Excerpt from The Pioneer Church of the State of New York Even a hasty glance through the pages of this little work convinces me that its author can claim much merit in this contribution to the Christian literature of our early Catholic missions in this part of the country. The Latin historian, Salust, tells us that he who records and transmits to posterity the noble deeds of ancestors, confers a benefit on the commonwealth, and in a measure deserves praise, no less than those who perform these noble deeds. He considers the writing of history the highest occupation that can occupy human energy and engage the efforts of the mind. And, indeed, history is a prime fact or in the enlightenment, refinement and cultivation of the human race. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.