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 31
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From the time of its formation up to 1865, Holy Trinity con- gregation, Avon, was attended, off and on, from Cleveland, and later by the Sanguinist Fathers, who had been introduced into
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Ohio by Bishop Purcell in 1844. Father Mclaughlin attended the Avon mission from 1841 to 1845. He was succeeded between 1846 and 1848 by the Revs. Michael A. Byrne, F. X. Roth and Maurice Howard. Then came a long list of Sanguinist Fathers, who visited the mission from Thompson, Seneca county. Avon was next attended from French Creek, between 1857 and 1865, by the Revs. A. Dambach, J. Hackspiel and V. Haussner. The Rev. Nicholas Schmitz was appointed the first resident pastor of Avon in July, 1863. He was succeeded in March, 1868, by the Rev. Charles Barbier, who remained in charge until September, 1877. During his pastorate two fine bells, since then in use, were bought for $700. The following priests had pastoral charge of Avon, after Father Barbier was removed: The Revs. N. Flammang, Septem- ber, 1871, to August, 1872; G. Peter, 1872-1873; J. Heidegger, January, 1874, to June, 1881; P. Kolopp, June, 1881, to May, 1883; Joseph Eyler, August, 1883, to January, 1884. Between the departure of Father Kolopp and the arrival of Father Eyler, Avon was attended from Sheffield. The Rev. Nicholas Pfeil was resident pastor of Avon from February, 1884, until April, 1897. Between the last mentioned date and the following September, Avon was attended from North Ridgeville. Then the Rev. F. J. Pfyl was appointed pastor. He remained at Avon until June, 1898, when the present resident pastor, the Rev. Anthony B. Stuber, received his appointment.
A Catholic school had been started as early as 1845, and was continued with but few interruptions until 1860, when the log cabin in which it was conducted gave way to a frame building, erected on a plat of land next to the pastoral residence. On Easter Sunday, 1873, this building was destroyed by fire, and shortly after, during the pastorate of Father Peter, replaced by a brick edifice, at a cost of $1,000. Until the advent of Father Pfeil the school was taught by lay teachers. In the fall of 1884 he engaged as teachers the Franciscan Sisters from Tiffin. They remained in charge until 1897, when two Sisters of Notre Dame, from Cleve- land, were appointed as teachers and are at present (December, 1900) conducting the school.
During the time Father Heidegger had charge the church was re-roofed. It was also thoroughly and tastily renovated interiorly. During the pastorate of Father Pfeil the parish
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property was enlarged by the purchase of an acre of ground, part of which was to be an addition to the cemetery and part a site for a new pastoral residence to be eventually built. The above mentioned school building was enlarged, as also the priest's house, at an outlay of $1.000., The present handsome pastoral residence, a frame building, was built in 1890, and cost nearly $3,000.
After Father Stuber was at Avon about three months he fully realized the necessity of building a new church, in keeping with the prosperous condition of the parish, and in compliance with the wish expressed by Bishop Horstmann when he visited Avon in 1896. When the subject was presented by Father Stuber to his people the question of location at once arose, most of the parishioners advocating a site some distance north of the present church. Without discussing the question of a new site, he raised a subscription of $13,000 for the erection of a stone church. In the spring of 1900, when a large quantity of stone had been brought to the old church site and the excavation for the foundation of the new edifice was begun, it was discovered that the underlying quick- sand meant an extra outlay, for labor alone, of $2,500 for a solid foundation, independent of about $2,000 for additional material. After some exchange of views, in which Father Stuber showed his congregation the advisability of securing elsewhere a far better, larger and more centrally located site, which he had in view, the vote of the congregation was almost unanimous in favor of the change. In consequence of this vote the property was bought. It is nearly one mile northeast of the present church and has a frontage of 825 feet on two roads. It will be graced during the coming year (1901) with a handsome stone church and pastoral residence. The new site will make the Avon church property one of the most desirable of any country parish in the diocese of Cleve- land.
BARBERTON, SUMMIT COUNTY. ST. AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH.
