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 9
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On the approach of cold weather, September 24,
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THE STORY OF A PARISH.
the hall of the public school was procured and used until near the close of the year.
Meanwhile, on September 28, Right Rev. W. M. Wigger granted permission to erect a church at Morris Plains at a probable cost of one thousand two hundred dollars. He afterwards allowed a debt of one thousand five hundred dollars to be incurred.
On October 15 the corner-stone of an edifice thirty feet by forty-five was laid in the presence of several hundred persons by Rev. Joseph M. Flynn, who also delivered an appropriate sermon on the glory and perpetuity of the Catholic Church.
Before the building was half completed the Holy Sacrifice was offered up in it, at 10:30 A.M., on Christmas, 1882, exactly one year from the celebra- tion of the first Mass at Wilsonville.
Owing to slender resources it was nearly another year before it was completed and dedicated to the service of God by Bishop Wigger, December 16, 1883. Even then it took a few more years to pro- vide the necessary and suitable means for the pro- per celebration of the various offices of religion.
On December 13, 1886, through the liberality of Mr. Cornelius Conklin and wife, a large and more eligible site was purchased for one thousand five hundred dollars with the expectation of some day having the church, the school, and the rectory in close proximity. In August, 1888, the church was moved to the new property, which comprises more than two acres at the junction of Mountain Way
ST. VIRGILIUS' CHURCH, MORRIS PLAINS.
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BLESSING OF A BELL.
and Hanover and Speedwell Avenues, in the very heart of Morris Plains. At the same time the Church was enlarged and a belfry and a gallery built. Then the grounds were graded, laid out, planted with trees and enclosed. Many other im provements were also made from time to time, so that after a long and hard struggle the Church of St. Virgilius is comfortable and respectable, if not imposing.
On the evening of December 20, 1889, a new bell, weighing nine hundred and eighty-one pounds, was blessed by Bishop Wigger, assisted by Very Rev. Joseph M. Flynn, Rev. Maurice P. O'Connor, Rev. Joseph H. Hill, Rev. Joseph C. Dunn, and the Rev. Rector. The bell, called after the Apostle of Ireland, bears the following inscription :
" ST. PATRICK, GIFT OF MR. AND MRS. C. S. CONKLIN TO THE CHURCH OF ST. VIRGILIUS, MORRIS PLAINS, N. J. W. M. WIGGER, BISHOP. JAMES JOSEPH BRENNAN, PASTOR: 1889."
After the blessing an appropriate sermon on the history of bells was delivered by Dean Flynn, who also concluded the services by giving the Benedic- tion of the most Blessed Sacrament.
The average receipts of the Church are about two thousand dollars a year, and the value of its property, excluding debts, is over ten thousand dol-
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THE STORY OF A PARISH.
lars; the number of souls about one hundred and fifty. The lay trustees have been Mr. Michael Glennon, Mr. John Coleman, and Mr. Thomas Fa- hey. Among the benefactors may be named Mr. and Mrs. C. S. Conklin, Mrs. Elias S. Higgins, Mrs. John P. McHugh, Mr. Charles H. Raymond, Mr. P. Malone, Mr. Richard McCurdy, Mr. Andrew Mur- phy, Mr. D. M. Merchant, Mr. Charles Marsh, Mr. J. W. Roberts, Mrs. Stephen Whitney, Mrs. William McGuiness, Miss Sarah Daly, and Mrs. Mary Mc- Kee.
To resume the events which merit attention in the Morristown parish, it is but just to direct at- tention to its benefactors.
Kind friends are not wanting to make use of their means for the embellishment of the house of God. The leaders of the Rosary Society bands undertook to place a memorial window to perpetuate the life and labors of their late Pastor, Father Sheeran.
Mr. Patrick Farrelly and his wife requested the privilege of placing windows in the Lady Chapel in memory of their deceased children. From the house of Mayer & Co., Munich, came the exquisite speci- mens of that decorative art which adorns many churches in Europe, but which, up to this time, had found no patrons in the United States. The Father Sheeran memorial window contains the figures of St. James the Apostle and St. Alphonsus Liguori,
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GOTHIC ART.
and the Lady Chapel, St. Elizabeth, St. Catharine, Martyr, and the Angel Guardian.
These were the first works of this celebrated es- tablishment sent across the Atlantic, and the initia- tive of the movement for the imitation and repro- duction of Gothic art, which has advanced so rapidly, and which has added so much to the busi- ness of the Mayers.
