Civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y., Part 99

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : Munsell
Number of Pages: 1360

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tunities to forin acquaintances agreeable and beneficial. If to the average youth. the path of duty may seem rugged and uninviting, what greater inducement to perseverance unto the end than the assurance of good company and cheerful converse on the way.

" But, while ever zealous among your own, while ever anx- ious to promote their real spiritual and temporal welfare, your labors have not been circumscribed by any mere paro- chial boundary line. Any appeals made to you were ever promptly answered by the generous hand responsive to the warm heart. One instance out of many: the Star of the Sca-a church, which, as far as mere human adornment can attain, is not unworthy the grand and solemn purposes of its erection.

" But why speak your praises in the presence of those who know you so well ? to this congregation, to whom your worth as a man, your fidelity as a friend, your zeal as a priest, are familiar as honsehold words; to those young clergymen here present, who, walking faithfully in your footsteps in their youth, are now endeavoring to emulate your many virtues; to the reverend clergy, your co-laborers, who, knowing now, even in this period of comparative quietnde, the trials and difficulties, the obstacles and discouragements which the con- scientious pastor has to encounter and overcome, can alone truly estimate what trials and difficulties you overcame, with what obstacles and discouragements you were surrounded; to our venerable and venerated Bishop, who so soon himself will have completed the twenty-fifth year of his cpiscopate. His presence, surrounded by his clergy, at the mass of the jubilee this morning, showed that he is fully satisfied with you as a priest and pastor; his presence here to-night, joining with the laity in their congratulations, proves the high per- sonal esteem and regard he entertains for yon.

"Nor is this knowledge of your great worth-your many virtues-confined to those associated with you in the sacred ministry, nor to the members of your congregation. Your good name and fair fame have spread far and wide, and to- night a whole city-its highest officials, its social leaders, its men of letters-come here, and deem it no derogation to of- ficial position, to literary rank, to social standing, to join with the humblest Catholic in grateful testimony to one who has been, in his holy calling, the good and faithful servant of his Master.

"Surely, no words can frame a more growing enlogy, a nobler panegyric, than this assemblage.

" On the tomb of Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of St. Paul's, is this inscription: Si queris monumentum circumspic. So, in a similar spirit and with equal truth, may it be said of you, reverend sir, that no greater nor grander tribute can be paid to these last twenty-five years of your life, than to see you here to-night surrounded by so many grateful hearts, warm friends and sincere well wishers."

At the close of this address, a handsome purse, con- taining $2,500, was, amid the applanse of the congrega- tion, presented to Father Keegan.

This interesting ceremony over, the Te Demn was rendered with fine effect. At its close the Rev. Father Keegan thus addressed the congregation:

" My dear Friends : There have been so many and such pleasant things said of me to-day, and during this evening. that I am at a loss how to respond to them. Inever thought for a moment that I could be painted in such brilliant colors as the wording of your address has just presented me. You might, in framing it, have had some more worthy subject before your imagination, for I assure you I cannot discover in it a vestige of the original. It is not necessary that I

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should now go through the formality of expressing my thanks to you upon this memorable occasion, and human language could not, at this moment, convey to you the gratitude that swells within my bosom. This is the most important, as it will be the most cherished, event of my whole life. I can only hope and wish that my character were half what your address has so elegantly expressed, and that my life liad been such as to merit the munificent offering which you have just presented me. It is true that we have spent together many happy years, the best and most precious period of our exist- euce.

"Twenty-five years of unbroken friendship and undimin- ished confidence, between priest and people, is something of which any man might well be proud. We have worked to- gether, we have consulted together, and we have knelt and prayed at the same altar. And I, at least, am not anxious to sever, at this moment, the golden link that has bound us so long in such harmony and love. We all have had our faults; we have made many false steps. But we have endeavored, to the best of our abilities, to perform the work and the duties assigned to us. We may have been thought rash in many of our enterprises, in trying to educate and cultivate the minds of the youth of this parish. But let me tell our outside friends, who, this evening, have honored us with their pres- ence, that we have never entered upon any good work when failure was possible.

