USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Hartford > History of the diocese of Hartford > Part 41
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60
The Catholic population having increased in 1845 to ncarly 400 souls, a petition was forwarded to Bishop Tyler, praying for a resident pastor. It is as follows:
MIDDLETOWN, April 2, 1845.
RIGHT REV. AND DEAR SIR :-
We, the undersigned as a Committee, do hereby most respectfully solicit your kind and immediate attention to the spiritual wants of the Catholics of Middletown and Port- land in Connecticut.
314
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NEW ENGLAND.
It would be impossible for us to set forth in this communication all the spiritual wants which the Catholics of this portion of your diocese suffer, or to make you ac- quainted with the numerous disadvantages under which they labor, in consequence of their not having a priest reside here amongst them.
Iu the absence of any personal acquaintance with you, we deem it most applicable to the object, which we have in addressing you, to state such facts as we think best cal- culated to command your kind and immediate consideration.
We presume that you are well aware that we have through the extraordinary chari- table exertions of the Rev. Mr. Brady, of Hartford, got a church built in Middletown which contains at present 48 or 50 pews, each pew calculated to contain 5 or 6 persons, for which the people agree to pay the sum of, say, men, $6, and women, $4 each per seat quarterly.
We can confidently state to you that there is at present a number of Catholics suffi- ciently large to occupy the above-mentioned number of pews to the utmost extent for which they are calculated to accommodate.
In addition to the above facts we have good reasons to suppose from personal knowledge and observation on the increased activity of business that there will be a great increase in the number of Catholics here in course of the ensuing summer.
As the Catholic population of Middletown and vicinity is composed of Irish la- borers, with very few exceptions, we are unable to state their exact number; but we will state without any pretensions to accuracy, however, that in the course of the ensuing summer their number will not fall much short of four hundred.
The Rev. Mr. Brady told us.on the last Sunday he gave service here, that it was im- possible for him on account of his health, and his obligations to his people in Hartford, to come here much longer.
This letter, we as a committee in the Catholic name of the people of Middletown and Portland, present to your Reverence with the most profound respect, and subscribe ourselves Your most faithful servants and Catholics,
JOHN DRENNAN, JAMES GEARY, J. BARRY, MICHAEL KEEFE,
MICHAEL HOGAN, P. CAVANAGH, MARTIN DEEGAN, JOSEPH MAGNER,
M. BYRNE, JOHN CARR, WILLIAM DOUGE, M. HANEGAN.
Bishop Tyler honored this petition by the appointment to Middletown in the same year of the Rev. John Brady, Jr. The stream of immigration that flowed into Connecticut between 1845 and 1850 increased to a great extent the Catholic population of Middletown, Portland and Cromwell. These hardy sons of toil found employment in the quarries at Portland. The new church became too small to accommodate the congregation. Father Brady, therefore, set about the erection of a church which would meet all future de- mands. Learning of this determination, admiring the spirit it disclosed and recognizing the salutary influence exerted by religion over their employees, the owners of the quarries generously donated all the stone necessary for the construction of the church; the money which paid for the building was collected almost entirely among the parishioners. A unique means of rais- ing funds was employed in building both churches. In 1843, a piece of land in the rear of the church was laid out in burial lots, and every parishioner who contributed $20 towards the erection of the church received in return a lot in the cemetery. When the new church was projected by Father Brady, the same method was adopted of giving a whole lot in the cemetery to those contributing $20 and a half lot to those who gave $10. So enthusiastic were the people over the prospect of a new church that the lots were disposed of in a short time.
315
DIOCESE OF HARTFORD.
In the meantime Bishop O' Reilly made a visitation of Middletown on May II, 1851, administered confirmation to 116 persons and preached three tiines.
