USA > New Jersey > The Catholic Church in New Jersey > Part 31
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brate Mass every Sunday and holyday at St. Nicholas' Chapel. This was not done without considerable inconvenience, as he was obliged to celebrate the six o'clock Mass at St. Augustine's, Phila- delphia, and afterward take the train for Atlantic City in order to celebrate another Mass for the people of that place.
In 1880 Father J. J. Fedigan, O.S.A., was appointed resident pastor, and during his term of eighteen years the material growth of Atlantic City was reflected in the advancement of Catholic interests.
The church was not large enough to accommodate the people during the summer months, and Father Fedigan purchased a new and more desirable site at the corner of Pacific and Tennessee avenues, and had the church removed there. It was also enlarged to a seating capacity of over one thousand persons. Later on it became necessary to fit up the basement to provide room for another thousand. A splendid new parochial residence was built, also a little chapel for week-day use during the winter months, but which became a most attractive place of retreat for the devout faithful at all times of the year. All these improvements cost approximately $50,000. As the city grew in extent, a large lot in the southern district, at the corner of Atlantic and California avenues, was bought in 1885 and a capacious church erected thereon, dedicated under the title of St. Monica in the summer of 1887. This was under the care of the Augustinian Fathers until 1893, when Rt. Rev. Bishop O'Farrell decided to establish a permanent parish in the care of the diocesan clergy. Rev. P. J. Petri was appointed first rector and has been in charge of the par- ish ever since. In December, 1896, St. Monica's Church was entirely destroyed by fire, but through the energy of the pastor a new church was soon erected and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin under the title of " Star of the Sea."
In 1898 Father Fedigan was elected Provincial of the Augus- tinian Order in this country, and he left the scene of his many labors to take up his residence at Bryn Mawr, Pa., and the Rev. J. F. McShane, O.S.A., was appointed pastor of St. Nicholas' Church. Soon after his arrival the building of a new and more substantial church was determined upon, which would be more in accordance with the handsome structures in course of erection in various parts of the city.
The lot at the corner of Tennessee and Pacific avenues had to be cleared; the clergy house had to be removed; the ground had to be prepared for this; a twenty-five-foot lot had to be purchased
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to make the space large enough for the house. The chapel was likewise removed. All this cost quite $16,000. Of this, $12,000 has been raised, mostly from seat money and entertainments. This $12,000 with the $33,000 on hand means that $45,000 has been raised over and above current expenses since the new church was first mentioned three years ago.
Parish of the Immaculate Conception, Camden, N. J.
ON the square bounded by Broadway, Market, Seventh, and Federal streets, in the heart of Camden, stand the Roman Cath- olic Church of the Immaculate Conception, its rectory, school,
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH AND PARISH BUILDING.
and lyceum building. It has perhaps a larger membership than any other church in Camden, and it is the largest Catholic con- gregation in the State south and west of Trenton. The begin- ning of the congregation dates back over fifty years. Before the erection of a church the handful of Catholics of the vicinity wor- shipped respectively in the old City Hall, in the residence of the late Mr. Henry M. Innis, Bridge Avenue, or in Starr's Hall, Bridge Avenue, under the Rev. E. J. Waldron, who had for successors several other clergymen from Gloucester and Philadelphia. The settlement was erected into a separate parish, November 11th, 1855, and it was placed in charge of Rev. James Moran, the first resident pastor. The first church, "The Immaculate Conception
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of the Blessed Virgin," was built on land purchased from W. D. Cooper, Esq., at Fifth Street and Taylor Avenue, in 1857, and it was dedicated by the Rt. Rev. James Roosevelt Bayley, D.D., November 5th, 1859. In June, 1861, the first parish house was built.
When Father Byrne came to Camden to take charge of the parish of the Immaculate Conception, June, 1863, the church at Fifth Street and Taylor Avenue was deemed amply large for the congregation. In addition there were chapels at Snow Hill, Fel- lowship, and Waterford, with small and much-scattered congrega- tions which were attended at intervals by the pastor at Camden. As there was no Catholic cemetery nearer than Gloucester or Philadelphia, to provide one seemed to be a special necessity ; to this question therefore did the young pastor give his first attention. At the junction of Westfield Turnpike and Federal Street, just two miles east of the Market Street Ferry, he found a plot of ground containing 810% 8,9%7 acres, which he secured for $ 3, 588 from William B. Cooper, Esq., a part of which was laid out in plots and consecrated with the prayers of the Church, and there for nearly forty years the Catholics of Camden and vicinity have laid to rest the bodies of departed relatives and friends.
