There's a little town in...
Illustration
There's a little town in northeast Ohio called Hanoverton, settled in the early 1800s by Protestants, but there were a number of Catholics in the area. Religious prejudices being what they were in those days, Catholics were only allowed into Hanoverton on Saturdays, presumably to purchase from the merchants.
One day in 1834, Catholic Bishop John B. Purcell came to the area by horseback to visit the Catholics when by chance he got lost. Eventually he found his way into Hanoverton, just as night was falling. Having nowhere else to go, he went to the door of a Methodist family, a Mr. and Mrs. Amos Frost. They welcomed him in.
Now when Mrs. Frost discovered she had a Catholic bishop under her roof, she picked up a hatchet and started to pursue one of her prized chickens to fix it for supper. Just before she beheaded the creature, Bishop Purcell asked what she had originally planned for dinner. "Corn mush and milk," Mrs. Frost said.
Then the bishop said, "Then corn mush and milk is what we shall still have."
He did not want any special treatment nor to cause the loss of one of Mrs. Frost's prize chickens. The hospitality of the Frosts and the good stewardship of Bishop Purcell went a long way toward breaking down the barriers between the two religious groups. (Stewardship, date unknown.)
One day in 1834, Catholic Bishop John B. Purcell came to the area by horseback to visit the Catholics when by chance he got lost. Eventually he found his way into Hanoverton, just as night was falling. Having nowhere else to go, he went to the door of a Methodist family, a Mr. and Mrs. Amos Frost. They welcomed him in.
Now when Mrs. Frost discovered she had a Catholic bishop under her roof, she picked up a hatchet and started to pursue one of her prized chickens to fix it for supper. Just before she beheaded the creature, Bishop Purcell asked what she had originally planned for dinner. "Corn mush and milk," Mrs. Frost said.
Then the bishop said, "Then corn mush and milk is what we shall still have."
He did not want any special treatment nor to cause the loss of one of Mrs. Frost's prize chickens. The hospitality of the Frosts and the good stewardship of Bishop Purcell went a long way toward breaking down the barriers between the two religious groups. (Stewardship, date unknown.)