" During this quarter of a century, I say it with pleasure, I never appealed in vain to this congregation. We are, in deed, very few in number, and our means are limited. But a united congregation-a people with one heart and one mind -is able to surmount every difficulty ; and we always received every kindness from our many friends outside of the Parish of the Assumption. We have had the sanction and confi- dence of one to whom we shall ever look with the most pro- found veneration and respect, one who, under God, has been the mainstay of all our ambition; who never yet cast a frown or uttered a harsh word toward us, no matter what faults we might have committed. Our beloved Bishop has buoyed us up, and always cheered us by his kind and fatherly advice. We have had the sympathy and good wishes of our brethren of the priesthood; for, I must say it in all honor to that dis- tinguislied body of gentlemen, that no angry, or unkind, or bitter expression has ever escaped the lips of either young or old towards me.

"But, my dear friends, it would be too tedious for me to dwell at length upon the various topics alluded to in your kind address. I can only hope that the bond of friendship may be yet more firmly cemented as we advance in years. And, if God spares us, we shall start again with renewed en- ergy, and renewed zeal, in the cause which we all have so much at heart.

"I will now merely thank you, one and all, in the name of the Assumption congregation. I thank you, brethren of the priesthood, in the name of our venerated and beloved Bishop; and the laity at large, I thank in the name of its chief civic officer, the people's choice of ruler, His Honor, Mayor Howell."

The exereises were brought to a close with the bene- dietion by Bishop Loughlin. As the congregation slowly dispersed, the choir rendered the "Hallelujah Chorus," and the orchestra performed a grand mareh.

The jubilee at the church was supplemented by a splendid banquet at the pastoral residence, to which over one hundred persons had been invited. The long

tables were loaded down with substantials, and the hospitality was generous in the extrenie. Bishop Loughlin presided, and was supported on his right by Mayor Howell, and on his left by Mr. Thomas Kinsella. The speeches were by Bishop Loughlin, Mr. Thomas Kinsella, Mayor Howell, Henry C. De Witt, Esq., Rev. Fathers Keegan and Fransioli, Mr. Geo. M. Nichols, Felix Campbell, Arthur Crooks, Vice-President of the St. Patrick Society, and David T. Lynch.

Mr. Andrew MeLean offered the following "Tribute in Verse," which was loudly applauded. Songs were sung by Messrs. Fitzharris and Thomas, and after an evening memorable for its wit, eloquence and kindly associations, the company dispersed.

When basking in the calm pure light Of gentle hearts and kindly deeds- Of souls that ever tend aright Through all the shifting shades of creeds,

We fecl the joy the soldier feels When, resting at the battle's close, The uprolled cloud of sinoke reveals Strange allies where he counted foes.

'Tis well for us a generous power Makes difference fade and manhood rise;

That not the most impatient hour Will pass unless some discord dies;

That distance renders harshness sweet, And time makes dull the edge of strife;

That every wrong grows obsolete, And charity is Lord of life.

To-night I count my difference naught On any subtle schoolman's theme;

I banish wholly from my thought The questions jarring minds esteem,

And stand 'mid friends who love you, sire, To blend with theirs my friendly mood;

To own with then how deeds inspire That blossom into stainless good.

A thousand little children fair, Who cannot plead with Heaven in vain; To-night send with their evening prayer For thee a pure beseeching strain ; A thousand matrons, trouble-tried, But cheered by hopes that baffic woe,

Kneel by the crib and cradle-side To speed the prayers that trembling go.

Youths round us here with ardent look Bent on the Future's mystic face, Attest thy kindly past'ral crook And patient, tireless teaching grace ;

I know, too, strong men at their toil, From strangling passion Ilfted free, Who, standing fast on honest soil, Do in their manhood honor thec,

But as the beacon on the hill That lights some shepherd to his spouse, . May guide a hundred feet from ill Unthought of in the shepherd's house, The annals cannot tell, dear friend, How many lives thy goodness praise ;

'Tis only known the beams you send Have lighted countless darkened ways.

Nor can it matter much to one Who lives for good because he must, If, like the radiant-hearted Sun Who shines on all the stellar dust,

He hear not of the flowers that long A thankful incense to return ;

Nor of the birds that in their song To chant his gifts with music burn.

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Yel, well It Is that after years Of labor In a noble cause, Some noble, generous fruit appears- Somne echo comes of right applause,

To prove that he who sows the seed For other hands to reap and blud, Hath greater glory In the deed Than any selfish soul shall find.

