USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Fifty years of Boston; a memorial volume issued in commemoration of the tercentenary of 1930; 1880-1930, Pt. 2 > Part 22
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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
On Thursday morning, November the eleventh, His Eminence the Cardinal consecrated the Right Reverend John B. Peterson as Auxiliary Bishop. The co-consecrators were Bishop Guertin of Manchester and Bishop Murray of Portland. In attendance at the ceremony at the Cathedral were seven bishops. These included Bishop O'Leary, Bishop Hickey, Bishop Feehan, Bishop Nilan, Bishop Crane, Bishop Dinand and Bishop McAuliffe. A large congregation gathered to honor Bishop Peterson, whose lifelong labors in training the priests of the diocese had endeared him to the priests and laity alike.
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It was during 1928 that the Italian residents of Boston saw the realization of their many years of effort. During September His Eminence dedicated the new home for Italian ehildren on Centre street, Jamaica Plain. Thus was the diocese equipped with a special institution dedicated to the eare of the children of Italian extraetion, wherein expert treatment eould be afforded those seeking its shelter.
In the latter part of April Boston formally observed the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of His Holiness, Pius XI. Three hundred pilgrims journeyed to Rome. This American pilgrimage reached an impressive elimax when His Eminenee the Cardinal led the Boston pilgrims to the feet of the sueeessor of St. Peter, the visible head of the Church.
The oceasion was one of supreme satisfaction to those long anxious to enjoy the privilege, but it was made espeeially memorable by the warmth of the greeting extended to the pilgrims by our Holy Father and the earnestness with which the Sovereign Pontiff eominended His Eminence and the faithful of the Arehdiocese of Boston for their splendid demonstration of faith and loyalty.
The material growth of the archdiocese evoked the commendation of the Holy Father. His Eminenee could say that during his administration he had erected one hundred new parishes and that the solid foundations of the existing faith were guarantee of its continued growth in the future.
Pope Pius was interested above all in the condition of the Seminary where students studied for ordination to the Holy Priesthood. In this matter, His Eminenee eould point with supreme satisfaction to the Diocesan Seminary in Brighton, as he had developed and beautified it. And, of greater interest than the inaterial development, he could tell of forees operating upon the largest student body ever enrolled there. His Eminenee gladdened the heart of the Holy Father by informing him that there were more than two hundred and fifty aspirants to the priesthood housed within the walls of the Dioeesan Semi- nary, and that within a month he had enjoyed the surpassing honor of ordaining forty-two young priests, the largest elass in the history of the dioeese.
Another departure, evineing the determination of the Cardinal Archbishop to enlarge the facilities by which the residents of Boston are helped, eame when the Catholic Truth Period was instituted. Supplementing the previous. agencies of the dioeese for the promotion of better understanding, His Eminence, through the kindness of Mr. John Shepard, Jr., in offering the facilities of his radio station, was able to inaugurate a series of Sunday afternoon broadcasts during which prominent speakers, both ecelesiastieal and lay, might speak. The committee appointed was as follows: Reverend M. J. Ahern, S. J., Mr. Michael J. Jordan, Mr. David Goldstein and Mr. Charles W. Phelan. This committee initiated its program in October, 1929, and has since eontributed weekly interesting leetures and discussions in the interest of the Catholie faith, over Station WNAC, the Shepard Stores, Boston.
Intense exeitement followed the report that miraculous cures had oceurred at the grave of Reverend Patrick Power, in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden. Thousands flocked to the grave. The newspapers featured the account of the
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reported cures with heavy type on the front page. The sick, the lame, the sufferers from all degrees and kinds of affliction visited the grave in the hope that they might be relieved of suffering through miraculous power. From distant states came pilgrims.
In this situation the Catholic Church acted in her traditional careful manner. She insisted that indisputable evidence of cures be presented. She, of course, entered no denial of the existence of a supernatural operation at the grave of Father Power. On the contrary, with her age-old belief in miracles the church was ready to accept all evidence. But, rightfully, she did insist that investigation prove conclusively the actuality of miraculous cures before any movement was launched for the erection of a shrine. The case is in process of investigation.
