Chapter 7

Sunday, November 9, 1890

Close to three weeks later, on the afternoon of November ninth, a Sunday, Malik, in Wichita with his family, received a wire from Andy, telling of the death of Friar Lopez. The elderly Franciscan priest had died during siesta, in his small house at Ranch Home.

Enrique Lopez had been born in 1819 and had been raised in Mazatlán, on Mexico’s west coast. After attending a Franciscan seminary in Mexico City, he had been assigned first to a Yaqui mission in Mexico’s state of Sonora, and then, from the early 1860s, as a circuit-riding missionary for the Mexican, Sonora, Apache, and Anglo camps and villages in the region later encompassed by Sonora, Jackson, Franklin, and Independence Counties, an area of about nine thousand square miles. He became the unofficial pastor for the Malik ranch, whose partners were, by coincidence, all Roman Catholics. Eventually, Valerian Malik built a substantial chapel on the plaza at the ranch’s headquarters. The fact that the chapel was large enough to seat two hundred people was likely another example of Valerian’s foresight.

Before statehood, Arenoso Territory had been included in the Roman Catholic Church’s Archdiocese of Santa Fe. In 1873, when Arenoso was admitted to the Union, the Church established it as the Diocese of Arenoso, with Cabot to host the seat and residence of the bishop. A substantial stone church building, a remnant of the early Spanish missionaries, already existed there. It likely influenced the choice of location.

Shortly thereafter, secular priests, many immigrants directly from Ireland, were appointed pastors for the larger villages and towns. The Jesuits were already established at Dorado Springs, arriving there in 1870, so they were given responsibility for that parish. Father Drew Jones, a young secular priest from Ireland, was sent to Waypoint to establish a parish and to build Saint Francis Xavier Church.

So-called secular priests were usually quasi-independent priests assigned to positions in an established diocese, and were responsible, though not avowed, to a local bishop. In contrast, religious priests were members of a defined congregant organization, such as the Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans, or dozens of other such groups, who had separate governing organizations approved by the Pope. These priests took a literal vow of obedience to their order’s general superior.

Even though Friar Enrique Lopez belonged to a religious order, because of his familiarity with the region, his remaining mission area was made subordinate to Drew Jones’s Waypoint parish. In his visiting missionary capacity, Lopez continued to serve the Malik Ranch every other Sunday, at the headquarters compound that became known as Ranch Home. On the alternate Sundays, he visited a mission that served both Kylie and the village of Dillon’s Ferry, south of Kylie, on the Rio Penitente. Padre Lopez received the majority of the support in his missionary work from the Malik ranch.

When the K&ASR built its branch line between Fort Birney and what became Junction City, Friar Lopez was granted free passage for life. Even more, the construction of the Kylie Loop had been a blessing in his last years, traversing, as it did, the heart of his circuit.

(Sunday, November 9, 1890)

Monday, November 10, 1890

Malik and his family, aboard the Manuela de Ortega, the family’s private coach, had left Wichita for Waypoint that same Sunday evening, coupled to the end of the Santa Fe’s scheduled westbound passenger train. At Fort Birney, they were provided their own locomotive, tender, and crew car, thus making up a “special” train, the designation given to any train that was not part of the standard schedule. As a result, the 1,021-mile trip from Wichita to Waypoint was completed in only a bit more than twenty-five hours.

At ten thirty-three that Monday night, they were met at the Waypoint depot by Andy and the family’s enclosed, four-in-hand coach.

“It’s been a mess,” Andy said. “Father Jones planned on a private funeral mass, meaning just him and an altar boy, and a private burial, here, in town, even though Padre Lopez wanted to be buried out at the ranch. In any event, Christina put the kibosh on that.”

“What did she do now?” Beatrice asked, already grinning.

“She wired the bishop. Now he’s coming into Fort Birney on the eastbound, to say the funeral mass himself. So, Emil, would you arrange a private rail coach for him for the morning?”

Beatrice said, “Could we send the Manuela to pick him up? We’d need to change the bed linen and clean up, a little.”

Wren said, “I can go along and clean up on the way.”

Malik looked at her for a moment, then said, “Get aboard, right now, and start on the bedding, while they turn the train at the wye. Peng, help her. Finish as much as you can, then you’ll stay here and I’ll go along to finish up the housekeeping and to meet the bishop.”

The women put the sleeping children in the family road coach, where Beatrice remained with them. Meanwhile, Wren and Peng returned to the Manuela de Ortega.

