When the art of printing was invented about the middle of the Fifteenth century, the Franciscan Friars (founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in the year 1209) were already firmly established in Germany. Since they belonged to the "educated" classes of those days (Clergy and Nobility), they naturally were interested in procuring for their libraries some copies of those early printings, especially such as dealt with the subjects in which. they were mostly interested: Theology, Philosophy, Sacred Scripture, and Church history.

The Franciscans were of course poor and of their own means could ill afford the expense of such valuable literacy treasures However, they had well-to-do friends among the Nobility, many of whom had obtained their education at Franciscan Schools and Universities. Many of these rich Nobles proved themselves grateful alumni and saw to it that the Franciscan Friars who were their former teachers were quite generously supplied with the newly-printed books.

Thus the Franciscan libraries gradually accumulated a sizeable collection of these early printings.

In 1853, the Holy See separated the southern half of Illinois from the Diocese of Chicago (which had been established a Diocese in the year 1843) and erected it into a new Diocese, with the Episcopal See at Quincy. However, the Catholics of Quincy particularly the Germans of Saint Boniface Parish, had such a bad reputation for stubbornness and insubordination to Church authority, that no Bishop-Elect was willing to locate at Quincy. Consequently, the Episcopal See of Quincy remained vacant for four years (1853-1857); in fact, Quincy never did get a Catholic Bishop.

The dead-lock was finally broken, when the Holy See transferred the Episcopal See from Quincy to Alton; whereupon the Most Reverend Henry Damian Juncker became the first Bishop of Alton in the year 1857. The See of Alton was later (in 1923) transferred to Springfield.

The newly-consecrated Bishop of Alton soon discovered thst his Diocese contained a large number of immigrant German Catholics, many of whom could not yet master the English language; while a large percentage of the Priests at the Bishop's disposal were of Irish descent, who could efficiently handle the English language, but were not adequately conversant with the German.

So when Bishop Juncker made his first visit to Rome, he returned by way of Germany and there applied to the Franciscans in Germany for help among the numerous German immigrants in his Diocese. The Reverend Father Gregory Janknecht, O.F.M., Provincial of the Holy Cross Province at Warendorf, Germany, acceded to Bishop Juncker's wishes and sent a small group of Franciscan Friars to establish an "American Mission" at Teutopolis, Illinois; and this modest beginning grew within 21 years (1858-1879) into the Province of the Sacred Heart, with Provincial Headquarters at St. Anthony of Padua Friary in St. Louis, Missouri.

When these first Franciscans came to America, they of course brought along some books, -- including some of the "old" and "rare" books; and this same practice was observed by the succeeding groups of Friars who came to the "American Mission" in the course of the next fifteen years. When Bismarck came into power in Prussia, and especially when he decidedly defeated France in the Franco-Prussian war of 1871-1872, the Provincial Gregory Janknecht foresaw that within a short time the "Iron Chancellor" would suppress the Franciscan Friaries throughout Germany and confiscate their valuable libraries.

From that point on, The Provincial instructed all Friars going to the "American Mission" to take along as much baggage (in the form of rare and valuable books) as they were allowed to take on board ship. And thus it hap­pened that by the time Bismarck got around to confiscating the Franciscan libraries, most of the library "treasures" had already surreptitiously been whisked away to the far-off "American Mission", -- safely beyond the reach of Bismarck.

In America, the Collection was further supple­mented by volumes imported from Europe, especially from Italy, and by the acquisition of American publications, especially about the American Indians, among whom the Franciscans labored many years with notable success.

From the beginning of the "American Mission", these "Rare Books" were scattered among the larger Friaries, such as Teutopolis (1858), Quincy (1860), St. Louis (1863), Cleveland (1868), Memphis (1869), Indianapolis (1875). In 1931, a spacious, new, fire-proof Friary was built at the Provincial Headquarters at St. Anthony in St. Louis. This new building provided a special room for the housing of "Rare Books", and by Provincial order all the "old" books (printed before 1800) were collected from the various Friaries and deposited at St. Anthony's in St. Louis.

In 1965-1967, Quincy College built a new Library containing a special "Rare Books" room (temperature-controlled and humidity-controlled); and thereupon the "Rare Books" collection was transferred from St. Louis to Quincy, Illinois. There the "Rare Books" are now housed in the special "Rare Books" room of Quincy University's Brenner Library, available for consultation by research scholars.

Quincy University Library Rare Books