USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Catholicity in northern Ohio and in the diocese of Cleveland from 1749 to December 31, 1900, Volume I, pt1 > Part 21
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The Cleveland Herald, of November 8, 1852, gives the follow- ing account of the consecration of the Cathedral :
The consecration services were witnessed Sunday forenoon [November 7th], by a very large audience. Owing to the rough weather on the lake, the Bishops of Boston, Buffalo and Detroit were not present. The Cathedral was consecrated by the Most Rev. Archbishop Purcell of Cincinnati. *
* The Rt. Rev. M. J. Spaulding. Bishop of Louisville, delivered a brief and appropriate discourse, and fligh Mass was celebrated by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Rappe, of Cleveland : in the afternoon Vespers, and a sermon in German, by the Rev. Mr. Luhr, of Canton.
"In the evening Archbishop Purcell delivered an able and eloquent discourse on the progress of the Catholic Church, par- ticularly in the United States and in the west. He referred to the time when the Babe of Bethlehem had not even a stable wherein to lay His head in a village now grown to be the beautiful Forest City : to the first meetings of a feeble band of Catholics in Shakes- peare Hall. He made mention of the donation, by liberal citizens. of the site for St. Mary's Church, and of the progress of that church to the splendid sanctuary this day consecrated. The eloquent prelate paid a warm tribute to the self-sacrificing labors of Bishop Rappe; to his devotion in leaving his pleasant home in sunny France on a mission of mercy among the sons of toil on the
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then sickly Maumee : spoke of his sharing the humblest cabin with the poorest of his flock, and of the high reward which has attended his faithful ministration."
The Cathedral is a plain. substantial brick edifice, facing on Erie street. It is 170 feet long by 75 feet wide, and has a seating capacity for about 1.500 persons. The interior is of Gothic finish, and few churches in this country equal it in its interior beauty. Its acoustic properties are excellent. The grand organ, after almost a half century of service, has a fullness and depth of tone surpassed by few, if any. in Cleveland.
In 1853 the Cathedral's first pastor. the Very Rev. Louis De Goesbriand. V. G., was consecrated Bishop of Burlington. After that time Bishop Rappe himself assumed the immediate pastorship of the Cathedral, and retained it until his resignation, as Bishop of Cleveland, in 1870. The Very Rev. Edward Hannin was then appointed Administrator of the diocese, and took charge of the pastoral affairs till the advent of Bishop Gilmour. Father Hannin established St. Columbkille's parish in 1871, by detaching that part of the Cathedral parish east of Perry street. Bishop Gilmour. however, for reasons that were given him, thought it best to dis- continue St. Columbkille's as a parish, and made the church a chapel of ease to the Cathedral, which it continued to be until 1200.
Owing to the heavy burden of administering a vast diocese. Bishop Gilmour did not wish to assume the immediate pastorship of the Cathedral. as Bishop Rappe had done. He therefore deter- mined to give it a pastor whose position would be similar to that of other pastors in the diocese. In October. 1572, the Very Rev. Felix M. Boff was appointed pastor, and in May, 1573, he was also made the Bishop's Vicar General. Father Boff was most faithful in the discharge of his pastoral duties, as he was also successful in forwarding the temporal interests of the parish, in spite of the financial depression which followed the panic of 1873. The principal event of his pastorate was the building of the Bishop's residence, adjoining the Cathedral, on the east, facing Superior street. It serves the double purpose of pastoral residence and diocesan headquarters, and is a handsome, imposing structure of brick. three stories high. Father Boff's pastorate lasted four year. Owing to ill health he resigned in the summer of 1-76, and Jater, in 1-79, accepted the chaplaincy of Villa Angela, at Notting-
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ham, where he has since resided. In appreciation of his faithin! services to religion. the Holy Father, Hope Leo Xlll, raised him im Iss5, to the dignity of Domestic I'relate, with the title of Kt. Key. Monsignor.