In the early fifties to insult a Catholic on the public street was not considered by the bigots-and there were many of them-an unmanly act, and when in 1852 the hall in which Mass was offered up was burnt by the Native American Party the act received a scant condemnation from many. The Cooper and Starr families were pronounced in their spirit of fair dealing toward Catholics, and when Mr. Starr was reminded that he was letting his hall for Catholic worship, he gave the bigots such a stinging rebuke that they could not mistake his meaning. In the sixties the conditions had somewhat improved, owing, no doubt, to the better under- standing of Catholics and of the influence of their religion on pub- lic morals. This was brought about in a great measure by the giant at the helm.
The Rev. Patrick Byrne foresaw Camden's future and ex- pressed his dissatisfaction with the limited quarters at Taylor Ave- nue and Fifth Street, and he succeeded in purchasing from the Cooper estate the magnificent site at Broadway and Market Street. On May Ist, 1864, the corner-stone of the present stone church was laid by the Rev. B. J. McQuaid, now Bishop of Rochester, N. Y., then Vicar-General of the Diocese of Newark, the name of the old church, "The Immaculate Conception of the
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B. V. M.," being transferred to the new one. In 1872 the corner- stone of the new brick school and sisters' house was laid, but be- fore its finish Father Byrne was called away to take charge of St. John's Church, Trenton, and was succeeded by the Rev. Peter Fitzsimmons, June, 1873, whose pastorate of over twenty-three years witnessed Camden's advance from a scattering settlement to a grand city of over 70,000 inhabitants.
Father Byrne, before his departure, accomplished three great works: he secured the present magnificent site of the church, organized a temperance society which still lives in a flourishing condition, and founded a building-loan association, which has enabled most of the members of the parish to own their own homes; and although it has been in existence over thirty years, and in that time thousands upon thousands of dollars have passed through the hands of the treasurer, not one penny has ever been lost or misappropriated-a memorable record in these days.
Under Father Fitzsimmons's pastorate the school was finished, the brothers' house erected, the rectory enlarged, the church finished and beautified and freed of debt, and on May 28th, 1893, the church was solemnly consecrated, a ceremony allowed only when the building is free from debt. In consideration of his merits and successful labors Father Fitzsimmons was raised to the dignity of dean of the six counties of South Jersey, and his parish was created into a missionary or permanent rectorate, entitling the pastor to the privilege of irremovability. The Very Rev. Dean Fitzsimmons died August Ist, 1896, and was succeeded, October 23d of the same year, by the Rev. B. J. Mulligan, who was also made dean of the district and permanent rector of the Church of the Immaculate Conception. The excellent financial condition of the parish warranted the Very Rev. Dean Mulligan to add still further to the parish buildings, and at the earnest solicitation of the parishioners, expressed in a largely attended meeting, plans were prepared for a new building, to be used espe- cially as a parish building, a lyceum, and a home for the church societies. The corner-stone was laid, June 28th, 1896, by the Rt. Rev. James A. McFaul, D.D., bishop of the diocese, in the pres- ence of a large concourse of people. About twenty clergymen from neighboring parishes were present and took part in the cere- monies. The lyceum was completed and dedicated January 9th, 1897, Governor Griggs, ex-Attorney-General of the United States, being one of the speakers. The lyceum has since been the scene
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of many of the social events of Camden, and some of the most eminent and talented men of the country have spoken from its platform.
St. Joseph's Church, Jersey City.
