to state their wish when sending their contributions, as otherwise they are disbursed directly by the Central Board of the League in New York through its treasurer, and the treasurer of the Church in Mexico, Albert E. Mackintosh, Esq.
[3] The friends of the work of the Church in Mexico are asked to read the following translation of two petitions from the Republic of Mexico:
SR. DON HENRY C. RILEY.
PUEBLA DE ZARAGOZA (MEXICO),
September, 1876.
BELOVED BROTHER IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST:
We, the subscribers, desiring that the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ may be known everywhere, and very specially so in this sadly unfortunate city of Puebla, the victim for so many years of the most fearful idolatry, have not hesitated to send you our most urgent petition, asking you, in the name of Jesus, our divine Saviour, to give directions that the public worship of the Church of Jesus be again established in this city.
We know that you only desire the propagation of the sublime doctrine of Christ crucified; therefore, in the name of that divine Jesus, we beseech you to grant us our petition.
As yet, dear brother, only those of us have come to the knowledge of the light of the Holy Gospel who have not the pecuniary means needed to meet the expenses of public worship, but we cherish the bright hope that the day will soon come when we shall count in our congregation persons who may be able to contribute towards the necessary expenses of a church building. At present, Mr. Riley, we can only turn to you, reminding you that it was you who came to organize in the capital of our Republic the Holy Church of Jesus; you who first sent a mission to this city of Puebla. Although that mission was cruelly attacked and scattered, yet you did not hesitate to again send a person commissioned to make known among us the light of the truth.
This interest that you have shown in behalf of the inhabitants of this city--your kindness in sending us, even at the [3/4] risk of great personal danger, ministers from the church in the capital--encourages us to hope that you will listen to our just petition, seeing that its object is the propagation of the Holy Gospel, of whose truths you are one of the most zealous preachers.
To-day we find ourselves without a building in which to worship God in spirit and in truth, and many of us in our homes, together with our families, celebrate short services. It is true that our most loving Saviour Jesus listens to us everywhere; but we also desire to have among us a person able to instruct us and to help us by his preaching to understand the true sense of the Holy Scriptures.
We believe, dear brother, that you will feel the urgent necessity there is to use every possible means, that we may soon see the pure light of the Gospel shining in all its splendor in this city, and dispelling that blind fanaticism, the origin of many of the misfortunes of our native land.
In the name of that divine Saviour, who wills that the sinner should be converted and live, we beseech you, who can do so much for us, to soon grant us our petition.
May the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you and with us all.
(Signed by the)
GOSPEL SOCIETY OF THE MEXICAN BRANCH OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS, ESTABLISHED IN PUEBLA.
President, JUAN ROMERO.
Vice-President, JOSE MARIA DE LA FUENTE.
Secretary, TOMAS NEYAR.
Second Secretary, SANTOS GUTIERREZ.
Treasurer, SABINO ESCALONA.
Andres Luna Echavarria, Domingo Garcia, Tomas Abundiz Gonzales, Antonio Losa, Jose Ma. Suarez, Enrique Ramirez, Tomas Hernandez, T. de Romero, Tenoro Romero, Je. de la Luz Romero, Camilo Ruiz, Enrique Barero, Enrique Benitez, Juan Vabreda, Jose Ma. Vabreda, Pedro Sanchez, Eduardo Rosete, Antonio Lara, Margarito Perez, Marselino Torres, Tranquilino Escobar, Jose Ma. Ortiz, Manuel Serrano, Fco. Nera, Juan Gutierrez, Antonio Camacho, F. Pino, Senorita Ma. Rosa Dominguez y de la Fuente, Senorita Agustina Altamira no., Senorita Juana Jimenez, Senorita Soledad Leon de Escalona.
