USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > History of St. John's Church, Newark > Part 15
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It was in the days of Chancellor Runyon that wood pavement was introduced in the City of Elizabeth and suburbs. Elizabeth then was famous for its fine drives. Chancellor Runyon not infrequently availed himself of the privilege. One afternoon, on one of his outings, a cloud of mosquitoes swarmed around the Chancellor's carriage, and the bloodthirsty pests presented their bills thick and fast. Never was the Court of Chancery so busy. It was useless for the Court to demur; it would serve no purpose. The coach- man whipped up the horses; but the mosquitoes could not be shaken off. At length, in sheer desperation, Chancellor Runyon jumped from his carriage and took "legbail." It was the first time in his life that he tried to turn his back upon a foe. That very after- noon the merchants in many parts of Newark had to close their stores because of the mosquitoes.
Cortlandt Parker became an eminent member of the American Bar. After the Presidential Election in 1876, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Mr. Parker one of the Electoral Commissioners to Louisiana, to inquire into the alleged frauds upon the franchise. The Tilden Electors had a majority
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on the face of the returns; the State Returning Board, however, because of alleged frauds, issued certificates to the Hayes Electors. Congress passed the Electoral Commission Act; and by a vote of 8 to 7 Rutherford B. Hayes was declared elected. Cortlandt Parker was tendered the German Mission by President Grant, on the recommendation of Senator Frelinghuysen; but he declined the honor with thanks.
William K. McDonald was born in Alexandria, Va., in 1807; graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton University), in 1827; read law with Adjt. Gen. Walter Jones, of Washington, D. C .; was pro- fessor of Belles-Lettres at the Washington College, Pa. (now Washington and Jefferson) ; admitted to the Bar in 1841, and began the practice of law in Newark; was Clerk of the Newark Common Council from April, 1844, to April, 1850; a Member of the New Jersey General Assembly in 1856 and 1857; was the first State Comptroller and served from 1865 until 1871; was a member of the Newark Board of Education from 1864 to 1866; and died April 14th, 1871, at the age of sixty-four years. His wife was a daughter of the Rev. James Carnahan, D.D., Presi- dent of the College of New Jersey. His son, James C. McDonald, is a member of the legal profession and has made Newark his home. Like his father, he was graduated from Princeton University.
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CHAPTER XL Some of the Early Settlers
Jean Vaché, a Frenchman, who came to America in 1790 and settled in New York, was no ordinary man. He took a high stand among the merchants of New York for business ability and kindness of heart. When Lafayette visited the United States, Mr. Vaché was a member of the Committee appointed to welcome the gallant Frenchman, who had aided this Nation in her struggle for Independence. He introduced his grand- daughter, Emily, to the distinguished guest. Lafayette took the child on his knee and conversed with her. The child afterwards became the mother of Hon. Thomas S. Henry of Newark, a former Judge of the Second District Court. In 1827, Jean Vaché came to Newark and affiliated with St. John's Parish.
After Mr. Vaché left New York to take up his resi- dence in "Newark Town," he purchased the Peppin farm comprising forty or fifty acres, upon which he afterwards lived and subsequently died. The farm house was located where the residence of Charles A. Fiecke now stands, No. 805 High street, at the intersection of Clinton avenue. The farm formed almost a perfect square-extending up High street, thence Westward, thence South to Broad street. What is now Clinton avenue was then a continuation of Broad street. Mr. Peppin owned a slave woman calling herself Eliza Peppin, after her master; and he
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Bernard Kearney
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insisted that Eliza should be sold with the farm, and the woman herself was very desirous that this arrangement should be made. Mr. Vaché was opposed upon principle to slavery ; but he finally yielded, and neither the master nor the slave ever regretted' the purchase. When Eliza died, she was buried in the same burial plot with other members of the family in Rosedale Cemetery, Orange; and to-day her headstone, with inscription in most affectionate terms expressing the love of her master's family, can be seen.
At the left of the main entrance to St. John's Church a tablet hangs upon the wall inscribed :
IN MEMORIAM. JOHN VACHE and ANNA, HIS WIFE, whose remains LIE BENEATH THIS CHURCH. Requiescant in Pace!
At the right of entrance is another tablet inscribed :
Your Charity
Pray for the Soul of the VERY REV. PATRICK MORAN,
First Vicar-General of this Diocese and Pastor of this Church for Thirty-four Years. Died July 25th, 1866, Aged 66 Years. Requiescat in Pace!