Almost concurrently, the members of the Calvert Round Table assembled at the Fogg Museum in Cambridge. These men proposed to discuss measures and means by which they could promote better understanding among all the people of the state. The meetings of the Seminar were marked by a dispassion- ate and laudable spirit of good will. The members of the Round Table decided to hold a meeting each year. The results of the first meeting incline one to hope that the future will witness the fruition of the hopes of the Calvert Round Table and the removal of prejudice.
It is almost a century and a half since Catholicity made its first appearance in Boston. The years have not been unfruitful. The pioneer Catholics applied themselves to the task of seeking in the freedom of America the opportunity of serving God according to the dictates of their conscience. Native residents, themselves fugitives from the religious oppression of the Old World, denied the first Catholic arrivals that which they themselves had sought. But the Catholic came, entered Boston, and planted the seeds of his faith.
It seems incredible that the diocese over which Bishop Cheverus presided, with its handful of Catholics and its three churches, could develop into the massive organization of the present great Archdiocese of Boston. Incredible as it seems, it is actually so. Nor was the way easy or the progress unimpeded. The gentle Cheverus faced situations in which only the aid of Almighty God could support him. The abiding presence of Christ in His Church sustained Cheverus when the human weakness of both bishop and flock must have exposed to the Puritan suppressionists the ease with which they could deliver a final and dismissing blow to the Catholic Church in New England. During the episcopate of Bishop Cheverus, the enemies of the Church felt that extinction and destruction of the Catholic Church lurked just around the corner. Under God, the Church in New England defeated the measures to stifle her in lier infancy, and to the consternation and confusion of her most vehement attackers survived and grew.
Bishop Cheverus graced the episcopacy by his labors in giving to Catholic Boston its first established churches. The results of his work would have disappeared, however, under the determined assaults of violent enemies, had not Divine Providence raised up men of the high character and generous abilities of his successors in the episcopacy.
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The overwhelming majority of the residents of New England recognized that Catholicity had come and they resigned themselves to its presence. But their attitude was only one of toleration for a small minority. When the growth of Catholicity, numerically and structurally, threatened to reduce this majority, some misguided individuals determined to invoke obsolete and discriminatory laws, while others proceeded to take the law into their own hands. They conducted an aggressive campaign of violence. They made the life of every Catholic unduly burdensome. They obstructed the development of the Church. But the vital character of the Church, imparted by the presence of Christ, defeated every devious measure applied for her extinction.
The overweighted pall of this antagonism to the Church hung like a specter during the first century of its activity in New England. The first four bishops of Boston watched with pardonable satisfaction the structural additions to the diocese. They rejoiced in the numerical growth of their See. But in the inner consciousness of each of the first four bishops lay the disturbing realization that they could not lead their faithful Catholic people to the full and untrammeled exercise of their rights as Catholics and as American citizens. It remained for Boston's first Cardinal Archbishop to lead his people from the forced retirement of a tolerated minority, and to establish them in an ascendent position as the staunchest supporters of the state.
With the emergence of the Catholic citizen from a status of limited oppor- tunity to one of unabridged participation in all the functions common to the average citizen, Cardinal O'Connell was free to give his time and attention to the demands made upon his administrative capacity. Churches and institu- tions had multiplied during the incumbency of his immediate predecessors. The condition of these institutions was not so satisfactory as might appear at first glance. Many were encumbered with huge indebtedness. This indebtedness was mounting rather than diminishing with the years. The roseate hopes of the founders of these institutions were blighted by insufficient financial resources. The financial situation in some instances was chaotic.
Cardinal O'Connell immediately instituted a period of retrenchment and reorganization. He analyzed the conditions existing in each separate institution and set himself to the task of bringing orderliness and efficiency to bear upon the conduct of each one. The huge indebtedness under which the diocese strained neither discouraged him nor deterred him in his task. He accepted the situation as he met it, but determined to remedy it at once. The results of this determination are visible in the strong financial conditions of the entire diocese today and the freedom of its institutions from their former burdensome liabilities.
