USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > History of St. John's Church, Newark > Part 5
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
should not be permitted to fall into ruinous decay. You owe a debt to the Faith and the service and the memory of those who erected it amidst trials and difficulties-many of whom have passed to their reward. Your Pastor has in view a site for a new Church. He will soon secure the property. It would be premature at this time to publicly locate the ground, but the position will be central and meets my entire approbation. As soon as the ground has been secured, a new edifice will be at once begun. The name selected is St. Patrick's. I am informed that a large amount of money has been subscribed for a new Church. The amounts, when paid, are to be used only according to the intention of the zealous and generous subscribers and for no other purpose. I sincerely hope you will all unite with your devoted Pastor and aid him in his laudable effort to improve the time honored structure that must ever be dear to all the people of St. John's. It is your old friend. In it many of your children were baptized and again confirmed. Let your love for old acquaintance sake remain warm and true toward the old stone Church that it may long stand as a landmark for your children to behold with pride." Notwithstanding this appeal, most of those who were urgent for the new Church never gave even a penny toward the improvement of the old. Without their aid, however, the front was added to the Church, the Towers erected, a Chime of Bells and an Organ put in; and when the work was finished the exterior of the edifice presented the appearance it does today.
CONSECRATION OF ST. JOHN'S.
As the result of Father Moran's unceasing labor and unflinching energy, St. John's Church was con-
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
secrated by the Right Reverend James Roosevelt Bayley, D. D., in May, 1858; it is the first Consecrated Church, not only in the Diocese of Newark, but in New Jersey. In his Pastorate of thirty-four years at St. John's, Father Moran toiled incessantly with his people, endearing himself to them, showing himself always their faithful counsellor and guide. Of a bright and cheerful disposition he imparted the glow of his kindly nature to all with whom he came in con- tact. His delight was to be with the children of the Parish, whose little hearts were filled with love for their Father in God. At last, after his long years of true and faithful service, after a life of constant, persevering devotion to duty, his life's race is run. Leaving to his devoted flock the priceless inheritance of the example of a holy life and the memory of a gentle, loving soul, he breathed his last and committed his spirit to God, July 25th, 1866. At his bedside were the Rev. George H. Doane, then Rector of St. Patrick's Pro-Cathedral, Rev. Bernard J. McQuaid, President of Seton Hall, Rev. James Moran, Assistant Priest at St. John's, and three Sisters of Charity.
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CHAPTER X
The Chimes of St. John's
The bells comprising the Chimes are nine in number. They were cast by the "Meneely Bell Foundry, West Troy, New York," and placed in position in 1859. There is no parochial record of the names given to them. The largest bell and the one next in size bear the inscription respectively of
"RIGHT REV. J. R. BAYLEY, FIRST BISHOP"
and
"VERY REV. PATRICK MORAN, V. G., Pastor."
All the other bells are inscribed "St. John's Church, Newark, N. J." The Chimes were blessed by Bishop Bayley. When they were received from the foundry, one of the parishioners, Edward Scott, asked : "What are you going to do with them; you have nobody to ring the Chimes?" "Never mind that, Edward," said Father Moran; "I have a young man in the Parish who can manage that." When he ordered the Chimes Father Moran, anticipating the contingency, contrived an arrangement for a tiny set of nine bells, and got John Savage, who afterwards became a famous vocalist, to practice upon them; and when the Church Chimes were placed in position in the tower, young Savage proved to be quite an adept bell ringer. St. John's Chimes were the first erected in Newark. They
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Rev. Maurice P. O'Connor Arch-Priest at the Jubilee Mass
HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
were a novelty and an inspiration to the people who regarded them as "one of the wonders of the age." Hundreds of citizens would congregate day after day on the street to listen to the Chimes which were a topic on every tongue, and the praises of which were sung in the public prints. When the Union Volunteers who enlisted in Newark for the Civil War marched past the Church down Mulberry street, St. John's Chimes made their hearts lighter as if Angelic voices urged them on to do battle for God and Country. Father Moran took great pride in his Chimes and Organ. He would often say he "did not know a note of music," but that the tones of the Organ and the voices of the Choir "thrilled his soul with harmony." This suggests the idea of Longfellow: "Music is the universal language of mankind;" and of Carlyle: "Music is well said to be the speech of Angels;" and of Addison's Song for St. Cecelia's Day:
"Music, Religion's heart inspires ; It makes the soul and lifts it high, And lifts it with sublime desire, And fits it to bespeak the Diety."