Michael Donnelly was among the early Irish set- tlers. He landed in New York January 2nd, 1805, and walked to Perth Amboy where he found employment, but soon after came on foot to Newark. He was the great grandfather of former Alderman John H. Donnelly of the Fifth Ward, and his brother Thomas
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J. Donnelly, who resides at No. 222 Lafayette Street.
Early in the Nineteenth Century, John Hawthorn, a North of Ireland Presbyterian, came to Newark. In the land of his birth he was a man of property. In the Robert Emmett rising, the British authorities supposing, because he was a Protestant and loyal to the Crown, called him out to serve in the Yeomanry against his countrymen. But he said to his wife: "I will never wear a red coat for the English Government and go a butchering my countrymen." He sold his property, escaped to America and made Newark his home. Robert Reilly came here soon afterward. He was a Catholic, and some of his ancestors were hanged from the shafts of their drays because of their love of country and liberty. Among others who settled in Newark before 1825, was Charles Durning. Martin M. Rowan, another early settler, was a first cousin of Lord Hamilton Rowan, an Irish Nationalist who was tried for high treason, pleaded his own cause and was acquitted. Martin Rowan was six months old when his father died. His mother married again-a man named Burke; and when young Rowan, who was the sole heir to his father's estate, was eighteen years old he went to England and remained in London until 1826, when he came to America, settled in Newark and carried on the furrier business.
Other settlers were John Sherlock, Christopher Rourke, Thomas Garland, Daniel Elliott, Arthur and William Sanders, Robert Seefrage, John Gillespie, Thomas Clark, Thomas Brannan, Edward C. Quinn, the Gillespies, Timothy Bestick (afterwards Clerk of St. John's Church), John Kelly, Michael O'Connor, the Bruens, the Crocketts, the Dennys, the
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Carrs, the Hays, the Scotts, Michael Rowe, Charles Bogan, father of Rev. Bernard Moran Bogan; the Farrells, John and Hugh McConnell, John McColgan, John Holland, (father of the late Rev. Michael J. Holland who died while Rector of St. Columba's Church) ; William Downs, Patrick Matthews, Maurice Fitzgerald, John Neil, Robert and Thomas Garland, Patrick McEnroe, (father of Christopher McEnroe) ; John Francis Hoppen, father of Mrs. Hattersley (wife of William Francis Hattersley, organist of St. Patrick's Pro-Cathedral).
The early Catholics of Belleville contributed largely towards the erection of old St. John's in 1827-8. Among the active participants were Nicholas Duffy, John Reed, Patrick Reed, Michael Brannan, James Murtagh, Robert Murtagh, William Moran, Michael Kearney, Patrick Kearney, Robert Mullin, John Campbell, Michael Gorman, M. J. Doyle and brothers, M. Geacen, Thomas Dunn, Dennis Dunn, Thomas Oldham, James McDermott, the Butlers, the Murphys, Fitzgeralds, McGoverns, Boyles, Breslins, the Adamses, the Hylands, and Daniel Elliott, who had moved from Newark and built the first brick house erected in Essex County. The house still stands at corner of Main and William streets, Belleville. Peter Kehoe, (father of John F. Kehoe, President of the Listers Agricultural Chemical Company, and Mrs. Charles A. Catalani) was also one of the early settlers of Belleville. Prior to coming to New Jersey, Mr. Kehoe used to attend St. Peter's Church, Barclay street, New York. These families used to walk from Belleville on Sundays and Holy Days to hear Mass at St. John's and return home in time for dinner. This practice obtained from 1828 to the building of
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the original St. Peter's Church, on the William street hill, Belleville, plans for which were drawn by Father Moran. The father of Colonel Michael T. Barrett, counsellor-at-law and a former State Senator of New Jersey, was a Trustee of St. Peter's Church, Belleville, and served forty consecutive years. Michael Matthews, father of James J. Matthews, a master mason, No. 55 Third Street, this city, settled in Springfield in 1838, and attended Mass at Old St. John's, walking the entire distance to and from Newark.