Mrs. Farrelly generously donated the Sanctuary lamp, and Miss Ann Hogan the ostensorium, both of which were purchased in Lyons, France.
CHAPTER X.
0 provision had been made in the Cemetery for the reception of bodies when, in cases of emergency, inclement weather, or for other reasons, it was desirable to delay burial. Mr. Thomas Allen very kindly donated the stone from his Waterloo quarry, and the construction of the vault was en- trusted to Mr. John D. Collins. It was not com- pleted when an epidemic of pneumonia, which car- ried off more than a dozen of our parishioners, demonstrated its necessity. The weather at the be- ginning of 1883, which had been unusually fine, set in severely; the frost penetrated more than two feet into the ground, so that to dig a grave holes had to be drilled into the frozen crust as into a rock, thus causing additional labor and delay. Death came so frequently that many were panic- stricken. Every little cold was magnified into an attack of the dread disease, and the priests were in a constant round of sick-calls. In little more than a month its force was spent, and confidence was restored.
At the beginning of the Lenten season Father Flynn felt that the time had come to use his voice and influence against the unlawful sale and exces- sive use of intoxicants, especially as he had to deal with some cases of a peculiarly distressing charac-
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TEMPERANCE WORK.
ter, where the innocent had much to suffer in life and after death from this besetting sin of the age. Before beginning his crusade, the pastor conferred with the Bishop of the diocese, who authorized him to deal with incorrigible drunkards and with those who sold liquor indiscriminately to children and inebriates on the lines marked out by Bishop Bay- ley five-and-twenty years before. In his opening remarks Father Flynn used the most vigorous lan- guage at his command ; his manner was earnest, his denunciation against those implicated severe. Un- fortunately a garbled report of his remarks appear- ed in the local newspapers, which were reproduced by journals in and outside of the State.
The public has its moods. These the press watch and play upon. An incident which at one time would pass unnoticed, at another excites wide- spread comment. It springs up with the suddenness of a storm, and, with the accretions it sweeps up in its flight, assumes a new countenance, so as to be hardly recognizable. Thus, Father Flynn found himself roundly abused for his intolerance by some of the metropolitan journals, and extolled for his zeal by others. Bishop Wigger and some of his friends in the priesthood kindly defended him, ex- plained the true nature of his remarks, and vindi- cated him from the charge of intolerance. The excitement quieted down, but his voice was not raised in vain. The citizens of Morristown were aroused, and efforts were made at the Spring elec-
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THE STORY OF A PARISH.
tion to place in the Common Council a body of men who would deal with the license question judiciously and prudently. The Catholics were asked to name a candidate on the citizens' ticket, which, it was understood, advocated, not prohibi- tion but a high and limited license. A ratification meeting was held in Lyceum Hall, which was large- ly attended by all classes, and especially by the business men and freeholders. On the platform were seated the pastors of the different denomina- tions, and addresses were made by the leaders in the movement, by some of the candidates, by the Rev. J. M. Buckley, D.D., and Father Flynn. The last two speakers insisted that the movement was towards temperance, not prohibition; but the un- wise and intolerant language of the others made it clear that there would be no compromise with the liquor-dealer, and that the policy of the candidates, if elected, was to put a stop to it altogether. The regular political parties had not up to this time nominated a ticket. This was soon changed. An
opposition ticket was made up, and the election carried on with great spirit. With the exception of the candidate selected by the Catholics, Mr. Morris E. Condon, who came out of the contest with a bare majority, the citizens' ticket was de- feated. Mr. Condon distinguished himself in the Council by his consistency, and won for himself the respect of all by his manly stand throughout his term of office.
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CHURCH-DEBT SCHEME.
The question now came up how to manage the necessary incubus of a church debt in a way that, while it would relieve the Church by enabling the Pastor to make, from time to time, as the condi- tion of the treasury would permit, partial payments, the parishioners, who had to meet this obligation, might also be benefited by it. It was shown that in ten years over twelve thousand dollars had been paid out in interest and discounts, and that all this might have passed into the pockets of the congre- gation had they, instead of an insurance company, held the debt. Father Flynn proposed to issue a number of one hundred dollar bonds sufficient to cover the mortgage, and secured by a first mort- gage to Messrs. H. O. Marsh, President, and D. D. Craig, Cashier of the National Iron Bank, as trustees for the bondholders. The interest offered was five per cent., a sum larger than the savings- banks were paying, and the security was equal in all respects to any they could give.