The Rev. Thomas P. Thorpe was appointed Father Bof's successor in the pastorate of the Cathedral, in June, 1876. The improvements and the great works completed under his in- poration and direction during his administration of seventeen years are a lasting monument to his energy and success. Shortly after he took charge of the parish he began to inaugurate many improvements. In the autumn of Iste the renovation of the chapel and the Cathedral Hall (for many years known as "Father Mathew Temperance Hall"), was accomplished. Many congregations had gone out from the Cathedral, some of which had built costly churches and spacious schools, and yet the old mother-church remained unfinished. Dingy, and dimmed by the wear and weather of over twenty-five years, it was thought highly decorous that the old church should be brought at least on a par with the less pretentious of her children. In the autumn of 1878 the work of renovation was begun. The front was entirely remodeled, and richly ornamented with heavy, carved, sandstone trimmings. In 1879 the spire was completed. Its graceful out- lines attract the eye of the observer. Surmounted by a burnished cross, it shoots up two hundred and forty feet from the pavement. The Cathedral grounds were also enclosed with a neat iron fence.
In 1664 the interior of the church was thoroughly reno- vated and most artistically frescoed in oil. The main altar was regilded and a massive episcopal throne erected with sanctuary seats opposite. Two side chapels were constructed and orna- mented with exceedingly good taste. The side altars, the episcopal throne, sanctuary seats. altar railing, station frames, etc., are all in black walnut. The two porphyry vases, nearly ten feet high, which grace the high altar, were imported from Italy and presented to the Cathedral by Bishop Gilmour.
The first parochial school in the Cathedral parish was held in the Chapel of the Nativity, as already mentioned. St. John's school for boys was erected in 1857 : and in 1867 the old Cathedral Hall. the chapel and the school for girls were completed. Before the erection of these buildings, the boys of the parish were taught In
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lay teachers, principally seminarists, in a building in the rear of the episcopal residence on Bond street; and the girls by the Ursuline Sisters in a range of one-story buildings skirting Euclid avenue, in front of the old Ursuline Convent.
In 1888 the new school building was begun. The old school and the Temperance Hall were torn down. Many dear and cherished memories were connected with these buildings. Our young men, now fighting the battle of life nobly and well, look back to the days of Brother Thomas and Brother Michael, and speak with enthusiasm of these- able educators and of the old Cathedral school. The new building is a magnificent structure. There are accommodations for about a thousand pupils. In the middle of the ground floor is the chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, and beautifully frescoed and furnished. A large hall for assembly purposes, concerts, etc., occupies the most of the upper story. There are also rooms for societies and sodalities. The cost of the building was about $55,000. By the energy of the pastor and his able assistants, and through the generosity of the congre- gation, this large sum was paid within the space of three years.
At the request of Bishop Gilmour a distinguished honor was conferred on Father Thorpe, in March, 1891. The Holy Father granted him the title of Monsignor, with the rank of Cameriere, a dignity which, on petition of Bishop Horstmann, was raised in 1895 to that of Domestic Prelate to His Holiness.
On November 13, 1893, Monsignor Thorpe resigned the pastorate of the Cathedral, and at his own request was transferred to the In maculate Conception parish, Cleveland, whence he had come, seventeen years before, to begin a most successful career as pastor of St. John's. The Rev. George J. Vahey, who had been a curate at the Cathedral since 1888, was appointed acting pastor, on Monsignor Thorpe's departure, and in December, 1895, was given full pastoral charge of St. John's. This he held until November, 1900, when he was transferred to St. Columbkille's, Cleveland, now made a regular parish. Father Vahey's adminis- tration of the Cathedral parish was eminently successful.
The Rev. Patrick Farrell, D. D., was appointed acting pastor immediately after the transfer of Father Vahey, and holds that position at present. With the experience he gained as curate, since December, 1891, and the excellent work he did during that time,
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the spiritual and temporal interests of the parish, it need hardly be said, will receive the same careful, conscientious attention, as was given them by his predecessors.
Financially, the Cathedral parish is in excellent condition- without a dollar of debt, thanks to the energy of the clergy and the unvarying generosity of the people. They can now truthfully say that, after long years of struggle and generous giving, no one but God has a claim on the magnificent property dedicated to His glory and their use.
The parish schools, ever first in the hearts of the clergy, and in the self-sacrificing devotion of the people, are second to none in Cleveland. At an annual expense of about $5,000, nearly seven hundred children are here given a thoroughly Christian and secular education. Ten efficient teachers are employed-five Brothers of Mary and five Ursuline Sisters. Not only is the elementary training excellent, but a higher course of studies, including typewriting and stenography, has also been added.
