USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Hartford > History of the diocese of Hartford > Part 21
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Chaplain to Bishop Fitzpatrick-Rev. E. J. O'Brien, New Haven. Chaplain to Bishop Timon-Rev. Fr. Lynch, of the Seminary of Buffalo. Master of Ceremonies-Very Rev. J. Conroy, V. G., Albany.
The following prelates assisted at the ceremony :
The Right Rev. John McCloskey, D. D., Bishop of Albany.
Louis de Goesbriand, D. D., Bishop of Burlington.
James R. Bayley, D. D., Bishop of Newark.
John Loughlin, D. D., Bishop of Brooklyn.
D. W. Bacon, D. D., Bishop of Portland.
The following clergymen were also present :
Rev. Wm. Quinn, Rev. Richard Brennan of the archdiocese of New York.
Rev. A. McGough, Rev. B. F. Mclaughlin, Rev. Patrick Caragher, Rev. M. Powers, Rev. J. U. Herbst of the diocese of Albany.
Rev. James A. Healey, Rev. J. Sheridan, of the diocese of Boston.
Rev. D. Kelly, Rev. E. J. Cooney, Rev. J. Quinn, D.D. ; Rev. P. Brown, Rev. P. Gillick, Rev. T. Quinn, Rev. Thomas Synnott, Rev. J. Sheridan, Rev. Patrick Gaynor, Rev. T. F. Hendricken, Rev. J. Gibson, Rev. Wmn. Duffy, Rev. J. F. O'Neill of the dio- cese of Hartford.
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DIOCESE OF HARTFORD.
The sermon was preached by the Right Rev. Bishop McCloskey, of Albany. The text was from the Gospel of St. John 1: 14, "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, the glory, as it were, of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." It was brief, but eloquent and appropriate. He sketched rapidly the birth, life, and ascension of Jesus Christ. The apostles whom he commissioned, and with whom he promised to be until the end of the world, were now represented on earth only by the Catholic church. She alone is the mother of the saints and the martyrs, whose lives were blessed, and whose deaths have sanctified the world. Bishop McCloskey closed his sermon by an address to the new bishop, which was finely conceived and impressively delivered.
Among the prominent laity present were Dr. Brownson, Mayor Rod- man of Providence, and Monsieur Gouraud Fauvel de la Martinique, vice- consul of France.
In the evening Bishop McFarland sang pontifical vespers, and Archbishop Hughes preached the sermon from the parable of the grain of mustard seed.
As the bishops of Hartford had resided in Providence since 1844, Bishop McFarland continued the residence in that city until 1872. He introduced into Connecticut the Franciscan Friars and the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, who located at Winsted ; the Christian Brothers, the Sisters of Charity, and the Sisters of the Congregation De Notre Dame. He was instrumental in having the following
" Act Concerning Communities and Corporations," made part of the statute law of Connecticut June 30, 1866 :
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened :
SEC. I. That the Bishop and Vicar-General of the diocese of Hartford, together with the pastor and two laymen of any Roman Catholic church or congregation in the State of Connecticut, upon complying with the requirements of this law, shall be, and are hereby constituted, a body corporate, with power to sue and be sued, to purchase, hold and con- vey real and personal property, and to enjoy all other rights and franchises incident to bodies corporate in the State of Connecticut.
SEC. 2. The Bishop, Vicar-General and pastor of such congregation shall be members, ex officio, of such body corporate, and upon their death, resignation, removal or prefer- ment, their successors in office shall become such members in their stead. The two lay members shall be appointed annually, by the committee of the congregation, to hold office for one year, or until their successors be chosen.
SEC. 3. Such body corporate shall have power to receive and hold, by gift, grant or purchase, all property, real or personal, that may be conveyed thereto, for the purpose of maintaining religious worship according to the doctrine, discipline and ritual of the Roman Catholic church, and for the support of the educational or charitable institutions of that church ; provided, that no one corporated congregation shall at any time possess an amount of property, excepting church buildings, parsonages, school-houses, asylums and cemeteries, the annual income from which shall exceed three thousand dollars.
SEC: 4. Such body corporate shall at all times be subject to the general laws and dis- cipline of the Roman Catholic church, shall receive and enjoy its franchises as a body politic, solely for the purposes mentioned in the third section of this act ; and upon the violation or surrender of its chiarter, its property, real and personal, shall vest in the Bishop of the diocese and his successors, in trust for such congregation, and for the uses and purposes above named.
