USA > New Jersey > The Catholic Church in New Jersey > Part 32
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St. Michael's Church, Jersey City.
IN 1854 Father John Kelly decided to build a church for the Catholics in the northern part of Jersey City, on the corner of Erie and Tenth streets. The building was of brick, two stories high, and the property included four lots. In 1859 the Rev. Louis D. Senez became pastor, and as the Catholic population was increasing rapidly he purchased additional property on the corner of Erie and Second streets. In 1863 the new St. Mary's was built and the old church used for a school, until the Catholic Institute was built on Third Street. In November, 1860, Bishop Bayley created the new parish, which was thenceforward called St. Michael's, and placed the Rev. Januarius De Concilio in charge. Father De Concilio was a native of Naples, Italy, where he was born July 6th, 1836. He made his preparatory studies in Naples under the celebrated philosopher, San Severino, and his theological studies in the Collegio Brignole-Sale, Genoa. He arrived in this country April 10th, 1860. He was an assistant to Father Cauvin, Hoboken, and in St. Mary's, Jersey City. He was likewise called to Seton Hall as professor of philosophy and theology at two different periods.
The old church was put in order for divine service, but Father
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De Concilio lost no time in keeping pace with the needs of the parish. He opened a school, placing it in charge of lay teachers. Later he built a house for the Sisters of Charity and introduced them into the parish schools. In 1870 he built a new parochial
ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH, JERSEY CITY.
residence, and in 1871 purchased the site of the present imposing church, the corner-stone of which was laid by Archbishop Bayley, September 25th, 1873. It was dedicated by Bishop Corrigan, October 8th, 1876. That same year Mr. Harold Henwood, a wealthy convert to the Catholic faith, purchased the old Children's Home on Pavonia Avenue and presented it to the parish. It cost $ 30,000, and Father De Concilio expended an additional $ 10,000 to fit it for the orphans. It has since been entirely rebuilt and is
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in the hands of the Sisters of Charity. The old church was remodelled for school purposes at a cost of $ 15,000 In 1890 the new rectory was built, at a cost of $25,000. Father De Concilio was named Domestic Prelate by Leo XIII., and in 1892 he received from Georgetown University the degree of Doctor of Divinity. Monsignor De Concilio was one of the foremost scholars of his day and an author of many works on various subjects. In 1896 he returned to his native land, in the hope of ridding him- self of rheumatism, with which he had been afflicted many years. He returned improved in health, but was stricken with another
INTERIOR OF ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH, JERSEY CITY.
attack that eventually culminated in Bright's disease, which ter- minated fatally, March, 1898. The concourse at his funeral was so great that many were unable to obtain entrance into the church. His successor, the Rev. John A. Sheppard, took posses-
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sion of his new charge, April 6th, 1898. Father Sheppard was born in Ireland, but came to this country at a very early age, and was brought up in St. John's, Paterson. His preparatory studies were made in St. Charles's, Md., and Seton Hall, of which he is an alumnus of the class of '72. His theological studies were made in the diocesan seminary, and he was ordained in the college chapel, June 10th, 1876. His only appointment as assistant was to the cathedral, where he spent almost seven years, discharging for a time the duties of chancellor of the diocese. It was during this period that he established the Sacred Heart Union for the support of the wayward boys in the institution at Denville, which afterward was removed to Arlington. In February, 1883, he was sent to Dover, and in 1884, on the death of Father Schneider, made pastor of Passaic. Here it may be said that he built up the parish, for practically everything had to be done. Without a peer as an admin- istrator, Bishop Wigger was convinced that he was the man to grapple with the burden of debt left by Mon- signor De Concilio. It was long the declared policy of RT. REV. MONSIGNOR SHEPPARD, Seventh Vicar-General. the Monsignor that he did not intend to leave his suc- cessor nothing to do. Father Sheppard has greatly reduced the debt, decorated and embellished the church with painted windows, marble pulpit, etc. On the promotion of Bishop O'Connor to the See of Newark, Father Sheppard was appointed vicar-general. Few were surprised at the honor conferred upon him, for his past services in the Church entitled him to distinction, and his ability fitted him for the responsibility. On October 18th, 1903, he was vested with the purple of Domestic Prelate, the first con- ferred on any priest by our present Holy Father, Pius X.