A circular was issued outlining the principal features of the scheme, and distributed among the parishioners. In less than a week over sixteen thousand dollars were taken up, and the debt of the Church placed in the hands of those who were most deeply interested in it, whose liberality would enable the Pastor to pay it off, and who would, moreover, be personally benefited by it. The plan has worked most satisfactorily; and, while it pre- sented obstacles which, elsewhere, might not have
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THE STORY OF A PARISH.
made it feasible, with us, through the kindness of Messrs. Marsh and Craig, it was made highly prac- ticable.
The Rev. J. F. Duffy, Father von Riel, and various Paulist Fathers supplemented the work of the Pastor, pending the appointment of a perma- nent assistant.
On Sunday. May 6, 1884, the Rev. Fathers McInerny and Bohn, Redemptorists, opened a Mis- sion, devoting one week to the women and another to the men. Their ministry was rich in results. One thousand three hundred and six confessions were heard, and over sixteen hundred received holy Communion.
An effort was made to induce one of the first pastors of the Church, the Right Rev. B. J. McQuaid, D.D., Bishop of Rochester, N. Y., to deliver a lecture.
Some of the Old Guard, who had stood by him in the early days of his career, still survived, and, with their children, longed to see and hear once more the one to whom they owed so much. Bish- op McQuaid was forced by the pressure of other business to decline the invitation. His answer con- tains kernels of great historic interest, and for that reason it is reproduced :
" ROCHESTER, N. Y., May 14, 1883.
" Rev. Joseph M. Flynn :
" REV. DEAR SIR: I would with much pleasure
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BISHOP MCQUAID'S REMINISCENCES.
accede to your request to lecture in your Church at the time of the Council, but it is certain that no time will be available for anything but its own work. I have even declined to pay visits to some of my friends in New York City who have asked me to do so during the Council.
" My heart always warmed to Morristown until I read in a newspaper that, at the dinner given on the occasion of the dedication of the new Church, the credit of building the old church was given to another priest who was present ; and neither he nor any one present corrected the false statement. I built the church and paid for it.
" I cared very little when they stole the credit of Seton Hall from me, and what I did for the Sisters of Charity in Newark and at Madison ; but I frankly confess that I felt hurt at the Morristown theft, as that was my baby-work, and therefore my pet. It cost something to build a church in those days. A dollar was a large contribution and was gladly received. In 1848 the people of the Irish famine times were poor, and had to send every dol- lar they could to their starving relatives at home.
" How kind is Providence, who conceals from us the secrets of the future and the ingratitude of man, that our zeal and devotion may not be chilled by a knowledge of what is in store for us in this world !
" Except old Mrs. Rogers, there is scarcely one in Morristown to remember its old pastor.
" Wishing you much success in your good work, I remain, Rev. dear sir,
" Yours sincerely in Christ,
B., BP. OF ROCHESTER.
"P. S .- You can claim that in Morristown you
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THE STORY OF A PARISH.
have the second oldest Catholic school in the State of New Jersey, uninterruptedly kept up. Madison has the first. I established both, in a very humble way, it is true; but they helped to establish the principle that Catholic schools were as necessary as churches."
In midsummer Father Flynn ventured upon an excursion. Nothing of the kind had heretofore been attempted, and while many went to and fro from the pleasure resorts contiguous to New York, very many of the old folks had not seen the great City since they landed a quarter of a century before, and some of their children had never been on a railroad train. Father Sheppard, pastor of St. Mary's, Dover, offered to assist in the enterprise, and suggested the union of both parishes in the ex- cursion. This was agreed to. And, on Tuesday, July 31, 1883, the first excursion of the Catholics of Dover and Morristown left the respective cities. Every precaution against danger was taken. At Hoboken a steamer and a barge awaited the party, which was taken down the New York and Raritan Bays, out to the Ocean, past Coney Island and up the East River, to enable those aboard to see the Brooklyn Bridge and the Navy-Yard. It was curi- ous and amusing to witness the interest of the old and young, some searching out old landmarks, others gazing with eyes full of wonder at the sights re- vealed to them. Except the passing unpleasantness of a little seasickness, experienced opposite Coney
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THE CATHOLIC BENEVOLENT LEGION.
Island, the day was most pleasantly spent, and all reached home in safety, delighted with their first excursion.