SEC. 5. Such body corporate shall organize by the appointment of the lay members
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THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NEW ENGLAND.
before mentioned, and upon filing in the office of the Secretary of State a certificate signed by the several corporators, stating that they have so organized, and have adopted this law as their charter, and will be concluded and bound hereby, shall have and enjoy all rights by this law conferred.
SEC. 6. Three members of this corporation, of which one shall be a layman, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Bishop McFarland attended the Vatican Council, which convened in the Basilica of the Vatican on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, De- cember 8th, 1869. He was then in declining health. While in Rome he sought permission either to resign or to secure a coadjutor. His American colleagues opposed both measures, but proposed as a solution of the matter a division of his diocese. Accordingly, Rhode Island was erected into a diocese with Providence as the episcopal seat, while Bishop McFarland retained his original title as Bishop of Hartford.
Bishop McFarland preached his farewell discourse in Providence on February 25, 1872. He was deeply affected by the announcement, as were his auditors. When speaking of the division of the diocese he said in part : "I thought then and still think, that this is for your interest, as you will have a younger and more zealous bishop to labor among you .. The new diocese will be an ample one-indeed, more so than the present one when first erected. Many of you remember well when Bishop Tyler came, and know the rapid progress Catholicity has made here since ; the eight thousand Catholics have become two hundred thousand, with a hundred churches and one hundred and eleven priests."
On his departure from Providence Bishop McFarland received many testi- monials of esteein from his devoted clergy and the faithful laity ; but the gift that touched him the most deeply was the presentation of a beautiful edi- tion of Haydock's Illustrated Bible, bound in a sumptuous manner, with a stand of the most exquisite pattern. It was the gift of the boys of the Christian Brothers' school. It was an acceptable offering and was kindly received, the bishop being profoundly moved by the expressions of his faithful charges on the occasion.
On his arrival in Hartford Bishop McFarland took up his residence in a spacious house on the corner of Woodland and Collins streets. His dignified bearing, urbane manner and tactful methods soon gained for him many friends, "who were by no means restricted to his own flock, but included every citizen who had the good fortune to enjoy his acquaintance."
Though Hartford had been the title of an Episcopal See since 1843, Bishop McFarland found there no cathedral nor episcopal residence, nor school nor convent which he could call his. Not a foot of ground in his episcopal city did he own upon which he could lay a stone. After twenty- seven years in the priesthood and fourteen in the episcopate, he inust now begin again and build up from the foundation. Nevertheless, he entered upon his new work with courage and zeal born of faith in God.
The works which Bishop McFarland contemplated were the erection of a cathedral, a mother-house for the Sisters and an episcopal residence. Where
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DIOCESE OF HARTFORD.
would he secure a suitable site ? We quote from the Hon. Thomas McManus' admirable Sketch of the Catholic Church in Hartford: "The Bishop saw at a glance the growth of the city westward, and the future necessities of his people. When St. Patrick's church was built in 1851, it was substantially at the west line of the city. Asylum Hill and the territory west of its summit were then sparsely dotted with occasional residences. Twenty-one years of unusual prosperity had gathered a large population here, and St. Patrick's church had been left far to the east of the geographical centre. St. Peter's church was still farther east. The new territory had a very large proportion of Catholics in its population, comprising very many servant girls, the best of Catholics
and most liberal of supporters to the church. . . Carefully and quietly the bishop examined the various eligible locations for a cathedral, and finally selected the old Morgan homestead, a lot of between three and four acres on Farmington avenue, belonging to Major James Goodwin, and purchased the same at a price of $70,000.'' The erection of the convent was the work first commenced, as its chapel was to serve as a pro-cathedral. When the Sisters importuned the bishop to begin his cathedral and defer the building of the convent, the fatherly prelate prophetically replied : "The church will be built without the least fear, but I must and will build a home for my poor, scattered Sisters, who have been left homeless since the division of the diocese. I have ever found them faithful, hard-working, and devoted, heart and soul, to the elevation of our children in every part of the diocese blessed with their presence."1 The corner-stone of the convent was laid on Sunday, May II, 1873, and on November 29th following the chapel was dedicated to God under the benign patronage of St. Joseph. The celebrant of the Pontifical Mass on this occasion was Right Rev. Bishop de Goesbriand of Burlington and Bishop O'Reilly of Springfield, preached the dedicatory sermon. To draw upon his diocese tlie divine blessing, Bishop McFarland announced that all the parishes within his jurisdiction would be dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the feast of the Immaculate Conception following, December 8th.