As the train backed onto the main line and toward the wye, north of town, Andy said, “You know what? I’d better go instead of you, Emil. Your standing with the Church is, at best, on the uncomfortable side. No sense dropping it in the bishop’s lap. Send the family coach back to arrive here at nine in the morning. The bishop can spend the night in the Manuela de Ortega, then, after Mister Wu’s breakfast, I’ll bring him to the ranch for the funeral mass in the afternoon.”

Malik said, “Nah. We’ll just stay at the Inn and take the stagecoach run out in the morning. That will leave the family coach and the team of grays for you.”

Suddenly, Malik slapped his own forehead. “What am I thinking? Just have the special take the Bishop all the way down to Summer Lake. We’ll take the coach back tonight and send it down there first thing in the morning. I should have had us taken down there, too. I’m just so used to coming to the house in Waypoint, rather than the ranch, it never occurred to me.”

Andy said, “Yeah. I’m sorry I didn’t think of it.”

“How’s Christina getting out there?”

“Oh, she went this morning, help get things ready for the bishop.”

Then Andy said, “You know, Friar Lopez left us his mass kit and the holy oils?”

“No, I didn’t. Is that important?”

“Well, there are relics in that set, along with his paten and chalice, also sets of green, red, white, purple, and black vestments. With those relics in an altar stone, we could ask the bishop to consecrate the chapel as a permanent church.”

“Do you think you can talk him into it?”

“I think Christina could. But it’ll still cost us.”

“How much?”

“It’s not just the diocese. We’ll have to buy off Father Jones. He’ll be concerned about losing our patronage.”

“How much?”

“Five thousand for each.”

“Damn. We are in the wrong business,” Malik said. He looked out into the night. He turned back to Andy and said, “Five thousand for the diocese and one thousand for Jones, with an assurance of another five hundred for the parish every year for the next ten years.”

“Yeah,” Andy said, “I like that better. It’ll keep Jones from spending it all on himself. I’ll make sure that the Bishop hears the offer.”

“Oh, tell them we’ll build a new rectory and a parish school at Ranch Home, too. We’ll supply the teachers, they supply the priests.”

“Reckon we’ll only need one priest.”

“What about Kylie and Dillon’s Ferry?”

“Oh, yeah,” Andy allowed. “Oh, they’ll probably want some nuns to be school teachers.”

“It’s all the same to me.”

“That means a convent.”

“Ah. How big?”

“Oh, probably not more than two or three nuns. But they’ll need a kitchen, a refectory and a chapel, a sitting room, a visitor’s parlor, and an office.”

“A refectory? We can’t just build them a dining room?”

“It is a dining room. It’s just called a refectory in convents, and monasteries, and such-like.”

“I know that, little brother. It was a joke.” He shook his head, then said, “Well, build the convent to accommodate six, plus a guest bedroom. Do you have an idea where?”

“I reckon behind the chapel.”

Malik looked thoughtful. “We should probably build a chapel in Summer Lake. Maybe some Sundays they can have mass down there.”

“Fu-Chun says he knows of a Chinese priest who can’t get assigned anywhere.”

Malik looked disgusted. “Ah, the followers of Christ.” He shook his head, then asked, “Do you think Christina could talk the Bishop into assigning him down there?”

“Maybe,” Andy said, but he rubbed his thumb back-and-forth across his fingers as he held his hand out in front of his brother.

Malik looked at Andy for a few seconds, then sighed. “How much will that cost us?”

“I’d guess another five grand to the diocese, maybe another grand for Jones. And we’ll have to support the priest and his ministry down in Summer Lake.”

“We’ll be supporting everything on the ranch, in any event. What about getting the Chinese priest assigned to our chapel?”

“I doubt the Bishop would consecrate the chapel for that.”

“Reckon you’re right. So, will we be our own parish?”

“That’s the idea.”

“Do you suppose Jones is going to want a school, too?”

Andy looked chagrined. “I hadn’t considered that, but probably.”

Malik said, “If it comes to that, tell him we’ll build him a five thousand dollar school and support it with five hundred dollars a year for the next ten years. He can show us plans, but we build it. And his plans better not be for more than five thousand, else he’ll be paying out of his parish funds.”

“It’ll compete with the Endowment School.”

“That’ll be Jones’s look-out. He’ll have a tough time matching our teachers and curriculum, even with nuns. And he better have nuns from a good teaching order, or we won’t provide the ongoing support. You tell him that. Make sure the bishop knows, too.”