In Father Moran's Pastorate came Nicholas Moore, Charles Reilly, Richard Kirwan, Thomas Loughlin, Thomas Corrigan, (father of the late Most Rev. Archbishop Corrigan) ; Peter Dowd, James Callery, Anthony Smith, Patrick Lynch, Bernard Kearney, Francis D. Murphy, (who was a fellow student at St. Mary's Emmettsburg, with Patrick Moran and John Hughes, when they were studying for the Priest- hood) ; P. G. Cox, James Hargan, James Finnegan, John English, Thomas English, Andrew Smith, Michael Phillips, James Coyle, Patrick Coyle, Patrick Ryan, John Ryan, B. Nerney, Timothy Pardue, James Dooner, Bernard Hopkins, William Melian, Michael Devine, John Devine, Terence Devine, James Dougherty, John Brush, (afterwards Judge Brush of Paterson), Bernard Leddy, Bernard Galligan, John McDevitt, Patrick Hetherton, Edward Starrs, William Starrs, Owen Campbell, Andrew Flood, John Brannigan, Bernard Russell, Peter Riche, Edward Plunkett, M. Fogarty, M. Dunn, William Dunn, (the father-in-law of Jeremiah O'Rourke), John Kearney (brother of Bernard), John Warren, John Kernan, Patrick Durning, Hugh Durning, John Durning,
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
James Durning, Michael Durning, Michael Deaney, Miles Quinn, John Quinn, Frank Corbett and his brother John Corbett and the Ledwiths who came to Newark in 1834-all of whom contributed to the first enlargement of St. John's Church. Frank Corbett was a contractor, and he dug the cellar for the first gas house in Newark. He was the father of the present Chief of Police, Michael Corbett, and his brother William. Michael J. Ledwith, a brother of David Ledwith, in after years served as Trustee of St. John's. On July 1st, 1850, he became a partner of Marcus L. Ward, who near the close of the Civil War became Governor of New Jersey and was known as the "War Governor." Marcus L. Ward & Co. were soap manufacturers and carried on business at No. 154 Market street, (now No. 200), until 1869, when Governor Ward retired and disposed of his interests to the junior partner, who continued the business. Michael J. Ledwith in after years was appointed a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas.
The first St. Patrick's Day Celebration in Newark was held March 17th, 1834, when seventy-six members of the Hibernian Provident Society assisted at Mass and paraded, and in the evening held a banquet in the South Ward Hotel, which was kept by John O'Donnell, on the site of the present Universalist Church of the Redeemer, Broad and Hill streets. Pierson's Directory estimates the Irish population in 1836 to be 6,000; but because of scarcity of work, incident to the "hard times," many left the Town.
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CHAPTER XLI
Influx of Irish Immigrants
In the 40's the Irish population increased rapidly ; many of them formed independent military organiza- tions later and were members of the Volunteer Fire Department. Dr. James Elliott was a member of Columbian Engine Company, No. 6, for many years. Only healthy, athletic and sober young men were admitted to the Fire Companies in the early days; abstinence from intoxicating drinks was one of the standing rules. Many of those who came here at an earlier date prospered as merchants and tradesmen. Christopher Nugent (father of the wife of former United States Senator Smith), his brother James (the father of City Counsel James R. Nugent), and the Doughertys became leading morocco leather manufacturers; the Sanders, the Brannons and McFarlands had large factories and the sons of Irish- men were apprenticed in all trades. Irishmen formed the Washington Erin Guards and the Montgomery Guards; and when the Civil War broke out the Irish and their descendants were potent factors in the community. Charles Bogan (father of the Rev. Bernard M. Bogan) ; Thomas McNair, Peter Grace and Francis Quinn were prosperous bakers. The Shanleys (Michael and his sons Bernard M. and John F.), the Smiths (James Smith, Sr., and his son James Smith, Jr.), the Morrises and the Clarks and
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St. John's Rectory
HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
Thomas O'Connor (father of Right Rev. John J. O'Connor, Bishop of Newark), led as contractors and builders; Christopher Nugent was one of the largest leather manufacturers in the country.
John Dwyer was a patent leather manufacturer. He was a native of Adair, County Limerick, and emigrated to America in 1847, landing in Boston where he learned the leather trade. In 1851, he came to Newark and entered the employ of T. P. Howell as General Superintendent, holding that position until 1865, when he resigned to engage in business for himself. Mr. Dwyer was one of the oldest members of St. Patrick's Pro-Cathedral; one of the founders of the Young Men's Catholic Association; served as Alderman and Police Commissioner; was a Director in the Firemen's Insurance Company and the Security Savings Bank; and he was known to have generously contributed to St. John's, St. Mary's, St. Joseph's and St. Michael's Churches, as well as St. Michael's Hospital and St. Mary's Orphan Asylum.
