USA > New Jersey > Morris County > Morristown > The story of a parish : the first Catholic church in Morristown, N.J. ; its foundation and development, 1847-1892 > Part 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18
His efforts to build a priest's house were success- ful. A lot was purchased from Mr. Hull, editor of the Jerseyman, for the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars, and in 1861 operations for the building be- gan. The masonry was done by Cyrus Pruden, and the carpentry by Muchmore & Lounsbury.
About this time the old graveyard was bought from William Collins for five hundred dollars.
The parish school started by Father McQuaid was not allowed to remain stagnant. The school had not, it is true, all the appointments now con-
54
THE STORY OF A PARISH.
sidered necessary ; the rooms were dark, very warm in Summer and correspondingly cold in Winter. A great stove stood in the middle of the room, and a pipe was placed through one of the windows, but not too far out of the reach of the tricky boys. When the tasks became irksome, or the tempting chestnuts strewed the ground, or the ice was in prime condition for skating, a sod conveniently thrust down the stove-pipe checked the draught, filled the room with smoke and gas, and necessitated the dismissal of the school.
When Mr. Tracey severed his connection with the school he was succeeded by Mr. Donlin. Miss Slater, of Massachusetts, and a Mr. Faulkner, whose knowledge of the English language was too limited to make him a successful teacher, were engaged and taught for a short time. These teachers taught pre- vious to 1860.
That the school might be kept together until a competent person was found to take charge of it, Father Hoey himself taught during the vacancy which occurred about the time of his appointment. A Miss McDonald, with sufficient confidence in her ability to teach and rule the masons, painters, plumbers, and carpenters of the present day, pre- sented herself for the arduous position ; but a short experience convinced her of the serious mistake she had made.
Mr. O'Neil was then secured ; and, although gifted with considerable talent, was forced to resign
55
BRAGGART BIGOTRY.
on account of ill health. To him succeeded Mr. Meehan, who is remembered as "teaching the A, B, C's with the children on his knee, and both teacher and pupil enveloped in the smoke of his pipe." Then appears Mr. Fennessy " in a white shirt, ruf- fled upon either side of the bosom; this, together with his personal appearance, evoked such a volley of cheers from the scholars that he was mortally of- fended, and decided to punish severely the unruly children by teaching them only for the short space of a half a day."
The absurd and hateful anti-Catholic and anti- Irish spirit, fed by the ignorance and scheming of preachers and newspaper editors, nourished by others whose intelligence should have served them better, made its sting felt in Morristown, as in almost every village, hamlet, and city of our country. There is a vague tradition of an attempt to destroy the little Church first erected here by the lusty young bigots of that day, possessed of more brawn than brain. But a fanatic is usually a braggart ; and the tidings that the miners from Dover were ready to march down to protect the Catholics and avenge any insult offered to them, cooled the cour- age of the bullies and dissipated their plans. But, from time to time, the old hatred cropped out, espe- cially on St. Patrick's day.
Washington, whom every citizen, and especially those from Fatherland, must venerate, with the in- stinct of a true patriot recognized the aid he re-
56
THE STORY OF A PARISH.
ceived from the Irish exiles dwelling in the colonies, both in men and money, freely and generously giv- en ; and so, first of all, with graceful propriety or- dered, in this very spot, the first public recognition in the new Republic of the Saint held in special reverence by the Irish race.
But the old folks who remembered the Teagues and Paddies for their prowess in battle and their gallantry in the camp had passed away. Their ig- noble sons forgot the debt they owed to the brave and persecuted race ; and not content to let them dwell in peace in a land watered with their blood, they chose rather to insult them whenever oppor- tunity offered.
It were well to strive to forget these indignities ; but it is proper to make mention of them, the bet- ter to accentuate the forbearance, the Christian charity of our forefathers. It was not unusual to see strung up on a flag-pole or suspended from a tree a stuffed figure to represent St. Patrick, with a string of potatoes about his neck, a whiskey bottle in one pocket and a codfish in the other. It was such a sight that aroused the lion in Patrick Smith as he saw the effigy of his patron swaying in the wind from the flag-staff in the Park. The assuring words and wise counsel alone of Colonel Vail pre- vented him from cutting down the flag-pole. On a like occasion another Smith, a namesake of Patrick but no relative, saw a similar figure pendent from a tree. His good wife brought him an axe, and down
57
THE END OF ANTI-CATHOLIC FEELING.
came both tree and effigy. The last appearance of this vulgar exhibition was in Market Street, a few doors down from South.