The spiritual condition of the parish has always kept pace with its temporal condition. Societies for both sexes, and covering all needs, are organized and flourishing. The public services are edifyingly attended and the Sacraments frequented, and evidences of a living faith are seen on all sides. May the future history of the Cathedral parish be as bright, as honorable, as its past.
In this sketch has been recorded the successful administration of St. John's Cathedral parish, under the various pastors. But, this success could not have been achieved by them, unaided. Each had faithful co-laborers, who shared with them the trials, diffi- culties, and strain of pastoral work. Hence, their names also deserve to be here recorded. However, in so doing, it would be impossible to give in each instance, the exact length of time of service, without error as to dates. The list, beginning with 1852, will therefore simply give their names, in the order of time each of the priests was appointed curate. Following is the list of their names, as far as they could be gathered from the parish and diocesan records :
The Reverends James Conlan, Alexis Caroni, Z. Druon, J. B. Marechal, B. Carraher, Thomas Walsh, Edward Hannin, John B. O'Connor, Eugene M. O'Callaghan, Thomas P. Thorpe, John P. Carroll, Timothy M. Mahony, Thomas Carroll, Joseph F.
ANNUNCIATION CHURCH, CLEVELAND.
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Gallagher, James O'Reilly, Francis Berthelet, Edward Mears, Thomas J. Conlan, Michael Ivers, Cornelius J. O'Callaghan, William McMahon, Thomas F. Mahar, D. D., Charles V. Chev- raux, James Treacy, John O'Connor, George J. Vahey, Denis J. Stafford, James J. Quinn, William J. Smith, John Walsh, Thomas F. Mahon, James H. Halligan, Patrick Farrell, D. D., George F. Murphy, D. D., James F. Donohue, Patrick C. N. Dwyer, Hugh Rafferty, Thomas Keelan, Raymond Mylott, Jeremiah P. O'Con- nor, John J. Boyle, John Berthelot, John J. Dacy, J. C. Herr, Charles A. Martin, and the present curates, the Reverends Thomas C. O'Reilly, D. D., and Patrick J. O'Connell.
ANNUNCIATION CHURCH, CLEVELAND.
The Catholic French of Cleveland, unlike the Catholics of other nationalities in this city, were never of sufficient strength, nor so closely grouped, as to be able to form themselves into a congregation exclusively of their own tongue, but living scattered throughout the city they attended the church nearest to them. Thus they were deprived of the advantages of sermons and instruc- tions in their own language. Bishop Rappe, full of zeal for the spiritual welfare of all his flock, resolved to organize a French congregation and thus bring the scattered elements together as best he could. To this end he directed the purchase of a lot at the corner of Hurd and Moore streets, on August 7, 1868. It was paid for, about 1870, through the exertions of the Rev. Augustine Grandmougin, pastor of St. Augustine's church, Cleveland. Two years after the purchase of the lot the Rev. Andrew Sauvadet was appointed pastor of all the French of Cleveland, and under his direction a plain but neat and commodious frame church was built, which was opened for divine service for the first time on the third Sunday of October, 1870, and placed under the patronage of St. Mary of the Annunciation. The upper portion of the building was used as a church, and the lower story was divided into two school rooms.
As the number of French families identifying themselves with Annunciation Church was not, as it never has been, sufficient to
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meet the expenses connected with the support of church and school, a portion of St. Patrick's congregation was added, thus making Annunciation Church about two-thirds English and one- third French.
From the beginning-for nearly eighteen years, Annunciation Church had been burdened with a heavy debt, incurred in building the church, and for the purchase of several additional lots and residences for the pastor, and for the Sisters of the Humility of Mary, who have had charge of the parish school since it was opened, in 1872.