The new church was dedicated to the service of God under the patronage of St. John, on Sunday, September 5, 1852. Bishop O' Reilly arrived at Mid- dletown on the 4th, and remained until the 8th. The ceremony of dedication was as edifying as it was interesting. Bishop O'Reilly officiated at the service, at the conclusion of which a Solemn High Mass was celebrated by the Rev. Thomas Quinn, of Winsted, assisted by the Rev. Edward O'Brien, of New Haven, as deacon ; the Rev. Hugh O' Reilley, of Meriden, as sub-deacon, and the Rev. Thomas Daly, of Albany, N. Y., as master of ceremonies. The preacher at the morning service was the Rev. Dr. Moriarty, and at the Ponti- fical vespers Rev. Bernard O'Reilly, S. J., of St. John's College, Fordham, pro- nounced the discourse, his theme being, "The Priesthood." In the morning Bishop O'Reilly administered confirmation to a large number of persons, and preached. Commenting on the ceremonies of this day, a contemporary wrote :
"Dedications of churches to Catholic worship are now almost of weekly occurrence throughout the country, but nowhere more so than in the diocese of Hartford, a proof of the untiring enterprise of our Bishop and the zeal of our priesthood. Localities in this State where, five or six years since, a Catholic priest was a rare sight, are now supplied with churches, pastors and congregations, a proof of the inherent vitality of Catholicity and the divine mission of its teachers. Although the Rev. Mr. Brady has been a com- paratively short time with us, he has, through his indomitable energy and fervent desire to promote the glory of God, erected a temple which will live after him ; within whose walls many generations will enter, and worship, and go out, and which will endear his memory to many a pious soul for whose benefit he has provided a temple and erected a tabernacle in which the God of Heaven may be worshiped in spirit and in truth."
Father Brady's relations with St. John's parish ceased on April 21, 1855. As was not infrequently the case in those days, his retirement caused no little excitement among the people. Some adherent of the pastor, with more zeal than respect for authority, nailed the following notice on the principal entrance of the church on the evening of the 21st : "Let no man take this down till the Bishop gives a reason for removing Mr. Brady from his beloved congrega- tion. Let no man dare to.". The Rev. Louis Mangan, who had accompanied Bishop O'Reilly to Middletown, and who became the successor of Father Brady, saw the notice on the door as he approached to say Mass on the morning of the 22nd. News of the placard had spread through the town, and the people began to gather very early, discussing among themselves the propriety of such proceedings. Father Mangan tore thie notice off the door and asked the reason of it. An elderly inan in the crowd told him that the Bishop's course was disapproved by the congregation, as they did not wish to part with Father Brady. He had been with them ten years, had built them up to what they were, and that to remove him without giving a reason to the congregation was an outrage, he said, to their feelings. Father Mangan procured a hatchet, pried off the boards which had been nailed across the doors and opened the church for divine service. Some of the people entered, while others remained outside, but all were quiet and orderly. Father Mangan
316
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NEW ENGLAND.
addressed the people in a calm, dignified and conciliatory manner, which tended to allay the excitement which had been aroused by a few misguided leaders. Excitement had run high and passion was deep. There was a dis- position to rebel against ecclesiastical authority, and to censure the Bishop for exercising what was inalienably his right. He was the object of severe condemnation at the time; but, as was becoming his office, he remained silent. But in the interests of truth and historic justice, I believe he should now speak after a silence of fifty-four years. From Bishop O'Reilly's Journal : " 1855, April 20, Leave (Hartford) in the evening for Middletown, arrive there at 8 P. M., and put up at the McDonough house.
21. "Go to the church to say Mass at half-past 6 A.M. Send to Revd Brady for the key of the church; the messenger informs me that Father Brady will bring the key in a few minutes. He shortly appears accompanied with his man of all business, Mr. Cody, and presents me his resignation in writing; this act of his, whilst his resignation or his right to resign was of no consideration, was most acceptable. He asked me if I accepted it; I answered yes, and treated him mnost courteously."
Here, in a few words, is the plain, unvarnished account of a transaction which threatened at the time to disrupt the congregation. It is within a Bishop's province, as it is his bounden duty, to warn, reprimand and to punish with censures, if necessary, his clergy, who are negligent, or who prove a stumbling block to their people, and this duty of giving warning Bishop O'Reilly had performed on the preceding Ist of March, the outcome of which was the voluntary resignation of Father Brady.
Father Brady founded the first parochial school in Middletown in 1849. Mr. Andrew Cody, a classical scholar from Fermoy College, County Cork, Ireland, was the first master of the school, which position he retained until his death, in 1866. He was assisted for many years by two sisters, Isabella A. and Helen G. Fagan.
