Schrenk, Aleksandr J

English

Duquesne University: Digital Commons

116It is, perhaps, a cliché among historians to observe that we stand on the shoulders of  giants – but the phrase is no less true for being overused. Among all scientific disciplines, history is unique for its reliance on the testimony of  the written word. We must listen to the voice of  our predecessors attentively, and as such, the success of  our efforts is determined in large part by the diligence of  former generations.When it comes to the Catholic history of  Western Pennsylvania, the one giant whose shoulders we all stand upon is Monsignor Andrew Arnold Lambing. As we mark the centenary of  Monsi-gnor Lambing’s passing in December 1918, we recall our great debt to his life’s work, which was the preservation of  Catholic his-tory. Lambing, as one of  the first academically-trained historians in Western Pennsylvania and the first to document the beginnings of  the Catholic Church in our region, is an indispensable resource. The value of  his writing cannot be overstated.To reflect upon the life and legacy of  Monsignor Lambing inspires a sense of  providence. He lived and worked at a crucial time for the preservation of  the history of  the Church in Pennsylvania. Writing in the late 1800s and through the turn of  the ensuing cen-tury, he had access to documents and testimony which would have passed into oblivion had his passion and erudition not inspired such a concerted effort to preserve them. As such, he forms a crucial link in the living chain that connects us to the earliest days of  Catholicity in this part of  the world. It is also a provision of  divine providence that his link was such a strong one. “Posterity can make no excuse for us if  we fail to transmit a detailed history,” he wrote, and the rigorous standards of  his work, however colored by the style and methods of  his age, live up to that noble task even today.Monsignor Lambing’s legacy lives on through the work of  this Society, its members, and all those who participate in the mission that defined his life – to gather up the fragments that remain, lest they be lost (Jn 6:12). The fragments that he gathered have, indeed, remained – and more than that, multiplied. His efforts will always form the bedrock of  our re-search into the Catholic history of  this region of  the United States, and for that legacy we are profoundly grateful.The Legacy of Monsignor Andrew Arnold Lambing 1842-1918Ever Faithful to GOD and His Diocese May He Rest In Peace Epitaph from Monsignor Lambing’s TombstoneRev. Aleksandr J. SchrenkMonsignor Andrew A. Lambing Source: Seton Hill University ArchivesMonsignor Lambing was buried in the priests section of St. Mary’s Cemetery, LawrencevilleSource: Kathleen M. WashySource: Diocese of Pittsburgh Archives

The Legacy of Monsignor Andrew Arnold Lambing 1842-1918

https://dsc.duq.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1091&context=gf

The Legacy of Monsignor Andrew Arnold Lambing 1842-1918

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