The efficiency with which Cardinal O'Connell liquidated the debts of the diocese made unnecessary any pause in his efforts to provide adequate parochial facilities for the faithful. In 1907 the diocese entered a period of unprecedented activity in the constitution of new parishes and in the construction of new churches. The parish church is the center of life for the Catholic. The Catholic desires a parish church where he may attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and where he knows that Jesus Christ dwells in the Tabernacle. The good
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Catholic people in many sections of the diocese petitioned Cardinal O'Connell for the erection of a parish church in their neighborhood. What has been his response?
The thoroughness, the celerity and the generosity with which Cardinal O'Connell made response are unparalleled in the history of the Catholic Church in this or in any other country. Cardinal O'Connell launched a program of expansion productive of more than one hundred new churches. He enlarged. church structures already standing. He bought property and installed religious orders for special work in the diocese. He established institutions for higher education. He organized diocesan agencies to meet particular needs of the faithful. He elevated the academic standards of the parochial school system. By his native genius he propelled the Church in Boston through a program of upbuilding and construction that must appear spectacular to those who read later of his administration.
The statistics of the diocese today show: 722 diocesan priests; 314 priests of religious orders; 287 churches with resident pastors; 63 missions with churches; 236 brothers; 398 religious women; 250 seminarians; 1,247 young men in college; 1,424 boys in preparatory schools; 718 boys in academies for boys; 390 students in colleges for women; 1,106 girls educated in higher branches; 863 girls educated in elementary branches; 136 parishes with schools; 55 parishes with high schools; 40,312 boys in elementary schools; 1,492 boys in high schools; 43,584 girls in parochial schools; 5,138 girls in high schools; 14 institutional schools; 2,118 pupils in institutional schools; 30 teaching communities; 2,167 teachers in parochial schools; 380 teachers in colleges, academies and preparatory schools; 114 teachers in institutional schools; 10 orphan asylums; about 200 inmates in the Infant Asylum; 201 pupils in the school for deaf mutes; 952 inmates in industrial and reform schools; 14,687 inmates and 53,881 out-patients in six hospitals during each year; nine homes with 886 inmates; total Catholic population more than one million souls.
One who fails to receive the stimulus of inspiration upon reading the history of the Catholic Church in Boston is indeed phlegmatic. The history of the Church in Boston is replete with edifying examples of strong Catholic faith and inspired Christian leadership. The principal actors in that history were characters of undeniable heroism. In the pages of that history one finds a stern rebuke to those of the present age who fail to appraise at its proper value the priceless heritage preserved for them by their forefathers in the faith. In the pages of that history one finds irresistible confirmation of the Living Presence of Christ in the Church He established.
PART II - OTHER CHRISTIAN CHURCHES
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH By the Right Reverend HENRY K. SHERRILL *
The history of any ehureh during any period ean never be deseribed in terms of statisties or of material growth. Obviously the great work of the Church is inward and spiritual. It has to do with the devotion and serviee of many clergymen, unknown to the world in general, with the loyalty and sacrifiee of thousands of lay workers. This must be understood concerning an artiele of this length. All that ean be done here is to note some of the great events which have made these past fifty years notable in the life of the eity as a whole.
In 1880 the outstanding figure was, of course, Phillips Brooks, then at the height of his ministry at Trinity Church, which had been eonseerated only three years before at the new location in Copley square. Here, Sunday after Sunday until his eonseeration as Bishop in 1891, he preached to great congregations of people from all over the world, lifting them into the presence of God, and sending them out with new power and courage to meet the difficulties and the problems of life. Bishop Lawrenee has written of his preaching, "He was Phillips Brooks transfigured through the power of his Master, speaking with sincerity and love for his Master. Step by step he leads the people on. Then as he comes to the elose and the final tender appeal, his voiee, full of emotion, is modulated, while the expectant listeners strain to hear the last word. There is silenee, silenee that ean be felt. Without aseription, and with little other than a whispered word, 'Let us pray,' preacher and people pray that the ines- sage will abide with them. The hymn and benediction follow. The people silently move down the aisles, through the doors, and spread throughout the eity." In him Boston was privileged to give to the world one of the greatest preachers of the Word of God of all times. These words are written almost forty years after the death of Phillips Brooks by one who has been privileged to serve in Trinity Church. I can testify from personal experience that his influenee still continues in the lives of countless inen and women of all communions.