Rev. Louis Mangan became the pastor of St. John's parish on April 22, 1855. He maintained this relationship until his death in November, 1857, when the Rev. James Lynch, "a man of ability and enterprise," was appointed his successor. For fifteen years Father Lynch was the faithful, devoted pastor of St. John's. In that time he liquidated the debt of the church, completed the spire in 1864, placed a large bell in the tower, and had the church frescoed in the most artistic manner. He erected the parochial residence and convent, introduced the Sisters of Mercy as teachers of the school, and purchased the cemetery. This tract of land was on Jolinson street, and was secured from Michael H. Griffin in 1865, and blessed in the same year. Father Lynch's kindness and zeal, his unobtrusive manner, and his profound sympathy with the people won for him an abiding place in the hearts of all. When he was transferred to Waterbury, to succeed Father Hendricken, who had become Bishop of Providence, he was followed early in 1873 by the Rev. Edward J. O'Brien, who resigned his pastorate in 1876. His successor was the Rev. Francis P. O'Keefe. Father O' Keefe organized the mission at Cromwell and remodeled the main altar of the church.
317
DIOCESE OF HARTFORD.
The Rev. Denis Desmond followed Father O'Keefe in October, 1881. Father Desmond liquidated the debt that remained on the cemetery and spire, introduced steam heat into the church, convent and pastoral residence, liad new and beautiful stained-glass windows put in the church, and in 1883 secured the tract of land south of the cemetery, which he had laid out for burial purposes. After a successful pastorate of three years and seven months Father Desmond died at Middletown in April, 1885.
The present incumbent, the Rev. Bernard O'Reilly Sheridan, succeeded to the administration of St. John's on May 1, 1885. In July of that year Father Sheridan began the work of thoroughly renovating the church, within and without. The roof was reslated ; new stained-glass was placed in every win- dow, even the smallest; handsome altars were erected in place of the former ones; and new pews and confessionals added to the beauty of the interior- all accomplished at an outlay of $25,000. The renewed edifice was reopened with impressive ceremonies on October 12, 1885. Pontifical Mass was cele- brated by Bishop McMahon.
The zeal of Father Sheridan was now directed to the entire liquidation of the indebtedness which the recent extensive improvements had entailed. Having accomplished this end, the crowning event of his pastorate, as it is the crowning event in the life of any pastor, caine on September 10, 1886, when his beautiful church, unencumbered by financial obligations, was with great pomp and solemnity consecrated forever to divine service. It was a day on which the faithful people truly rejoiced and were glad, for they were the pos- sessors of a temple upon which no profane hand would ever fall.
The Most Rev. M. A. Corrigan, Archbishop of New York, officiated at the ceremony of consecration, and the Rev. Edward McGlynn, D.D., preached the sermon. Of the Pontifical Mass which followed, Bishop McMahon was the celebrant, with the following clergy assisting : Very Rev. James Hughes, V. G., arch-priest ; Rev. Thomas Broderick, deacon ; Rev. Luke Fitzsimmons, sub-deacon ; Rev. Michael F. Kelly and Rev. James H. O' Donnell, masters of ceremonies at the consecration services and at the Mass. Right Rev. Bishop Conroy officiated at Pontifical Vespers, with Very Rev. M. McCabe, of Wooll- socket, as assistant priest.
The handsome and commodious parochial school was begun in 1887. The corner-stone was laid by Bishop McMahon, and the oration on the occasion was pronounced by Rev. H. Kinnerney, of Pawtucket, R. I. The blessing of the new school took place in September, 1888, the officiating prelate being Bishop McMahon, and the orator the Rev. Dr. Conaty, at present rector of the Catholic University of America at Washington. The school was erected at a cost of $30,000, and wlien opened was free from debt. Besides these greater works, Father Sheridan erected a brown-stone chapel in the cemetery on the site of the old brick chapel, built an archway between the church and school, placed a handsome granite coping and new flagging around the rectory grounds, purchased a new house for the janitor and another dwelling cast of the convent, improved and beautified the convent property, renovated the rectory and purchased several lots on
318
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NEW ENGLAND.
nortlı Main street-works that speak eloquently for the activity and the financial ability of the pastor.
St. Coleman's church at Middlefield, a mission church, was also built during Father Sheridan's administration in 1887, site and building costing $3500, all of which was liquidated when the church was completed. Mass is said here every Sunday. The Catholics of Middlefield number about 100 souls.
