Chapter 20 cont. BISHOPS MCMULLEN AND COSGROVE Says Rev. James McGovern, D. D., in his life of Bishop McMullen:  "Long before the diocese of Chicago was created by the sovereign pontiff Dubuque had been erected into an Episcopal see, embracing the territories of Iowa and Minnesota.  On December 10, 1837, the Rt. Rev. Mathias Loras, D. D., a native of Lyons, France, was consecrated at Mobile, Alabama, the first bishop of this diocese.  At the time there was but one church in the whole territory of Iowa, and Rev. Samuel Mazzuchilli was the only resident priest.  * * *  Bishop Loras took possession of his new diocese and was installed in the church of St. Raphael, April 29, 1839, commencing his Episcopal duties with three priests and four theological students.  Father Pelamourgues was assigned to the extensive mission of Davenport, which comprised all of the southern part of the territory.  *  *  *  He did so well in laying the corner stone of the church in this vast field of labor that neither time nor human events have changed his foresight and he had the consolation of seeing large and prosperous Catholic communities grow up around him."  It was therefore Father Pelamourgues - as he became familiarly known to everybody in Davenport - who laid the foundation of the Davenport diocese.  A man of splendid organizing ability, deep piety and earnest devotion to the cause to which he had consecrated his life, he greatly advanced the upbuilding of the church, remaining at Davenport until he had reached a venerable age, when he sought retirement at his home in France, preferring this to the prospective reward of a bishopric. During the administration of Bishop Loras the diocese of St. Paul had been segregated from the original diocese of Dubuque, and during the administration of the church caused another division of the diocese to be considered.  Under the administration, however, of Rt. Rev. John Hennessy, D. D., who became bishop of Dubuque after the death of Bishop Smyth, division was postponed until 1881, when the new diocese of Davenport was created.  The Sacred Congregation of the Propaganda announced that the city of Davenport had been decided on as the see city of the new diocese, which would take in all that part of the state of Iowa bounded on the east by the Mississippi river, on the west by the Missouri river, on the south by the state of Missouri, and on the north by the northern boundaries of the counties of Harrison, Shelby, Audubon, Guthrie, Dallas, Polk, Jasper, Poweshick, Iowa, Johnson, Cedar and Scott.  A special cable, dated at Rome, May 9, 1881, conveyed this further intelligence:  "On Sunday, may 8, 1881, the feast of the patronage of St. Joseph, it pleased our Holy Father Pope Leo XIII, first to ratify the creation of the diocese of Davenport, Iowa, cut from the diocese of Dubuque, which comprised the whole state of Iowa; second, to name the Very Rev. John McMullen, D. D., V. G. of Chicago, to be the first bishop of Davenport.  This see will be a suffragan of the Metropolitan see of St. Louis." Debbie Clough G-erischer G-erischer Family Web Site http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/ Assistant CC, Iowa Gen Web, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ List Manager for: IASCOTT-L * G-erischer-L * D-encker-L Fitzpatirck-L * V-lerebome-L * Huntington-L * Otis-L * Algar-L EIGS-L * Pickens-L * McNab-L * Patris-L - Rankin-L