THE construction of the Erie Railroad tunnel through Bergen Hill brought many Catholic laborers to that neighborhood, and to make provision for them Father Kelly deputed Father Coyle, his assistant, to build a church. It was a small frame structure, and placed under the patronage of St. Bridget, June, 1856, and was located on what was then called Clinton, now Hopkins, Avenue. The Rev. Aloysius Venuta, before the completion of the church, was appointed pastor. Father Venuta was born in Nicosia, Sicily, January 3d, 1823, and was educated in the theological seminary of Palermo. He became involved in the political disturbances of '48 and was under police surveillance. He meditated and planned his escape. With apparent indignation he called on the chief of police and energetically protested against the espionage placed over him. This official was profuse in his apologies and relaxed his vigi- lance long enough for Father Venuta to take a boat in the night and board a bark that was about to sail for America. . Landing in New York, he went on a Sunday morning to old St. Stephen's Church, then standing on the site of the present Madison Square Garden, to hear Mass. The pastor, Dr. Cummings, was often forced to heroic measures to obtain from his flock the wherewith to carry on the work of the parish. This Sunday he locked the doors of the church and in vigorous language told the congrega- tion what he wanted, and assured them that they could not leave till he obtained it. This procedure and the unusual animation of Dr. Cummings's language so terrified Father Venuta, who knew not a word of English, that he jumped out of the open window and escaped the peril which he thought menaced him. He spent three years with the Rev. Sylvester Malone, at Williamsburg, as curate; and then entered the Diocese of Newark, officiating as assistant in the cathedral; during the absence of Father Cauvin in Europe, in Our Lady of Grace, Hoboken; and for a brief period in St. John's, Paterson.
As the little congregation grew in numbers he looked around for a location for a new church. He fixed upon Baldwin Avenue as the new site, and erected a small church with a pastor's resi- dence and a house for the Sisters of Charity on either side. Here he labored for some years, holding great sway among the men
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engaged at that time on the tunnel by Messrs. Seymour and Mallory, the first contractors. Hundreds of times he was called from his bed in the dead of night to quell the rioting among them, nearly always with good effect, but often at great risk to himself.
ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH, JERSEY CITY.
Usually, however, the sound of his well-known voice stopped the tumult, and his soothing words and persuasive manner soon recon- ciled the belligerents.
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At the same time he started the new parish in South Bergen, the present St. Patrick's, Jersey City, and built a small frame church, near Library Hall. December 23d, 1869, Father Venuta arranged with Bishop Corrigan, then administrator of the diocese, that the Rev. Patrick Hen- nessy assume charge of that portion of his parish, January 15th, 1870, the limits of which were to be the horse railroad between both places, thence in a straight line to the Penn- sylvania Railroad.
The rapid growth of Cath- olicity in Hudson City made a larger church imperative. Still the flock was poor, but the pastor determined. If they could make sacrifices, so could he. His clothes were barely warm enough to withstand the bitter winter's . REV. ALOYSIUS VENUTA, Pastor of St. Joseph's Church, Jersey City. cold, and often he denied himself the luxury of stock- ings. He was not only a learned but a holy man. When scarce- ly able to walk he would drag himself to the church, and there spend an hour before the Blessed Sacrament, giving free vent to his ardent faith, when unobserved, and his consuming love. While the process of construction was going on around the old church the services were never once interrupted.
Father Venuta died January 22d, 1876, and was succeeded by the Rt. Rev. Robert Seton, D.D., Prot. Apost. Monsignor Seton, a grandnephew of Mother Seton, was born in Pisa, Italy, August 28th, 1839. His preparatory studies were made in Mount St. Mary's, Md., Carlsruhe, Pau, Spain, and the Propaganda; and his theological studies in the American College and the Accademia Ecclesiastica, Rome. He was ordained in Rome, April 15th, 1865, and was made Prothonotary Apostolic by Pius IX. He was assistant at the cathedral, but his delicate state of health could not withstand the inroads of the missionary life, and he was appointed chaplain of the mother house of St. Elizabeth, a post he filled nine years.
July Ist, 1876, he entered upon his new work and built the
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rectory, convent, and parish hall. In the interim between Father Venuta's death and Monsignor Seton's appointment, the parish was ably administered by the senior assistant, the Rev. Michael J. Holland. In 1901 Monsignor Seton resigned his parochial charge and went to Rome. One of the last acts of Leo XIII. was to appoint him archbishop with the title of the ancient See of Heliopolis, in 1903. His successor is the Very Rev. Patrick E. Smythe, who was named Dean of Hudson County by the Rt. Rev. Bishop O'Connor at the last synod. Dean Smythe has thoroughly renovated and decorated the church since he took possession of his new charge.
St. Joseph's Church, Swedesboro, N. J.
