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 5
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6. REPORT OF BISHOP PURCELL'S VISIT TO NORTHERN OHIO IN 1836.2
TIFFIN, ST. MARY'S.
"Very Rev. S. T. Badin and Rev. H. D. Juncker having reached Tiffin several days before the Bishop, prepared the con- gregation for the reception of the Sacraments. There were only 23 confirmed. The church is under the care of the Redemptorists [stationed at Peru, Huron Co.] whose number, we regret to say, has not been hitherto large enough to admit of their devoting the necessary time to the instruction and spiritual wants of the diocese. Four clergymen, at least, would be required for Seneca county, in which are five [four?] churches at the present time [Tiffin, Thompson, Wolf's Creek and Mccutchenville] in process of building. Numerous sects, of whose very name the Bishop had never heard before, are swarming through the villages in this and Crawford county.
"The Tiffin and Mccutchenville congregations are comprised
(1) The Dominicans reassumed charge of St. John's, Canton, about 1837, retaining it till 1842 .- H.
(2) Catholic Telegraph, September 15, 1836.
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A HISTORY OF CATHOLICITY
of the very best materials ; they have been lately much augmented by emigrants from Maryland. Pennsylvania and some parts of Europe. The Germans in their vicinity are peaceful, industrious and full of zeal for the diffusion of our holy religion, for their own edification and the instruction of their children. The Tiffin church, the shell of which, only, has been so long built, will be completed and ready for dedication this fall.
FREMONT; LA PRAIRIE.
"Lower Sandusky [Fremont] and the French congregation of Muddy Creek [ La Prairie], consisting of 20 or 30 families, are still destitute of a church. From the well known liberality, respectability and intelligence of many of the inhabitants, we have no doubt but means will soon be furnished to erect in this interest- ing vicinity a new and neat little monument to the Faith of ages. We shall look with confidence for its completion by the coming year.
CANTON, ST. JOHN'S.1
"Rev. Dr. Hoffmann will visit the Catholics of Columbus at the feast of Christmas. He will thence proceed direct to Canton, where, we are happy to announce, will be his future residence as pastor of the Catholic congregation. Cordially do we congratulate our brethren at Canton on their acquisition of so learned and zealous a spiritual guide as Dr. Hoffmann, and we sincerely hope that his pious instructions and edifying manners will soon make them forget their late destitution of pastoral encouragement and succor. We trust some of the prominent members of the congre- gation will, without delay, prepare the presbytery for his reception.
EAST LIVERPOOL. OHIO.2
"Measures are in progress for the erection of a church in this flourishing village [East Liverpool]. * * A lot has been secured and a subscription commenced. This is owing to the zeal of Rev. James Conlan, pastor of Steubenville, who attends [this and] several neighboring missions. Rev. Mr. Conlan is making an appeal to our Catholic brethren in behalf of this infant congregation. to which we hope there will be a liberal response.
7. DEDICATION OF THE CHURCH OF "OUR LADY OF THE LAKE." [ST. MARY'S ON THE "FLATS"], CLEVELAND, O .. JUNE 7, 1840.3
"Rt. Rev. Dr. de Forbin-Janson, Bishop of Nancy and Toul. France, and Bishop Purcell, of Cincinnati left Buffalo on the
(1) Catholic Telegraph, December 23. 1836.
(2) Catholic Telegraph, June 6, 1839.
(3) Catholic Telegraph. June 20. 1840.
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ST. STANISLAS' CHURCH (INTERIOR), CLEVELAND.
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IN NORTHERN OHIO.
steamboat Constitution at 8 p. m. on Friday, 5th of June, for Cleve- land. At Fairport, 30 miles from the last mentioned place, they were overtaken by a violent storm, during which the vessel, which was very heavily laden, labored a great deal and made but little headway, so that they did not reach their destination for many hours after the usual time employed in making the trip. They were both, as were nearly all of their fellow-travelers, gloriously sea-sick and soaked with surf from the swollen waters, and the good Bishop of Nancy was moreover at one moment in imminent danger of serious injury from the falling of a high and heavy pile of cases of merchandise in a sudden lurch of the ship. Finally they disembarked in safety, at 5 a. m., on Sunday morning, Auspice Maria. 1676145
"The Bishop of the diocese was agreeably surprised to find that all the work which he had directed to be done at the new church by Mr. Golden, the architect, had been not only faithfully performed. but that the altar and the plastering, etc., had likewise been very neatly executed. He accordingly resolved not to lose so favorable an occasion of dedicating it. The zealous Bishop of Nancy, who seems to have never known what it is to be weary in well doing, kindly consented to dedicate the church, which he did according to the Roman ritual, and in full pontificals, after which he celebrated High Mass, which was wonderfully well sung in plain chant by the choir. * * Bishop Purcell preached to a very intelligent and attentive auditory, before and after the cere- mony.
