Sunday, February 9, 2014

Father Joseph Rene Vilatte and the Peninsula's Old Catholic Movement


If there was ever a Wisconsin clergyman about whom volumes have been written, it was Joseph Rene Vilatte, simply known as Father Vilatte. Father Vilatte was leading the Old Catholic Belgian congregations in the late 1800s, but the February 19, 1898 edition of Catholic Citizen noted that the “Old Catholic Archbishop was left flockless.” Vilatte obviously didn’t agree because on June 20, 1905, he signed his name as “Archbishop Vilatte, Metropolitan of America.”
The Old Catholic order came about around 1870 following the First Vatican Council and the Decree of Papal Infallibility. It was a time when Napoleon was trying to make the church subservient to himself while the Germans were trying to empower the bishops at the expense of the pope. Germany and France were at war, bringing an anti-Christian commune to France and an empire to Germany. A German sect opposing papal authority, called Old Catholic, had its origins years before, but it became increasingly more protestant. There were issues with transmitting Episcopal powers and the Bishop of Deventer was one who did just that. Old Catholics were primarily German, but as the movement spread to other countries as well, it was the beginning of the movement in the Belgian settlement.

Arguments concerning locations of new churches split congregations. It happened with the Belgian Catholics of Rosiere and Misiere, it happened with the German Lutherans of Forestville and Kolberg and it happened with others. Within the Belgian settlement, the most prominent reason  for one split – and probably the most detrimental – was the recovery of Mrs. John Everts, wife of a tavern keeper. After feeling she was cured by a spiritualist, she pressured her husband saying he too could heal if he only stopped selling rum. When John Everts began holding séances with the dead, the area priest, Reverend Stevnard, said if he was there, nobody could talk with the dead. Stevnard failed to show up when a Mr. Duchateau bet $1,000, however he denounced the heretic (Everts) who, by then, led 40 families to start a church. Enter Vilatte.
Old Catholics in America tells us Vilatte was born in Paris on January 24, 1854. The son of a butcher, he was raised in an orphanage and went from being confirmed at Notre Daem to Methodist and Presbyterian practices. It was a time of much anti-Catholic writing. One who left the priesthood – Charles Chiniquy – was one Vilatte met. Chiniquy was raising havoc as early as the 1850s writing about clergy drunkenness, the horrors of confession and more. He even blamed the Jesuits for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Vilatte befriended him and a bit later became a Presbyterian minister in Green Bay.  Vilatte seemed to be almost constantly traveling and about 1884 befriended the renowned Paris Carmelite Father Hyacinthe Loyson. Loyson was "streamling" Catholic doctrine and was asked to modify his language, which he would not. Hatred of authority prompted his leaving the church.

When Vilatte met Loyson, Loyson encouraged Vilatte to contact the nearest Episcopal bishop, which was Hobart Brown in Fond du Lac. Vilatte did that and then went to Switzerland for ordination, returning to Fond du Lac, where, on June 5, 1885, he was ordained as a missionary. Beginning work among the Belgians, he established Precious Blood congregation in Gardner, so named because he felt communion should be received under two species. Vilatte’s assistant there, John Gauthier, later became pastor of Blessed Sacrament in Green Bay.
By then Vilatte was presiding over three small congregations. He felt the Belgians needed a bishop, but the Episcopal bishop didn’t share the opinion. That opened the door for advice from both Old Catholic orders. In 1891 then Episcopal Bishop Grafton tried to remove Vilatte who said that since he had always been Catholic, Grafton was powerless to remove him.

It seems as if trouble was every place Vilatte was. His ordinations and consecrations are hard to follow around the world. They took place not only in Europe, but in places such as Ceylon and India. Vilatte was not a man of wealth, but somehow there was always travel money.
Vilatte established his St. Louis Cathedral in Green Bay, St. Joseph at Walhain and St. Mary’s, Duvall. In 1898 he had to get rid of St. Louis for lack of money and lost St. Mary’s at the same time. He lost funds through Episcopal missionary aid to the Gardner church. St. Mary’s was organized in 1888 as an “unorganized” mission of the Episcopal Church. St. Joseph’s was short-lived, being established in 1893, but the property was actually Vilatte’s.