THE history of the present Catholic Church in Swedesboro goes back to the year 1848, when a few Irish Catholics gathered to hold services in an old house which stood near Clark's hotel. At that time the Rev. John McDermott, pastor of St. Mary's, Salem, came occasionally to minister to these scattered people. Afterward services were held in the home of Henry Boyle and William Crowe, on the Ogden tract, at the cross-roads. Later on services were held at the homes of Patrick Lyons, Philip Creran, and Daniel Reagan, on the Woodstown pike. The first Catholics who came to this section were emigrants from Ireland, and were employed on the new roads or on the adjacent farms. In those days the farmers were not able to obtain fertilizers from afar, and consequently depended chiefly on the marl pit for the success of their crops. Among the earli- est Catholic settlers we find the names of Daniel Kenny, George Blake, Michael Mul- keen, and Michael Bowe. These men seem to have come as early as 1847. For many years Father McDermott and his successor came from Salem to hold services several times SECOND CHURCH, SWEDESBORO. a year, and those who desired to attend church in the interval were compelled to go either to Salem or to Gloucester. The little boat came to the wharf at the foot of Church Street during the summer months and the farmers carted their produce to the city, and oftentimes in winter had to carry their shovels to break their way through the snow-drifts.
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About the year 1856 the Bishop of Philadelphia transferred the Rev. John McDermott from Salem and placed the Rev. Cor- nelius Cannon in charge of that church with its outlying missions. This was no easy field of labor, but the good Father Cannon worked assiduously to keep his little flock. Their numbers were increasing, and when the monthly services were held in the private house of George Blake or Matt. Kelly, in Irishtown, or in other places, the rooms were not sufficiently large to contain all who attended. Then Father Cannon began to think of erecting a little church where his scattered flock might come to worship. Several plots of ground were sought. Some were too expensive and some could not be purchased for a Catholic church, because certain of our good people thought it would be a disgrace to have a Catholic church on the sacred soil of Woolwick Township. Happily, however, better counsel prevailed, and Daniel Kelly pur- chased the present church property from Charles P. Shivers and at once transferred it to Father Cannon. When the time came for building, some foolish people threatened to destroy any struc- ture erected, but such people and their talk were easily suppressed by the good sense of the community.
In the fall of 1860 Father Cannon began the erection of a new church on the plot of ground purchased from Charles P. Shivers. The congregation was small, comprising about thirty families, scattered over an area of as many square miles. Before the year ended the little building was completed and they were in happy possession of their own church. It was Bishop Bayley that appointed Father Cannon to the parish of Salem in 1856. Father Cannon had the church incorporated, with Martin Hayes and James Brennan as his first lay trustees. This was in 1864, and from then on Swedesboro Catholic Church remained attached as a mission to Salem till 1873.
The first church was dedicated in 1861. Several years after the war the congregation continued to increase, and Father Can- non was again compelled to build. This time he built an addition of a sanctuary and vestry, at a cost of $ 500.
After the sanctuary had been added to the church the edifice accommodated 180 persons, with fifteen pine benches on each side. The church was now sufficiently large for many years and monthly services were held. Gradually the cemetery began to fill up and the Catholic population to increase, until in 1870 Father Cannon was recalled from Salem by Bishop Bayley, and Father Pattle was sent to take charge of the mission. Father
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Cannon was a big-hearted Irishman from Donegal. Father Secondino Pattle was a Spaniard from the land of the Cid. It was during Father Pattle's term of office that the members of St. Joseph's Church, Swedesboro, decided on the requesting of the bishop to send them a priest to live at Swedesboro. In the mean time they exerted themselves in erecting a suitable residence for the priest whom the bishop would send them. Finally, in September, 1873, the bishop, Rt. Rev. M. A. Corrigan, sent the Rev. Anthony Cassese to take charge of the Swedesboro Church. Father Pattle was left in charge of Salem and Woodstown, and later on was appointed to Burlington, N. J.
Father Anthony arrived in Swedesboro during September of 1872, and being an Italian by birth, and although he did not speak the language of his new charge fluently, yet the people were glad to receive him and tried to make him happy. Besides the church at Swedesboro, Father Anthony also attended the mission of Glasboro, going there monthly till 1878.