"The church measures 81 by 53 feet, having four well wrought Doric columns in front, a light but substantial gallery, or organ loft, handsome ceiling, etc., and conveniently situated on Columbus street, between the two [?] congregations of Cleveland and Ohio City [?]. [Church was taken down September, 1888 .- H.]
8. REPORT OF BISHOP PURCELL'S VISIT TO NORTHERN OHIO, IN 1840.1
LIVERPOOL, MEDINA COUNTY.
"After his departure from Cleveland [June 8], the Bishop visited two Catholic families near Strongville [Cuyahoga Co.] who had not been favored with the presence of a priest for several years. * * He was there met by a deputation of German * Catholics, of Liverpool, Medina county, by whom he was attended to the residence of Mr. Lawling, in which service is generally held for the neighboring Catholic inhabitants. The next morning a large number of the faithful. living on the east and west banks of
(1) Catholic Telegraph, July 4, 1840.
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A HISTORY OF CATHOLICITY
Rocky river, assembled on the occasion, in virtue of a previous notice sent there from Cleveland. These formed in procession and proceeded, chanting the Miserere, to the graveyard, where the Bishop, in mitre and crosier, blessed the graves of a few persons thus solitary buried, and gave an instruction to the bystanders on the nature of the ceremony and the circumstances under which one or two of their brethren, who were there interred, had died. Rev. Mr. O'Dwyer then offered the holy sacrifice, and the Bishop preached on the worth of the soul. Many well-inclined Protestants were present. It was thought expedient to recommend the con- struction of two churches, one at each side of the river, which is often too much swollen to admit of being safely forded. Materials have been prepared for these purposes, and we hope to learn soon that the churches have been built. [In 1842 a log church (St. Mary's) was built east of Rocky River, in the hamlet of Abbey- ville, later replaced by a brick structure, but long since abandoned. In the same year a log church was also erected west of same river, one mile from Liverpool Centre. This was replaced in 1861 by the present brick edifice, known as St. Martin's, Liverpool, Medina Co .- H.]
DOYLESTOWN.
"About noon the Bishop left [Liverpool] for Chippewa [near Doylestown] in Wayne county, accompanied by five of the congregation, on horseback. * * After straying a few miles from the right road, the party reached, before sundown, the resi- dence of Rev. Mr. Schorb, pastor of the congregation. Next day the Bishop visited Mr. Marshall and Mr. Whitman, two zealous Maryland Catholics, who have given a valuable tract of seventy- eight acres of land for the support of a presbytery, and who are now engaged in redeeming a pledge by them voluntarily and generously given to build a church and a dwelling for a priest at their own expense. The cost of the buildings cannot be under seven or eight hundred dollars. Other members of the congrega- tion rival their charity in supplying the church with suitable vest- ments, and in no other part of the diocese has the Bishop witnessed more zeal, humility and fervor than in this sequestered and delight- · ful spot. Surely the divine mercies are for such a people. The number of communicants has been more than doubled since the arrival of the pastor, being now eighty-five. In [Canal] Fulton, on the canal, nine miles distant, there are eighty-four communi- cants; in Liverpool, eighty-one; in Randolph, fifty; in Akron, twenty, (not including the English-speaking portion, which is con- siderable); in Wooster, Ashland [?] and Shelby [Settlement], the communicants amount to one hundred and nineteen. All the
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places are attended [from Chippewa] by Rev. Mr. Schorb, to whom the Bishop promised an assistant, for whose support ample means will be furnished at the glebe-house. The church [at Chip- pewa], though yet unfinished, is still used for divine service. It was filled on Corpus Christi, when the Bishop and the reverend pastor alternately officiated; the former preached on the great mystery of the divine love in the Adorable Eucharist, and after having praised the zeal and piety of this fine little flock, exhorted all to perseverance and renewed effort to obtain all that is yet wanting for the instruction of the youth of the congregation and the decency and dignity of the worship of God. *
CANTON, ST. JOHN'S.
"On Thursday afternoon [June 11], the Bishop reached Canton in company with Rev. Mr. Schorb. He there witnessed and heard, with inexpressable pleasure, the good done by the inde- fatigable Rev. Mr. Juncker, and had reason to bless the Almighty's goodness that a constitution, naturally delicate, had not sunken under an accumulation of arduous duties. The new pews, thie decent altar, the handsome antependium, speak the man of God, prepared for every good work. He had, up to this date, eighteen hundred and forty-three communicants, [of these there were] in Canton, five hundred and forty-eight; Massillon, seventy-four ; Bethlehem [Navarre], seventy-five; Norwalk [Peru], three hun- dred; Tiffin and German Settlement [New Riegel], five hun- dred; Sandusky City, twenty-four; Thompson's Settlement [Thompson], eighty-five; Cleveland, twenty-four.