The war, the new generation of the native-born sons of these old exiles, full of the courage of their fathers and excelling them in intelligence, ranking with those who differ from them in creed, and on an equal footing in point of education and social stand- ing, have put a last touch to such puerile ebulli- tions of bigotry.
An earnest search for reminiscences among the early settlers and the newspapers of the day fails to discover anything worthy of special mention. The outbreak of the war called many of the children of the parish to the front, where they upheld the reputation of their forefathers for loyalty to the flag, bravery in battle, and patience in imprison- ment.
Even as late as the War period Catholics were so lightly esteemed that on Thanksgiving, 1861, in a historical sermon, preached by the Rev. David Irving, D.D., in the first Presbyterian Church, Mor- ristown, in an allusion to the religious statistics of this County, he does not even mention the Catholics, who had not only a Church and resident pastor, but likewise a parish school in active operation.
In 1864 the Church was incorporated, the Board consisting of Rt. Rev. James Roosevelt Bayley, the Very Rev. Patrick Moran, the Rev. Lawrence Hoey, Messrs. Henry James and Patrick Rowe.
58
THE STORY OF A PARISH.
On the death of Mr. James, December 22, 1864, Mr. William Dwyer was appointed to fill the va- cancy.
In 1865 the school was found inadequate for the accommodation of the children, and was enlarged at an expense of eight hundred dollars.
Times go by turns, and chances change by course, From foul to fair, from better hap to worse.
Discord, when it springs from those alien to our faith, is deplorable. There is nothing exceeds in bit- terness fraternal strife. So, when dissension divides a parish the whole body seems paralyzed, and only after years of patient endurance does the healthy reaction set in, and the members again resume their functions.
The chastening rod scourged our little flock. The peaceful serenity of the young parish was dis- turbed ; and it is only now, after the lapse of more than a quarter of a century, that the sad memory has passed away. It is not desirable to recall it.
The Rev. James D'Arcy was appointed pastor July, 1867.
Father D'Arcy's magnetism, his winsomeness, were irresistible. Gifted with more than ordinary ability, by careful study he enriched his mind. Of an ardent, generous nature he was strong in his at- tachments, and while he loved the land of the Stars and Stripes, he could not forget the land of his birth-the Emerald Gem of the Sea.
REV. P. MCGOVERN.
REV. JAMES D'ARCY.
REV. M. A. MADDEN.
59
DEATH OF GOOD FATHER MADDEN.
His eloquence, always of a high order, touched the zenith when telling the struggles, the sufferings, the sad, sad story of Ireland. The last oratorical effort of his too-brief career was his ever-memorable panegyric of St. Patrick in the Cathedral, Newark, on March 17.
Keenly alive to the ennobling traits of his coun- trymen, he was not insensible of their failings. He realized that to intemperance was, in a large mea- sure, to be attributed their poverty, their misfor- tunes, and their crimes. Hence he strove mightily against the demon of drink, and succeeded in organ- izing almost all the men of the parish in a Temper- ance Society, which for many years made its in- fluence felt, and saved not a few from this dan- gerous pitfall. To-day there are still with us those who took and never broke Father D'Arcy's pledge.
He was indefatigable in his efforts to spread the Christian virtue of temperance. January 2, 1868, he delivered a lecture in Washington Hall, which was largely attended not only by Catholics but by those not of our faith.
On Saturday, May 21, 1868, "good" Father Madden was prostrated by an apoplectic fit in New- ark, and his soul passed away to God on Sunday morning. Father Madden was only forty-three years of age when he died, But in the short span of his ministry he had accomplished much for God. His sympathetic nature endeared him not only to those
60
THE STORY OF A PARISH.
to whom he was allied by ties of country and reli- gion but who differed from him in belief.
But this great loss was felt in Morristown more than elsewhere. The people here had learned to love, to idolize Father D'Arcy. And now they were to lose him.
On the 2d day of June, in obedience to his Bishop, he left us to assume the pastoral charge of Madison. The grief was wide-spread and the regrets were mutual on the part of priest and people.
