USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Hartford > History of the diocese of Hartford > Part 58
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The institution is empowered by its charter to place out the children on its "disposable list" in families or homes by legal adoption, indenture, or special contract ; but the usual practice is to place its disposable children out in good Catholic families or homes, according to opportunity, on terms and conditions deemed just and reasonable, expedient for the best interests of the child, and agree- able to its intrustee, every child thus disposed of being subject to the supervision of the pastor in whose parish the little one has found a home. The priests of the asylum district have always been interested in finding good homes for the asylum's charges, in recommending the most respectable applicants of their parislies, and in reporting, when requested to do so, the condition of the asylum's little peo- ple living in their parishes. The asylum also, in every case, reserves the riglit, whenever its officials shall think proper, to have any placed-out child returned to its care, or removed from any family or home at any time. All children, more- over, whether sent to the orphanage by counties, cities, towns, parislies, or guard- ians, are committed subject to the charter and rules of the institution.
The asylum is supported chiefly from pensions paid for the care of a number
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THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NEW ENGLAND.
of its children. Other means of support are derived from the school sisters' sal- aries, from the annual appropriation of $2,000 from the city of New Haven, in return for the good work done by the orphanage, which cares for a number of children committed to it by the city authorities, from the income of its invested funds received from time to time in the form of bequests, from occasional legacies, from the surplus cemetery moneys of the St. Bernard and St. Lawrence Cemetery Association of New Haven, and from its yearly "donation day " subscriptions of cash and contributions of generous gifts.
HISTORY.
The institution whose property, objects, officers, work, etc., are thus narrated had its beginning on Friday, May 12, 1852. On that day, four Sisters of Mercy from Providence, R. I., arrived at New Haven. The Rev. Edward J. O' Brien, pastor of old St. Mary's parish, New Haven, had concluded arrangements with the Right Rev. Bishop O'Reilly and Rev. Mother Xavier Warde, Superior of the Convent of Mercy, Providence, to establish a convent of the order in his parish, and having accompanied the Sisters from Providence to New Haven, conducted them to their new home.
The building first occupied by the Sisters of Mercy, who were the first of any religious sisterhood to settle in the Elm City, was a handsome brick private residence, with brownstone trimmings and imposing entrance, situated near Broad street, on George, convenient to St. Mary's church and school. It was in this temporary convent that on May 12, 1852, the very day of the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy in New Haven, two little orphan girls put in an appearance. They had come to live in this new convent home, where they were kindly welcomed, as the Sisters themselves had been welcomed but a short hour before.
The nucleus of the first Catholic orphan asylum in the City of Elms thus formed, the Catholic orphan children, pending the erection of St. Mary's new con- vent, directly north of and adjoining old St. Mary's church, on Church street, were, for about two years, cared for, under the direction of Father O'Brien, by the Sisters of Mercy, till they and their little charges, in 1854, vacated the George street house, and removed into the new St. Mary's Orphan Asylum, on Church street, the convent and the asylum both being in the one new brick building.
There, in the heart of the city, the asylum existed as a private parochial institution until the year 1864.
The location of the convent and asylum on Church street, a very busy portion of the city, though the best that could then be selected, was found in the course of time to be ill-adapted to the purposes of a growing institution. The Sisters' work becoming daily more extensive, they needed the spacious rooms of the con- vent; the number of orphan girls was steadily increasing, and the accommodations grew so limited that a new site for the asylum became a pressing necessity.
Accordingly, on the 6th of April, 1864, the land together with all the build- . ings thereon, on which the asylum now stands, running 300 feet east on Whitney avenue, 300 feet west on Prospect street, and 1,900 feet south on Highland street, was purchased from the Hon. Thomas H. Bond, by Rev. E. J. O'Brien and Rev. Matthew Hart, for the sum of $19,500. The cottage which stood on the grounds was enlarged, and the building made ready for the use of the orphans. The in- stitution was now called, "The St. Francis Orphan Asylum of New Haven," in honor of Rt. Rev. Francis P. McFarland, D.D. In the administration of Bishop
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McFarland, the foundations of the asylum's present main building were laid. It was Bishop McFarland also who authorized the purchase of the Whitney avenue property, and who, in 1873, approved the erection of the first brick structure on its newly acquired grounds. St. Francis, the Seraph of Assisi, selected as the patron saint of the new orphanage, and all things prepared, the institution was placed under the charge of three Sisters of Charity, from Mount St. Vincent, on the Hudson, New York.