For sweetness and purity of tone, St. John's Chimes, when erected, were superior to the bells of any other Church in the United States, with this single exception-those of Trinity Protestant Episcopal Church, New York city. The bells are operated by a lever system in the Church tower, and connected overhead. The range is one octave, with an extra bell-an intermediate seventh-which enables the performer to play them in two keys. While Father Moran claimed he "did not know a note of music," still he was able to and did play the Adeste Fidelis on Christmas Morning, 1859. Mr. Savage continued to ring the Chimes and sing in the Choir
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
until 1863, when he enlisted as a private in Co. F, Twenty-sixth New Jersey Volunteers, for the Civil War. While he was absent, doing battle for the conservation of the Union, St. John's Chimes were silent like the Harp that "hangs so mute on Tara's walls." Returning from the War he again rang the Chimes and sang in the Choir. He was choir leader for several years when Father Killeen was Pastor. He had the direction of the musical programme at the laying of the corner stone of St. Michael's Hospital, September 29th, 1869, and in 1873 he took a prominent part in the Anvil Chorus at the Grand Opera House, in a concert for the benefit of that hospital. Mr. Savage subsequently was absent from Newark several years, filling engagements in St. Mary's, Plainfield; Norfolk, Conn., and in Catholic Churches in Brooklyn and New York city-among them St. Francis Xavier's, Sixteenth street. On the occasion of the Thirty-fifth anniversary of the Consecration of old St. John's, which was celebrated Sunday, May 7th, 1893, he led the Choir. It was the last time he sang. His health was poor, and the exertions in leading the Choir exhausted him. He died in St. Michael's Hospital, Friday, May 26th, 1893; and on May 31st, a Solemn Requiem Mass for the repose of his soul was sung by Rev. James P. Poels, Rector of St. John's; assisted by Rev. Michael A. McManus, Rector of St. Aloysius, as Deacon, and Rev. Dr. Fanning as Sub-Deacon.
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Jaun fle Maw
Manus
Deacon of Honor at the Jubilee Mass
CHAPTER XI
Father Moran's Obsequies
The body of Father Moran was removed from the rectory to the Church on Thursday, July 26th, 1866, and it is estimated that fully twenty thousand persons of all conditions in life, including numbers of our separated brethren, viewed the remains. The grief of the people by whom the good Priest was so greatly beloved was strikingly manifested and many touching scenes were witnessed. The Rev. George H. Doane, of St. Patrick's Pro-Cathedral, officiated at the Office of the Dead. The obsequies of the saintly Priest took place the following morning. The Rev. Bernard J. McQuaid, now the beloved Bishop of Rochester, offici- ated at the Solemn Requiem Mass, assisted by the Rev. Fathers Hogan and Gervais, as Deacon and Sub- Deacon, and the Rev. Father Hickey, Assistant Priest. Archbishop McCloskey, of New York, Right Rev. Bishop Bayley, of Newark, and the Right Rev. Bishop Bacon, of Portland, Me., and about sixty Priests were present. Among the Reverend Clergy were Dr. McGlynn, of New York; Fathers Senez, George H. Doane, Madden, McCloskey, Byrne and nearly all the other Priests of the Diocese of Newark.
Right Rev. James Roosevelt Bayley, first Bishop of Newark, pronounced the eulogy, and he was very impressive. "Never were human words more unneces-
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
sary," he said, to impress the minds of his hearers "than the great lesson of death, which needed no man's voice to enforce its teachings. A cold and lifeless body, so lately full of life and energy, lies before us. The eyes that so often beamed with intelligence and kind- ness are closed forever. We can no longer listen to his wise counsel and pleasant remarks. All this tells of the power of the great conqueror, Death, with a force to which no man can remain indifferent. If human words were unnecessary to enforce the lesson of death, they are less so to pronounce the eulogy in praise of the life and good deeds of the faithful Priest and servant of God, over whose body we are about to perform the last rites of the Church."