Barberton is a pretty and attractive town located south of Akron, of which busy city it is practically a suburb. Around and in close proximity to the shores of a small but picturesque lake (named "Lake Anna") are situated the finest building sites in the
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town of Barberton. And here the Catholics of Barberton deter- mined to have a church located. Under the direction of the Rev. Jacob F. Kuebler, who had attended Barberton from Canal Fulton as a station, monthly from March, 1891, to 1893, and semi-monthly, as a mission, from 1893 to 1898, four fine lots were purchased from the Barberton Land Co., by land con- tract, for $1,350. The deed was given on January 26, 1895. Two of the lots front on Lake avenue, and the other two to the rear, on Eighth avenue. On the first two a frame building, 36 x 60 feet, was erected at a cost of $1,200 to serve as a church until means were within reach to replace it by a church deserving the name. Prior to this time Father Kuebler celebrated Mass in Young's hall, New Portage, and for a time in the village school. The temporary edifice was dedicated to St. Augustine, and although not finished interiorly, Mass was celebrated in it for the first time August 28, 1892, on the patronal feast of this young and hopeful mission. In the following year the building was completed.
The number of Catholics in Barberton constantly increasing, they asked for a resident pastor, so as to have service every Sunday and Holyday-which it was impossible to give them as a mission. Their petition was granted by Bishop Horstmann when, in June, 1898, he sent them the Rev. Joseph G. Schaffeld as their resident pastor, thus relieving Father Kuebler, who, by his fidelity to duty, had endeared himself to all the people of Barberton, irre- spective of creed.
Father Schaffeld at once organized a building committee and began the erection of a handsome and substantial pastoral residence. Two more lots fronting upon Lake Anna were pur- chased for $1,000, to furnish a site for this building. The house, built of brick and Kilbuck stone, was completed during December, 1898, at a cost of $4,000.
The church in the meantime had proved itself too small for the steadily growing congregation. An addition was therefore built to it, pews were secured, and the interior improved in every way, until the congregation found itself in possession of a church which, if not imposing, was at least neat and well adapted to their wants. These improvements were made during the year 1898.
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Barberton's wonderful growth made it advisable to secure a site for a school while land could still be bought at a reasonable price. Four additional lots were accordingly purchased on Seventh street, for $800. This gave the Catholics of Barberton not only one of the finest locations for a church and school, but quite a valuable one as well. The ground is 144 x 250 feet in size.
Negotiations have been begun for the purchase of a cemetery site by which it is hoped to do away with the great inconvenience of bringing the dead to Akron for burial. Plans for a new church are now under way, which, if expectations are realized, will give Barberton a beautiful church edifice. It is hoped that the build- ing will be commenced during 1901, or at the very latest within the year following.
BELLEVUE, HURON COUNTY. IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH.
The Catholics of Bellevue were organized as a congregation in 1859 by the Rev. Narcissus Ponchel, then resident pastor of St. Mary's, Norwalk. In May of that year he purchased a frame warehouse, and the lots on which it stood, for $500. He had the building fitted up as a church, which served as such until the com- pletion of the present edifice, in 1884. In December, 1860, the Rev. John Quinn succeeded Father Ponchel at Norwalk, with charge of the Bellevue mission, which latter he however attended only until the following April, when the Rev. James Monahan was appointed first resident pastor of Bellevue. During his pastorate three lots and a frame house were purchased in July, 1863, for $1,100. Father Monahan was succeeded, in August, 1866, by the Rev. Timothy M. Mahony, who established, in 1867, the parish school, which has ever since continued with success. The Rev. Edward Mears was the next resident pastor of Bellevue, his appointment having been made in August, 1871. He found the location of the church quite unsuitable, and as the prospects for the erection of a new church were then very promising, he pur- chased, in January, 1873, for $1,800, two fine lots, located nearer the centre of the town. But the financial panic of 1873, whose dire effects struck the entire country, forced Father Mears and his
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people to indefinitely postpone the erection of the much needed church. In April, 1874, the Rev. J. D. Bowles was appointed successor to Father Mears, and remained in charge till May, 1876. Bellevue was then attended from Clyde as a mission for two months by the Rev. G. Rudolph, when the Rev. James Molloy was sent to Bellevue. He in turn was succeeded by the Rev. W. J. Gibbons on June 15, 1879. Father Gibbons went to Bellevue reluctantly. In September, 1880, he left for Rome, there to seek redress against Bishop Gilmour for having removed him from St. Augustine's, Cleveland, and sent him to Bellevue. Rome, how- ever, sustained the Bishop's action, and ordered Father Gibbons to return to Bellevue, which he did in October, 1881. During the year of his absence his parish was attended for two months from Cleveland by the Rev. G. F. Houck, and for ten months by the Rev. J. T. Cahill, who was appointed the temporary resident pastor of Bellevue in November, 1880. Shortly after Father Gibbons again took charge of his parish he began to collect funds for the erection of the much desired new church. In this he was very suc- cessful and soon had the satisfaction of having the edifice under way. It was completed in the summer of 1884, at a cost of about $17,000, and dedicated by Bishop Gilmour on August 3 of that year. The church is an ornate brick structure, 45 x 90 feet, of Gothic architecture, with two spires, stained glass windows, and is very tastily frescoed.