On the arrival of the Sisters, June 2, 1864, the orphan girls, forty-four in number, were transferred from their old residence, St. Mary's Orphan Asylum, tc their new abode, the successor of their former temporary home on Church street.
In the May session of the Legislature of 1865, the petition of the Rev. Ed- ward J. O'Brien and others, praying, for reasons therein stated, for an act incor- porating the St. Francis Orphan Asylum of New Haven, was presented to the General Assembly; and on June 22, 1865, the act of incorporation was approved, whereby Francis Patrick McFarland, Edward J. O'Brien, Matthew Hart, Hugh Carmody, Thomas F. Hendricken, Thomas Synnott, John Sheridan, Charles At- water, Jr., Edward Downes, Patrick Morrissey, Thomas W. Cahill, William Geary, Bernard Reilly, William Downes, John Starrs, and their associates and successors, were constituted a body politic and corporate by the name of the St. Francis Orphan Asylum of New Haven.
The number of the orphans constantly increasing, and room for male orphans for whom no provision had hitherto been made, being very much needed, the corporation, at a meeting held in February, 1873, determined on the erection of the first new main brick building, which when completed would provide ample room for both boys and girls for many years. Rev. Dr. Carmody, the pastor of St. John's parish, New Haven, was charged with the supervision of the work, and under his direction the foundations were laid, in the year 1874. In the spring of 1875, Dr. Carmody having resigned his charge on account of a neces- sary absence from home, the Rev. Matthew Hart, pastor of St. Patrick's parish, took charge of the building of the new asylum. He pushed on the work of con- struction, and had brought the edifice nearly to completion, when his death occurred in July, 1876. Rev. Father P. A. Murphy, pastor of St. Mary's, was substituted in his place, and the building was made ready for use in Novem- ber, 1876.
From 1876 to 1896, owing to the steady increase in the number of its inmates, the asylum again became so inadequate to meet the needs of the home that it was found necessary to enlarge the house by the addition of another large wing. Plans were submitted and approved early in 1894 for this enlargement of the institution; and in the spring of 1896 this new "South Addition," built of red brick, with brown-stone trimmings, at a cost of about $40,000, with a capacity for 200 children, extending nearly 180 feet along Highland street, was completed and occupied, Rt. Rev. M. Tierney, D.D,, Bishop of Hartford, afterwards blessing the new struc- ture, on the afternoon of June 7, 1896.
The whole brick asylum building, a substantial structure, with appointments most complete, beautifully situated, is most favorably located for the health, training, occupation and recreation of its inmates. It stands on an elevated ledge of rock, commands an extensive view of the eastern portion of the city, and from the summit of East Rock, on which its neighbor, the soldiers' monument, is erected, it presents a very imposing appearance.
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THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NEW ENGLAND.
The institution is prosperous, its inmates happy, and its trustees gratified with the work accomplished. The Sisters of Mercy, likewise, who for so many years, have without worldly recompense, given their life and labor to the work of the orphanage, though they look for a higher reward, may not disdain the testi- mony of the Board of Trustees concerning the admirable manner in which they perform the onerous duties devolving upon them.
In this noblest of charities-the care, protection and education of the poor orphan-St. Francis' Orphan Asylum is a splendid monument to the Catholics of Connecticut, as well as a beautiful memorial of the grateful and generous people who, without distinction of religion, as friends of its little helpless ones, have their names associated with a great work, and whose countless deeds of true charity are written by angelic instead of human pen.
The first resident chaplain of the asylum was the Rev. James Hilary Harding, who entered upon the discharge of his duties on January 6, 1878. During his period of service here, Father Harding had the spiritual charge also of the jail and of "Springside Home." Father Harding was a native of Kilkenny, Ireland, and was born in 1812. His early education was obtained in his native town, and after a period of study and travel in France, came to this country, where he completed his theological studies at Villanova College, near Philadelphia. Thenceforth he labored in the archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, until, having obtained the requisite permission, he became affiliated with the diocese of Hartford.