The ceremonies were very elaborate. Over thirty clergymen, all distinguished in the work of the Church, took part. Bishop O'Connor, who earlier in the day had dedicated the completed
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portion of St. Mary's Church, at Erie and Second streets, arrived at St. Michael's rectory at 2:30 P.M., and there met the specially invited clergy, who included the Rt. Rev. Monsignors George H. Doane, Chancellor of the Newark Diocese; John A. O'Grady of New Brunswick; and John A. Stafford, President of Seton Hall College; also the Very Rev. Dean Flynn of Morristown, Very Rev. P. A. Smyth, Rev. John J. Ryan of St. Bridget's, Rev. John A. Sullivan of St. Aloysius's, Rev. Joseph A. Meehan of All Saints', Rev. Thomas Quinn of St. Paul of the Cross, Rev. Father Justin of the Passionist Fathers, West Hoboken, Very Rev. Dean Robert A. Burke of Princeton, Rev. John Brady of South Amboy, Rev. Joseph Nardiello of Bloomfield, Rev. A. M. Egan of Plainfield, Rev. G. W. Corrigan of Newark, Rev. Father Brennan of Trenton, Rev. Isaac P. Whelan of Bayonne, Rev. Charles J. Kelly of Hoboken, Rev. Eugene Carroll of Newark, Rev. Dr. D. J. Callahan, Rev. F. P. McCue, Rev. J. F. Mooney, and Rev. C. J. Mackel, all of Seton Hall College; Rev. Father Fox of St. Peter's, Rev. Father Aigner, S.J., Rev. Father Chle- bowski of Passaic, Rev. Father Dickovitch of Paterson, Rev. Joseph Dunn of Irvington, Very Rev. Dean McNulty of Pater- son, and others.
Bishop O'Connor was assisted in the investiture of Monsignor Sheppard by the Very Rev. Dean Flynn and the Rev. Isaac P. Whelan.
The choir, which had been largely augmented for the occasion, sang the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's "Messiah," when Monsignor Sheppard emerged from the vestry to have the rochet and manteletta placed on him by the bishop. The scene was magnificently impressive. The altar, beautifully decorated with flowers, was illuminated with hundreds of candles. The scent of incense filled the air, and the prelates and priests in their rich vestments made the picture complete.
Rev. Father Mackel, who at one time was a curate at St. Michael's, read the papal brief conferring the title of monsignor. The document was in Latin, but after reading it in that tongue, Father Mackel translated it into English for the benefit of the congregation. The brief in substance recited that the dignity of monsignor had been conferred upon the recipient because of his distinguished services in behalf of the Church and Christianity in general. Father Mackel's address, after reading the brief, took the form of a tribute to Monsignor Sheppard from the faculty of Seton Hall College, in testi-
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mony of his worth as a priest and a lifelong patron of edu- cation.
"Father Sheppard," said the speaker, "has made his mark so that he is looked up to not only by those who are his juniors, but by those who are his seniors as well."
Bishop O'Connor's address was a glowing tribute to Monsignor Sheppard's life and work. In full it was as follows:
It is my pleasant duty to make to you the official announce- ment of the honor our Holy Father, Pius X., has conferred on your worthy pastor, and to authorize the reading of the pontifical brief raising him to the dignity of a domestic prelate of the Pon- tifical Court. It is a gratifying thing that the newly elected Pontiff should bestow this dignity on one who has deserved so well of the Church in this diocese. I consider that the honor is not only a personal one to Father Sheppard, but that it redounds to the people of this parish, over which he has presided so ably since the death of your lamented first pastor, Monsignor De Concilio, and to the Diocese of Newark and its bishop, whom he assists by his wise counsel and energetic activity. To me it is specially gratifying because of the relations that exist between us, both personal and official. I first made Father Sheppard's acquaint- ance during our college days at Seton Hall more than thirty years ago. I learned to admire him for his talents, which I then recog- nized were above the ordinary. I learned to esteem and respect him-his qualities of heart were no less conspicuous than those of his mind, and all through the years of his priestly life I have looked upon him as the type of the true priest of Holy Church, fitted by nature and by grace for the work the Lord chose him to do, and doing that work ably and successfully, discharging the duties of his exalted state in a way that would not fail to meet with the approbation of his superiors. His successful administra- tion of the parishes to which he was sent, the high degree of efficiency to which he brought them, the excellent spiritual con- dition of his people-and, after all, this is the principal standard by which to test the worth of a parish priest-all proclaimed the priest whom God had chosen for the work of His vineyard, faith- ful to his calling, a model to his fellow-priests, a light and a guide to his people. More than a quarter of a century has passed since he became the anointed of the Lord and began his life's work, and the promises of his early priestly life have been faithfully realized.