After a brief illness Father Gibbons died on April 1, 1885. His death was sincerely mourned by his parishioners. His suc- cessor was the Rev. F. Rupert, who assumed charge on April 16 of the same year. The sanctuary, which had only the high altar, was now provided with side altars and a communion railing; the latter was Father Rupert's donation to the church. He also bought a supply of vestments at an outlay of $500, half of which sum he likewise donated.
The year 18S7 was one of much activity for the parish. In the spring of that year the old brick public school in the rear of the church was bought and refitted as a parochial school, thus replacing the frame building that had served a like purpose since 1867. The property and necessary changes cost about $2,000. In September of the same year the school was ready for occupancy,
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and was placed in charge of three Franciscan Sisters, who had served the parish as teachers since September, 1885. In October, 1887, the present front steps to the church and the stone sidewalks were put in place at a cost of $600. The parish fair held in November of the same year netted $2,200, which sum cleared the debt on the church property, within $500; and that was paid off the following year ..
In September, 1890, Father Rupert went to Washington, D. C., the Revs. P. Schirack, C. PP. S., and W. J. Smith, succes- sively supplying his place, the latter from October, 1890, to January, 1891, when Father Rupert resumed his pastoral charge. In the fall of 1891 another very successful parish fair was held, netting nearly $4,000, out of which sum the present organ was paid for; it cost about $2,000. In the following year the residence now occupied by the Sisters was built and furnished at an expense of about $2,000. In July of the same year the old frame church, which had become unsafe, was torn down and the lot sold. Thus one of Bellevue's old land marks disappeared. In 1893 the parish was again cleared of all debts and so continued until the removal of Father Rupert to the pastorate of St. Paul's Church, Norwalk, on October 24, 1894. A few days later he was succeeded at Bellevue by the Rev. Gustave H. Rieken, who in the following year had the pastoral residence considerably improved at a cost of about $600. He left the parish in December, 1895, as he found it-in excellent condition as to spirituals and temporals. His successor is the present incumbent, the Rev. J. A. Michenfelder.
BEREA, CUYAHOGA COUNTY. ST. ADALBERT'S (POLISH) CHURCH.
About the year 1865 the current of emigration from Europe brought a number of Polish families to Berea, to which place they were attracted by the good wages paid in the now cele- brated stone quarries. Soon they induced many of their countrymen to follow their example, with the result that about the year 1873 the Poles at Berea numbered upwards of one hundred families. Up to that time they received spiritual attendance about twice a year from one of their own countryman, the Rev. Father
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Schulak, S. J., then stationed at Chicago, Ill. At other times they depended on the Rev. Louis J. Filiere, pastor of St. Mary's, Berea. But as he did not know their language his ministration proved very unsatisfactory to them. Finally, in December, 1873, Bishop Gilmour succeeded in securing a Polish priest, the Rev. Victor Zareczny, as their resident pastor. In April of the following year Father Zareczny commenced the erection of a brick church, 45 x 80 feet, on a parcel of land donated for the purpose, and con- taining a little over one acre. The slate roofed church was finished and used in December, 1874. It cost $6,000, and was dedicated to St. Adalbert on September 26, 1875, by the Very Rev. Adminis- trator Boff. In the same year Father Zareczny also secured four acres of land for a cemetery. The church was built during the financial distress that began in 1873 and lasted for over eight years. In consequence of the hard times and little or no employment, many Poles left Berea for the West, thus reducing the parish very considerably and making the debt all the more burdensome to those that remained. Yet, in spite of these drawbacks, the parish debt was reduced to about $2,300 before December, 1SS0. Father Zareczny left Berea in February, 1SS4, and was succeeded by the Rev. Nicodemus Kolasinski. Under his direction a lofty spire was made to grace the church, which latter was also considerably .enlarged by the addition of a sanctuary and sacristies, making its dimensions 45 x 132 feet -- all at a cost of $5,000. In March, 1889, the Rev. Emanuel J. Slowikowski succeeded Father Kolasinski, but remained only till May, 1890, when the Rev. Benedict Rosinski was appointed his successor. During the first year of his pastorate the parish debt, amounting to $1.300, was paid, and church vest- ments purchased at a cost of $1,000. Till then the church had been almost devoid of even the most necessary articles for Divine service. Now St. Adalbert's Church is able to compare with the largest churches of the diocese in respect to vestments. In April of the following year Father Rosinski purchased a half-acre tract of land as the site for a new school. The handsome and well appointed brick school, 71 x 78 feet, was ready for occupancy by December, 1891. With furnishings and heating apparatus it cost $11,000. In 1891 he engaged the Felician Sisters, from Detroit, as teachers of the parish school, which prior to that time had been