Lewis C. Grover, the first President of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company, of Newark, N. J., was one of the best judges of men whom the author has ever known, In 1874, we met at Schooley's Mountain. He said: "There are two young men in Newark who will make their mark in life. They are the brainiest men I have ever met; and conversing with them I was astounded at the profound thought and keen, sound judgment, which they exercised in the consideration of any subject. Both will be rich men some day. As financiers they are capable even now of managing any of the large institutions. I refer to Bernard M. Shanley and James Smith, Jr." The opinion expressed by Mr. Grover over thirty-two
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
years ago has been realized. Bernard M. Shanley was indeed a brainy man. Grace Bayley, his first wife, was a niece of the late Archbishop Bayley. Former United States Senator James Smith, Jr., is recognized as one of the foremost citizens of the Nation. He is a credit to his race and an honor to his country.
During the Repeal agitation by Daniel O'Connell in Ireland, meetings of sympathy were held in old St. John's School House, No. 168 Plane street, and many citizens, who had not hitherto spoken of their Irish lineage, gave the movement their sympathy. Americans "to the manner born"-men of liberal spirit-attended the meetings, to hear orators like Charles O'Connor, "the Nestor of the American Bar ;" James T. Brady, the great criminal lawyer; John T. Doyle, Eugene A. Casserly (afterwards United States Senator from California), S. Mullville, of New York ; George M. Dallas, of Philadelphia; Thomas Mooney, the historian; James Van Buren and Robert Tyler (sons of Presidents of the United States). Some of the most prominent citizens subscribed to the Repeal Fund, among them Governor William Pennington, Chief Justice Hornblower, A. M. C. Pennington and William Wright, father of Col. Edward H. Wright. John Ledwith, father of former Judge Michael J. Ledwith, was President of the Newark Repeal Association until it was disbanded.
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CHAPTER XLII
Religious Discussions
Many of the Irish Catholics were clever disputants. They read books in St. John's Library on points of controversy so as to be able to explain to their Protestant fellow citizens the true Catholic doctrines. Religious discussions were courteously conducted. John Ledwith, a courteous and pleasant man, had a fluent tongue and a splendid memory. He had Catholic and Irish history at the tip of his tongue; antagonists were quickly routed if they misstated facts. Thomas Farrell (father of Mrs. Arthur Devine, Mrs. McGrath, Mrs. McCree and Mrs. Grace) was the best equipped laymen in the controversial circle. It was said of him by American friends : "you had better let Tom alone, for you cannot gain a triumph by tackling him." He knew Milner's Points of Contro- versy by heart, and the Discussions between Maguire and Gregg, and Pope and Maguire, as well as Cobbett's Reformation, were stored in his mind. Bernard Kearney was sarcastic, witty and thoroughly informed. John Grafton, of St. John's Church Choir, was another able disputant. Timothy Bestick (Clerk of the Parish) was posted on religious points. John Brannigan, John Sherlock, Charles Durning, James and Loughlin Carlen, Andrew Flood, Brian Brady and the Finnegans (Philip, Michael, Peter, Thomas and James) were able controversialists.
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CHAPTER XLIII
History of the Cross in Newark
The late Dr. James Elliott, on May 3d, 1893, lectured in the Catholic Institute, New street-his theme being : "Recollections of the Cross in Newark." He first quoted Father Crassett, "You are a Christian only by the Cross; and it may be said that you are not even that if you entertain a horror of it or live without it," and then said :
"To Christians of all denominations, the history of the Cross in Newark should be an interesting theme; but to the Catholic it is especially of great interest. The latter may remember a time when all other Chris- tian Churches looked upon with horror the sacred emblem of man's redemption, and regarded all who venerated the Cross as grossly superstitious and wor- shippers of idols. The Cross was an object of contempt to the entire non-Catholic population of 'Newark Town' when it was first erected upon old St. John's Church in Mulberry street in 1828.
"About that time a poor but ever faithful class of immigrants appeared upon our shores. They belonged to the laboring and industrial classes and hailed from Ireland where their forefathers had suffered loss of property, and where thousands had suffered loss of life in defence of the Cross. Many of these poor and humble people came to 'Newark Town.' They worked in the factories and shops, in the fields and on farms.
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Convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph
HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
Stalwart, hardy and industrious, they were potent factors in assisting citizens 'to the manor born' in the struggle for worldly possessions and the accumula- tion of wealth. The Morris Canal had just been pro- jected, and scores of men were employed to prosecute the enterprise. Who so ready with pick and shovel and spade than these hardy immigrants? Who so able to conquer all impediments and to conduct the work to a successful completion? Then there was no railroad to bring wood and coal to market, and the Morris Canal became a source of great wealth to its projectors.
