St Henry Baptismal Class 1951
Serving the Forgotten Archbishop McNicholas Welcomed Comboni Missionaries to Archdiocese in 1940 BY L IN D S AY BRAU D
On a cool, clear autumn morning, Comboni Father Edward Mason arrived in the port of New York on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, 1939. Behind him, Europe was fighting a brutal, bitter war. Ahead lay the exciting challenge of establishing a Comboni Missionary community, searching for vocations and seeking support for missions around the world. Founded in 1867 by St. Daniel Comboni, the Comboni Missionaries are an international Catholic organization dedicated to ministering to the world’s poorest and most abandoned people, often working 3 0 | TH E C ATHOLIC TE LEGR A P H
in unstable political climates in the midst of extreme poverty. After knocking on many chancery doors and receiving some chilly rebuffs that might have discouraged a less determined priest, Father Mason finally arrived in Cincinnati. There he called upon Archbishop John T. McNicholas, OP, who was deeply committed to the minority population. Archbishop McNicholas warmly welcomed him and introduced him to five pastors of inner-city Black