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in charge of lay teachers. A comfortable residence was built for the Sisters in 1892. In June, 1892, Father Rosinski was transferred to St. Stanislas' Church, Cleveland, and the Rev. Felix S. Motulewski appointed to the pastorate of St. Adalbert's, Berea. He remained one year, when the Rev. Thomas Misicki succeeded him. His stay at Berea ended in July, 1894, when the Rev. Andrew J."Suplicki, now in charge, was appointed his successor. During his incumbency the church property was put in excellent condition and the parish debt almost cancelled. Under his direc- tion the present handsome and attractive stone pastoral residence was commenced in December, 1897, and completed in 1898, at a cost of $6,000.
In December, 1900, the school had an enrollment of 245 pupils; it is taught by four Felician Sisters.
BEREA, CUYAHOGA COUNTY,
ST. MARY'S CHURCH.
There is no evidence to show that the Catholics at Berea had spiritual attendance prior to 1852. In May of that year the Very Rev. James Conlan said Mass in the log house of James Donovan. A few months later the Rev. William O'Connor began to attend Berea from Cleveland as a station and continued until April, 1854, ยท when he was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas Walsh, a curate at the Cathedral. His successors, between the fall of 1854 and January, 1856, were the Revs. Michael Kennedy and Francis McGann. Then the Rev. Louis J. Filiere, pastor of Olmsted, was given charge of Berea as a station. He had an old frame house moved to the site of the present church. It was fitted up so as to serve as a temporary place of worship, which it did for nearly nine years. The present stone church, 45 x 90 feet, was built during the pastorate of Father Filiere. It was commenced in August, 1866, and was ready for occupancy three years later. St. Mary's Church is an attractive edifice of Roman architecture. In 1862 Father Filiere was appointed Berea's first resident pastor, and so con- tinued until February, 1876.
The hnancial crash of 1873 gave Berea a hard blow, from which it did not fully recover for some years. In December of
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that year the Catholic Poles of Berea were organized as a separate congregation, thus considerably weakening St. Mary's, with which they had been affiliated. This made the existing parish debt all the more burdensome for the remaining members of St. Mary's. But in spite of this fact Father Filiere, with his people, braved the difficulties of meeting the parish obligations, until February, 1876, when the Rev. John Hannan was appointed his successor. He remained in charge until the advent of the Rev. John T. Carroll, on June 1, 1879, who shortly after had the church thoroughly renovated and its interior beautified. In this he was cordially seconded by his people, who contributed generously of their meagre earnings towards paying for the much needed and appre- ciated improvements. In 1884 the present school building was erected at a cost of $3,000, affording ample and attractive facilities for the attending pupils. The parish school was organized in 1860, but for lack of means had to be discontinued soon after. It was re-opened in a rented building, in 1865, and for ten years was in charge of lay teachers. In 1875 the Sisters of the Humility of Mary were placed in charge and have continued thus ever since. In March, 1886, Father Carroll was transferred to the pastorate of the Holy Name Church, Cleveland, the Rev. Francis J. O'Neil, now in charge, succeeding him at Berea. In 1891 he had the church spire erected, and in the following year the present pastoral residence, a neat frame structure, was built. The cost of spire and residence amounted to about $5,000. The sweet-toned bell, now in use, was donated in January, 1893, by one of the parishioners, Mrs. Seidel. In 1899 the interior of the church was again tastily frescoed and renovated, so that it presents a very attractive appearance, as does also the entire church property, which is located on the main street of the village. The parish, composed of about sixty families, is now free of all debt-a very creditable record.