Among the works that absorbed most of the time and all of the fortune of Father Harding was the construction of the Protectory for wayward boys on Fair Haven Heights. The corner-stone of the building was laid by Bishop McMahon on June 12, 1881. The site of the Protectory was purchased in April, 1879, from Francis Donnelly and a Mr. Shipman, and comprised three acres. The building, however, was never completed. Father Harding died at the asylum on May 25, 1889, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. His remains rest in the priests' lot, St. Bernard's cemetery, New Haven. The funeral services were held at St. Mary's church, where a Pontifical Mass of Requiem was celebrated by Bishop McMahon, assisted by the following clergymen : Assistant priest, Rev. John Furlong ; deacons of honor, Revs. John Cooney and M. McKeon ; deacon, Rev. M. A. Tierney ; sub- deacon, Rev. F. O'Keefe. The panegyric was preached by Rev. W. J. Slocum.
The successor of Father Harding as chaplain of the asylum was the Rev. John Francis Corcoran, who is still in charge, and is also the treasurer of the corpora- tion. Father Corcoran had been an assistant for nearly six years to Very Rev. James Hughes, V. G., Hartford, when, at the urgent request of Bishop McMahon, he gave up the parochial work of the ministry to assume that of the chaplaincy of the asylum. Father Corcoran began his successful career in this field of sacerdotal zeal on October 9, 1889. The new south addition was erected and dedicated during Father Corcoran's tenure of office, on June 7, 1897. The new chapel, school rooms, chaplain's apartments, and dormitories for the Sisters and children are in this addi- tion, which cost $50,000.
The first regular attending physician was Charles A. Gallagher, M. D. He held this position until his death, which occurred on May 9, 1878. Dr. Gallagher's successor is the present attendant physician, Matthew Charles O'Connor, M.D.
The principal benefactors of St. Francis' Orphan Asylum were Philip Marett and the Hon. James Edward English, formerly Governor of Connecticut.
The history of the Asylum would be incomplete were the names of the zealous
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Sisters of Charity and the Sisters of Mercy, who labored to care for, protect and educate the orphans, omitted.
The following Sisters of Mercy were superiors of St. Mary's Orphan Asylum, from 1852 to 1861 : 1852, Sister M. Camillus; 1854, Sister M. Josephine Lombard ; 1859, Sister M. Liguori; 1861, Sister M. Borgia.
On June 2, 1864, the Sisters of Charity assumed charge. They came to St. Francis' Orphan Asylum. Sister M. Ulrica was the first superior, and associated with her were Sister Stephen, Sister Zita and Sister Inez.
Sister Felicita was the second superior, and her companions were Sister Agnes, Sister Edwin, Sister Josephine, Sister Corsina, Sister Victor, Sister Bernardo, Sister Everilda, Sister Ann Alexis, Sister Ferdinand, Sister Vincenti, Sister Maria Bernard and Sister Anthony. Sister Ulrica was superior for about three years. Sister Felicita was superior for about fifteen years-to July 1, 1882, when the Sisters of Mercy re-assumed charge of the institution.
Mother M. Rose was superior during the months of July and August till the ap- pointment of Mother M. Angela, who from August 16, 1882, continued in office until her death, February 8, 1888. She was succeeded by Sister M. de Sales, who remained in charge till August 15th, of the same year, when Mother M. Agnes was appointed. Mother M. Agnes continued in control for three years-till August 15, 1891, when she was succeeded by Mother M. Rose, whose term expired September 2, 1893.
Sister M. Borromeo became superior September 2, 1893, and remained in office till September 2, 1898.
Sister M. Dionysius succeeded Sister M. Borromeo on September 2, 1898, and is the present superior.
The names of the other Sisters of Mercy who were stationed at different times at the Asylum, are here appended :
Sister M. Colette, Sister M. Jerome, Sister M. Euphrasia, Sister M. Athana- sius, Sister M. Julianna, Sister M. Margarita, Sister M. Borgia, Sister M. Alice, Sister M. Mark, Sister M. Adrian, Sister M. Cletus, Sister M. Winifred, Sister M. Matthew, Sister M. Catherine, Sister M. Euphemia, Sister M. Eleanor, Sister M. Mildred, Sister M. Aquinas, Sister M. Sylveria, Sister M. Chrysostom, Sister M. Pauline, Sister M. Geraldine, Sister M. Louis, Sister M. Augustine, Sister M. Clare, Sister M. Francesca, Sister M. Christina, Sister M. Calasanctius, Sister M. Gervase, Sister M. Eucharia, Sister M. Veracunda, Sister M. Ceplias, Sister M. Irmine, Sister M. Laura, Sister M. Bennett, Sister M. Kotska, Sister M. Florentine, Sister M. Macarius, Sister M. Alcantara, Sister Margaret Mary, Sister M. L'Es- perance, Sister M. Carmelita, Sister M. Andrew, Sister M. Rufina, Sister M. de Monfort, Sister M. Emeline, Sister M. Evangelista, Sister M. Xavier, Sister M. John, Sister M. Willianı, Sister M. Gertrude.