Senorita Luz Romero de Hernandez, Senorita Dolores Telles, Senora Gabriela N. de Gutierrez, Senorita Mariana Villegas, Senorita Ocotlan Mena, Senorita Plasida Galindo, Senorita Micaida Villegas, Senorita Pilar Cabrera, Senora Angel Barreli, Senora Ursula Palacios, Senorita Eufemia Olvera, Senorita Carmen Olvera, Senora Trinidad Perez, Dolores de la Fuente (girl), Concepcion de la Fuente (girl), Elisa de la Fuente (girl), Ester de la Fuente (girl), Eulalia Galban Serrano, Sofia Serrano (girl), Concepcion Serrano, Beatriz Camacho (girl), Laura Camacho (girl), Manuel Serrano (boy), Enrique Serrano (boy), J. Hernandez (boy), Santiago Coronao (boy), Alberto Vega, Antonio Prieto, Eduardo Castillo, Luis G. Prieto.
PETITION FROM RAMON BETANCOURT.
"RESPECTED BRETHREN: Trusting to the sentiments that prompt you to do what you can in behalf of those who are working for the spread of the Gospel, I address myself to you in the hope that you will now render me such a favor as you have already shown me on another occasion.
"I have the pleasure of informing you that having arrived in this city on the 27th of last December, God has so aided me in my work here, that by the 22d of February, I was enabled to gather a congregation numbering seventy - five heads of [5/6] families, as is recorded in a document signed by those persons, which document I forwarded to the cathedral chapter of the Church of Jesus in the City of Mexico.
"The attendance at our services has been growing more and more numerous. We need Bibles, in order that our brethren here may become fully acquainted with the doctrines of Christ.
"At present we only have two copies of the Bible among us--one, which is kept in our place of public worship; the other, a small one, with which I call on the members of this congregation, reading it to them in their private houses.
"You who know how indispensable it is to have copies of the Bible in order to work effectively in the cause of the Lord will, I trust, furnish us with the number of copies of the Holy Scriptures that you may deem proper, and may God Almighty bless you. I close with the wish that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you always.
" (Signed) RAMON BETANCOURT."
"VERA CRUZ, May, 1877."
The friends of the work of the Church in Mexico are also asked to read the accompanying extract from a letter from a former member of the Church of the Holy Communion, New York, Miss Anna Grut, who has for more than two years been faithfully laboring for the Master in the City of Mexico, in connection with the Mexican Branch of the Church.
EXTRACT.
"I pray to God daily that the salaries of our ministers may be increased from forty to fifty dollars per month. Those who are married have just enough to provide for their table with the greatest economy, pay house-rent, and other small necessary expenses, but have not even a dollar left to buy clothes, so that they do not actually know what they shall do to provide them when needed. Mr. Herrera (one of our deacons-elect) has only thirty-five dollars per month. His wife told me the other [6/7] day that they needed clothes very much, but had not a cent to dispose of for the purpose. I tried to console her by saying that God would provide for us all, and that by and by she would be better off."
(Signed)
"ANNA GRUT."
Rectors of churches are earnestly asked to aid the work of the Church in Mexico by imparting information about it--by encouraging their congregations and Sunday-schools to contribute in its behalf--and by naming committees as branches of the League in their parishes.
The officers of the "League" are:
President:
Mrs. FORDYCE BARKER, 85 Madison Ave., N. Y.
Vice-President:
Miss A. E. TWEDDLE, 107 E. Thirty-sixth St., N. Y
Corresponding Secretary:
Miss C. A. HAMILTON, 17 West Twentieth St., New York, U. S.
Recording Secretary:
Mrs. HEMAN DYER, 32 St. Mark's Place, N. Y.
Treasurer:
Miss M. A. STEWART BROWN, 21 West Thirty-fourth Street, N. Y.
Care of Messrs. BROWN BROTHERS & CO., 59 Wall Street, New York, U. S.
Please remember that contributions--even the smallest--can be mailed directly to the address of the Treasurer of the "League," and that immediate aid is pressingly needed.
NOTE.--Persons who may be willing to aid the work of the Church in Mexico by circulating this pamphlet, are asked to send for whatever number of copies of the same they may want for that purpose to my address,
H. CHAUNCEY RILEY, No. 7 West 16th Street,
NEW YORK, U. S.