BERWICK, SENECA COUNTY,
ST. NICHOLAS' CHURCH.
In the spring of 1856 the French speaking members of the German parish of St. Boniface, New Riegel, were authorized to form a separate congregation at a settlement near the Berwick
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railway station. Mass was said a few times in private houses by a Sanguinist Father from New Riegel until the erection of a log chapel on the site of the present school. The Rev. Louis Molon, a French priest, was appointed the first resident pastor of Berwick. Under his direction a brick church was erected in the fall of 1856. It was ready for dedication and use in the following spring. Mean- while divine service was held in a rented house. In 1864, during the pastorate of the Rev. Nicholas Moes, the present parish house, a brick edifice, was built. In 1867 the Rev. John B. Buerkel was obliged to have extensive and costly repairs made on the church to keep it from collapsing, so badly had it been built but ten years previous. The Rev. Joseph P. Gloden established the parish school in September, 1871. It was taught by a lay teacher about one year. In 1872 he built a two-story brick school, and shortly after it was ready for use he placed it in charge of two Franciscan Sisters, from Tiffin. They served the parish until 1887, when the Sisters of Notre Dame, from Cleveland, replaced them. From 1891 to 1898 the school, much reduced in attendance, was taught by a lay teacher. It was closed in 1898, for lack of means, but reopened in 1900.
In 1886 the Rev. M. Arnoldi took up a subscription for a much needed church, to replace the old one. During the same year also additional land was purchased for church use; the entire parish grounds were graded and in part graveled. October 9, 1887, the corner-stone for the new church was laid by Bishop Gilmour, the foundation having been commenced in the spring of that year. Mgr. Boff, V. G., delegated by Bishop Gilmour, dedicated the church on Sunday, November 9, 1890. It is a brick edifice, trimmed with stone, of Roman architecture, and very attractive in appearance. Its interior is rich in decoration and statuary. The dimensions of the church are: Length, 130 feet; width, 50 feet. The parish has lost numerically within the last few years, having now less than sixty families. In consequence of this fact, the debt still due since the erection of the church is quite a burden on the remaining members. However, since the pastorate of Father Lentsch the debt has been reduced over one-half, and will soon be cancelled if the prospects, now so promising, be a guaranty for the future. During the year 1900 many improvements in and
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about the parish buildings were made and paid for, under the direction of the present pastor.
Following is a list of the priests who had charge of the parish since its establishment, 1856: The Revs. Louis Molon, from 1856 to November, 1867; William Bally, to July, 1861; Joseph P. Dolweck, to April, 1862. The parish was then attended as a mission from New Riegel, by the Sanguinist Fathers, till Novem- ber, 1863. Then the following resident pastors had charge: The Revs. Nicholas Moes. November, 1863, to September, 1865; Andrew Magenhann, to May, 1867; J. B. Buerkel, to July, 1871; Joseph P. Gloden, to May, 1886; Matthias Arnoldi, to January, 1896; Joseph Rosenberg, to January, 1900, and the present incum- bent, the Rev. Leonard Lentsch, since January, 1900.
BETTSVILLE, SENECA COUNTY,
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION MISSION CHURCH.
In the summer of 1875 the Very Rev. F. M. Boff, V. G., administrator of the diocese during Bishop Gilmour's absence in Europe, granted permission to nine German families to separate from St. Mary's Church, at Millersville, and build a church of their own at Bettsville. This they did, under the supervision of the Rev. M. Arnoldi, who attended the mission from Fostoria until October, 1878. The church is a plain, frame structure, 35 x 55 feet. It cost $1.500, exclusive of the lots on which it is built. Bettsville was attached to Millersville as a mission in October, 1878, and was thence attended monthly on Sundays by the Rev. Joseph Blaser, until January, 1888, and from that time until January, 1897, by the Rev. Michael Dechant. As the mission had then decreased to four families, owing to the erection of a church at Kansas, Seneca county, Bishop Horstmann directed that Sunday services be discontinued there. Mass is now said on week days a few times during the year, to save the property from taxation. From present indications it would appear that Catho- licity has no future in the village of Bettsville.
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