Donnet, Ferdinand Cardinal Archbishop, Bordeuax, France, to Archbishop John Baptist Purcell, of Cincinnati, Ohio, 1871 June 30

Already many bishops have responded to his appeal for aid for the orphans of war in troubled France. The Cardinal Archbishop of Dublin, the Archbishops of Tuam and Quebec and the bishops of Limerick, Saint Gall, Tournay and Kildare have come to his aid with offerings for the innocent victims of the war. They have sent aid to the bishops of the afflicted departments for these orphans. Donnet himself has admitted to his orphan asylum those children who had no other place to go. But the children in the departments of the east are in danger of losing their faith as well as their parents and their homes. He quotes a letter from those regions to the effect that he had taken care of 24 children in the neighborhood of Belfort but he could have taken care of many more if he had the menas. The Swiss protestants have used this occasion to place 300 of these children in protestant homes. The person needs about 10 or 12 francs a month for each child. Donnet asks that Purcell join in this work and promises to see that any money contributed reaches this purpose. :: II-5-e Circular letter S. French 2pp. 8vo.