Bishop Bayley then gave a sketch of the life of the deceased Priest. Very Rev. Patrick Moran, he said, was born in Ireland in the year 1798. His early days were passed under the healthy influences of a good and virtuous home, and quiet country life. He possessed a mind that was not developed slowly. In early life he was recognized as a bright and promising youth, and his parents marked out a life for him to be dedicated to the service of God and His Sanctuary. Once in conversation with Bishop Bayley, Father Moran related that his Bishop, Right Rev. Dr. P. Ryan, of Limerick, desired him to remain in Ireland ; but he would come to America where missionary work was necessary. After sailing from his native land, the ship was driven back by storm. Again Bishop Ryan importuned him to stay in the Diocese of Limerick; but his importunities were of no avail. Father Moran like the Apostle to the Gentiles, was "con- sumed with zeal" for souls in a land where there was great want of Priests; and, like many of his country-
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
men, he resolved to become an exile, and devote his life to the greater glory of God. His love of Ireland was only second to his love for his Divine Master. His mind was strong in local attachments which remained vivid to the last moments of his life. The theological studies which he commenced in Ireland were finished at Mount St. Mary's, Emmettsburg, the nursery of so many Priests. Bishop Dubois loved him as a child. Of his theological spiritual director, the saintly Bruté, Father Moran used to speak in terms of the greatest love and admiration. The spirit of the master, in this instance, was upon the pupil and so continued until the end of his days. His systematic habits, the care and devotion with which he recited the Divine Office, the exactness with which he prepared the children of St. John's for the reception of the Sacraments of Penance, the Holy Communion and Confirmation, his reverence for the House of God and His Sanctuary- all showed what an influence the saintly Brute had upon him. Father Moran, was stationed for a short time in Brooklyn, and then became an Assistant to the Very Rev. Dr. Power, at St. Peter's, New York city. Of Dr. Power he was accustomed to speak as one possessing a clearer head, memory and full- ness of knowledge, than any man whom he had ever known. Father Moran was never what might be called a strong, rugged man, but he permitted nothing to interfere with the performance of his duty. His body fainted, but his heart never. Bishop Bayley then spoke of the other good qualities of the deceased priest; and said he never would forget the welcome which he extended to him (the Bishop), when he came to Newark. Father Moran was kind hearted and generous and what nature did not do for him was
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
supplied by God's grace. He was honest in the fullest sense of that term, and was distinguished for great humility and tenderness of heart. He would be missed by his congregation, by the city, (for all the people reverenced Father Moran-Catholic or Protestant) ; he would indeed be missed by his brethren of the Clergy, whom he loved so much; he would be missed by the parishioners of St. John's-he would be missed from their social gatherings, where his presence made all bright around him, and where his ready but never unkind wit made sun- shine wherever he went. During his closing remarks, the Bishop and the congregation wept. The Absolu- tion was pronounced by the Bishop, and then all that was earthy of the Very Rev. Patrick Moran, fourth Rector of St. John's, was borne to St. John's Ceme- tery, on Belleville avenue, accompanied by an immense concourse of people, including the children of the Sunday Schools and the orphan wards of the Parish. The pall bearers were John Hickey, Dennis Crowley, William Harrigan, Michael Mulvey, Richard Mc- Gowen and John Kavanagh; the honorary bearers were Dr. James Elliott, Dr. William O'Gorman, Timothy Bestid, Charles Durning, John C. Durning, Michael Finnegan, John Barrett, Bernard Kearney, Patrick Heatherton, John McKinney, Michael J. Led- with, John Murray, Charles Bogan and Thomas Mc- Nair. Of the twenty who thus performed this last corporal work of mercy, Ex-Judge Michael J. Ledwith, Charles Bogan (father of Rev. Bernard Moran Bogan, of Plainfield), and John Kavanagh are the only persons living.
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Rev. Joseph M. Nardiello Deacon of Honor at the Jubilee Mass
CHAPTER XII
Father Moran's Last Will
The Will of Very Rev. Patrick Moran, V. G., was made on July 9th, 1863. It was written by himself, witnessed by Rev. Patrick Byrne and John J. Mooney, and probated on August 29th, 1866. The executors were Right Rev. James Roosevelt Bayley and Rev. James Moran. The document reads :
"Being now in my 65th year and wishing to settle my temporal affairs and thereby free my mind and conscience from anxiety or care on that head, I give:
"To the Right Rev. Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Newark the certain Bond and Mortgage given to me by the Trustees of St. John's Church on the pastoral residence, No. 30 Mulberry street, in said City, which I sold to them, being in the sum of Four Thousand Dollars together with the principal and interest thereon, to have and to hold, himself and his successors forever, in Trust for the sole object and purposes of being applied, the interest only, towards the Education and support during the time of Educa- tion and no longer of a well disposed religious youth who, with the approbation of his Pastor and of the Bishop of the Diocese, will be inclined to study for the Sacred Ministry of the Roman Catholic Church, and whose parents may not be able to defray the expense of his Collegiate Education; provided that at
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
all times and in all cases (ceteris partibus) a youth who attends St. John's Sunday School and whose parents are members of St. John's Congregation shall have the preference. It is my express will and desire that when the Trustees of St. John's Church, or any other person or persons who shall have the right to administer the temporal affairs of said Church, shall pay over to the Right Rev. Bishop of the Diocese the Four Thousand Dollars due on the said Mortgage, that sum shall be by him (the Bishop) invested in some good and safe security and the interest thereon be applied from time to time as may be required towards the Education of a religious youth as herein before stated; and furthermore it is my will that on no account whatever, or under any pretext how- ever plausible, that can occur or may hereafter be devised or urged, shall the said principal and interest be appropriated to any other object than the educa- tion of a religious youth for the Holy Ministry of the Roman Catholic Church, and that it shall continue to be so applied so that when one youth shall have passed through the proper course of studies another may be appointed to succeed him, and so on for ever in accordance with the conditions of this bequest. As long as the Trustees of St. John's Church are dis- posed to pay and do punctually pay the interest on the Bond they ought not to be compelled to pay the principal. They might if necessary be required to renew the Bond."
