USA > New York > Niagara County > History of the Seminary of Our Lady of Angels : Niagara University, Niagara County, N.Y., 1856-1906 > Part 10
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 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30
" John, by the Grace of God and the Authority of the Holy See, Bishop of Buffalo,
To the Venerable Clergy and Beloved Laity of the Diocese, Health and Benediction !
" God in His great mercy has inspired the Rev. Fathers of the Congregation of the Mission to establish near Niagara Falls, in a locality of surpassing beauty, a Preparatory Seminary in which boys will be received and instructed in the sciences which lead to eminence in this life, and also in the science of the saints, which leads to the highest eminence of glory in a blessed eternity.
" Thus, if God call them to the holy ministry, every step they will have taken will have been in the right direction; but if God call them to secular pursuits in the world, still they will not have lost a moment of time, whilst they will have acquired fixed habits of virtue to protect them in the battle of life.
Digitized by Google
118
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY
" About twenty youths are already in this institution, which bears the name of 'Our Lady of Angels.' But a great and glorious work like this cannot be founded without help from the generous and zealous. The Very Rev. Father Lynch, C. M., who brought to high perfection an establishment of the same kind in another diocese, has taken this in hand. He is favorably known to many by holy missions which he has given with great fruit in this diocese. Now he condescends to beg help for the new house of God and nursery of holy priests which he is establishing. I recommend him earnestly to the charity and zeal of venerable pastors, and of all my beloved people, assured that God will bless them for their help to so holy a work.
"Given in Buffalo, at the Cathedral, on the feast of the Most Holy Trinity, A. D., 1857. JOHN, Bishop of Buffalo."
The second was issued just after the burning of the Seminary and is a testimonial, not only of the Bishop's close adherence to the Vincentians in their days of trial, but also of his unbounded faith that, in spite of the most appalling reverses, our institution was destined by God to have a flourishing existence on the banks of the Niagara as a seat of ecclesiastical learning. The tone of hopeful- ness with which this letter was imbued was a source of renewed vigor to the " Second Founder of Niagara " as he journeyed from place to place in quest of funds with which to raise our prostrate Seminary from its ashes :
"The noble Seminary of 'Our Lady of Angels,' in which one hundred and eighty pious young men were preparing in holy meditation and fitting studies to become worthy priests of the living God, has lately been destroyed by fire, a saintly, heroic student per- ishing in the flames. Never, perhaps, was there greater devotion exhibited than by the students, for they wished to remain with their beloved and honored teachers in any tenement, were it even as poor as that in which the Incarnate Son of God was born.
" Such, or rather a better tenement, we obtained for them, but the worthy Provincial, Rev. S. V. Ryan, C. M., on his arrival at Buffalo, thought it better not to begin in buildings that could scarcely afford due comfort to the loved and cherished students; hence he deter- mined to hurry on the rebuilding of the Seminary, hoping in Sep- tember to resume in their former cherished site.
" Remembering the sainted Du Bois, who resigned himself per- fectly to the will of God as he witnessed the destruction of the noble
Digitized by Google
114
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY
Seminary of Mount Saint Mary's at Emmittsburg, and who, strong in his confidence in God's holy providence, began immediately the work of reconstructing that seminary, which has gloriously succeeded and given to our country some of its best bishops and priests, the Priests of Saint Vincent de Paul are now with energy beginning to rebuild the Seminary, to which our venerated Pontiff, Pius IX., himself gave the sweet name of 'Our Lady of Angels.'
" We most earnestly recommend Rev. Robert E. V. Rice, C. M., who is sent to collect for so holy a work, to the generous charity and holy zeal of God's friends and servants, and to the kind munificence of all who take an interest in the good of society and in the happi- ness of their fellow creatures.
JOHN TIMON, Bishop of Buffalo."
The building to which Bishop Timon refers in this letter is described by Father Anen in the House records which he kept at the time as " the old house of the Oblate Fathers on Prospect Hill." We are indebted to the reverend chronicler for the following detailed piece of information, as we are likewise indebted to Rev. J. V. Brennan and Rev. T. M. O'Donoughue, C. M., for previous information from the same source, the records of our institution, kept by them when members of the faculty. Owing to the data entered by these confreres and by others following them, it was comparatively easy for Father Grace, C. M., now of our faculty, to take up the narrative in 1879 upon his arrival here and continue it to the present.