Andy chuckled grimly. “Jones’ll probably go through the barrio and threaten every family who doesn’t already have their kids in school.”

“Sounds like just what he’d do,” Malik allowed. He paused, then said, “You know what? Put the whole thing in writing. Make it a letter of intent. To protect their delicate sensibilities, make it sound like it is all being done out of our gratitude for their Christ-like support.” Malik’s sarcasm was obvious in his tone.

Then he asked, “If I transfer twenty-five thousand right away, will that cover us, initially?”

“More than enough, big brother. We can put in ten.”

“Save it for equipping the school and convent. That will give Christina prestige with the nuns.”

The special train, with the crew car and the Manuela de Ortega, having turned around at the wye, was now backing into the depot siding.

Andy said, “This trip is shaping up into a little more than I was expecting. Maybe you should go, to persuade the Bishop, yourself. You could take your shotgun.”

(Monday, November 10, 1890)

Tuesday, November 11, 1890

Thus, the occasion of Friar Lopez’s funeral was expensive for the Malik family. They obligated themselves to nearly thirty-five thousand dollars in donations and ongoing support, and they both knew that their support would continue well beyond the ten years they had pledged, including the probability that they would continue to help support the St. Francis Xavier parish in Waypoint.

The brothers had discussed the so-called donations with their wives and Peng, at a very early breakfast, the day of the funeral.

Matilda had also joined the discussion, as they gathered in the hacienda’s winter kitchen, around the big kitchen table. Sitting back on her chair, after allowing a squirming Luke to escape to the floor, Christina said, “I didn’t think you were that religious, Emil.”

Malik, with a shake of his head and a grim smile, said, “I’m not, certainly not in the sense of any Church I know, at least. But what I am interested in is building our community, here, at Ranch Home. And Waypoint, too. We’ve made a good start, out here, I think, but it can be better if there is a broader base, a, uh...” At an apparent loss for words, he crisscrossed the fingers of both hands and looked to Beatrice.

She said, “Um, interwoven?”

“Yes, exactly, a stronger interweaving of the people with one another and with some supportive institutions, such as a Church parish. It will give folks more reasons to be a community.” He looked at his brother. “Andy, am I making sense to you?”

Andy nodded. “Yeah, I think I know what you’re getting at, Emil. Tying people together seems to be the notion that’s inspired most of your projects, over the years.”

Then Malik looked at each of them and said, “Here’s how I see it. Right now, Ranch Home is based mostly on the financial interests of the ranch. On top of that, in recent years, a few people, like Matilda, have set up their own commercial stake. But all the other services -- the school, the constables, the children’s services, the stagecoach service, the commissary, even the houses for the workers -- are there because they benefit the ranch. Like Matilda’s bakery, we want to create more ways to involve the residents into playing a larger role in the village, itself. Or maybe I should call it a town. It’s actually bigger than Waypoint was when Waypoint was made the county seat, back in ‘Seventy-three. In any case, I’d like to see Ranch Home have its own reasons to exist, without it just being a company town.”

Beatrice said, “Then maybe you should build a church for the Protestants, too. Not everyone out here is Roman Catholic, you know.”

Silence descended on the group. Finally, her brow wrinkled, Christina asked, “But there are dozens of Protestant sects. How would that work?”

Malik said, “We could put up a non-denominational chapel. Congregations could either hold joint services or share the building. What’s the biggest group?”

“Probably the Baptists,” Matilda said.

“She’s right, Emil, but there might be more to consider,” Beatrice said. “For the most part, as far as Sunday worship services are concerned, there are two general types of Protestant sects.

“The first type, like the Baptist Church, tends to be centered on Bible readings and preaching sermons, usually with the sermons based on those readings. Hymn-singing is often a significant part of the worship. Their Sabbath gatherings are generally less formalized than we would be used to.

“The second type would include the Episcopal Church and, largely, the Lutheran Church, which have worship services similar to the Catholic Church. It’s a more ceremonial type of worship, emphasizing sacramental participation, like communion. While they also have sermons and sing hymns, an altar is a more prominent feature, with rituals and liturgical prayers that center on the altar.

“Some of the first type also use altars, but it isn’t prominent in their worship. Then there are some that are a bit of both types, like the Methodists, who use both styles of service at different times.”

Everyone was silent, until Christina asked, “So, are you suggesting two Protestant, or, I should say, non-denominational chapels?”