As the weeks went by they found the pious priest a faithful friend and a good father. From 1873 till 1880 the little church at Swedesboro received few improvements. It required all that could be spared to keep the grounds in order and to furnish the new rectory. At last in 1880 Father Anthony resolved to make some alterations in the church so as to meet the wants of the growing congregation. The old church was 40 by 25 feet. To this was added sixteen feet, with a steeple six feet above the point of the roof, and another addition of twenty-six feet was placed to the rear, and the whole building newly plastered and weather- boarded, so that really there was very little of the old church left. New pews were built and the building made ready for about 250 persons. The gallery was also placed in position and the old sanctuary removed to the side where it now stands, as a library and chapel. All these improvements cost money, and as yet the congregation was poor; but the priest met these expenses, amounting to $1,103, by advancing the money. He expected to get it back when the congregation could afford it, but he also de- sired that when he died the unpaid debts should also die with him. Little if any of this money did he ever receive, and this is another reason why the people of St. Joseph's should honor the memory of this self-sacrificing priest, for he was the chief benefactor of their church. In November, 1881, the southern portion of the State of New Jersey was separated from the Diocese of Newark and became an independent organization. The new See was
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located at Trenton, with the Rt. Rev. M. J. O'Farrell as its first bishop. In May of the same year St. Joseph's Church was dedi- cated by the Rev. Joseph Rolando, but before doing this Father Anthony placed the new altar in the church. This expense he also bore. His one thought was to beautify the church of God and teach the people virtue. Coming as he did from a Catholic country, where all his surroundings were Catholic, it required years for Father Anthony to understand our customs and man- ners. St. Joseph's may have had pastors who knew their language better, but they never had nor will have a priest who did so much for their moral and material improvement. Fiery like most of his race, he was also gentle and forgiving. He may have been severe at times to some, but who will say his severity was uncalled for, and what good father is there that must not be severe at times with the children he loves? Like a trusty steward he turned to profit the small resources that were placed in his hands. Faithful in the discharge of his duties, always zealous and sympathetic, he lived his simple life among his people, edifying them by his good example, encouraging them by his charity. For thirteen years he was in charge of St. Joseph's, and when he was called away from this world his people missed him and will miss him for years to come. Surely it was a fitting tribute of love and gratitude on the part of his people to place the beautiful monu- ment over his tomb beside the little church he had served so well, amid the people he had learned to love. Neither should the Catholics of Swedseboro soon forget him, for his dying wish was to be buried with them.
Father Cassese was born at Palma, Naples, and came to America about 1867. He served for a time as curate to Father Henry in the Catholic church at Pawtucket, R. I. He died November 26th, 1886, leaving the parish of Swedesboro free of debt and a surplus in the treasury.
After the death of Father Anthony, Bishop O'Farrell placed the Rev. William P. Treacy, a native of Tipperary, Ireland, in charge of St. Joseph's. Father Treacy in 1892 purchased from Michael Costello the present property on Broad Street to be used as a cemetery ; but some difficulties arose and he purchased another lot for this purpose, both purchases amounting to $1,076. Father Treacy also attended the Woodstown mission from 1886 to 1890.
On February 28th, 1893, the Rev. Walter T. Leahy was ap- pointed to St. Joseph's. When Father Leahy took charge of St. Joseph's parish the church and rectory were located on Church
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Street, on the north end of the present cemetery. He at once added a Sunday-school room to the side of the church, cleaned out the cemetery, and began the erection of an iron fence around the property. The church was now too small for the growing needs of the parish, and the cemetery was filling up; so it was finally decided, in order to get more room for burials, to move the church and rectory to Broad Street. The new rectory was begun in April, 1898. In September of the same year the church was moved to Broad Street and additions were made to the sides, so that instead of seating 216 persons it was capable of seating 400 persons.
The present church and cemetery were dedicated on April 27th, 1899, by the Rt. Rev. Bishop McFaul, of Trenton. From February, 1894, till September, 1900, the parish of Woodstown was also attended by the Rev. Walter T. Leahy as a mission of Swedesboro parish. On June 14th, 1898, Father Leahy also opened a mission at Pennsgrove, N. J., and held services there on Saturdays monthly. The Mullica Hill mission was opened in March, 1901, and attended from Swedesboro.
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