"A little later, the New Jersey Railroad to Phila- delphia was projected, and the Irish laborer was in great demand-the swamps were filled in, the Bergen rocks rent into fragments, and a rail- road constructed. Many a poor man was killed or maimed for life by the premature blast or other mishap incidental to hazardous enter- prises. There was no giant powder or dynamite in those days, and the great work was necessarily slow; but time and labor triumph at length, and the iron horse starts forth in his historical career. But what had all this to do with the Cross in Newark? It had a great deal. The poor immigrants were most of them Catholics. Many had their families; and wives and mothers brought with them from the 'Isle of Saints' their Rosaries with crosses. They did not hide their Beads under a bushel or even under a shawl, but carried them openly in their hands. The crosses on prayer books and rosaries became objects of curiosity to the next door neighbor, and many questions would be asked. The beads and crosses were ridiculed; 'Papist,' 'idolator,' 'worshippers of wood
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1
HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
and brass' were common expressions; 'rank super- stition,' 'vile priestcraft,' 'contemptible nonsense' were utterances heard on all sides.
"At present," added Dr. Elliott, "when the Cross has a place somewhere on or about the clothing, or the stationery of every Christian in the community, it is surprising to think that even later than 1850 such marked hatred towards the emblem of man's redemption should have existed. As Catholics we can readily understand how this marked aversion to the Cross originated. The circulation of English litera- ture throughout the country, the histories in the schools, school books and magazines-all alike, where the Catholic Faith was discussed or the Irish charac- ter considered, went to misrepresent and ridicule both. The mind of the American people had been for years poisoned by calumnies. The Church dogmas were stigmatized and her most sacred offices ridiculed. I have seen the Holy Mass thus mimicked by a clergy- man in one of our most prominent churches. The altar was fitted up in imitation of Catholic service, the mimicry going on amidst the applause of a delighted audience; and when the celebrant would turn to the people saying Dominus vobis cum and make the sign of the cross, the clapping of hands and the boisterous laughter would indicate how much the sacrilege was enjoyed.
"The annual return of St. Patrick's Day would bring out the stuffed Paddy with a cross of straw on his breast and a string of potatoes to represent the Rosary. Most of the citizens in those days honestly believed that there existed no Catholics but the Irish ! The stuffed Paddies would be hung on some promi- nent place-on a large building or a high tree. On
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one memorable occasion, just after the erection of St. John's, early in the morning of March 17th, fastened securely to the Cross on the top of the Church, was witnessed at the dawning of day a life -. size effigy of a Paddy, with potato Rosary and straw cross. The night and the morning were tempestuous -a very equinoctial storm, with rain, sleet and high wind. The Church gable ran up to an acute angle and was very high. How the effigy could have been put up in such a hurricane was a puzzle. No ladder that could be found at first would reach up to it, and how to remove the obnoxious effigy seemed beyond understanding. At length Moses Sayre, a master mason and builder, was waited upon, and he loaned a ladder, the longest in town; and when it was well on in the forenoon the obnoxious figure was removed. It was never discovered who put it up, although dili- gent enquiry was made for months afterwards. At this time we had no resident Pastor.
"As evidence of the prevailing spirit of the time, it may be stated that many persons called upon would not lend a ladder to remove the figure. They thought the joke too good to be abruptly terminated-some- thing to laugh over during the day. All honor to the memory of Moses Sayre. He was not one of these persons. This kind of sport was enjoyed for a number of years by our non-Catholic friends and might have continued much longer but Father Moran for weeks before March 17th in each recurring year strongly advised against taking any notice of or paying any attention to the 'stuffed Paddies.' He used say : 'These well meaning but exuberant young fellows will soon cease of their playful habit, if you will just cease to notice them; keep cool; don't lose your
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
temper; don't get in a passion; only laugh at them and their folly.' This advice was very generally observed, with happy results.
"What of the Cross of to-day? Answer ye who witness it at every turn on the street artistically made of many materials of varied and unique mechanism- worked upon vestments, upon book marks, stamped upon Bibles and various articles of jewelry, embel- lished with gems of diamonds and pearls to decorate the person, pendants from the ears and sparkling on the bosom of the belle, until one is reminded of Byron's lines :
'On her white breast a sparkling cross she wore, That Jews might kiss or Infidels adore.'