In his entries under date of December 6, 1864, and those succeed- ing, Father Anen says: "On the morning following the burning of the Seminary, Rt. Rev. Bishop Timon arrived at the scene of the ruins about 10 o'clock. He assembled the students in the barn, and after a short but touching address he recited the De Profundis for the repose of the soul of Mr. Hopkins, who lost his life yesterday in the fire. After the Bishop's departure we endeavored to fix up some dinner, which consisted only of some bread, beef, and molasses. . There were some prospects of obtaining the Niagara House at the Falls, where we might continue our school, but the council held on the 7th in Father Cannon's house concluded that the boys should be sent home. Our boys heard this decision with downcast hearts, for they did not wish to leave us; no sacrifice seemed too difficult for them. But the greater number were sent home that night.
" Next morning news came from the Bishop that we could get a
Digitized by Google
115
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY
house in Buffalo where we might continue our classes; and that the Sisters of Charity would provide for us until the old house of the Oblate Fathers on Prospect Hill could be put into readiness. The proposal was accepted and we set to work at once, Father Rice and Anen going to the Sisters' Hospital in Buffalo with about thirty boys. Time rolled by; the great festival of Christmas came, and on its eve Father Rice took sick with a severe attack of smallpox. A few days later Father Kenrick met with a severe accident. He endeavored to board a train while it was in motion, but he fell and received a serious wound in the foot. His escape from death was miraculous. Thus the Superior and the Procurator, the two most needed men at this time, were confined to their beds.
" In the meantime, Father Stephen Vincent Ryan, our Visitor, arrived from St. Louis, and after examining the building on Pros- pect Hill he pronounced it unfit for the accommodation of students, and consequently the latter were sent home. On the 2d of January, Fathers Landry and Anen left Buffalo for the West, the former with seven or eight boys for Cape Girardeau College, the latter for the Barrens. Father Dyer was in Rochester, and in a month after he also went to the Barrens. Father O'Keeffe took charge of the parish at the Bridge; Fathers Hennessy, McGill, and Kelly went on the missions."
It seems the authorities then in charge of our college affairs at Niagara were so hopeful of continuing their work temporarily at least in Buffalo that a circular was issued announcing the speedy resumption of studies at Prospect Hill. The unsatisfactory condi- tion of the house, as above expressed, necessitated a countermanding circular, and this was sent out over the signature of Very Rev. Stephen Vincent Ryan, V. C. M., as follows :
" SEMINARY OF OUR LADY OF ANGELS, January 2, 1865. " Respected Sir:
" I deem it my duty to inform yourself and the patrons and stu- dents of 'Our Lady of Angels' that, much against our will, we shall be constrained to disappoint expectations and abandon the idea of resuming studies until we rebuild on the former most eligible site, on the banks of the Niagara.
" Called hither by the distressing news of the destruction by fire of our flourishing Seminary, I found that, to meet the earnest wishes of devoted students and many kind friends, busy preparations were making to reopen classes in a hastily improvised college in Buffalo.
Digitized by Google
116
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY
On careful inspection of the tenement and locality I resolved after mature deliberation not to subject those many promising and cher- ished youths, accustomed to the peaceful retirement, innocent free- dom, and grand scenery of Niagara, with its healthful, elastic, and bracing atmosphere, to all the inconveniences, discomforts, and dangers which a hurriedly prepared tenement and its city surround- ings would almost necessarily entail.
" Hence we hasten to countermand the orders sent out and pub- lished to report to 'Prospect Hill,' preferring to wait until 'Our Lady of Angels,' Phoenix-like, risen from its ashes with renewed beauty and enlarged facilities shall welcome back her cherished chil- dren to a spot now consecrated and hallowed by never-to-be-forgotten reminiscences of mutual attachment, devotedness, and sacrifice. The work of reconstruction is already begun, and with the blessing of Heaven and the aid of a generous, sympathizing public, we hope to be able to resume studies at the opening of the next scholastic year, of which, however, timely notice shall be given.
Yours Respectfully, S. V. RYAN, V. C. M."
By the following September, as mentioned elsewhere, the Sem- inary was rebuilt and opened for the reception of students, Bishop Timon performing the ceremonies of the blessing in the presence of Archbishop Lynch of Toronto, Bishop Farrell of Hamilton, and a large concourse of visiting priests. From time to time the venerable Bishop of Buffalo came to Niagara in spite of his numerous engage- ments and declining health, that his presence might give new inspira- tion to his brethren of the Mission in their labors for the advance- ment of ecclesiastical training in his diocese.
Holy Week of 1867 came, and with it the sad conviction that the days of Bishop Timon were drawing to a close. He had accomplished the scriptural three score and ten, and so it was that, senio confectus atque labore, this devoted Father to Niagara sank to rest April 16th, consoled in his last moments by the presence of Archbishop Lynch, Niagara's Founder.
Requiescat in Pace.