As stated above, the first Catholic school in Middletown opened in 1849, in charge of lay teachers. This arrangement continued until 1866, when it passed under the direction of the Board of Education, thus becoming one of the public schools of the city. On May 10, 1872, during the pastorate of Father Lynch, seven Sisters of Mercy from Ennis, County Clare, Ireland, came to Middletown at the invitation of Bishop McFarland, and took possession of the new convent. They assumed charge of the parochial school, and opened an academy for young ladies which acquired a just fame for the high standard of scholarship there maintained. The parochial school at present has 568 pupils, with twelve grades. Mother M. Aloysius is the Superioress of the convent. Results the most gratifying are secured in St. John's school. Its graduates pass with no difficulty to the high school, and while there, reflect honor on the school that laid the foundation upon which their higher education is builded.
The clergy who assist Father Sheridan in his parochial labors are the Rev. P. J. McGivney and the Rev. J. H. Walsh.
When the first Mass was said in Middletown there were between thirty- five and forty Catholics to kneel before the altar ; when the church was built in 1843 the Catholic population had increased to 300 or 400; at present the number of souls is estimated at 3700, comprising Irish, French, Germans, Poles, Portuguese and Italians.
The baptismal records of St. John's parish show that from 1845 to June, 1 898, the sacrament of baptism was administered 8949 times; and the marriage records testify that 1897 inarriages were solemnized within the same period.
ST. JOSEPH'S PARISH, CHESTER.
HESTER was incorporated as a town in 1836. In 1850 we note the beginnings of Catholicity. Among the pioneers who settled here about this time were John Barry, David Flynn, John Baker, Leonard Baker, Daniel Duggan, William O'Connor and John Daily. In 1850 these sons of Holy Church invited the Rev. Jolin Brady, of Hartford, to come and minister to them the consolations of religion. He visited Chester in response to their urgent call and said Mass in a private house in the same year ; about twenty-five persons received the blessings of that service. The house in which this Mass was said was afterwards owned and occupied by Fisk Shailer. Rev. Peter Kelly came in 1851, and the people having secured Rechabite Hall, through the liberal dispositions of its owners, said Mass there for the first time. The privilege of holding divine services in this hall was a boon highly prized and for which the Catholics have ever been grateful. Rechabite Hall was used until the erection of St. Joseph's church.
REV. RICHARD C. GRAGAN.
1
REV. ANDREW F. HARTY.
REV. JOHN WALSH.
319
DIOCESE OF HARTFORD.
Having been informed of the presence here of this congregation, Bishop O'Reilly appointed the Rev. John Lynch their pastor in 1852, with Saybrook, Clinton and Branford as dependencies. In 1853 there were ten Catholic families in Chester and about forty unmarried persons.
In the fall of 1852, Father Lynch secured through the agency of Judge Vinal the present church lot, paying therefor $600, and in 1855 began the erection of old St. Joseph's church, which was completed in the same year. During these years, Father Lynch's residence was on Maple street. About the end of 1856, he transferred the pastoral residence to Guilford, from which Chester, Branford and Clinton were attended. In 1856, Chester was under the jurisdiction of Branford, the pastor of which was the Rev. William Clarke. In 1865 it was severed from Colchester by the Rev. P. Creighton, who attended it for about two years, when late in 1867 it reverted to the jurisdiction of Branford. The pastors of Branford visited Chester frequently until 1876, when the Rev. Philip Sheridan was appointed the first resident pastor with Saybrook as a mission. His period of service ended with his death in 1883. His successor was the Rev. Joseph Synnott, who assumed charge in April of the same year. Father Synnott built the pastoral residence and St. John's church at Saybrook, at an expenditure of $9,500, the former at $5,000 and the latter at $4,500; and when in April, 1886, he was transferred to Ansonia, he had not only liquidated the indebtedness incurred by the construction of these two buildings, but left to his successor a balance in the treasury.
The Rev. Father Skelly became Father Synnott's successor. Among the material works which marked his administration, were the erection of St. Peter's church at Higganum; the removal of old St. Joseph's church and the construction on its site of the present edifice in 1891 ; the purchase of a lot north of the church property, which he transformed into a park. When Father Skelly was transferred to Litchfield, the present rector, the Rev. Andrew F. Harty, became his successor on October 19, 1896. Father Harty attends also the churches in Saybrook, Essex and Higganum. Mass is said in Saybrook three times a month, in Essex and Higganum once. The population of the missions is chiefly Irish and is constantly decreasing. When Chester was organized into a parish, the number of Catholics here was about seventy- five ; at present there are about 125 souls.
The parish owns a fine cemetery which was purchased in 1873 and blessed · by Bishop McFarland.