"A Cross was placed upon the House of Prayer Episcopal Church when the new spire was erected in 1853. Much discussion then occupied the attention of the public through the pulpit and press-each finally agreeing in vindication of the symbol of man's redemp- tion. Behold now a new generation on the stage! Many fathers and mothers are called away! 'The few we liked, the one we loved,' and lo! the Cross is respected by all Christian people! It is of interest to arrange the dates upon which the Cross was erected on our Churches; and St. Peter's, Belleville, of which Father Moran was architect and builder, must have place in the enumeration. First Cross erected in Newark, 1828, St. John's; second, 1838, St. Peter's, Belleville; third, 1842, St. Mary's, Grand street; fourth, St. Patrick's, Washington street; fifth, 1852, St. John's, Orange; sixth, St. James, Lafay- ette street, Newark; seventh, the House of Prayer, Protestant Episcopal Church, Broad street."
The original Cross that for twenty years was mounted upon the gable end of old St. John's, facing
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ST. JOHN'S PAROCHIAL SCHOOL.
St. John's Parochial School
HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
on Mulberry Street, was either lost or destroyed after it had been taken down to give place to the new front erected in 1846-7. It was made of Jersey hickory unstripped of its bark. The tree and arms of the Cross were respectively about five inches in diameter and the dimensions were seven feet by five feet. Certainly Father Moran would never have per- mitted that Cross to be taken away or destroyed. It had withstood the storms and tempests of twenty Winters and the heat of as many Summers. It was blessed by Father Power, acting for Bishop Dubois, and hence was a relic that should be preserved. The Rev. James Moran, replying to Dr. James Elliott, writes that he "remembers to have seen the original Cross in the garden in the rear of his uncle's residence;" that "it was Father Moran's intention to place it in a niche in the Sacristy wall." Com- munications with different Priests who succeeded Father Moran failed to disclose any further informa- tion as to that Cross. St. John's was the first sub- stantial stone edifice in New Jersey to bear aloft the Cross. To the Catholics of Paterson, however, is due the credit of erecting the first Church in the State to bear the Cross. All honor to the men and women of old St. John's of Paterson, through whose zeal and active faith a Church edifice was erected as early as 1822. The structure was a one-story frame, twenty- five feet by thirty-five, with a seating capacity for fifty persons. In 1829, the foundation of a new edifice in Oliver street was begun. The building was not completed until 1833, and prior to this date St. John's in Newark had a resident Pastor.
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=
CHAPTER XLIV First Italian Mission in Newark
Converting St. John's School Hall in Mulberry street into a temporary Chapel in March, 1882, was a timely measure inaugurated by Bishop Wigger to provide for the spiritual wants of the Italian people. The Rev. Alberigo Vitali, D. D., a zealous young Priest, was placed in charge. He labored earnestly. Referring to the opening of "The Italian Mission in Newark," the Newark correspondent of the New York Freeman's Journal, under date of July 2d, 1882, writes: "The Italians are a peculiar people, and the habits and customs of their native land they would transplant in this country; but in time they will learn better. They are not proverbial for gen- erously supporting the Church; and some seem to think that they may at will discharge the Priest whom the Bishop has sent to them and supplant him with another of their own selection. Shortly after the Mission was opened, no less than three Italian Priests were invited by their countrymen to come to Newark. These people would like to own a Church edifice, to do with it as they please, but they, some of them, will hesitate long before undertaking a proper share of the financial burdens." Eighteen years ago there were in the Diocese of Newark between 1,500 and 1,600 Italians, as the author recalls from the Census of the Catholic Church which he compiled
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for the United States Government. What is the Italian population now in the City of Newark? It is over 40,000. Italian Parishes have been established, not only in Newark but elsewhere as the necessities require. In these Parishes there are Parochial Schools. Rev. Father Zuccarelli, Rector of St. Rocco, Rev. Father Brown, Rector of St. Philip Neri, Rev. Father D'Aquilla, Rector of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and Rev. Joseph Perotti, Rector of St. Lucy's, have placed their schools in charge of the Sisters of Charity and these are the only Italian Parishes in which the Sisters teach. The Italian population is becoming more and more Americanized. Many of them are prosperous business men who are respected by their fellow citizens. It is unfortunate, however, that so many of the men are so lukewarm, indifferent to the practices of their religion, and are seemingly contented to have their wives and daughters do all the praying. Let us hope for better things.
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ST. ROSE OF LIMA LIBRARY
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