The date of the dedication of St. Josephs' chapel marks the origin of the cathedral parish.
The constant supervision of the work on this convent and chapel soon reduced Bishop McFarland to the condition of an invalid. Complete rest and change of scene became an imperative necessity. He souglit the healing air of Aiken, S. C., but his sojourn there was too brief to produce any permanent relief. He visited also Richland Springs, Va., in company with his brother, a physician of Tiffin, Ohio, and his niece; but home, the convent and the chapel were ever in his thoughts. They possessed for him, even in his en- feebled condition, an irresistible attraction. Realizing, no doubt, that thic end was nigh, and wishing to breathe his last surrounded by his beloved asso- ciates, he soon returned home. During his final illness he experienced great suffering. In early manhood he had made an offering of himself to God. His life as a priest and as a bishop were but a constant renewal of this obla-
1 Lives of the Deceased Bishops.
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THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NEW ENGLAND.
tion. And now as he lay with the shadows of death falling about him, he repeated the offering which he made on the day he entered the sanctuary: " The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup." He expired on the evening of October 2nd, retaining consciousness to the last, in the fifty-fifth year of his age, the twenty-ninth of his priesthood and the sixteenth of his episcopate. Bishop McFarland left no personal property nor real estate, having some time before his death deeded the house given him when he arrived in Hartford to the corporation of the diocese. His remains were laid in state in the pro-cathedral. The funeral services were held on the 15th, with Right Rev. Jolin Loughlin, D.D., Bishop of Brooklyn, as celebrant of the Mass; Very Rev. James Hughes, V. G., assistant priest; Rev. James Lynch, deacon ; Rev. Lawrence Walsh, sub-deacon; Rev. M. A. Tierney and Rev. M. F. Kelly, masters of ceremonies. The bishops present were
The Rt. Rev. John Loughlin, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Bernard J. McQuaid, Rochester, N. Y.
= Stephen V. Ryan, Buffalo, N. Y.
= P. T. O'Reilly, Springfield, Mass.
6 Francis McNierney, Albany, N. Y.
¥
E. P. Wadhams, Ogdensburg, N. Y. M. A. Corrigan, Newark, N. J.
= Jaines F. Wood, Philadelphia, Pa.
¥ P. N. Lynch, Charleston, S. C.
.€ John J. Conroy, Albany, N. Y.
T. F. Hendricken, Providence, R. I.
16 John J. Williams, Boston, Mass.
6 William O'Hara, Scranton, Pa.
One hundred and twenty-two priests assisted at the obsequies.
The funeral panegyric was pronounced by Right Rev. Bishop Hen- dricken of Providence. He announced his text from Daniel ii. 23: "To Thee, O God of our fathers, I give thanks, and I praise Thee ; because Thou hast given me wisdom and strength."
The Bishop said in part : "Right Rev. Bishops and Reverend Meinbers of the Clergy : When I look around ine and see so many eminent bishops present in this temple, so many venerable priests from all parts of the country, see this immense congregation, and these emblems of mourning, it is evident that death has taken from us a distinguished victim. The mourning is not confined to this temple; but wherever true worth is acknowledged and men have sympathy for deep learning and piety, there are those who mourn the death of Bishop McFarland." The Right Reverend preacher then briefly related the chief incidents of the deceased bishop's life, from his birth to his elevation to the episcopate. He then said : "Every good gift that comes to us is from God. The gifts of wisdom and fortitude were the gifts that shone resplendent in Bishop McFarland. He was born in evil days, when to be pious in the eyes of the world, it was only necessary to be decently vicious. He was early marked out for the episcopate. Seventeen years ago-and it looks like yesterday only-he was consecrated as Bishop of Hartford. The inconveniences and burdens which he bore for the scattered flock over which
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he ruled showed his great and wise zeal. In this large diocese his success and the durabie works which survive him, proved he had wise zeal in per- fection. Under his fostering care churches have sprung up, convents and schools have multiplied.
