USA > New Jersey > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, New Jersey, 1664-1920, Volume I > Part 40
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There is a Hungarian Baptist church in the city that occupies a small building on Somerset street near Scott street. It has for its pastor the Rev. John Fazekas.
Catholic Churches-The first Catholics who came to New Brunswick were a colony from the province of Ulster, Ireland. They came in two divisions, numbering about fifty souls in all, the first arriving about 1814, the second two years later. Among these emigrants were repre- sentatives of the McDede, McConlough, McGrady, McShane, Campbell, Hagerty, Gillen, Kelly, DeVinne, Murphy, Butler and Hasson families. These formed the original stock of the present Catholic population of the city. They met for years in different houses to recite the rosary, on account of the scarcity of priests; also, the difficulty of transit from New York made it impossible to obtain a priest to say Mass. The first priest of whom there is any recollection was Father McDonough, who visited New Brunswick on his way from New York to Philadelphia. who remained over night, preaching at the house of one of their number. The Rev. Dr. Powers, from St. Peter's, New York, celebrated in 1825 the first Mass in the city, in a house occupied by Terence Rice, in the
ST. PETER'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, NEW BRUNSWICK
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upper end of Albany street. The first baptism was administered to Sarah Butler in the same year.
Four years later, Father Schneller came in Dr. Powers' place every month. He suggested and urged the building of a church, but while his congregation were enthusiastic with the idea, no one would sell them ground for a Catholic church. A lot was finally obtained on Bayard street, and a plain brick structure was built in 1830, and called St. Patrick's Church, but later the name was changed to Sts. Peter and Paul. The entire population of the city at this time was six thousand, the Catholic portion being some three hundred souls. Father Schneller made monthly visits until 1833, when his place was filled by Father (afterward Bishop) O'Reilly, who was a passenger on the ill-fated steamer "President" when she was wrecked.
Father McArdle took up his residence in New Brunswick in 1833, and remained until 1839, when he was transferred to Paterson, New Jersey. It was during his pastorate that the tornado of 1835 took place, which tore away the rear-end of the church. For some time the con- gregation were without a resident priest, but Father Medina and after him Father Deniber came every two weeks. Next came Father Mc- Guire, who became a resident of the city and remained until 1845, holding Mass every Sunday in the little brick church.
It was in 1845 that Bishop Hughes sent Father Rogers to admin- ister to this struggling congregation; the year before his arrival the church building had been sold under a foreclosure, and had been bought in for $600 by the members of the church. Father Rogers' first step was to lift this debt. In two years he tore away the boards that enclosed the back of the church and enlarged the edifice; next, he built a school- house and had about thirty scholars in attendance. Father Rogers, besides attending to the New Brunswick parish, visited Perth Amboy, South Amboy, Woodbridge, Somerville, Millstone, Plainfield and Princeton. He enlarged the church already built at Perth Amboy, also in 1854 the Bayard Street church, which about this time became known by its present title. He built a gallery in the church and in- stalled an organ.
The building of the railroad bridge, the erection of a sawmill, the starting of the rubber industry, brought an increase of population to the city, principally Irish Catholics, and it became necessary to build a larger church. The site on Somerset near George street, where St. Peter's now stands, was purchased, and a church building completed which was a credit to the parish. Father Rogers was succeeded by Father McCosker, followed by Fathers Miles C. Duggan and Patrick Downes. In 1876 Father John A. O'Grady became resident priest ; he remained only a short time, going to Boonton, New Jersey, but after a short stay there in 1881 returned to New Brunswick as acting pastor of St. Peter's Church.
