Jackson-Dubuque County IA Archives Biographies.....Schiffmacher, Rev. Theodore M. 
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Ken Wright wright@prestontel.com February 26, 2011, 9:43 am

Source: Bellevue Leader
Author: Bellevue Leader

Bellevue Leader, May 16, 1877

TROUBLE IN THE CHURCH

About nine years ago Rev. Father Theodore M. Schiffmacher, a priest of 
excellent culture and considerable native talent was put in charge of the 
Bellevue mission of the Catholic Church. The Rev. Father is a man of a very 
peculiar and excitable temperament, calculated to make at different times very 
warm friends or very bitter enemies in the pursuit of his avocation as a 
pastor and a priest. He is a very hard worker and has labored assiduously to 
raise his mission to a high standard of educational and moral excellence, and 
has, we must say, succeeded well in this much of his undertaking. During the 
first six years of his labors in Bellevue he was very popular with all classes 
of people in and out of his church, so much so that when he conceived the 
project of building a new edifice not only Catholics, but Protestants 
responded liberally with their money and good will to assist him in his 
endeavors, until the present fine edifice (St. Joseph’s Church) was completed. 
About three years ago an unfortunate controversy sprang up between the Rev. 
Father  and several of the leading members of his congregation, and since that 
time there has been serious trouble in the church, which at last culminated 
yesterday when Bishop Hennessey was called here to hear and decide upon the 
merits of the grievances of the congregation as against Father Schiffmacher, 
and the petition that had been signed praying the Bishop to remove this man 
from this mission and send them another priest instead. Charges and 
specifications were preferred against His Reverence, to the effect that he was 
arbitrary in the government of the church, violent and abusive from the pulpit 
to the congregation, and that he had not and would not give them a correct 
statement of the indebtedness of the church, and in many other ways had made 
himself objectionable to the people of the parish.

They complained that too often the fierce phillipics he hurled from the pulpit 
against certain members of the church were unbecoming a priest and so 
scurrilous and ferocious in tone that they were too much for either saint or 
sinner to bear, and for these reasons they prayed for his removal. On the 
other hand, hundreds of the friends of Father Schiffmacher came in from the 
rural districts and stoutly proclaimed to the Bishop their desire that the 
Rev. Father be retained among them. The Bishop patiently and attentively 
listened to both the complaints and plaudits of the parties, but we have not 
been informed whether he will remove Father Schiffmacher or not. It is our 
opinion that he will not remove him. The above are the facts in brief of the 
case; we have tried to state them without prejudice to either party, to the 
best of our knowledge and ability, for it is not our desire or purpose to mix 
up in this church quarrel, because it is not really any of our business 
whether Father Schiffmacher is retained in charge of this parish or not, only 
so far as we may feel a personal regard or disregard for the welfare of a 
priest we long have known. We know but little of our own knowledge about what 
Father Schiffmacher says or does inside of his church, but outside of the 
altar we do know him to be a very clever and companionable gentleman, which 
qualities make him very popular with the Protestant portion of the community. 
It is our opinion, however, that if His Reverence would deal less with the 
whirlwind and use less violent means in his efforts to better the welfare of 
his parishioners, he would succeed better than he has succeeded, and save 
himself and the church much trouble. We hope this unpleasantness will 
terminate all for the best and that Father Schiffmacher and his discontented 
parishioners may yet come to a satisfactory understanding on the basis of 
right and justice to all concerned.


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