Vilatte tried to “look Catholic" while keeping the title of an Old Catholic. He published catechisms and wrote numerous articles – some for the Green Bay papers – questioning papal authority. While the Old Catholic movement never made huge inroads within the Belgian community, those who left were welcomed back to the faith by the Premonstratensians (often called White Fathers) and Father Pennings who established a church at Namur. Pennings and the others preached in French, the peoples' language, and did not attack Vilatte.
Wisconsin’s Polish were often classed as German, Austrian or Russian and by the 1870s, there were religious rifts among the Polish people. Vilatte was there. He ordained, but at a price. He kept the entanglements while he kept watching Europe and ordaining in many other countries. In 1890, Vilatte said he’d return to the Roman Catholic Church if he was met halfway. Green Bay Bishop Frederick Katzer (3rd Bishop of Green Bay 1886-1891) began investigating, though what is written offers confusion for the next few years. One thing is certain: in 1894 the people of Duvall wrote to Bishop Sebastian Messmer (4th Bishop of Green Bay 1892-1903) about their good priest while also letting the bishop know they hated the Vatican.

The Church's part of "halfway" was telling Vilatte he had to study in France. Vilatte questioned sincerity and refused to go, feeling he’d be barred from reentering the U.S. He wanted Rome to evaluate his orders. Rome would not. Within the mountains of papers dealing with Vilatte, there are letters to the newspapers, one of which was signed by the Trustees of the Church at Dyckesville. It was written to the Green Bay Daily State Gazette, dated November 11, 1890. The lengthy letter characterized the pious, zealous Vilatte, however on examination* of the letter, it was decided that none of the Dyckesville trustees was capable of writing such a letter. There were other letters, including one in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, piles of letters from church leaders and others, some indicating secret meetings. There are articles describing Christmas masses at St. Joseph and St. Mary’s. St. Joseph’s had a high altar and two side altars, one to Our Lady and one to St. Joseph. The church had its first resident pastor in 1898, but the church did not last long. Father Basil, whose given name was George Reader, was from England and ordained by Vilatte to be Walhain’s rector. St. Mary’s Christmas services were also described in 1897. Vilatte called himself Archbishop and the messages he sent both churches in 1897 were not unlike a pastoral letter from the bishop today. Duvall’s congregation numbered 316 while Walhain’s was 84. It was not clear if the number was of families or individuals, which would make a huge difference. There are articles in the Door County Advocate and The Independent, another Door County newspaper, about Vilatte’s intentions for building a seminary in Sturgeon Bay. For which order is not clear. Later editions reported that plans changed as the timing was not right because of Vilatte’s perception of ill feelings. That prompted The Independent to examine the issue of bigotry in Sturgeon Bay. When Vilatte wrote to the Daily Advocate of Green Bay asking forgiveness for his enemies, he signed the letter as J.R. Vilatte, Orthodox Old Catholic Archbishop. Bishop Vilatte, Metropolitan of America was the signature used on a June 20, 1905 letter.
As for the Polish in Kewaunee County, it was Rev. Joseph Rous who was instructed by Bishop Fox to unite the three parishes in Montpelier. Fox wanted to drop the three names and call the merger St. Joseph. That church remains in Pilsen, though it is part of St. Therese parish. The last mass at St. Anne, Montpelier was said on June 26, 1911, however the membership opposed the closing and called themselves Old Catholic. They were led by Rev. Miller, Rev. Tichy and Rev. Gauthier who served at several times. The last pastor was Rev. Gross, a married man. Gross and most members went on to join St. Joseph, and St. Anne - often called St. Anna - eventually closed.
Since Vilatte's death in 1928, volumes have been written about him. With advances in technology much more is surfacing. This article does not begin to even scratch the surface of the life of the clergyman who assumed more church authority than any other in Northeast Wisconsin.
*It is not clear who examined the letter for authenticity.
Information for this article comes from the ARC at UW-Green Bay and the newspapers mentioned.

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