"We ask for the cause of his success, and we find it in the method of his labor. The sublime virtues of your lamented bishop will be remembered when the most ancient lineages will be forgotten. In his relations with men he was kind, affable and condescending. To his own merits he was appa- rently unconscious. He was 110 dumb pastor, but hastened everywhere to preach the gospel. His hearers were chiefly the poor, but now and then the learned came to hear him and were charined by the plainness, but force of his arguments. He was consulted by both the priests of his own diocese, and by priests and bishops of other dioceses. He was a man of extraordinary piety. I have known him from the morning of his consecration, and could not detect in him a venial fault; and here, I said, is a bishop on whom rests, in fullest amplitude, the seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit. The poorest member of his flock or diocese could approach him without hesitation and would receive the kindest treatment. He was a learned scholar in the best sense of that term ; he was a most profound theologian. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, when decreed by the Holy Pontiff as the belief of the church, he found no difficulty in receiving ; nor would he have hesi- tated to receive this doctrine, so declared, had he before been inclined to doubt it. As readily did he give his adhesion to the doctrine of the Infalli- bility of the Holy Father when speaking ex-cathedra as the Head of the Church. As a citizen, he was a valuable one to both this city and State, and also to Rhode Island when he resided there. During the late war, he was not wanting in patriotism and in a proper method of showing it. In regard to the school question, his position was unequivocally declared and well understood. He was no lover of the modern common-school system, for he regarded the system of teaching that lacked in denominational character as wanting in the Christian element.
"His simplicity of life and character are known and remembered by you. I could tell you of numberless instances of his generosity. When the claim without a proper title to a certain church was made by a congregation in the city of Providence, harshi words were spoken against him. When lie had satisfied the people that they were in error, and apologies had been inade to liim, he took no revenge, for he forgave tlie congregation a debt of $5,000 they owed to him, and then sold them the church in question for one-lialf what it had cost to erect it. He was unwearied in labor, and submissive to the will of God. I asked him only a few days before liis deatlı if lie was willing to die. He replied in Latin, 'Non recusco laborem, sed quid-quid vult Deus ego volo;' to the effect that he liad never refused to labor, but if it was the will of God lie would be resigned-le wislied whatever God wished ; literally, ' I refuse 110 labor, but whatever God wills I will.' "
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THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NEW ENGLAND.
The funeral procession was formed in the following order:
Platoon of police. Carriages containing the Bishops. Two carriages with bearers.
H
Sisters of Charity
E A Sisters of Mercy
R S E Children of Mary from St. Peter's church. Relatives in carriages. Clergy in carriages wearing cassocks and surplices. St. Peter's Band. St. Patrick's Society. St. John's Society. St. Peter's Society. Citizens.
The bishop was interred in the liabit of the Franciscan Order, and his grave was made in the grounds in front of the convent and pro-cathedral. In May, 1892, his remains were transferred to the crypt in the cathedral.
In its issue of October 22, 1874, the Pilot paid this tribute to the deceased bishop: "The episcopate and clergy mourn the loss of a distinguished co-worker, the Order of St. Francis a devoted member, and the Catholic church, in New England especially, the rich zeal which for sixteen years directed a diocese comprising, at one time, two States. Even those outside the churchi, from whom he received the highest regard and cooperation con- sistent with his position as an uncompromising Catholic prelate, have mani- fested their feeling for his loss. The deceased bishop was deserving of all these manifestations; for he was one of uncommon ability and self-sacrificing zeal, the untiring projector of churches and charities, and a father at once to the clergy of his diocese, whom he stimulated by faithful attention, and the little ones whom he gathered under his religious care. It is known that much of his episcopal duty was done at some personal sacrifice, and he did not spare himself even during ill health."
"The bishop was a learned scholar. His private library was remarkably fine-especially in the completeness of its theological collections. As an orator, he was singularly plain, yet precise in his expression, and possessed the rare faculty of never speaking for effect. His sermons were easily understood and (rare quality) easily remembered. He is said by those whose opinions are entitled to weight, to have had no superior as a theological student in the country. His intellectual gifts were many and brilliant ; but the kindness, humility, and child-like docility of his character, his resignation during the long and painful illness that afflicted him, and his calm submission to the decrees of death will be remembered with reverent affection long after his other qualities are consigned to oblivion."1
1 Connecticut Catholic Year Book, 1877.
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DIOCESE OF HARTFORD.
