Brummer, Father John W., Lancaster, Ohio, to Archbishop John Baptist Purcell, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1864 April 2

Brummer just returned from Logan and Schmelzers, Ohio where Father C.F. Hone invited him to hear the Confessions of the Germans and he begs Purcell to make him pastor of either Sacred Heart or Schmelzers so that he could attend the surrounding missions, after Purcell names a pastor for Lancaster. The congregation at Lancaster is very good and are contributing greatly towards the new church and the conversion of the old one into a school house. He hopes to have First Communion around the last of September and wants to know how soon afterwards Purcell could give Confirmation so that he may arrange for his dedicating the Church at the same time. The Church has a real debt of $4,000. The ladies are proposing to put up the main altar with the $2,000, they saved for the erection of a monument to Father Henry Lange if Purcell will permit them to place his remains in the church. Brummer would like to shoulder all this if he could have John Kress ordained and appointed as his assistant. If Purcell approves of any of these suggestions he should let Brummer know so that he may send for his things. He feels that the congregation have a distrust of him and prefers to be placed in one of the above mentioned stations, so that he may work and afterwards retire with Mr. Schmelzer and his wife on the farm of the Most Sacred Heart. :: II-5-b A.L.S. 4pp. 12mo.