Arduous, indeed, but consoling withal, are tlie labors of these missions. Higganum is ten miles, Saybrook nine and Essex four, from the home parislı. What with the Sunday work at these distant missions-saying Mass, preacli- ing, instructing the children and administering the sacraments, the long drives soon make inroads upon a priest's healtlı. But zeal for God's honor and glory recognizes no fatigue ; to spend and to be spent are the all-absorbing desires of the priest who is a true father to his flock ; but when the labors of the pastor are recognized with such grateful appreciation as at Chester, 110 work is too exhausting, 110 sacrifice too great.
320
3
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NEW ENGLAND.
ST. JOHN'S PARISH,
CROMWELL.
FIVE years before Cromwell received its civic incorporation Catholic set. tlers had established homes here. Michael Dowling, Elizabeth Kelly and Patrick Byrne arrived in 1846, and of this trio, Elizabeth Kelly still survives. Of the Germans, John Myer was the first Catholic resident, coming in 1857. In 1847 was solemnized the first Catholic marriage in Cromwell, that of John Ryan and Mary Moran, and their daughter, Sarah, was the first Catholic child to receive baptism, April 10, 1848. In their family, also, occurred the first deatlı, that of their infant daughter, Anna, in 1860.
As Cromwell originally belonged to the jurisdiction of Middletown, the Catholics of this place attended divine services at St. John's church, until June 3, 1877, when the first Mass celebrated in Cromwell was said by the Rev. Francis P. O'Keefe in Stephens' Hall. At that time there were about 350 Catholics in Cromwell, of Irish and German extraction, in the proportion of about four to one. Besides the attendance given by the pastor to the Catholics of Croniwell, the Sisters of Mercy from Middletown became effi- cient auxiliaries in teaching the children the salutary truths of faith.
The Rev. John H. Ryan, D.D., became the first resident pastor in Feb- ruary, 1880, with jurisdiction over Rocky Hill and Kensington. According to the census taken that year, there were 400 souls in the parish. The people continued to gather in Stephens' Hall for divine services under Dr. Ryan's administration. He purchased the present church property, remodeled the house that stood on the premises, and had begun the excavation of the base- ment of the new church, when he was succeeded by the Rev. John F. Mur- phy in July, 1881. In that year the corner-stone of the church was laid, and the ceremony of dedication was performed by Bishop McMahon on April 22, 1883. The church is an attractive, substantial structure with a seating capa- city of 500. Father Murphy's work in Cromwell may be estimated when it is stated that, besides building the church, he erected the present handsome pastoral residence, and made other improvements which greatly enhanced the value of the parochial property.
Rev. William Gibbons succeeded Father Murphy, who was transferred to Mystic, in September 1895. Remaining eight months, he was followed by Rev. Thomas Shelly in May, 1896. Father Shelly served the parish eighteen months, when he was appointed to the pastorate of the Sacred Heart parish, Waterbury. His successor is the present incumbent, the Rev. John Fitzgerald. The population of St. John's parish is 513 souls, of Irish and German extraction, in the proportion of three to one. Since his advent Father Fitzgerald has liquidated the indebtedness of the parish.
·
In the first decade after the organization of the parish, the number of baptisms was 250 and the marriages 55 ; in the second decade 200 baptisms were conferred and 31 marriages solemnized.
The members of St. John's are chiefly engaged in agricultural pursuits, devoted to the church and inost attentive to their religious duties.
321
DIOCESE OF HARTFORD.
Rocky Hill, formerly attached to East Hartford, is attended by Father Fitzgerald, as it had previously been served by his predecessors from the for- mation of the Cromwell parish. The church here, a framne building with brick basement, was erected during the pastorate of Father Murphy, and dedicated in honor of St. James in 1880. Its seating capacity is 300. Free from financial obligations, the church is a splendid testimony to the faith and generosity of the people. Mass is said here every Sunday.
In the home of Michael Kelly, Rev. Louis Mangan celebrated the first Mass said in Rocky Hill. No little uncertainty surrounds the dates of the first marriage, baptism and death. John Halligan was the first child born and baptized here, and John Grimes the first child claimed by death. The oldest residents assign these events to the year 1848. The baptismal records show seventy baptisms and nineteen marriages in the first decade.
ST. MARY'S PARISH, PORTLAND.
HATHAM, now Portland, was part of Middletown until October, 1767. In that year it was granted separate rights and given the name Chat- ham, after the town in England of that name, famous for its ship- building.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.