ST. JAMES' ORPHAN ASYLUM, HARTFORD.
T. JAMES' Asylum for boys, situated at 93 Church street, was founded by the late Very Rev. James Huglies, V.G., 011 May 6, 1864. In the beginning of its career, and for many years afterwards, it had the names of over a hundred boys on its rolls; but the founding of St. Francis' Orphan Asylum of New Haven has diminished this number considerably, so that the average number of boys at present cared for at St. James' is about thirty. The institution is in charge of the Sisters of Mercy.
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THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NEW ENGLAND.
Connected with St. James' is St. Catharine's Asylum for girls, also founded by Father Hughes. About thirty girls here find shelter.
ST. THOMAS' PREPARATORY SEMINARY, 352 COLLINS ST., HARTFORD, CONN.
HE Preparatory Seminary of St. Thomas of Aquin, founded by the Rt. Rev. Michael Tierney, D.D., Bishop of Hartford, is the youngest Catholic seminary or college in New England. It was a long cherished desire of Bishop Tierney that there might be established in his dio- cese an institution wherein the highest grade of education should be fur- nished, and where, at the same time, the principles of religion should be made the beginning and end of the students' ambitions and efforts. He was enabled to realize this wish by securing the estate located at 352 Collins street, Hartford.
This property was purchased from Patrick B. Donovan, by Bishop Tier- ney, on the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin, November 21, 1896. The land measures one hundred and forty-six (146) feet on the north, two hundred and ninety-nine (299) feet on the east, one hundred and ninety (190) feet on the south, and three hundred and seventeen (317) feet on the west.
Besides the fact that a sufficient tract of land was at his disposal in his episcopal city, the healthfulness of the location, and the beautiful and retired section of the city, in which it is situated, were controlling factors in inducing the bishop to have his seminary in Hartford.
The building is a large brick structure erected according to the ideas of modern architecture, and is admirably adapted for college purposes. The first floor is taken up with the study-hall, class-rooms, refectory and parlors. The chapel, dormitory and professors' quarters are on the second floor. On the third floor are the large dormitory, infirmary, library and private rooms. The domestic department and the infirmary are under the efficient care and direction of the Sisters of St. Joseph.
The bishop called the diocesan clergy to take charge. At first there were but three resident professors : Rev. John Synnott, president and bursar ; Rev. Robert F. Fitzgerald, D.D., vice-president, and Rev. F. X. Mullville, prefect of studies. Besides these the following professors, who resided in the city, attended : Revs. Paul E. Roy, Hubert V. Dahme, D. J. Gleason, D.D., and John Ryan. On February 23, 1898, Dr. Gleason was appointed rector of the Italian church, and was succeeded by Rev. B. F. Broderick, D.D., who took up his residence at the seminary. On September 6, 1898, Mr. A. J. Plunkett was called to the seminary as prefect of discipline and librarian.
Classes were organized in St. Thomas' Seminary on September 7, 1898, when thirty-seven students-fifteen boarders and twenty-two day-scholars- were entered on the roll.
On the following day, September 8th, after the celebration of Mass, the Rt. Rev. Bishop, assisted by the Rev. President and the Chancellor, Rev. J. P. Donovan, D.D., blessed the chapel and seminary. Others who were present at the blessing were Rev. W. J. Shanley, Rev. T. S. Duggan, Rev. E. A. Flannery, Rev. B. Broderick, D.D., and the whole student body. The chapel is located in the west side of the seminary, and, besides its altar of white and
ST. THOMAS' PREPARATORY SEMINARY, Hartford (Front view ).
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DIOCESE OF HARTFORD.
gold, possesses a fine painting of the Sacred Heart, statues of the Blessed Virgin and St. Aloysius, which have been donated, and an organ.
On April 1, 1898, the Rev. President erected canonically the Stations of the Cross, in accordance with the beautiful ceremonial prescribed by the Roman Ritual.