At a meeting of the parishioners of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, held at the Church in Morristown, on Tuesday evening, Tune 2, 1868, Thomas Burke in the chair, the fol- lowing preamble and resolutions, as submitted by the committee, were unanimously adopted :
Whereas, Our beloved Pastor is about to be re- moved from us, and feeling it is our duty to ex- press our thanks to him for his earnest labors in our behalf since his arrival in this place, and our sorrow for his departure from our midst; therefore be it
Resolved, That in Rev. James A. D'Arcy we had a zealous and pious priest, a "priest after God's own calling," whose sole anxiety and care was the good of the people.
Resolved, That wherever he goes his memory shall be revered by each one of us, and we shall look back with pleasure to the short but happy time he spent among us.
Resolved, That we shall always obey his holy teachings and imitate his many virtues.
61
FATHER D'ARCY LEAVES MORRISTOWN.
Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be en- grossed and presented to him.
Resolved, That these resolutions be printed in the True Democratic Banner, the Jerseyman, and Newark Journal.
REV. AND DEAR SIR :
We the undersigned, in behalf of your many sorrowing friends and admirers of this parish, and the Temperance Societies here established and so tenderly fostered by you, do hereby beg leave to tender you this address in slight token of our heart- felt gratitude for your most faithful and successful labors in our behalf, during, alas! your brief so- journ in our midst; while at the same time we would thus bear public testimony to our heartfelt and inexpressible regret at the action of our Rt. Rev. Bishop in removing you at this time from the parish. We would not in any event fail deeply to mourn over the great loss sustained in the early death of Father Madden-and alas! how fast has brother followed brother
" From the sunlight to the sinless land ";
but now when we remember that his death is the direct cause of our inexpressible bereavement in being compelled to submit to the removal of you, our beloved Pastor, to fill the vacancy thereby created, we can but acknowledge the weakness of all language adequately to express our sorrow at the melancholy event; and while unable to antici- pate a period when your removal could be made without filling our hearts with sadness, your de- parture from among us at the present time seems doubly to be deplored. We cannot but feel that we now, more than ever, require your services and
62
THE STORY OF A PARISH.
spiritual guidance in order to the preservation of that unity, brotherly love, and harmony of action so essential for the accomplishment of the greatest good, in the different Temperance Societies and re- ligious sodalities formed and nursed by you in this city and vicinity with a parent's tenderest care and solicitude ; and, while acknowledging the debts of gratitude due from us to your predecessors in the holy ministration of this parish, we feel compelled from a sense of justice to state that we recall the name of no one of them whose labors have accom- plished so much for the advancement of our holy religion in so short a period as during your brief mission of eleven months, during which time we have learned to love and honor you as our Pastor. Fresh in memory will ever remain the recollections of that parental care and tenderness exhibited by you in providing for and watching the growth of our infant T. A. B. Society, until it numbers in its ranks one hundred and thirty members; also, your earnest labors in establishing a branch society, now composed of nearly one hundred members, together with the "Cadet Society" of all the boys in the parish between the ages of ten and eighteen. Upon this, the eve of our separation, with eyes and hearts filled to weeping, with what force do we recall the touching language contained in your farewell ad- dress, when alluding to the "inadequacy of words to express the sentiments of the heart"; thus it seems to us now at the thought of being so soon deprived of the ministry and guidance of one who in and out of season has so zealously and unremit- tingly labored for the highest good. Well we know you looked for an approval higher than that of men, and yet we would not forget that it is "sweet to be remembered" by friends, and that it often
63
SORROW OF THE PARISH.
happens in this world that too little of love and gratitude are shown in return for kind offices and true devotion to duty in promoting the cause of truth and religion here on earth. Hence we would offer you these expressions of our gratitude, feeble and imperfect as they are, in return for the solicitude so long and often manifested by you for us and those dear to us, for your earnest and untiring ex- ertions in our behalf, and for your anxiety shown that all should know and practise the precepts of our holy Religion. You are now about to reap the reward of our labors in witnessing the grateful sight of your Church filled to overflowing-the evening devotions numerously attended and the children of the congregation trained in virtue and morality to be a blessing to society, their parents, and their Church.
You came among us a stranger, as you truly said, with no recommendation whatever but the dig- nity of your priestly character. But your faithful labors and self-sacrificing devotion continued to in- spire confidence and love among your people until the name and memory of Father D'Arcy are writ- ten indelibly upon our hearts. And now, Rev. Sir, in behalf of this parish, we bid you a reluctant but most affectionate farewell.