Another bequest made by him is the following: "I bequeath to my niece, Ann Coen, of Loughrea, in the County of Galway, Ireland, the sum of Two Hun- dred and Fifty Dollars, with my earnest recommenda- tion not to endanger her soul by coming to America."
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
Father Moran also provided that, after his debts and funeral expenses were paid, $120.00 be equally distributed between six poor widows who attended St. John's Church (twenty dollars each)-those hav- ing the greatest number of children to be preferred. He also provided that the interest on $300.00 should be applied to the purchase of premium books for the children of St. John's Sunday School. He left $500.00 to the Building Fund of St. Patrick's Cathedral; bequeathed books and library to his nephew, Rev. James Moran; to Seton Hall College he left books and bound papers. He also made these bequests : For decoration and improvement of St. John's Cemetery, $200.00; St. John's Circulating Library, $100.00; and the residue of his estate was to be divided equally between the Rev. James Moran and St. Mary's Orphan Asylum; but the $20.00 to each of the six widows were to be paid before anything else; and, if no money was left after these payments, the other legatees would have to accept "the will for the deed," and get along without it. His household furniture he gave to his two nieces, Sarah and Mary Ann Moran; and his Vestments, Chalice and other Church articles he bequeathed to St. John's Church, together with his library fixtures and other "cases" in the Rectory. "Lastly," said he, "I most humbly bequeath my soul to God my Creator, and confidently hoping for mercy and pardon of all my sins through the merits of our Blessed Redeemer, invoking the powerful intercession of our ever Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and awaiting in full resignation the awful summons of Divine will by death, I hereby sign my name and affix my seal in testimony of all the statements herein contained this ninth day of July, A. D. one
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the pres- ence of the above named witnesses."
On July 24th, 1866, he added a Codicil and gave "Two Thousand dollars in addition to the Mortgage of Four Thousand Dollars stated in the Will-the whole to be applied if possible to Burse for the perpetual education of a Clerical Student in Seton Hall College."
On August 13th, 1866, Dr. William O'Gorman, Rev. J. H. Gervais and the Rev. Patrick Byrne testified before the Surrogate that they had witnessed the Will and Codicil. The estate was appraised at $17,921.69.
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CHAPTER XIII
Father Moran's Portrait
Father Moran never had a photograph taken of himself, so far as the author can learn after making a diligent investigation. In 1882, however, Michael J. Mullen, a newspaper writer, painted "a pen picture" of the famous Pastor of St. John's, and his story, from which excerpts are taken, is replete with interesting reminiscences and sparkles with examples of wit and wisdom. Quoting
"A man he was to all the country dear,"
from Goldsmith, the veteran Newark journalist, who began his career in 1870 and who has just completed his thirty-eighth consecutive year of fidelity to his honored profession, thus treats his subject :
"One pleasant Sunday evening sixteen years ago (1866), a young lad fresh from his native village in the picturesque Mohawk Valley, New York, halted in front of St. John's Roman Catholic Church to listen to the Vesper Chimes. Often had the sweet cadences of village bells fallen on his ear, and he had read and dreamed about the bells in convents and monasteries in far away climes, but never before had he heard the sacred harmony of 'bells annointed' calling the faithful to evening devotions. As the silver peals floated from the Church tower and the tuneful organ caught up the refrain, the lad was
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
thrilled with voiceless ecstacy. The youthful fancy saw panoramic troops of veiled nuns and cowled friars hastening to the ancient vespertime service, and celestial music lent its harmony to the lovely picture.