Before stating the special object of the preparatory seininary it may be well to relate briefly the history of seminaries and the attitude of the Church towards them. The history of seminaries may be divided into two periods, one prior and the other subsequent to the Council of Trent. Some canonists trace episcopal seminaries to the very beginning of the Church ; some to the Council of Nice (A.D. 325), and some to St. Augustine. It cannot be dis- puted that seminaries existed in the 6th century, for the Council of Toledo (A. D. 531) ordained that boys dedicated by their parents to the service of the Church, should be brought up under the tuition of a director, in a house belonging to the cathedral, and under the eye of the bishop. Nor was eccle- siastical education confined solely to seminaries. Many of those destined for the Church, as early as the 6th century, received their education in the houses of the clergy. About the 8th century universities began to take the place of seminaries. The Council of Trent re-established seminaries and placed them on a more solid basis. The following are some of the enactments of this council in regard to seminaries: I. A bishop is bound to have at least one seminary, unless the poverty of the diocese makes it impossible. 2. Those only should be received into seminaries whose character and inclination afford a hope that they will always serve in the ecclesiastical ininistry. 3. Not only students of theology, but also of classics, should be admitted.
In our own time the Fathers of the Councils of Baltimore promulgated many canons respecting seminaries in the United States. The Third Plenary Council of Baltimore decreed that every diocese should, if possible, have its own major and minor seminary set apart exclusively for the educa- tion of ecclesiastical students. Where this is impossible one higher and one preparatory seminary should be established in each province. How important preparatory seminaries appeared to the Fathers of the Third Plenary Council is apparent from the fact that they allow aspirants to the priesthood to study the classics in secular schools and colleges only in places where, owing to lack of means, preparatory seminaries, exclusively for clerical students, can- not as yet be established.
Inspired by the wise and weighty words of these Councils, Right Rev. Bishop Tierney planned to found in liis diocese a preparatory seminary de- voted exclusively to the training of youth destined for the priesthood.
In his circular to thie clergy the Right Rev. founder announced the object of St. Thomas' ; he said, "We have always looked forward to the time when we could have a seminary in our own diocese, where candidates for the priesthood would grow up under the eye of their bishop, and be trained to meet the especial wants of the field in which they are called to labor." Other inducing motives were :
I. That boys having a, vocation to the priesthood may immediately enter the seminary after completing the course of studies in the parochial school in- stead of entering the high school, where their vocation may be endangered, and, as experience proves, is often lost. For a vocation, however true it may be, is no guarantee that a youth may not fall into sin, contract evil habits, and event-
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ually lose his calling. For, once the character of a boy is formed, no discipline can produce any lasting results. This formation of character takes place during the period of transition from youth to young manhood, -from the thirteenth to the seventeenth year of a boy's life. Just then a boy is apt to enter a secular school or college, where he will mingle with others, who are led on by mere worldly motives, and, as a result, in his tastes and enthusiasm he will imbibe a spirit wholly alien to the priestly character. The Fathers of the Council of Balti- more had this fact in mind when they said : " These seminaries are to shield, from their earliest years, boys against the influence of bad example and mingling with the world during the time in which they prepare themselves for the theological seminary."
2. That the dispositions and habits of the young inen may be carefully studied ; that those whose habits unfit them for the priesthood may become known to the bishop, and may thereby be prevented from entering the sacer- dotal state, where they would likely do much harnı to souls.
3. That judgment may be passed upon the capacity of the students, in order that they who may be deficient in the abilities requisite for the priest- hood, may be informed as soon as possible and permitted to withdraw from the seminary, ere they have wasted several years.
The cost of maintaining a seminary is naturally very great. The necessity of meeting it generally falls upon the students who are, for the most part, poor. Bishop Tierney, in founding his seminary, resolved to change this inethod, and to reduce to a minimuin the expenses to be incurred by the students. In this he has been successful. Matters have been so arranged that the day scholars receive their tuition free, while the resident students pay but a small sum-one hundred and fifty dollars-for board, tuition, etc. So that poor boys need no longer feel that they are debarred from studying for the ministry on account of lack of means.
The course of studies embraces a period of five years. The course is strictly classical, including, besides a thorough grounding in the Latin, Greek and Eng- lish languages, a systematic training in French and German ; a complete course in mathematics and the natural sciences, Christian doctrine and history.
Each student is required to pass an entrance examination, after which he will be assigned to the class for which he is fitted. No applicant will be admitted who has not made some progress in study, and who has not success- fully completed his studies in what is commonly known as the "Grammar Grade." Thence he will pass, by graduation, to the higher classes through- out the remainder of the course.
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