THOS. W. BURKE, Chairman, CHAS. MEEHAN, Secretary.
Michael L. Keefe, Cornelius Holly,
William Dwyer, Martin Murphy,
D. A. Roberson, B. W. Dempsey,
Jeremiah Mulhall, Committee.
GENTLEMEN: I thank you very much for this your kind and affectionate address. These parting
64
THE STORY OF A PARISH.
words of yours I will long and reverently cherish. Indeed, if words could give expression to the feel- ings of my heart, you would have to listen to words expressive of deep and sincere regret ; but words, however well selected, and eloquence, how- ever chaste, are at best but cold and lifeless things compared to the ideas they are used to express ; and any words of mine on this occasion would fall far short of the emotions which swell up within my breast.
It would indeed be strange if, looking back on the eleven months passed amongst you, I could not find many ties which bind me to this place ; ties to sever which makes the sorrow of our parting all the more poignant. Eleven months ago I came to you a stranger, with nothing to recommend me to your favor save the dignity of the priestly char- acter which I bore, and I now freely and gladly admit that since my advent amongst you I have found nothing but kind, manly, honest hearts. When appointed your Pastor, it was a time when such an event was on my part unlooked-for and undesired ; my duty, however, was clear, and I ac- cepted the position so kindly tendered; I felt the full force of the compliment it conferred and the deep obligation it created, and if action during these past months always corresponded with inten- tions and feelings, I would not fail, now at their close, to be altogether unworthy of your affectionate esteem. All I then promised I hope I have ful- filled. I then told you, the first time I addressed you, that all I had to offer was an earnest desire for your well-being and happiness, and a great will- ingness to labor to help you to attain them; and your presence here this evening more than compen- sates me for my efforts in your behalf, for I look
65
PRIEST AND PEOPLE.
upon it as a testimony coming from you that the confidence you reposed in me has not been be- trayed. Your allusion to my efforts in the cause of temperance recall many things to my mind which I would like to dwell upon. Some of my happiest hours have been spent in laboring for the cause of temperance; in trying to lift up the fallen, encour- age the weak, elevate the aspirations of the poor, broken-hearted victims of intemperance. Your kind co-operation always sustained me and my labors were spent on a not unfruitful soil. The work re- mains-may its influence long be felt !
Gentlemen, a few days more and we are parted ; you may sometimes recall my name, and, as your address expresses it, you wish that I will not forget you. I promise it. Other scenes 'tis true await me, and other kind friends will, I hope, bid me wel- come; but no length of time, no familiar faces, no loving hearts can break or weaken the solid chain of kindly friendship whose golden links we have been forging for the past few months together.
This your address I thankfully receive as a " souvenir " to be preserved for your sakes. To the efforts I have made in promoting your well-being I ascribe no vain importance; nor do I claim for these efforts any high reward; but it so happens that you have spoken of them in words so kind that I cannot but value highly the parchment which contains them. Long after many of you have passed away-long after even the ink in which these words are penned may have faded, the memory of the words herein written may help to console, animate, and encourage me; and if I should ever have to turn over a dark page in the history of my life may they come to shed the golden radiance of hap- pier days upon it; for, as the poet says :
66
THE STORY OF A PARISH.
" Let Fate do her worst, there are relics of joy, Bright dreams of the past, which she cannot destroy. They come in the night-time of sorrow and care, And bring back the features that joy used to wear. Long, long be my heart with such memories filled ; Like the vase in which roses have once been distilled : You may break, you may shatter the vase, if you will, But the scent of the roses will hang round it still."
May your words be such relics of joy-bright dreams of a happy past ! May their perfumed breathings ever remain ! May they be whispered balm and sunshine spoken ! May these-" Benign, blessed sounds"-never die in my heart, but with rising accents may they ever remind me of my duty to ask for you from above long life, prosper- ity, and happiness.
JAMES A. D'ARCY.
REV. JAMES SHEERAN.
CHAPTER V.