The present pastor, Rev. Augustine Gerardin, received his appointment in April, 1878. He set to work at once to pay off the debt, at that time about $10,000. This was by no means an easy task, as with the financial depression, then still existing, and the poverty of many of his people, he had hard work to meet even the current expenses of the parish. However, the debt was gradually diminished, and fully paid in 1888. By this time the need of a more substantial church, to replace the frame edifice, became almost imperative. Father Gerardin succeeded in putting aside from the annual parish income a fair sum to serve as the nucleus for a building fund. As the site for the proposed new church had to be located next to the old edifice, and on the lot covered by the pastoral residence, Father Gerardin purchased, on March 19, 1892, a lot in the rear of the frame church, fronting on Moore street. The brick house on the lot he had fitted up as a pastoral residence, his former residence having been given in exchange for the excavation made for the new church. In May, 1896, with $11,000 in the parish treasury, work was begun on the new brick church. The corner- stone was laid by Bishop Horstmann on Sunday, July 12, 1896. The church, which is of French Gothic architecture, was brought under roof the same year. In order not to overtax his people, and to reduce the debt already incurred, Father Gerardin postponed the completion of the church until 1898. At an expense of nearly $11,000 he then had the entire church finished, including frescoing, pews, three beautiful altars, stained glass windows, making it one of the neatest and most attractive churches in the diocese. On Sunday, September 25, 1898, this new temple was solemnly dedi- cated to Almighty God by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Horstmann. The
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impressive ceremony was witnessed by many priests and a very large concourse of people. It was a day of great joy for the pastor, and for his people, whose generosity made it possible to build the beautiful church. The debt ($8,000) as compared with the property owned by the congregation, is insignificant, and will be cancelled in a very few years. In fact, most of the debt would have been paid by the end of the year 1900, had not the pastor been obliged to relinquish all duty for nearly one year, owing to serious illness, con- sequent on his arduous labors in connection with the new church. During Father Gerardin's absence in Europe, for the benefit of his impaired health, the Rev. L. J. Wickart, of the Detroit diocese, had charge of the parish, from September, 1899, till May 1, 1900. An excellent spirit prevails in the parish, and the parochial school is in a very satisfactory condition.
HOLY NAME CHURCH, CLEVELAND.
The first Catholics to settle in the south part of Cleveland, formerly known as Newburg, were John Cahill, Michael Keegan, Denis Sexton and Daniel Gorman. They settled there with their families between 1850 and 1852. This small number of pioneer Catholics was soon increased by the arrival of others. For some years they attended Mass, either at St. Mary's on the Flats, or in the Cathedral basement. In April, 1854, Bishop Rappe himself said the first Mass in the village of Newburg, in Thomas Byrne's house. Later on the Revs. Michael O'Neill, Thomas Walsh, Edward Hannin, J. Salaun, A. Martin and E. M. O'Callaghan did the same in the house of Patrick Potts. In October, 1861, Father O'Callaghan (who attended Newburg from the Cathedral as a station, 1860-61), purchased two lots at the corner of Miles Park and Woodland Hills avenues. The purchase was made through Patrick Potts, in spite of bigoted opposition on the part of land owners who refused to sell lots for a Catholic church. The Rev. Francis Sullivan succeeded Father O'Callaghan in November, 1861. For a short time he said Mass in the house of Patrick Potts, and later in the old town hall on Miles avenue. The corner-stone of the first church (a stone structure), to be known as the Holy
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Rosary Church, was laid in June, 1862, by Vicar General Caron, who also attended Newburg for a short time from the seminary. The first High Mass was celebrated in the new town hall on Miles avenue, in June, 1862, by Father Sullivan. The hall was used for divine services until the church basement was finished. In July, 1863, the Rev. Jacob Kuhn was appointed the first resident pastor of Newburg. Under his direction, the church walls and roof were finished. The basement was fitted up for church and school pur- poses, and was used for the first time in the spring of 1864. On December 14, 1863, Father Kuhn purchased for $600 the house and lot adjoining the church. The house was enlarged and fitted up for the pastoral residence. In 1867, Father Kuhn was suc- ceeded by the Rev. John Daudet, during whose pastorate the church was plastered and put into proper condition for divine service. He also purchased for $1,000 an additional parcel of land to the rear of the church. The abandoned factory located on it he had converted into a school, which shortly after was put in charge of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary. About this time also several large rolling mills were established in Newburg and soon attracted many skilled laborers, thus greatly enhancing the Catholic population of the town. On January 1, 1871, the Rev. Joseph F. Gallagher began his pastorate of Holy Rosary parish, which had greatly outgrown the church. This he had enlarged at once by adding a frame sanctuary. He also made many necessary improvements in and about the church property.