In 1890 Bishop Paddoek, who had been for many years the faithful and devoted Bishop of the dioeese, died after nineteen years of serviee; and in 1891 Doctor Brooks was elected Bishop, being eonseerated on October 14 of that year. Again I quote from Bishop Lawrenee. "Though he was Bishop for only fifteen months, his was a great episeopate. Under the faithful adminis- tration of Bishop Paddoek an organization had been built up which needed a great spiritual leader: it was waiting to be fused into life. The personality and
* The editors, who are responsible for placing Bishop Sherrill's contribution first in this section, would acknowledge his co-operation in securing other contributions to its pages.
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preaching of Phillips Brooks did that. Many preachers and leaders are so personal and self-sufficient that when they are gone the cause drops. Brooks was so large, unselfish and unconscious of himself, that when he had gone the people, instead of dwelling on their loss, were grateful that he had been among them, and took up the work where he left off." For in January, 1893, Bishop Brooks died. From all over the world there came expressions of sorrow and gratitude for all he had been and accomplished.
In May of that year Dean Lawrence of the Episcopal Theological School was elected Bishop. Of an old and distinguished Boston family, before becom- ing Dean of the Seminary he had been the Rector of Grace Church, Lawrence. Of deep spirituality, of great executive ability, Bishop Lawrence from that day to this has been one of the leaders of the Commonwealth and of the nation, as well as of the Church. Since this article has to do only with the City of Boston, it is impossible to touch upon many of his contributions in the wider field of the diocese and the nation, such as the War Commission and his activity during the years of the war in training camps and elsewhere, the establishment of the Church Pension Fund, and the development and endowment of the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge. All that can be described here are a few of the outstanding events which are connected vitally with the life of this city.
Certainly one of these events was the creation in 1912 of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul on Tremont street, of which the Very Reverend Philemon F. Sturges is the present dean. For many years the ideal of a cathedral for the diocese had been cherished by Bishop Lawrence and by others. At last, through the generous bequests of the Misses Harriet Sarah Walker and Maria Sophia Walker, a considerable sum of money became available for this purpose. After great consideration and negotiation, St. Paul's Church was taken over by the Bishop and the diocese as the Cathedral, the Rev. Edmund S. Rousmaniere, then rector, becoming the first dean.
When many people think of a cathedral, they are apt to think first of a great and imposing edifice situated on some height dominating the surrounding territory. St. Paul's, Boston, is certainly not of that character, with its com- paratively small seating capacity, its simple architecture, and its location at the heart of the city, surrounded by business. But, better than size and archi- tecture, this cathedral through the years has exerted a wide spiritual influence, due primarily to the leadership of the Bishop and Dean Rousinaniere. It has been literally a House of Prayer for all people. Here have been held great services to commemorate events in the history of the Church and the nation, with distinguished preachers from this country and abroad. But above all, day after day, there are services bringing peace and joy to thousands of those who are weary and heavy laden.
In the same year a notable step was taken in the restoration of Christ Church (the Old North) on Salem strect. This is the oldest church building in Boston, built in 1723, and is, of course, connected with the ride of Paul Revere. Under the leadership of the Bishop a group of patriotic church people were interested, funds were raised and the church was restored to its original condi- tion as nearly as was possible. Thus there has been created a real patriotic
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shrine which it is interesting to be able to record is visited yearly by thousands of visitors from all over the nation.