The Catholic Benevolent Legion was this year organized in Brooklyn by a number of Catholic gen. tlemen to provide for their co-religionists a means of life insurance which had been inaugurated by those not of our faith, and which, by reason of oaths of secrecy and a ritual, contained an element of danger. It met with the approval of Bishop Loughlin, who consented to act as its Spiritual Di- rector. Mr. Paul V. Flynn was invited to come and explain the nature and scope of the organization to the male members of our parish. The meeting was held in the school, thirty-eight names were en- tered as charter members, and the Council called St. Columbanus. This was the fortieth council or- ganized since the inception of the movement, and one of the earliest in New Jersey.
Its excellent features were manifested when at the death of the youngest charter member, Mr. William Foley, the amount of his policy was paid without delay to his sorrowing family.
Monsignor Capel, an eminent English Catholic prelate, visited the country on a lecture tour, and in the month of October came to Morristown. The lecture was given in the Church of the Assumption, and the prestige and prominence of the right rever-
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THE STORY OF A PARISH.
end lecturer drew large numbers of Protestants to hear him. After the lecture he held a reception in the parlors of Mrs. Revere, when almost all the clergymen and the leading families of the city were presented to him.
New settees, from the establishment of R. Geiss- ler, the gift of Mr. Patrick Farrelly, were now added to the Sanctuary. The legacy of Mrs. Ann Murphy paid for the new pulpit. This gem of the wood-carver's skill is from the atelier of Lamb & Co., New York.
The accommodations in the school were insuffi- cient. There was no hall for entertainments or fairs but the school, and to prepare it for this purpose the partitions had to be taken down and the furni- ture removed. This sadly interfered with discipline, and entailed loss of time and great damage to the furniture. To obviate this inconvenience, and to meet exigencies and give increased room to the lit- tle ones, permission was obtained to erect a pavilion in the rear of the school at a moderate cost. This was finished in the month of October at an outlay of thirteen hundred and fifty dollars. It was pro- vided with a stage, and lighted from the centre with a large Frink reflector. In the school the partitions were extended to the ceiling, and the noise of each class-room was confined to its own limits, to the great satisfaction of teachers and pupils. An ama- teur dramatic organization, through Mr. Paul Revere, presented scenery, which was added to by the ar-
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MIDNIGHT MASS.
tist Mr. Thompson; and the stage, thus equipped, gave scope to the talented to display for their friends their histrionic proficiency.
At the close of the year the Right Rev. Bishop Wigger made his official visitation of the parish.
CHAPTER XI.
N April 20, 1884, the Redemptorist Fathers returned to Morristown for the renewal of the Mission. The spiritual exercises were well at- tended, the success of the previous year was re- peated, and the congregation strengthened by many graces.
The little organ placed in the choir at the time of the dedication of the Church did not meet the requirements ; and, as an opportunity presented itself to secure a suitable instrument at a very low cost, the Pastor sought advice from the Bishop. After mature consideration permission was obtained to purchase it. This organ was originally built by E. & G. G. Hook, of Boston, for a Protestant Church in Providence, R. I.
It has two manuals, and the compass is from CC to F3, 54 notes, and the pedals from CCC to GG, 20 notes. The great organ contains thirteen stops, viz .: open diapason, dulciana, stopped diapa- son, stopped bass, principal, flute, twelfth, fifteenth, tierce, sesquialtera, clarionet, trumpet treble, trum- pet bass; and the swell organ has twenty-five stops, bourdon treble, bourdon bass, open diapason, viol di gamba, stopped diapason, stopped bass, principal treble, principal bass, night horn, nazard, flageolet, and oboe. It is of unusually sweet tone ; its mel- lowness, no doubt, is due to the seasoning of the
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REV. EUGENE A. FARRELL.
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SISTER M. GAUDENTIA.
wood. It was purchased from Hilborne L. Roose- velt, and cost, including its decoration, fifteen hun- dred dollars. A grand concert, including vocal and instrumental music, under the direction of eminent organists, revealed the beauties of the new instru- ment, whose tones filled the Church and thrilled the audience with admiration.
In the month of April, Bishop Wigger appointed an efficient assistant priest, the Rev. Eugene A. Farrell.