Time has only rendered more brilliant his gifts of mind and heart, while the grace of God has preserved in him the Christian humility and sense of lowliness without which the priest will never imitate his great model, the Eternal Priest Jesus Christ, whose representative he is and without whom he realizes he can do nothing.
I speak these words not for his ears, but for yours. I know
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full well that words of praise are distasteful to him, but I deem it fitting that on an occasion such as this is I should bear testimony before this congregation of the worth of him whom the Holy Father has honored. The dignity of domestic prelate does not, indeed, imply any new spiritual power such as is derived from the Sacrament of Holy Orders or any new power of jurisdiction. It is an honor that the Holy Father in the goodness of his heart bestows on a worthy priest, ranking him above his fellows in the priesthood and entitling him to certain privileges in the papal court from which the rank and file of the clergy are excluded, and which permit to him a nearer approach to the person of the sovereign pontiff.
We are grateful to the Holy Father who has been pleased to honor us, and our loyalty and attachment to the centre of unity will be stronger because of it. The Holy Father we revere as Christ's vicar on earth. We receive his teachings as those of Christ himself. We obey him in spiritual matters because in him the plenitude of spiritual authority resides. He is the suc- cessor of Peter, to whom it was said: "On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her. Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth shall be loosed in heaven." And we are grateful to him that his first official act directly affecting the Diocese of Newark has been the elevation of the vicar-general of the diocese to the rank of a prelate. In your name, in the name of the diocese, and in my own, I have extended to His Holiness our sentiments of grateful recognition of the honor. And while we all pray for Pius X. that the fulness of years to rule God's Church that was granted to his predecessors of happy memory may be accorded also to him, we at the same time supplicate the Throne of Grace that Monsignor Sheppard may wear the purple robes for many years with credit to himself and honor to the diocese, until it shall please God to translate him full of virtue and good works to his heavenly reward.
Bishop O'Connor's talk concluded the investiture ceremonies, and immediately afterward he proceeded to confirm a class of over two hundred children and fourteen adults. The proceedings closed with the benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and the singing of the Te Deum.
St. Benedict's Church, Newark.
ST. BENEDICT'S CHURCH, Newark, N. J., was founded June 28th, 1857, under the direction of the Rt. Rev. J. R. Bayley, who saw the necessity of ministering to the spiritual wants of the German Catholics who lived in the eastern section of the city.
The Rev. Rupert Seidenbusch, O.S.B., who later on became
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Bishop of St. Cloud, Minn., ministered to the little flock. As the fold increased it was found necessary to appoint a resident pastor in the person of Rev. Benno Hegele, O.S.B., who labored faithfully from 1864 to 1866. He was succeeded by the Rev. Bernardine Dolweck, O.S.B., whose pastorate ex- tended from 1866 to 1872. In that year the Rev. Lam- bert Kettner took up and con- tinued the good work till 1885. Through Father Lam- bert's zeal the present church was built. The Rev. Theo- dosius Goth, O.S.B., followed and worked successfully till 1894. He built the spacious school and rectory. During his administration it was found necessary to give him an assistant priest, and the Rev. Hugo Paff, O.S.B., was ST. BENEDICT'S CHURCH, NEWARK. appointed as such.
Since 1894 the Rev. Leonard Walter, O.S.B., has had charge of St. Benedict's Church, who was ably assisted during these years by Rev. Meinrad Hetz- inger, O.S.B., and Rev. Thomas Rosenberger, O.S.B. In 1897 the new school hall was erected. The Benedictine Sisters teach the 400 children in the school.
Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook, N. J.