Digitized by Google
..
*
W YORK.
SEMINARY, THEOLOGICAL LIBRARY
*
OF'
Digitized by Google
RIGHT REV. S. V. RYAN, C. M., D. D. Second Bishop of Buffalo First Chancellor of Niagara University
Digitized by Google
CHAPTER X RIGHT REV. STEPHEN VINCENT RYAN, C. M., D. D., SECOND BISHOP OF BUFFALO, FIRST CHANCELLOR OF NIAGARA UNIVERSITY
IKE his immediate predecessor, he was a member of the Con- gregation of the Mission whose priests conduct this insti- tution. Like him, he held the highest office within the gift of our Superior General, that of Visitor of the Province in the United States. Indeed, if we study the lives of these two bishops we shall find a wonderful similarity existing between them, especially from the time of entrance into the Vincentian Community, when each went through the experiences of college professor, college president, missionary, Visitor, to be called in turn to rule over the diocese of Buffalo.
As related in the sketch of Bishop Timon, Father Ryan was Niagara's steadfast friend and supporter from the beginning of her career until his elevation to the episcopacy in 1868. During the twenty-eight years of his rule as Bishop of the diocese in which Niagara is situated his interest never flagged in our regard, although his manifold duties prevented him from assuming that active supervision which he had exercised when only a simple priest or Superior of the Vincentians.
It is no wonder, then, that the confirmation of his appointment to the vacant See of Buffalo, after he had returned the bulls to the Propaganda, imploring to be freed from the burden, should have aroused Niagara's inmates to the highest degree of enthusiasm. The " House Records " for November, 1868, contain the following inter- esting notice: " November 8th .- This morning at an early hour the College and Semniary were quite alive on account of their inmates preparing to start for Buffalo to be present at the consecration of Father Ryan, our late Visitor, as Bishop. A special train came up to the quarry, opposite the Seminary, at 7 o'clock, and a great num- ber of Seminarians and students went on it to the city. The cere- monies began at 9:50 A. M., and were over at 2:30 P. M. The bishops and clergy dined in the Brothers' schoolrooms adjoining the Cathedral. A special train landed us in front of the Seminary, where we arrived about 8 P. M., having as our guests Bishops Lynch, C. M., and Farrell.
Digitized by Google
118
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY
" November 9th, Monday .- This day will be long remembered by the inmates of the Seminary of Our Lady of Angels, and furnish an important item in her annals. The Rt. Rev. Bishop of Buffalo, who had watched over us with so much care and solicitude for many a year, did not forget us. Accompanied by his brother bishops and a great number of priests, he paid us the first visit after his conse- cration. The distinguished party arrived at the Seminary about noon by special train. Shortly afterwards they were escorted to the refectory, where a sumptuous dinner, gotten up under charge of Father Landry, awaited them. After dinner Father Hickey read an appropriate address to the new Bishop, who responded in most feel- ing words. Archbishop McCloskey and Bishop Lynch also made some appropriate remarks. After dinner our guests employed a few hours in visiting the different departments of the house, and before leaving for their respective homes expressed their satisfaction and surprise that such a large and well-equipped institution should have been erected within a few years (four) after the destruction of our former Seminary by fire.
" Following is a list of all the bishops and priests who honored us by their presence on this occasion of our reception to our new Bishop: Archbishop McCloskey, New York City; Bishop Loughlin, Brooklyn, N. Y .; Bishop Lynch, Toronto, Ontario; Bishop Farrell, Hamilton, Ontario; Bishop Bailey, Newark, N. J .; Bishop Mc- Farland, Hartford, Conn .; Bishop Wood, Philadelphia, Pa .; Bishop Goesbriand, Burlington, Vt .; Bishop McQuaid, Rochester, N. Y .; Bishop Shanahan, Harrisburg, Pa.
" The priests in attendance from the Buffalo diocese were: Revs. William Gleeson, E. Quigley, O'Meara, P. Cannon, J. McManus, J. Castaldi, W. McNab, M. McDonald, P. Malloy, D. M. Winands, B. Beck, C. SS. R .; M. Steger, H. Mulholland; Fathers Tortill, O. M. I .; McGrath, O. M. I .; Revs. Joseph Donohue, F. Clark, J. Tuohy, Feldman, R. J. Story, J. Sorg, D. Moore, D. English, J. Cahill, P. Moynihan, Very Rev. Father Diomede, President of Allegany College; Fathers Mazaret, Hines, M. O'Connor, J. Carroll, Cunningham, Hopkins, Leddy, Keenan.