One of the remarkable events of the past fifty years has been the develop- ment and growth of the Episcopal City Mission, of which the Reverend Frederick B. Allen was so long the leader, carried on these past ten years by Archdeacon Ernest J. Dennen. Here is included a varying religious and social work. Besides its mission churches in Boston proper, South Boston, East Boston and Charles- town, the Mission supports the remarkable work for sailors directed for many years by Stanton King, hospital chaplains in the many hospitals of the city. boys' camps, children's playgrounds, and the Mothers' Rest at Revere, to mention a few of the manifold activities combining religion and life.
The General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church meets every three years. In 1904 the convention met in Boston, when the outstanding event was the presence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The result was not only a quickening of the spiritual life of the Episcopal Church, but a great interest on the part of the general public, manifested in a general outpouring of the citizens of the city irrespective of creed. Similar scenes were re-enacted on the occasion of the visit of the Archbishop of York during the war.
No account of the life of the Church in Boston during this past half-century would be complete without the mention of the movement which has become known to the world as the Emmanuel Movement, instituted about twenty-five years ago by the Rector of Emmanuel Church, the Rev. Elwood Worcester, and his associate, the Rev. Samuel McComb. To quote from them directly, "The meaning and aim of our work may be expressed in a single sentence. It is to bring into effective co-operation the physician, the psychologically trained clergyman and the trained social worker in the alleviation and arrest of certain disorders of the nervous system which are now generally regarded as involving some weakness or defect of character or more or less complete mental dissocia- tion." There can be no question but that Doctor Worcester and Doctor McComb made a great contribution to a new understanding of the Christian Gospel and ministry. As this has been carried on by Doctor Worcester, untold good has been accomplished for distressed and suffering human souls.
In 1922 Bishop Lawrence asked for the election of a Bishop Coadjutor. In May of that year the Reverend Charles Lewis Slattery, Rector of Grace Church, New York, was elected. Doctor Slattery was a graduate of Harvard and of the Episcopal Theological School, and had revealed remarkable qualities as rector of churches in Minnesota and in Springfield before going to New York for his great twelve years as Rector of Grace Church. In 1927 Bishop Lawrence resigned and Bishop Slattery became Bishop, until his sudden death in 1930. In his seven years' episcopate there were many accomplishments for the kingdom of God. The especial material forward step was the rebuilding of the Diocesan House at 1 Joy street, which had been the headquarters of the diocese since the days of Phillips Brooks. Today through the leadership of Bishop Slattery we have our present adequate building.
In an article of this length it is inevitable that much must be left unsaid. There come to mind the devoted service of Bishop Babcock, since 1913 the beloved Suffragan Bishop of the diocese, who is still in active service; the
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stimulating ministry of Dr. Leighton Parks at Emmanuel Church, and Dr. E. Winchester Donald, the successor of Bishop Brooks at Trinity Church; the eighteen years of Doctor Mann's rectorship at Trinity, with his splendid service to the community, especially as trustee of the Boston Public Library; the ministries of Bishop Hall at the Church of St. John the Evangelist and of Bishop Brent at St. Stephen's Church. All of these, in addition to many others impossible to mention here, have left a deep spiritual impress upon the com- munity. The Episcopal Theological School is in Cambridge, so only passing mention can be made of the great intellectual contribution of such faculty members as Dean Hodges, Dr. A. V. G. Allen, Dr. Henry S. Nash, Dr. E. S. Drown, and Dean Washburn. Mention may be made here also of the diocesan monthly, "The Church Militant."
The original Puritan background of New England was naturally not favorable to the growth and development of an Episcopal Church. But through these years the church of which I am writing has held an increasing place of influence in this community. Within the Church there has been in these years not only a growth in numbers, but, more important, an added emphasis upon the beauty of worship. We stand with an historic background ready to meet the problems of this new and critical day. With the friendliest feeling for our neighbors of all communions, we feel that we have a contribution to make in this community to the establishment of the kingdom of God.
CONGREGATIONALISM By the Reverend A. Z. CONRAD *
For the first one hundred and fifty years the history of Congregationalism and the history of Boston are practically identical. The first church was an old-world church transplanted. Church and state were one. The Puritan Church positively dominated the civic life and government.
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