"Just as the vesper bells became silent, the lad was aroused from his reverie by a hand falling lightly on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw a broad and kindly face, and mild eyes set in a frame of silver gray hair. It was a venerable man of stout build, dressed in plain black cloth and wearing a broad brimmed hat, that the lad saw beside him. He questioned the lad, who replied that he was a Catholic, was new to the city life and had never before heard vesper bells, a church organ or a trained choir. The aged man led the way into the Church, gave the lad a seat in the centre aisle near the Main Altar and then passed into the Vestry. During the service, the venerable Priest reentered the Sanctuary, ascended the Altar steps; and a lady said to the rustic lad 'that is Very Rev. Father Moran,' the beloved Pastor of the Church.
"Father Moran preached a brief but eloquent sermon on the effect of good and evil example on the youthful mind and impressed upon parents the sacred duty of rearing their children in Christian piety. The little ones, he said, should be taught to love truth, honor and virtue and to abhor vice, falsehood and false doctrine. He pictured in a fervent way the terrible consequences of a·misspent life, which he con- trasted with a life passed in pious works, charitable deeds, and ending in Heavenly peace. After the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, the rustic lad passed into the night air alone with the holy aspirations inspired by the charming sermon and beautiful service. A few days afterwards he met the
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Rev. Matthew J. Farley Celebrant of the Jubilee Mass
HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
good Priest at the house of Michael Mulvey, the father of Prof. Martin Mulvey and an uncle of Michael J. Mullen, and was kindly greeted by the venerable man, whom he accompanied on his pastoral rounds-at the bedside of the invalid, in the tenements of the poor, and also to the comfortable homes of the well-to-do. The Priest brought sun- shine to every heart. On the street rich and poor, Protestant as well as Catholic, greeted the benevolent old Priest with loving respect. He had a cheery word for the aged, a pleasant smile for all, and a witty remark for the school boys and girls. It was with him as with Goldsmith's Village Pastor :
'Even children followed with endearing wile, And plucked his gown to share the good man's smile.'
"Father Moran possessed in a high degree that kindly charitable disposition, united to sound com- mon sense and profound learning in dogmas and philosophy of Catholicity, which tended to disarm prejudice and command respect. The primitive set- tlers were bitterly opposed to Catholicity, and Catholics were made to feel their isolation on many occasions. Father Moran brought about better rela- tions between all classes, and he lived to see the most bitter opponents of the Religion of the Cross recog- nize the potential influence of the Church in pro- moting and conserving the best interests of the home, the State and Nation. The Pastor of St. John's was a veritable genius-a Christian scholar, an architect, carpenter, carver, mason, lawyer and doctor; 'a Jack of all trades,' as he would express it; but he was mas- ter of all which he would undertake. He detested fraud and hypocrisy and seized every opportunity to expose and condemn them. On one occasion a Phre-
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
nologist invited any one from the audience to step upon the platform and have his cranium examined. Father Moran arose and catechised the fellow who disclosed to the audience his lamentable want of knowledge; and the Priest's sallies of good humored witticisms at the expense of 'the investigator of bumps,' as he dubbed the lecturer, created a furor of laughter and applause-so much so in the estimation of the audience as to make it appear as if the 'investigator' would desire to crawl into a very small hole and pull in the hole after him."
The Rev. Patrick Moran was skillful in disputation. Once a minister of one of the Protestant denomina- tions had the temerity to enter upon a controversy with him in the columns of the Daily Advertiser, much to the aggressor's discomfiture. Then, (as related by Very Rev. Patrick Cody at the dinner tendered by the Rev. James P. Poels to the Right Rev. Bishop O'Connor and the Reverend Clergy, on the day of the Golden Jubilee of the Consecration of St. John's), an anonymous correspondent took up the cause of the vanquished minister and asked rather pointedly : "What would the Pope of Rome do if the Protestants went in a body to Rome to impose their form of religion on the people there, and what could the Pope's Bull do to prevent such a contingency?" Father Moran, replying, warned his antagonist not to go to Rome for his very life's sake, for said he, "owing to your extreme verdancy some of the Pope's Bulls might come along, mistake you for a cabbage plant and eat you up. Don't, then, venture, my dear friend, for if you do it will soon be all up with you." After this witty reply, the anonymous writer revealed himself by his proper name. He was none other than
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