" Those from a distance were: Very Rev. F. Rooney, Vicar Gen- eral of Toronto; Revs. P. O'Brien, St. Louis, Mo .; J. Mackin, Bordentown, N. J .; P. P. Stanton, O. S. A., Philadelphia, Pa .; P. O'Farrell, Phoenixville, Pa .; E. S. Briardy, Newburg, N. Y .; W. Welsh, St. Louis, Mo .; Quinn, New York; T. Traynor, New York; H. Lane, Philadelphia, Pa .; P. J. Ryan, St. Louis, Mo .;
Digitized by Google
119
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY
J. Early, Rochester, N. Y .; Francis McInerney, Secretary, New York, Rev. Dr. Barker, Rochester, N. Y .; Revs. Heanan, Hamilton, Ont .; T. Sullivan, Niagara, Ont.
" Priests of the Congregation of the Mission : Very Rev. J. Hay- den, V. C. M., Germantown, Pa .; Rev. Thomas Burke, C. M., St. Louis, Mo .; Rev. James Rolando, C. M., Germantown, Pa .; Rev. J. Burlando, C. M., Emmittsburg, Md .; Rev. Joseph Giustiniani, C. M., Baltimore, Md .; Rev. John Quigley, C. M., Brooklyn, N. Y. " Tuesday, 10th .- ' R-E-C-R-E-A-T-I-O-N!'"
As we finished copying the above simple records of nearly forty years ago a shade of misgiving crossed our minds lest we had not after all done wisely. To recall the past is sometimes pleasant, but when it brings up faces that are gone, reverie succeeds to pleasure, and reverie is a ready nurse to sadness. Of the ten prelates who participated in the consecration of Bishop Ryan, only one, the ven- erable Bishop of Rochester, is living; of the priests of the Mission all those mentioned have passed away; among the list of the other priests there is many a name that will remind our readers how busy has been the Great Reaper since that memorable 8th of November.
When, on the 8th of November, 1893, Bishop Ryan celebrated the Silver Jubilee of his episcopacy, the inmates of Niagara joined with the rest of the diocese in expressing their loyal attachment to the great prelate. The Niagara Index issued a special jubilee num- ber on the date itself, containing in all twelve articles, each of them bearing upon the celebration of the auspicious event. As several of these articles were from the pens of Niagara's faculty of that year, we of the present year desire to reproduce them in this compilation, which we have dedicated to our former professors and to our alumni, many of whom received the grace of ordination through the hands of Bishop Ryan.
A "Jubilee Poem," written in acrostic, so as to read " Bishop Ryan, C. M. D. D." was contributed by Father Grace, together with a sketch of the Right Rev. Jubilarian's career :
JUBILEE POEM.
Blessed the day that heralds unto all Imbued with love for Pastor kind and meek Such tidings as to-day his children seek. His voice still rings, as doth the Shepherd's call, O'er grassy plain, o'er precipice - o'er all -
Persuasive, sweet, and winning, and the weak
Digitized by Google
120
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY
Repose on him. When angry passions speak, Yea, urge the proud to let the proud word fall, A gentler voice, as when sweet zephyrs come, New tidings gives, all redolent of love, Conveying us in spirit to that home, 'Mid virtue's ways, with blessed ones above, Declaring how " the truth shall set you free "; Dear Bishop, send we out our hearts to thee.
" Our task to-day is an onerous one, but also a most pleasant one. Onerous, because our unfledged pen must essay to describe the life and virtues of him who, as the great High Priest of Buffalo, hath seen the days of Peter. Most pleasant, because when a son writes of a loving father, filial affection supplies the place of eloquence, and though that son's voice be weak and his pen be scant of poet's fruitful fervor, the motive inspiring the deed redeems all failures, making success where else defeat were certain. To-day, November 8, 1893, a day ever memorable in Buffalo annals, the mitred heads of the grandest country in the world do honor on his Silver Jubilee to one of the grandest prelates in the hierarchy of America. From the east and from the west, from the north and from the south, the princes of the Church " sit down and rise up " to do honor to our venerable Bishop Ryan, the second Bishop in the See of Buffalo, N. Y.
" Twenty-five years ago to-day he laid aside the responsibilities of a simple priest to assume the more awful ones inseparable from the Episcopal purple. For twenty-five years he has labored as if in our midst, doing the work of an " altar Christus," " altar Pontifex," taking up the burden laid down by his venerated predecessor, Bishop Timon, C. M., and carrying it heroically in spite of all the obstacles that even the most revered worker in the Lord's vineyard is certain to experience in a work such as a Catholic Bishop is bound to accomplish.
