Books for Children, and Young Persons. Books I - XIII.

A well-known children's missioner, born near Sheffield, England, 19 June, 1809; died at Clapham, London, 16 September, 1865. His father was a wealthy master-cutler. He was educated at Sedgley Park, Oscott, and Ushaw College, where he became a priest in 1834. He was resident priest at Doncaster for five years, but his health having given way he travelled during eight years through Europe and the East, rather as a pilgrim than a tourist. After his return home, 1847, he spent some time at Islington, London, working for the welfare of the waifs and strays, for "Suffer little children to come to me" was his motto then as in after years. He became a professed member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer at St. Trond, Belgium, 1851, and afterwards gave missions in England and Ireland; but from 1851 until his death he devoted himself wholly to giving missions to children. He was the founder of children's missions [...]. These missions lasted sometimes three weeks, and were given not only to school-children, but to working boys and girls. [...] His sermons seldom lasted more than twenty minutes. He entered fully into the mode of thought of the child-mind, and, speaking quietly but with great dramatic power from a platform, he always riveted their attention. He was a wonderful story-teller, seldom moving to laughter but often to tears. He spent his spare time writing books for children which, though written with the utmost simplicity of language, are models of good English. ...

Source: The Catholic Encyclopedia [ref]

A Father who has grown grey in our Congregation gives the following particulars of one of Father Furniss's earliest Children's Missions in England.
Let me tell you of my first meeting with Father Furniss, and the impression it made upon me. The remembrance is yet fresh, though over forty years have passed since then. It was in 1854. I was close upon eighteen. A Children's Mission was going on at St. Oswald's, Old Swan, near Liverpool. I was staying on a visit with my brother, and was constantly at Bishop-Eton which was only two miles off—already for several years a child of the Congregation in heart and desire. When I heard from the Bishop-Eton Fathers what was going on, I made my way to St. Oswald's. It happened to be the night of the children's consecration to Our Blessed Lady. I was not allowed to mingle with them, but by arriving very early managed to get amongst the adults in a corner where I could see and hear everything. I was indeed wonderfully impressed. A beautiful altar of Our Blessed Lady, one mass of flowers and lights; a venerable white-haired priest on the platform talking in simple, child-like, but tenderest accents to the little ones; the church packed to overflowing with eager delighted children, whose eyes never strayed from preacher or altar, whose ears drank in every word, whose faces glowed while they listened spell-bound, sometimes smiling, sometimes shedding sweet tears, as the story-teller played on the chords of their little hearts. I think Father Furniss might have gone on for ever without tiring them. The adults, amongst whom I was, seemed no less impressed than the children, and smiled and wept with them. The climax was the Consecration, when the children fell on their knees with the old man, sobbing as he spoke for them, and then at his invitation raising their own little voices so sweetly and so lovingly, I had to cry myself. It was a never-to-be-forgotten scene. ...

Source: [Father Furniss and his Work for Children] by Fr. Thomas Livius C.Ss.R.

Father Furniss from [Father Furniss and his Work for Children] by Fr. Thomas Livius C.Ss.R.

[ PNG, Size 50% ]
[ JP2, Quality 95 ]
[ Original ]