THE United States garrison has been attended by a priest for many years, but by what priests it is impossible to ascertain until 1861. In that year the Rev. Thomas A. Killeen, of Red Bank, visited the fort once a month. His successor, the Rev. J. Salaun, continued these visits. The Rev. Stanislaus Danielou, who was assigned to the charge of Manchester and near-by missions, Sep- tember 22d, 1874, gave as much of his time and attention to the soldiers and the government employees as circumstances would permit. In July, 1879, the Rev. John J. F. O'Connor was given charge of Atlantic Highlands and New Monmouth, and conse-
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quently Fort Hancock. Father O'Connor was born in Newport, R. I., February 26th, 1843. St. Charles's College, St. Mary's, Baltimore, and Seton Hall were the institutions in which his classical and theological studies were made. He was ordained in Seton Hall and assigned to the cathedral, where he was master of ceremonies, chaplain of St. Michael's Hospital, and later pastor of St. Peter's, Belleville. His cheerful rough-and-ready manner made him a great favorite with the soldiers and the hardy fisher- men of that locality. He built the Church of Our Lady of the Angels at New Monmouth, where he died November 7th, 1894. In 1880 Bishop Corrigan administered confirmation at the fort. Fathers Fox and Egan visited the post regularly until 1894, when- Bishop O'Farrell, of Trenton, assigned Father Lerche as resident pastor. The Rev. Robert E. Burke succeeded him in 1898, and at the outbreak of the Hispano-American War did great work among the boys in khaki, preaching to them, instructing them, preparing them for the dangers of the field; and, when the sick returned fever-strick- en and wounded, he was assid- uous in his care, going so far as to give over to them the tent which he used for divine service. His services were properly recognized by the commandant and by the de- partment. His successor in 1900 was the Rev. T. H. Allen, who still ministers to the flock, composed of about five hun- dred Catholic soldiers, fifteen families, and fifty unmarried government workmen.
Holy Family Church, Union Hill.
THE parish of the Holy Family was founded June 7th, 1857, by the venerable Father Balleis, O.S.B., who ministered
HOLY FAMILY, UNION HILL.
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to the German Catholics on the Hill until December 24th, 1865. The mission was then taken over by the Passionist Fathers and attended by them until November, 1868, when the Rev. P. Vin- cent, C.P., took up his residence there. The Revs. Bernard Hehl, C.P., and George Basil, C.P., exercised their ministry successively until February 8th, 1884, when the present pastor, a secular priest, the Rev. J. N. Grieff, was appointed. Father Grieff was born at Eschweiler (Luxembourg), January 12th, 1855. His preparatory studies were made with the Jesuits in the pro-gymna- sium of Echternach and Tournhout, and his theological studies in the episcopal seminary of Verona, Italy, where he was ordained June 15th, 1878. His first field of missionary work was St. Boni- face's, Paterson, October, 1881
From 1857 to 1868 the congregation worshipped in tempo- rary quarters on the Hackensack Plankroad. The first church was erected in 1868 and the first school opened in 1872. In 1885 a new church was built at a cost of $75,000, and in 1897 the new school erected at a cost of $100,000. The assistant priests since 1885 were the Revs. John Reuland, John Weyland, John Huy- gens, Joseph Hasel, Vincent Hellstern, Anton Stein, Rudolph Hulsebusch, Joseph Herkert, Nicholas Espen, Peter Kurz, and B. Berto. Since 1902 Father Grieff is aided by the Passionist Fathers.
St. Joseph's Church, Bound Brook, N. J.
ACCORDING to John Gilmary Shea, the first Mass was cele- brated in Bound Brook near the close of the summer of 1744. The celebrant of that Mass was the Rev. Theodore Schneider.
Hence we must conclude that the number of Catholics in and around Bound Brook was considerable enough to attract the pres- ence of the holy missionary. No other fact of importance to Catholics is known from that time until the year 1858. In that year the church records began under the pastoral care of the Benedictines of St. Mary's Abbey, Newark, N. J. The first record of a baptism is that of John Kaiserauer, which took place on the 10th day of July, 1858. The officiating priest was the Rev. Louis Fink, O.S.B., late Bishop of the Diocese of Leaven- worth, Kan.
The first record of a marriage was that of John Spohn and Magdalena Eder, the officiating priest being as above, Bishop Fink. The Benedictines zealously fostered religion in the parish.
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They gathered the Catholics of the neighborhood and gave them the opportunity to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as often as possible. The people were poor and few. The best that could be done was to procure some Catholic dwelling wherein the people could assemble to assist at the divine mysteries. Accord- ingly we learn that Mass was celebrated for many years in the house of Joseph Prehm. It was celebrated also in the homes of Lawrence Wells and Edward Butler. As an instance of the love of the people for their holy faith, we see by the old record that the sum of $51.50, a great sum for them at that time, was raised to purchase the necessary vestments that the divine services might be carried out as decorously as possible. The devotedness of the Benedictines and the faith of the people soon bore abun- dant fruit. In the year 1864 we see the little congregation weigh- ing the bold project of building a church and providing a perma- nent home for Our Lord among them. Subscriptions were called for. Every one worked enthusiastically, and in April, 1865, the congregation found itself in possession of a plot of ground for which it paid $400. With renewed courage the people prosecuted their pious undertaking, and on June 17th, 1866, they had the hap- piness of inviting the Rt. Rev. Bishop Bayley to lay the corner- stone of their new church. As near as can be ascertained now the little frame church cost $2,000. It was soon furnished with a new altar and all the other accessories of divine worship, and within its walls for twenty-five years the calm current of their religious life flowed on. Many noteworthy events took place within that humble church. There two young priests belonging to that parish said their first Mass. One was the Rev. Theodo- sius Goth, a worthy member of the great order of St. Benedict, the other was the Rev. James A. McFaul, now the Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton. The church was built during the incum- bency of Father Bernardine, O.S.B., but a great number of the Benedictine priests were at one time or another connected with St. Joseph's.