I faln would add with furtive hand Some trifling token to the mass, Built high by those who understand, The father thoughts that through you pass, Some token that shall only say, As chance eyes choose to turn It o'er, He swept some mists of hate away And made men trust each other more.

Rev. Henry A. Gallagher, Rev. Charles J. Gallagher and Rey. David A. Hickey, the three clergymen who, in their youth, were altar boys in the Church of the Assumption, surprised Father Keegan with new furni- ture for his bedroom. The Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph and of the Visitation, and the Little Sisters of the Poor, each made elegant presents. Dr. John S. Thorne sent a picture of high value and richly framed. The floral offerings were many and handsome.

St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, Second street, near South 2d, E. D .- The first mass celebrated in Williamsburgh

(about 1838) was in a stable on Grand street, west of Third, by Rev. Dougherty, of St. Mary's Church in New York.

The first church erected in Williamsburgh was St. Mary's, corner North Eighth and First, org. 1841, and under charge of Rev. Mr. O'Donnell. In 1844, Rev. Sylvester Malone took charge of St. Mary's, and soon set about building a new church. The corner-stone of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul was laid May 11th; 1847, and the church was dedi- cated in May, 1848. Rev. Sylvester Malone has been its Pastor; with the exception of part of 1881 and 1882, when he was abroad, and his place was supplied by Rev. Mr. Gallagher.

Clergy: Rev. Jno. N. Campbell, 1870-'78; Rev. John Fagan, 1870-74; Rev. Henry Gallagher, 1875-'83; Rev. Michael Killahy, 1879; Rev. Hugh Ward, 1881-'84.

While Father Malone has held in strict regard the disci- pline and order of the Roman Catholic Church, in respect to the order and relation of its priesthood, he has ever recognized the dnties growing out of the progressive civilization of the age. And while enforcing religion on the consciences of his people by the logic of its power, he has been careful that the claims of religion and of his church should not enroach on the civil rights of the citizen, either to restrict or control his dnty to the State.

The community of Williamsburgh owe a debt of gratitude to Father Malone for suppressing the turbulent spirit of his people during the draft riots in New York.

REV. SYLVESTER MALONE. Pastor of Sts. Peter und Paul's R. C. Church.

FATHER MALONE, as he is called (not alone by his parish- ioners, after the manner of Catholics, but also by the whole body of non-Catholics in the city, in which for forty years he has labored with grand purpose as tiue man and true priest), was born in the inland town of Trim, about twenty miles from the city of Dublin, Connty Meath, Ireland, May 8th, A. D. 1821.

All the conditions environing his early life, from his birth onward, naturally led to the adoption by him of an intellec- tual pursuit, and to formning and developing him into the broad, strong, carnest, hard-working, intellectual and Chr's- tian man he is known to be.

His whole family had a bent for the higher callings and duties of life. His father was a country merchant in Trim, but also discharged the functions of a civil engineer and sur- veyor. llis mother was possessed of fine excentive ability and strong intellect -both possessed in large degree by Father Malone. She died only recently, at the age of ninety- four years, with unimpaired faculties. It is said of her that she was the wise counsellor of the country people through- out a wide circuit. One of his brothers now follows. in the old town, his father's profession as an engineer; and another has been a leading physician in Brooklyn for many years.

At an early age, the subject of this sketch was entered as a student of mathematics and classices in the Academy of Prof. Matthew Carroll, a non-Catholic, and a Fellow of Trinity College. This gentleman was one of the most accomplished and erudite instructorsof youth of that day. If results may be taken as determining fitness, the successful careers of his

then pupils serve to clearly prove that he was admirably qualified in his vocation.

These pupils were divided as to religious opinions and creeds. Many of the Catholics entered professional life; some became missionaries in the colonies of Great Britain; one is still Bursar in the College of Maynooth. Of the non- Catholics, several achieved distinction in the civil service of Great Britain, in India; and one, Dr. James Hanbury, was recently Chief of the Medical Staff with the English army in Egypt.

Of his term at this Academy, and of his observations and experiences at this period of his life, Father Malone has im- pressively written in a letter to a friend :

" My early life was toned by association with non-Catho- lics. The kindliest feeling was cultivated among people who followed different religious beliefs. The Catholic priest and the Protestant minister walked arm-in-arın through the pub- lic streets of the town. No doubt such an example was a powerful agency for harmony and peace. Its influence, on both sides, was calculated to destroy prejudice and inspire confidenco among citizens of the same nationality. To this I lovingly turn as the school that has fitted mne for the proper appreciation of what citizens owe each other in America, where religion is left as an individual interest which no one has the right to interfere with."