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John A. O'Grady was born in the hamlet of Montague, in the hills of Sussex county, New Jersey. Of throughbred Celtic origin, both paternally and maternally, he was reared and born a Jerseyman. From boyhood he seemed to have the vocation for the divine ministry, as he assisted the mission priests in serving Mass in the various churches of his native county. After attending the district schools, at the age of sixteen, feeling he had been called to the priesthood, he entered St. Charles' College, Ellicott City, Maryland, and finishing his course at this institution, he took up the study of theology and philosophy at Seton Hall College, South Orange, New Jersey. Upon his ordination May 30, 1874, he was appointed private secretary to Bishop M. A. Corrigan. He was subsequently curate at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Newark, coming thence to New Brunswick. On his assuming charge of St. Peter's parish, though it had grown largely in numbers under the care of his predecessors, he faced an immense debt of $100,000. This he eventually wiped out; built the parochial school and Columbia Hall at the cost of $90,000; made acquisitions to the cemetery property to the extent of $20,000; provided a new $5,000 church sacristy ; made an addition to the handsome Gothic house of the Sisters of Charity at an expense of $5,000, and also enlarged the rectory, expending $5,000. As a crowning work of his career in this direction, he built and equipped the non-sectarian institution, St. Peter's General Hospital, at a cost of $90,000, thus having under his immediate charge and keeping, prop- erty of the material value of a half million dollars. Father O'Grady was honored by the church with the title of Monsignor. His thoughts and interests were not limited to his own parish. When he came to New Brunswick, all the English speaking Catholics of the city and its immediate suburbs were his parishioners. One of his first movements was the organization of the parish of the Church of the Sacred Heart. He also assisted in organizing the parishes of St. Ladislaus, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, St. Paul's of Highland Park. He was the rural dean of the northern section of the Diocese of Trenton. His labors only ceased with his death, January 15, 1919. His successor is the present priest of the parish, the Rev. Dr. John W. Norris.
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church was established in 1883 by members of St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church living in the southern section of the city. The Rev. P. J. Mulligan, the first priest in charge of the parish, built on the present site a basement, the corner-stone being laid October 14, 1883. Services were held in the basement until the church being completed, was dedicated May 26, 1886. The parochial school building was erected on Suydam street, and opened under the tuition of Sisters of Charity, July 26, 1886. Father Mulligan was suc- ceeded in 1895 by Rev. James F. Devine, who remained in charge until his death in 1917, when Rev. Joseph A. Ryan became his successor.
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The congregation now numbers 1,500 souls, and the real estate valuation of the church properties is $150,000.
The German members of the congregation of St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in 1865 organized St. John the Baptist German Roman Catholic Church. They built their present church on Neilson near Carman street, with a seating capacity of about four hundred persons. The first pastor was Rev. Father Midgeol. The Rev. Horace T. Mar- tens took charge in 1874. The church was ministered to in 1908 by Rev. Joseph F. Keuper. The present pastor is Rev. Linneus E. Schwarze.
Owing to the large and increasing number of Hungarians of the Roman Catholic faith becoming residents of the city, the St. Ladislaus Hungarian Roman Catholic Church was established in 1904. The church is located on Somerset street, with a handsome rectory adjoining, and since the inception of the parish the Rev. Father John N. Szeneczey has been in charge.
The St. Mary of Mt. Virgin Roman Catholic Church was organized in 1905, and a church was built on Remsen avenue, corner of Delevan street, with a seating capacity of three hundred people, for the accom- modation of the Italian Roman Catholics of the city. The Rev. Gerardo Christiano is in charge.
The St. Joseph's Greek Catholic Hungarian Church was organized in 1915. They worship in a church located on High street, under the ministry of the Rev. George Hirtz.
Lutheran-Some of the members of the St. John's German Reformed Church in 1878 withdrew, and formed the Evangelical Lutheran Eman- uel Church, which was organized July 14, 1878. The congregation was temporarily in charge of Rev. Mr. Berkemeyer, who was succeeded on September 14, 1878, by Rev. John A. Dewald. A place of worship was built in 1879 at the corner of New and Kirkpatrick streets, having a seating capacity of five hundred persons. The society has had a steady growth, and is among the largest of the German speaking churches in the State. Rev. Mr. Dewald after over forty years' service is still in charge of the congregation.
The First Hungarian Evangelical Lutheran Church is situated on Plum street. The present pastor is the Rev. Alexander Sabol.
Jewish-The Jewish families residing in the city, feeling an interest in having a synagogue in New Brunswick, and to avoid the expense of traveling to New York on their Sabbaths, organized in 1861 a congre- gation that met in a hall on Peace street. They named the congregation "Anshe Emeth"-the "Man of Truth." The first reader was Rev. Isaac Schicklen. They eventually erected a synagogue on the north side
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of Albany street between Peace and Neilson streets. There are two other Jewish temples in the city: "The Ahvas Achim," located on Rich- mond street between Dennis and Neilson streets, of which the Rev. Samuel Ratner is the present rabbi ; the other "Paile Sedek" Synagogue on Neilson street.
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