Among the many priests who attended the congregation there is none whose memory is preserved with greater affection than that of good Father William Walter. In the year 1868 the Rt. Rev. Bishop Bayley, of the Diocese of Newark, sent the Rev. M. W. Kaeder to Raritan, giving him at the same time charge of the church at Bound Brook, thus withdrawing it from the Bene- dictines. Father Kaeder was succeeded in 1873 by the Rev. J. A. Marshall, a priest of the order of St. Dominic. Father Mar-
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shall remained three years, and was succeeded by the Rev. J. J. Zimmer, in September, 1876.
Up to this time the church in Bound Brook had been a mission attached to St. Bernard's Church in Raritan. Now for the first time it was to be an independent church, with its own resident pastor. The Rev. A. v. d. Bogaard was the first to be appointed to the place. He took charge in December, 1876, and from that day to this the growth of the parish in every way has been remarkable. Father Bogaard's first work was to provide a pas- toral residence. After some difficulty he succeeded in purchasing the necessary grounds and erecting thereupon the neat, substan- tial, and commodious rectory of St. Joseph's Church of to-day. For six years he successfully prosecuted his labors in this parish, until the year 1882, when he was called by the late Bishop O'Far- rell to found the church in Somerville. His successor in Bound Brook was the Rev. John H. Fox, and during his short stay he reduced the debt of the church and made an excellent impression on the people. The Rev. James F. Devine was the next pastor of St. Joseph's, but his stay was shorter even than that of Father Fox. After only three months' service he was appointed assist- ant rector of the Church of the Sacred Heart, Trenton, and the Rev. B. T. O'Connell was sent as his successor. The new rector took charge August 4th, 1883. The debt of the church on his arrival was $3,500. The buildings of the parish were a frame church and a rectory. The church was in a dilapidated condition, and, moreover, was fast becoming inadequate for the needs of the people. After paying off the debt, ways and means were provided for the building of a new church. The old church building was removed and fitted up as a school, and on its former site the present church was erected, at a cost of $22,000. It was solemnly dedicated to God on the 7th day of June, 1891, by the Rt. Rev. M. J. O'Farrell, Bishop of Trenton. The parochial school was the next measure of importance. It was thrown open to the children on the first day of September, 1893, under the charge of the Sisters of Mercy. The next thing of importance was to pro- vide a resting-place for the dead of the parish, and accordingly six acres of land were purchased and dedicated as a cemetery on November Ist, 1893. This was the last public function of the beloved Bishop O'Farrell in Bound Brook. This church was now fully equipped with everything needed, and although the cost of these necessaries reached the great sum of $30,000, the original debt was increased by only $7,000.
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St. Joseph's Church, Mendham.
THE Catholics in Mendham were attended by Father McQuaid when he was pastor of Madison. The church property was bought by him and he was about erecting the church, when he was summoned by Bishop Bayley to the pastorate of the cathe- dral. The Rev. William McNulty, chaplain of St. Elizabeth's Convent, took up the work, built the church, and attended to the needs of the mission until his removal to Paterson. The mission was then attached to Morristown and attended by the priests of that parish until 1874, when the Rev. D. S. Dagnault was made pastor of Mendham and Baskingridge.
His successor, the Rev. Gregory Misdziol, worked very zealously in both mis- sions. His death was marked by strange and pathetic fea- tures. After the death of Pius IX., the Ordinary of the diocese ordered a Requiem Mass to be celebrated with all solemnity possible on Feb- ruary 22d. Father Misdziol busied himself draping the Baskingridge church - his residence was in that village ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH, MENDHAM. -with his own hands. Early in the morning of the 22d he visited the church to put the last finishing touches on his labor of many days, and on his return to his home dropped dead on the roadway. He had decorated the church for his own funeral. He was buried in the Mendham Cemetery, February 25th, 1878.
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