Sister M. Gaudentia, who had labored with so much fruit with the children, the Young Ladies' Sodality, and among the poor, was forced by con- tinued ill-health to withdraw to the Villa at Con- vent Station. A cold, contracted during the Forty Hours' Devotion, while engaged in her labor of love around the altar, was neglected, and it developed into consumption. She bore her sufferings with that cheerful resignation which never failed her as novice or Sister, in class or community room. At all times she was radiant with peace, patient under trials, ever ready to deny herself if she could serve others. Her charity, like her zeal, had no limit; and when it was question of the poor, there was no care, however menial or loathsome, she would not gladly undertake. Her heart glowed with sympathy for the poor children; and she was always ready to shield and excuse the idle, mischievous, or truant pupil. The best test of the influence of her beauti-
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THE STORY OF A PARISH.
ful life is the reverence with which her memory is still cherished by all who knew her, and, more than all, by those who were the object of her kindness in school. She passed to her reward, consoled by the Sacraments of Holy Church, June 11, 1884.
Catholics never fail to greet warmly the young priest ; they crowd the Church to hear his first Mass, the Sanctuary to receive his blessing.
It was our good fortune at this time to receive the Rev. John J. Hughes, of the Congregation of St. Paul, the Apostle, best known as Paulist Fathers, who, lately ordained, came to Morristown to visit his relatives. On Sunday he celebrated Holy Mass, and gave his blessing after Mass, and after the Vesper services, to all those who flocked to re- ceive it.
The Catholic Church has ever inculcated in her children a tender devotion to the departed souls. They are the object of her constant solicitude. As there is no moment when upon her altars the Spot- less Victim of Calvary is not raised to stay the wrath of God, and to render to Him a worthy action of praise and thanksgiving ; so, there is no moment when the supplications of priests and people, hal- lowed by the merits of the Precious Blood, do not rise like a sweet incense in the sight of God, to appease His justice and solicit His mercy for " those who have died in the Lord." The beauti- ful custom, which sprang up in the Ages of Faith,
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A NEW VENTURE.
and which prevails in Catholic countries, of tolling the bell at sundown to admonish and summon Christians to pray for their dead, was introduced here November 2.
The vigilance of a priest is not confined to the present wants of his parish. In this country, where the growth of communities is so rapid and villages develop quickly into large cities, he must look to the future and secure the site which may one day be needed for a new congregation. A mere glance at the localities in which our parishioners were grouped, one-half at the eastern, the other at the western limit of the City, a moment's thought of the strides towards material progress and local ex- pansion Morristown was making, would carry con- viction of the wisdom of a little foresight for the welfare of religion. Many of the domestics, many of the aged, found it nigh to impossible to attend church if the weather were inclement. For years the Condit property, a fine mansion with a realty of almost ten acres, situated at the junction of Sussex and Speedwell Avenues, went begging for a pur- chaser, and was a constant temptation to Father Flynn. The sight was eligible. And, although property in that locality was stagnant, it was not because of its unhealthfulness, but of the desire of the holders to induce the wealthy to erect villas, and thus secure good prices for the land. The in- dustrial class did not dare aspire to a residence in
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THE STORY OF A PARISH.
that section ; and the few who had houses there were little more than tolerated. Whenever duty called him to the neighborhood the Pastor looked lovingly on the big board with its "For Sale" glaring at him; and a voice whispered to him, " Buy it for a future church." More than once he drove away the phantom ; but it again returned. Finally, he invited the Bishop to visit it with him. The day fixed for the inspection was gloomy enough with rain and fog to make a Cockney happy; and together in a close carriage the Bishop and Pastor drove around the premises, and considered the pre- sent needs and the future prospects of the faithful in that portion of the City. On returning to the Rec- tory the Bishop said : "When I came here this morning it was with the resolve not to allow you to purchase this property; but after all I have seen I now give you full permission to buy it." Nego- tiations to this end were entered into. The price asked was twenty-five thousand dollars.
A change in the dominant political party, which for twenty-five years had ruled the country, was effected by the presidential elections. The result was looked forward to with some anxiety by busi- ness men ; for, it was possible to enact legislation which would hinder prosperity, and precipitate, per- haps, a panic. His Bishop was in Baltimore in at- tendance upon the Third Plenary Council, and thus the Pastor was deprived of his valuable counsel. He determined to wait. When Bishop Wigger
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CONGREGATIONAL SINGING.
returned and heard of Father Flynn's decision he approved of it, for, during his absence, he shared the Pastor's fears, and was not a little anxious with re- gard to the financial success of the enterprise.
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