HE insane rage of those who threw off the authority of the Church in the sixteenth and succeeding centuries against everything that the faithful, from the days of the Apostles down to our own time, held most sacred, is and must remain an enigma. In their fury priceless literary treasures were destroyed. Stained windows of exquisite color- ing and design, altars, statues, rood-screens, chant- ries, the testimony of the faith and piety of pre- ceding generations, were beaten into dust or pro- faned by vile and unholy uses. There was a motive for plundering the beautiful shrines, daz- zling with gems and glittering with polished gold and silver. But why attack the Cross? why tear the sign of man's redemption from its rightful place twixt earth and heaven, lifting up the heart from the dross of this world and pointing to the better things of our true home ?
The human mind, like a pendulum, sways alter- nately from one extreme to another. The soul is naturally Christian, and the Church attracts men be- cause they find in her what their hearts crave. Every decade of this century witnesses a closer ap- proach to Catholic dogma and practice. The Cross, a generation ago the distinctive emblem of the Catholic Church, now tops the temples of every sect and denomination.
67
68
THE STORY OF A PARISH.
But this and like changes were not effected with- out misgivings. People stared and wagged their heads. The journals deemed the subject worthy of grave editorial comment. In a certain newspaper of the county issued November 26, 1868, appears the following :
" It looks curious to see a Cross erected on a Methodist Church. A fine large one of stone shows conspicuously from the new Methodist Episcopal Church. Methodism is a live religion and is making rapid progress. Its clergy are among the most emi- nent in the land; and as its members have become wealthy they have built churches which are grand in their external appearance, and elegant and comforta- ble in their interior arrangement. We hope, notwith- standing, that the Methodist Episcopal Church will always have an abundance of seats for the people.
"But the Cross-we hardly know what to say about it. It is there. It looks well. It is in per- fect harmony with the rest of the building; and perhaps will be unobjectionable, if no other em- blems are indulged in."
The Rev. P. McGovern took charge of the parish on the departure of the Rev. James A. D'Arcy, about October, 1865. Messrs. Patrick Rowe and William Dwyer were reappointed trustees. Father McGovern busied himself with the spiritual interests of the flock entrusted to him. His gentle nature, when aroused by the misdoings of his children, plainly evidenced that he knew how to be severe where leniency failed.
69
AN ALARMING SUGGESTION.
He alone seemed to distrust his own ability; and he was content to see the members of the Church increase, so that crowds filled every nook and corner of the little edifice, and the overflow lingered on the steps, the sidewalk, the street. His ringing voice was heard to good purpose on Decoration Day, 1869, when in the old Cemetery, over the dust of the departed heroes of the Civil War, he told his flock of the duties they owed their Coun- try, and of the reciprocal claim they had to enjoy to the fullest the liberties guaranteed by the Con- stitution, and to stand on an equal footing with every creed and shade of belief in the land.
His close reasoning and fervid delivery excited wide-spread comment, and made a deep impression on his auditors.
As to building a new church, he was satisfied that it could not be accomplished. "Why," said one of the parishioners-" why, Father McGovern, do you not build a new church, to cost, say, about twelve thousand dollars ?"
" A new church ! Twelve thousand dollars! Mor- ristown? Nonsense !! " replied the good priest, as he indignantly left the house, accompanied by his dogs.
Yet the new church had to come because it was absolutely needed. The only question was, who should undertake the task ?
The very thought of building, of incurring a debt, appalled the pastor and flock. The pastor re-
70
THE STORY OF A PARISH.
signed in the Autumn of 1871, and withdrew from a charge never entirely congenial. The most per- fect harmony, however, existed between him and his people ; and when he left he was sincerely and deeply regretted.
The Rev. James Sheeran succeeded to the pas- torate, October, 1871. Father Sheeran was a born leader of men, an ideal nineteenth century priest. His life was varied by almost every incident that may happen to layman or priest.
Courtly and well-mannered as the aristocracy of the South he loved so ardently ; gentle as a wo- man; brave as a lion ; firm and unyielding when conscious of his rights, he scored with biting sar- casm the element, present in every parish, which contributes words instead of money, and thwarts by cavilling the efforts of the pastor whom they are unwilling to aid either by example or encourage- ment. He certainly was no respecter of men. No obstacle, however great, could turn him aside from his purpose. Fear was an unknown element in his nature. Of this he gave ample proof during the War, when, attached as Chaplain to the corps of General " Stonewall " Jackson, he was never absent from an engagement, was always in the thick of the fight, and ready to impart advice to this greatest fighting general of the Confederacy.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.