All the good of those days that touched him found in him a heartily sympathetic and responsive subject for its inth- enee. The impressions then made upon him were deep and abiding. Nurtured by such parents, aided by his happy asso- ciations, he formed habits and purposes, and made for him- self an ideal, neither of which has ever been abandoned. On the contrary, each has been strengthened and confirmed

Sylvester Malone

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'ith his growth. His preliminary preparation and experi- nce had made him ready to accept the opportunity soon to e offered to him for entering the priesthood.

In 1838, Rev. Andrew Byrne, Pastor of St. James' Catholic hurch in the city of New York, was in Ireland, seeking oung men desirous of entering the Catholic priesthood, for e American Mission. This priest, a few years later, was evated to the new Bishopric of Little Rock, Arkansas; nd died during the war, regretting the sad state of the ountry he loved so much. With him, young Malone, then 1 his seventeenth year, sailed for the United States, land- ig in Philadelphia. The first acquaintance he made there as with a friend of his companion, Bishop Kenrick, who, iter on, was transferred to Baltimore, created Archbishop f that See, and thereby Primate of America. From Phil- delphia, Sylvester soon came to New York. He was at ace presented to Archbishop Hughes, and, by his advice, ntered the temporary seminary at Le Fargeville, Jeffer- on county, N. Y. After one year's study there, he entered t. John's Seminary, Fordham, where he completed his purse of studies and, on August 15th, 1844, was ordained priest of the diocese of New York by its present Arch- ishop, His Eminence Cardinal McCloskey, who was then badjutor to Bishop Hughes. This was the first ordina- on of a priest by him, and Father Malone claims the honor f having been the first priest so ordained. Immediately fter his ordination, Father Malone was sent on the mission 1 Williamsburgh, where he has ever since remained.

Into the then scattered village of Williamsburgh, having a opulation of only ten thousand, of whom not incre than ve hundred were Catholics, if, in fact, there were so many, 'ather Malone came on a Saturday night in September fol- ›wing.

There and then was begun in reality the sacred work to which his life had been devoted, and immersed in which it "as to be filled out. And who shall say that he was not well quipped for it ? He was robust in constitution and health, nbued with piety, zealous in purpose-that purpose being f the loftiest-untiringly industrious, admirable in energy, ·holly self-reliant, resolute, well-educated, studious and in- ellectually well balanced.

Quickly perceptive, judicially calm and searching in all Is mental processes, he at once apprehended the nature and ange of the duties devolving upon him, and correctly esti- lated the difficulties to be overcome. How onerous the ormer, how grave the latter, can be discerned at this time nly by those of his flock who can recollect the events of that eriod, and who remember the humble little parish church f St. Mary's and its young Pastor.

His first sermon was almost prophetic of what was to be he mnost controlling influence in his life. Of that sermon, 'ather Malone in his farewell address to his people, on lay 29, A. D. 1881, prior to his departure for Europe, said:

" The first sermon I preached, as I remember, was on char- ty, its principles and teachings; and I have tried to make his virtue the star guiding me in my course of life, as I was alled to minister to not only the physical wants of depend - nt members in society; but still more to be charitable in vord and thought, to those who were not seen to worship at he same altar with me."

How completely the prophecy has been fulfilled. St. Iary's parish comprised all the territory bounded by Hallet's Cove on the north, Middle Village on the east, Myrtle ave. on the south, and the East River on the west. From these emote points Catholics found their way to the services of he church in the little wooden building surrounded by the graves of their kindred, at North 8th and 2d st., almost be northerly line of Old Williamsburgh. The old church

building has been razed, but the church-yard, with its memorial stones testifying to that past and dead genera- tion, is still a landmark.

To these points, too, toiled Father Malone in lis ministra- tions to the sick and dying; for in those days, he had no assistant in the care of the parish.

Those were busy days for him. When he took charge of St. Mary's, it was burdened by a debt of $2,300. Father Malone immediately set himself to the payment of it, and in two years he rejoiced with his people in having paid off the entire sum.