"These are not all the Easter communicants in the several places named, but all that Rev. Mr. Juncker was enabled to instruct and otherwise prepare for the reception of the holy sacra- ments. He was assisted by his Reverend and worthy confrere. Mr. Wuertz, in Bethlehem, Norwalk, Tiffin, and the adjacent stations.
EAST LIVERPOOL, JUNE 25, 1840.1
"The town of East Liverpool, Columbiana county, which was laid out nearly thirty years ago, but which began to be improved only a few years past, is one of the healthiest and most agreeably situated on the Ohio river. * * Mr. James Blakely [of East Liverpool, and a convert] with a liberality which we have pleasure in recording, and which we trust will find many imitators in the congregations of the diocese, gave four hundred dollars [for the church just built], and in connection with four other gentlemen,
(1) Bishop Purcell. in Catholic Telegraph, July 18, 1840.
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A HISTORY OF CATHOLICITY
viz: Messrs. Mitchell, Mausley, Cooke and Smith, presented three town lots for the sacred building. The first two of these four gentlemen have also paid $100 each towards the erection of the church. Mr. John Blakely, a convert like his brother mentioned above, has offered one hundred dollars. Mr. Kerrins, architect of St. Paul's church, Pittsburgh, who resides here, has also given one hundred dollars for a new altar ; and his wife, who is a convert, has done and contributed much, in company with the family of . another estimable convert, Mr. Bayley, together with Mrs. Blakely, and others, to decorate the sanctuary, if not to build up the very walls of our little Sion. Mr. John J. Murphy has also been a liberal benefactor, and incurred responsibilities towards forwarding the good work. Messrs. Buchheit and Diettrich, German Catholics. the former being the first Catholic who settled here, largely participated in the merit of the forementioned. Many other names might be added. but they do not occur to us at present. The pious pastor. Rev. Mr. [James] Conlan, lodges at the hospitable residence of Mr. Fortune. * And it is not for ostentation. or any intention of flattering a fondness for even. amiable fame, which is very far, we believe, from the minds of all those who have engaged in this pious undertaking. that we have written the foregoing, but only to do as we see done in other places where lists of the benevolent are kept and occasionally published, for the double purpose of acknowledgment and emulation in well doing.
"The church is of brick, substantially built, with stone foundation and water courses, 70 x 40 ft. in dimensions, and has already cost three thousand dollars. The resources of the com- mittee, and indeed of the congregation, are nearly exhausted, and though the Bishop has come to their assistance as generously as his means and the numberless demands made on him will allow, they are compelled by the hard times to leave the work unfinished for the present. *
PASTORAL APPOINTMENTS.
"Rev. Peter McLaughlin has been appointed pastor of the . congregation of "Our Lady of the Lake," Cleveland, and of the various stations hitherto attended by Rev. Mr. O'Dwyer, in Cuyahoga and the adjoining counties.
"Rev. Mr. Louis de Goesbriand succeeds Rev. Mr. Wuertz (removed to Canton in the absence of Rev. Mr. Juncker, who has obtained leave from the Bishop to make a short visit to Europe), as pastor of St. Louis' Church [Louisville], in Stark county. * *1
(1) Catholic Telegraph, October 10, 1840
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9. BISHOP PURCELL'S VISIT TO NORTHERN OHIO, IN 1840.1 MCCUTCHENVILLE.
"The church of Mccutchenville might have been dedicated, as the Bishop and Very Rev. Mr. Henni, on their way from Marion to Crawfordsville, had to pass by Tymochtee, which is only a few miles from it, but they were not aware, when they heard that the church was handsomely finished, that they should have to ap- proach so near to that part of Seneca [Wyandot] county during the visitation. This duty devolves on the reverend pastors of Tiffin according to the request made by the Bishop to the Rev. Mr. Machebeuf. * *
FINDLAY.
"In Fort Findlay, Hancock county, they [ Bishop Purcell and Father Henni] were agreeably surprised to find more Catholics than they believed to reside there. Church was held at Mr. Engel- mann's, a friendly Protestant married to a Catholic lady from near Emmittsburg, and some children were baptized. [Mr. E. later became a convert .- H.]
"From Ottawa [Glandorf?] we started for the Catholic station at Fort Jennings, but the state of the creeks did not admit of our going farther in that direction than Kalida, and during this short journey we had to roll away the fallen timber and make frequent use of the axe to cut down saplings that interrupted our path.
. "Our next resting place was Lima, in Allen county. Here we could not learn that there were any Catholics. * *
GLANDORF.