As both Cleveland and Newburg were rapidly growing cities. it became a certainty that the gap between them would very soon be filled and both united. Father Gallagher acted on this certainty. by securing, on November 21, 1872, another large and more eligible school site on Broadway, the principal street in Newburg. On the property stood a frame house, which he had fitted up for a pastoral residence. It served as such until the completion, in 1893, of the present splendid residence, at a cost of $18,000. Father Gallagher, ever a staunch supporter of the parochial school system, at once had plans prepared for a fine school building to excel, in size (seventy by eighty feet) and cost, any thus far erected in the Diocese of Cleveland. Bishop Gilmour laid its corner-stone in the early spring of 1873. The building was ready for occupancy in
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the fall of the same year. It cost about $35,000, and even now it ranks with the many large and fine school buildings in the diocese. In 1872, Father Gallagher engaged the Ladies of the Sacred Heart of Mary to take charge of the parish schools, and they have ever since conducted it to the entire satisfaction of the pastors and people. For about ten years, from 1881, the Brothers of Mary, of Dayton, O., had charge of the boys' department. The schools are in a flourishing condition. On September 23, 1879, Father Gallagher secured additional property for the prospective and much needed church, immediately adjoining the school lot on Broadway. The purchase price was $6,800. In the early spring of 1881, ground was broken and the foundation begun for the new church. Bishop Gilmour laid the corner-stone on Sunday, May 8, 1881. The work of building was rapidly pushed till the roof was in place and the belfry completed. The erection of the spire was indefinitely postponed. Provision was made for a well-lighted basement, twelve feet high, and making an audience room nearly the full length and width of the church. The basement was blessed by Vicar General Boff, on September 3, 1882, and was then regu- larly used till the completion of the church proper, Mass being said occasionally in the old (Holy Rosary) church, until a mission given in January, 1883. At that time a Holy Name Society was organized. Its salutary effect among the men in Newburg, many of whom were addicted to the use of profane language. induced Father Gallagher to have the new church dedicated to the Most Holy Name of Jesus.
The great strike of 1882 injured to a large extent the business interests of Newburg, and was especially felt by the parish- ioners of Holy Name, as very many of them lost work and many in good positions were displaced. In spite of the years of depression following, Father Gallagher succeeded in considerably reducing the parish debt, besides meeting the heavy current expenses. The year 1886 promising a revival to some extent, Father Gallagher accordingly made preparation, in the fall of 1885, for the comple- tion of the church in the following year. God had, however, ordained otherwise. He called Father Gallagher, after a very short illness (pneumonia), from his intended work, on January 30, 1886. His almost sudden demise was a great shock to his parishioners
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and to all the people of Newburg, irrespective of creed. He was a man of affairs, and as such had great influence, both as a citizen and as a priest. He left a memory that will not soon be effaced.
The Rev. John T. Carroll, the present pastor, succeeded the lamented Father Gallagher in February, 1886. He had the un- finished interior of the church brought to completion in excellent taste. The dedication of the church took place on Sunday, May 22, 1887, Bishop Gilmour performing the ceremony. The church is of Gothic architecture, has no pillars, and is built of brick. Its length is one hundred and sixty feet, its width sixty-five feet, and the apse of the ceiling is sixty-five feet from the floor. The church is furnished with beautiful altars and neat pews of oakwood, and it has also artistic stained-glass windows, a profusion of statuary and oil paintings-mostly gifts from parishioners and societies; also a splendid $5,000 pipe organ. The Church of the Holy Name is justly ranked among the largest and, interiorly, finest churches in the Diocese of Cleveland.
In 1890, the original lots occupied by Holy Rosary Church, school and parochial residence, were sold for $6,500. Proceeds of the sale were applied on the purchase price of lots secured by Father Carroll the year previous, and intended for a pastoral resi- dence site, built in 1893, as above stated. This purchase, with an additional strip of land, has made the property of Holy Name one of the most valuable in Cleveland.
In 1898, the east portion of Holy Name parish was cut off and organized under the name and patronage of St. Catharine. The handsome frame church, located on Woodland Hills avenue. served as a "chapel of ease" to Holy Name Church, until the appointment of the first resident pastor of St. Catharine's-the Rev. James J. Quinn, in 1899.
In 1899, an addition was made to the teachers' residence. which, besides affording more room for the Sisters, gave them a neat chapel, well furnished, and large enough to seat fifty persons. During the same year the large basement of the church was divided. One part of it was arranged and furnished for use as a hall, seating one thousand persons. The other portion serves as a chapel, seating three hundred persons. All the parish buildings are heated by steam. In the year 1900 was begun the work of
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