RIGHT REV. THOMAS GALBERRY, O.S.A., D.D.,
FOURTH BISHOP OF HARTFORD.
HOMAS, the son of Thomas Galberry and Margaret White, was born at Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, in 1833. When three years of age his parents emigrated to the United States and established their home in Philadelphia. Young Galberry was a witness of the outrages perpe- trated by the Native American party between 1842 and 1844, and the acts of sacrilege committed during these turbulent years must have made an indeli- ble impression upon the mind of one so observant as the subject of this sketch. His parents early perceived in him striking marks of a vocation to the sanc- tuary, and with self-sacrifice, characteristic of Catholic parents, sent him to Villanova College, near Philadelphia, in 1847. This institution was, as it is now, conducted by the Augustinian Fathers, an order upon which the young student was to reflect so much honor, and of which he was to become its most conspicuous ornament. Of serious, but not morose disposition, of placid tem- perament, a painstaking, conscientious student, his mind and heart now fixed upon his one great desire, Thomas Galberry pursued his studies with success and achieved the honor, dear to the heart of every student, of being selected by the faculty to deliver the commencement oration at the completion of his classical course in 1851. "While at college," says one who knew him well, "he was given to retirement and solitude, which was evinced in his love for long walks in the beautiful neighborhood of Villanova. Some of his earliest friends, those with whom he had contracted that most lasting of friendships .- the privilege of college life-often recall him to mind as a gentle and mod- est lad, who avoided anything like harshness or anger-always cheerful, collected and studious." 1
His classical course completed, he bestowed months of serious considera- tion upon the all-important question-old, yet ever recurring-What must I do to possess eternal life? His inclinations, all the yearnings of his soul, were for the ecclesiastical state. He would take up the cross and follow whither- soever the Master led. Accordingly, he entered the novitiate of the Augus. tinian Order at Villanova, January 1, 1852. Under the experienced and efficient direction of the Rev. William Hartnett, O. S. A., the young novice made rapid advancement in all that goes to make a holy religious. Sub- missive to severe trials, patient under difficulties, prompt in obedience to every order, docile under reproof, it was his sole aim to please his divine Master and to become a good priest. Voluntarily liad he chosen a life secluded from the world. He knew that self must be submerged, and it is the testimony of liis contemporaries that well and faithfully did he fulfill liis obligations. On January 4, 1853, he made his solemn profession, taking the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. After his profession he began the usual course of dogmatic and moral theology, sacred Scripture, canon law, church history, sacred eloquence, etc., which comprised a period of three years.
1 The Connecticut Catholic Year Book, 1877.
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THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NEW ENGLAND.
An Augustinian priest, who has achieved merited distinction as a historian, wrote of our subject at this time :1 " As I remember him (he was over me, my prefect, and in some branches my teacher), we boys respected Mr. Galberry. He was very attentive to his tasks, prompt at rising early, as we well knew, and exact in discipline. He was rather strict, yet that was his business, and a inodel of propriety, cool-tempered, self-possessed, and at a pinch, rather inclined 'to let a fellow,' as we used to say, 'ont of a scrape.' At the same time, we lads didn't try often to impose on him, as boys often will. Though I can't say that we exactly loved him, as he didn't enter quite as merrily into our games and sports as some others, we all, I believe, revered him in his quiet, unassuming demeanor. I believe none hated him ; the roughly-disposed, perhaps, feared him; a good number liked him, and all respected him. In class he was well prepared for his tasks, and we knew before entering the room we had better know our lessons."
The same observant writer continues: "Young Galberry was pious, kind of heart, attentive to his work, and noted for his thorough performance of the same, and his general steadiness. Intellectually, he was not what might be called brilliant or erndite. He knew his business; was sound on princi- ples; open to conviction; not given to prejudices; loving that which was best and inost equitable; was rather slow in forming his judgments ; studied the matter, took counsel, and viewed whatever he had on hand from all points of view; and when his mind was 'made up,' stuck to it like a limpet to the rock. Was very firm, some might say, obstinate, but I think not. Firmness is the word, or strong determination. This characteristic was marked during his whole life-time.'' 2
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