“I suppose I am.”

“Well, then,” Andy said.

Malik said, “I don’t think we should mention that part of the plan to the bishop.”

Christina said, “I should hope not.”

(Tuesday, November 11, 1890)

Wednesday, November 12, 1890

In the end, the bishop decided to establish Kylie as a separate parish, to include Dillon’s Ferry and other small communities in southern Independence County and along the Rio Penitente. He would assign one priest to Ranch Home and another to Kylie. As far as Summer Lake was concerned, he would make no formal assignment or church consecration, but was persuaded to look the other way if a Chinese priest were to take up residence there.

The chapel on the plaza at Ranch Home was dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi, as he had been established as the chapel’s Patron saint by Friar Lopez on his first visit to the Malik ranch in 1862. Father Drew Jones, pastor of St. Francis Xavier parish, in Waypoint, had objected to another St. Francis parish, even though the two saints had distinctly separate histories.

Francis Xavier, a Spaniard, was one of the founders of the Jesuits, the Society of Jesus. Xavier and his best-known co-founder, Ignatius of Loyola, lived in the Sixteenth Century.

Francis of Assisi, on the other hand, was an Italian, and lived in the late Twelfth and early Thirteenth Centuries. He founded the Order of Friars Minor and two related religious groups which came to be known, collectively, as Franciscans. Associated with his work to establish an order for women were Clare of Assisi and Elizabeth of Hungary. Anthony of Padua was another well-known associate.

Friar Lopez had been a member of the Order of Friars Minor, a Franciscan. His dedication of the Malik ranch chapel to Francis of Assisi actually predated Waypoint’s St. Francis Xavier parish’s founding by some ten years. The bishop found no reason to change things.

Unexpectedly, however, the intolerant and avaricious Father Drew Jones still seemed to have the last word.

(Wednesday, November 12, 1890)

Late November – Early December, 1890

Within a week of the chapel’s consecration, Drew Jones’s younger brother, Father Liam Jones, arrived at Ranch Home to assume the duties of pastor of Waypoint’s St. Frances Xavier parish. Despite everyone’s initial misgivings, it turned out that the Jones brothers could not have been less alike.

Father Liam, as he suggested he be called, was warm of manner and gentle in his preaching. He spoke more of good works and heavenly rewards than of sins and punishment. He insisted that the two-room home Friar Lopez had occupied was more than adequate for his own needs. He quickly began to liaise with the Ranch Services office, to identify families with special needs. And he made it a point to visit those confined at home due to age, illness, or injury. Nor did he limit those good works to only Roman Catholics, but brought comfort to any shut-in who would admit him to their home.

Meanwhile, Malik attended to setting-up the schools. Through his law school professor, Dean Phillip Deering, he made contact with the Sisters of Notre Dame du Sacre Couer at their Western Province house at La Paz University. He inquired if their order would appoint teaching nuns for both Ranch Home and Waypoint. He also proposed a plan whereby the new Kylie parish might be accommodated.

While Kylie did not have sufficient population to support its own parish school, the Maliks offered to find families in Ranch Home with whom students from Kylie could stay while attending the parish school in Ranch Home. They would also see that these students would have free passage on the train from Summer Lake to Kylie for the week-ends and school holidays.

(Late November – Early December, 1890)

Sunday, December 21, 1890

Malik and his family had departed Wichita for Waypoint on Friday evening, December nineteenth.

The following Sunday afternoon, there was a Christmas pageant at Waypoint’s Malik Opera House. A touring theatre company performed a play based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

This was followed by a bonfire in the park, with warm mulled wine for the adults, hot spiced fresh cider for the children, and popped corn for everyone. The gathering featured a recitation of Clement Moore’s A Visit from St. Nicholas by county clerk Mitchel Anderson, whose talented voice lent just the right amount of dignity to what was, essentially, a casual verse written for Moore’s own children. The singing of Christmas carols rounded out the evening, as the bonfire burned down to glowing coals.

(Sunday, December 21, 1890)

Monday - Thursday, December 22 - 25, 1890

On Monday, Andy’s family joined Malik’s on the Manuela de Ortega for the trip to the Texas Bend junction with the Kylie Loop, and thence out to the small Summer Lake depot. From there, it was only a five mile coach ride to the family hacienda at Ranch Home. The travel by rail was more than twice the distance, but took about the same length of time and was much more comfortable in conveyance.