Meantime, there had been a gradual and steady increase in the number of worshipers at St. Mary's, but not till his people had been freed from the oppression of the debt, would he permit his mind to dwell on the project of build- ing a new church edifice, and in the Thirteenth Ward. Nor did he, until the way before him seemed to be reasonably favorable for its successful execution.

Ways and means were subjects of serious consideration for him. In the address already referred to he spoke thus:

"It was then only we conceived the idea of a new church; but to accomplish this in a Ward, where as yet none of the Catholic people seemed to have found homes, was thought by many a rash undertaking. It was my judgment that the location was well selected and convenient for the Catholics of the 14th, as well as those of the 13th Ward, which were the only settled sections of Williamsburgh."

He did not advert to the fact that the land for the new church was not obtained without difficulty. Anti-Catholic prejudice was feverish and aggressive in its assertion, and the proposal to erect a Catholic Church in the 13th Ward, was unfavorably considered by the holders of that prejudice. But land was purchased; the title to it secured by a friend of the church and Pastor, and on a day, bright in the memories of Father Malone, and those of his old flock who survive (May 11th, A. D. 1847), the corner-stone of the present Saints Peter and Paul's Church, was laid by Arch- bishop Hughes. The superstructure was speedily forwarded to completion, and one year later was dedicated by the same prelate.

In the address, already quoted, Father Malone said further:

"I may here state that we never collected a cent to help us in our then great undertaking, save only from the people who were immediately benefited by the erection of the church."

It was the first church built in the diocese of New York, in the Gothic order of architecture. The architect was Mr. J. J. Kelly.

For five years, from 1844 to 1849, Father Malone had la- bored unceasingly. A period of rest came to his labor that almost proved final. In the latter year, in the discharge of his duty, he attended a woman, from whom he contracted a virulent disease, that carried him far within the shadow of death. There is almost cynical irony in what followed. The woman was soon after murdered by her husband, and for it he was executed. Scarcely convalescent, Father Malone was prostrated by cholera; the scourge of ship fever at- tacked his weakened system; and finally he was burned out of house and home, losing in the fire his library, manu- scripts, and the whole of his worldly possessions.

He had been ten years ordained; had removed the debt of the old church, erected the new one, the parochial school, and the handsome pastoral residence; had inaugurated the Academy of the Sisters of St. Joseph; established a church library; organized a literary association of the young men of his parish, many of whom have become prominent and successful in professional and business life, and had gathered around him a large and loving congregation, when, in 1854, he visited Europe; chiefly to witness the grand assem-

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bly of the Bishops of the whole world, then convened at Rome, by the late Pope Pius IX., to proclaim the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, and to be present at the making of the proclamation.

During his absence in Europe, political and religious prejudices became much embittered in Williamsburgh, as elsewhere, and induced acts of physical violence. In No- vember of that year, a mob attacked the church and en- deavored to destroy it by fire, or to wreck it. It was saved by the prompt and resolute action of the civic and military authorities, who guarded it for several days, and until the danger to it had passed, almost as much from personal re- gard for Father Malone, who had already made his impress as a good citizen, as from convictions of duty.

Returning in 1855, Father Malone bent himself anew to his work, but the next few following years were un- marked by any event of special significance in his pas- torate.

It was not until the dreadful coming of the Rebellion that his power and energy were fully put forth and wrought with. During the dark days and years of its continuance, no man did more in his place, and of his ability, to contrib- ute to the maintenance of the Union and the success of its arms. By voice and pen in his daily mingling with the people; from the pulpit; from the platform; everywhere that opportu- nity afforded, he declared for the cause of the nation, cheered and encouraged the loyal, reproved and discouraged the dis- loyal. He aided largely in the success of the Sanitary Fair for the soldiers in field and hospital, and donated one-quarter of his sinall salary to the fund for soldiers' wives and children. When rumor came, on that memorable April Saturday after- noon, that rebels were about to fire on Sumter, the flag that symbolized the unity of the nation was, by his direction, thrown to the breeze from the spire of Sts. Peter and Paul's Church, and astonished the eyes of early church-goers next morning. It was the first flag displayed on a church in the United States at the beginning of the long struggle, and was afterwards carried to the front by Williamsburgh men.

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Civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y., Part 99

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909. Publication date: 1884 Publisher: New York : Munsell Number of Pages: 1360

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : Munsell
Number of Pages: 1360