"Yet, Bishop Ryan's twenty-five years in the episcopate have been remarkably peaceful and successful. Possessing those qualities of head and heart which always endear a pastor to his flock and make it is a sort of sacrilege to pain him, Bishop Ryan has the rather singu- lar privilege of seeing after his long episcopate, as during it, the diversified races subject to his diocesan rule all united in adherence to the faith, pledged to support what has been so clearly manifested in to-day's celebration, loyalty to the Church of Christ and loyalty to
Digitized by Google
121
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY
the Bishop of our diocese. How well are we reminded of the classic words of Virgil, 'Tros Tyriuesque mihi nullo discrimine agetur,' as illustrating the cosmopolitan disposition of our Bishop. His fatherly solicitude for every species of suffering inseparable from our weak humanity finds fullest expression in those words of Saint Paul in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians: 'Who is weak and I am not weak? Who is scandalized and I am not on fire?'
" It is this peculiarly apostolic trait in our beloved Bishop which wins him the reverence, the affection, the child-like confidence of every subject in his diocese, from the venerable Vicar General to the youngest levite just consecrated to the service of the altar; from the aged layman, who knew his predecessor in earliest days, to the youngest school child, eager to lisp its love for 'Stephen Vincent.' For the information of those who are not acquainted with the early life of our Bishop, we presume to give the following facts:
" Stephen Vincent Ryan was born near Toronto, Rumsey County, Canada, on January 1, 1825. He was baptized on the 6th of the same month by a priest who was visiting and administering at the same time to the spiritual wants of the Catholics resident in that section. The Bishop's family moved to Pottsville, Pa., during his early years, and it was in that city that the future Bishop of Buffalo began his studies. After a time his family moved to Philadelphia, in which city Stephen Vincent was sent to the college of Saint Charles Borromeo. Here he became acquainted with the priests of the Con- gregation of the Mission, then conducting that institution, and after a period of studies he left for the old homestead of the C. M.'s, the Barrens, Perry County, Mo., to pursue his studies as a novice of the Vincentian community.
" He was ordained priest in 1849 in the City of St. Louis, by Archbishop Kenrick, and when he had completed his tenth year in the priesthood he was appointed Visitor of the Congregation of the Mission for North America. This position he held until 1868, when, upon the death of Bishop Timon, he was selected by the Holy See to assume the mitre and discharge the duties so honorable, yet so onerous; so brilliant in the sight of the world, yet so responsible before God -the duties of a Bishop.
" At the time of his consecration he found the newly erected diocese of Rochester relieving him of much of the episcopal burden formerly borne by his predecessor. The widely extended See of Buffalo had become, in the usual course of progress attending Cath- olic advancement in this country, too great a subject of anxiety for
Digitized by Google
122
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY
even Apostolic Timon, and so it was that the second Bishop of Buffalo found upon his accession the work assigned to him confined to the counties of Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Orleans, Chautauqua, Wyoming, Cattaraugus, Steuben, Tioga, Allegany, and Schuyler in the State of New York.
" This list of territory, considering the area embraced and the population of Catholics distributed throughout it, will readily illus- trate the wisdom of the Holy See in the division, and the opportuni- ties given Bishop Ryan for concentrating his apostolic labors, a concentration which has produced the happiest results in the equip- ment of his churches, the disposal of his clerical force, the sustenance and unparalleled progress of his numerous educational institutions, hospitals, asylums, etc. At the time of his consecration Bishop Ryan found, indeed, numerous churches, institutions of learning and charity scattered throughout his diocese; he began his episcopal labors, not so much with a view to institute as to perfect, and to add in due course of time new edifices according to the needs of his diocese.
" Many of the edifices included in the general list given here or elsewhere had been already founded, and were in operation before he had succeeded to the chair of his venerated predecessor. We feel that we would pain his modesty and offend the truth were we to attribute to the second Bishop of Buffalo all the glory that comes from the well organized, successful, and most flourishing diocese of Buffalo. Bishop Ryan is too conversant with both the dictum and the practice of the inspired saying, 'Utinam omnes prophetarent,' for us to attempt any such unwholesome flattery. He is too faithful a son of the humble Saint Vincent de Paul to hear with pleasure or bear, indeed, with Christian patience the fulsome adulations which over-zealous admirers might sometimes presume to offer.
" Yet, how can we close this article on the second Bishop of Buffalo (to whom may God long grant health and vigor!) without at least summarizing here what remains as the open, the official, but by no means the great secret results of his twenty-five years in the episcopate? We may tell elsewhere of churches, schools, asylums, hospitals, either founded or improved during his administration; but no pen can record the number of hearts healed, the families made happy, the congregations more perfectly united, the clergy more completely woven into a unit, with their Bishop as a center.
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.