"With much difficulty we [Bishop Purcell and Very Rev. Father Hennij procured a wagon at Findlay to transport us some thirty miles over a very bad road, to Ottawa. We were benighted before we reached the village, but as the rain, which had fallen during the day in torrents, had fortunately ceased, we procured a guide and lantern and ventured to ford the Blanchard river on horseback, that we might reach Glandorf, the settlement of Rev. Mr. Horstmann, before Sunday morning. We accomplished this task in little more than an hour, and were cordially welcomed by this learned professor, devoted pastor and fervent solitary. Rev. Mr. Horstmann is a native of Prussia. He purchased a section of land in this part of Ohio [Putnam county]. in 1834. A few of his compatriots followed him, and a Catholic settlement
(1) Catholic Telegraph, December 12, 1840.
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A HISTORY OF CATHOLICITY
was commenced. Its increase may be estimated by the following data : In 1835 there were 2 baptisms; in 1836, 20; in 1837, 23; in 1838, 29 ; in 1839 only 28, and in 1840, to the 30th of October, 33. There were this year 590 communicants, 122 families, 36 con- firmed, and 5 deaths in the settlement.
"The church, in point of material and style, is well suited to the forest scene around. The pulpit, from which the spiritual Zaccheus not only sees Christ in his law, but also shows Him to a faithful people, is formed from the hollow trunk of a sycamore. The dome of the sacred edifice, now canopied only by the firma- ment, consists, in summer at least, of the arched branches, grape- vine, and, for aught we know to the contrary, the ante-deluvian oak.
. "Near the church, and similarly constructed, stands the school house. The priest was for eighteen months the school master, and it is worthy of record that the common school fund furnished a fair contingent of his salary. We are happy to say that this is not the only instance of such rare justice to the Catholic population of Ohio. In Minster and Wapakoneta we shall have occasion to notice the same honesty and fairness, in giving our people a portion of the education money. *
10. REPORT OF BISHOP PURCELL'S VISIT TO NORTHERN OHIO, IN 1841.1
PERU; ST. PETER'S, NORWALK, ETC. * A clergyman [Rev. Joseph Freygang] from another diocese [Detroit], who had been recently admitted, with much difficulty, into Ohio *
* had placed himself at the head of a party [which under his direction left Peru and organized St. Peter's, Norwalk, contrary to the Bishop's positive prohibition] and thus proved the occasion of much disturbance of the peace and edification, for which this congregation [St. Alphonsus', Peru]. had, with very few exceptions, been at all times remarkable. *
* The Bishop experienced great satisfaction at meeting here the former pastor [Rev. F. X. Tschenhens], who had returned [from Pittsburgh] to resume the care of his beloved flock. This zealous priest had been diligently employed for several days in preparing the candidates for confirmation, of whom about twenty-five or thirty received that sacrament [June 20]. The Bishop preached at High Mass on the necessity of obedience to the spiritual authority which Christ has established in His church for the maintenance of good government, happiness and order, and the prevention of the guilt and wretchedness inseparable from schism. The
(1) Catholic Telegraph, July 17, 1841.
ST. EDWARD'S CHURCH (Interior), CLEVELAND,
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church was crowded with a Catholic audience, most of whom were affected even to tears, and all united in addressing the most fervent prayers to heaven for the restoration of the alienated affections of those who had hitherto been of one mind with them in exhibiting the good and pleasant scene of brethren dwelling together in unity. *
* After High Mass the Bishop preached in a little grove, near the church, on the sacrament of penance; and the fol- lowing evening, at the request of the sheriff and a large number of the principal citizens of Norwalk, he preached in the court house. On Tuesday evening [June 22], the Bishop preached in the school house at New Haven, twelve miles from Norwalk, and on the next day held 'station' at the house of Mr. James Patton, where there were some communicants, and three persons were confirmed. We thence proceeded to
THE CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART [SHELBY SETTLEMENT].
"In this church, attended by about 100 families of German and Irish Catholics, we were kept pretty constantly busy in giving instructions and administering the sacraments. On the evening of the second day, the Bishop preached by request in the Methodist meeting-house at Shelby, four miles from the church. After the sermon the Bishop, accompanied by Rev. Mr. Tschenhens, left Shelby for Bucyrus, 14 miles distant [June 24th]. Rev Mr. Henni, who had arrived at Norwalk from Columbus, where he had offi- ciated the previous Sunday, returned [from Shelby Settlement] to Norwalk, with the intention of reaching Tiffin for the next Sunday. There are but two or three Catholic families in Bucyrus, although there are many at various distances in the country around. These we could not visit, and therefore we took a stage to Scipio, or Republic, a new and for the present thriving village, being the termination of the finished portion of the Mad River and Lake Erie railroad, commencing at Sandusky City, 26 miles distant. This distance is traveled in the cars, propelled by a locomotive at the rate of about 12 miles an hour.
TIFFIN, ST. MARY'S.
"The church at Tiffin which was visited on Sunday, June 27th, is so small that not more than one-third part of the congre- gation can find place in it. * * The neatness of the church and the piety of the congregation never fail. * * Rev. Mr. Mc- Namee, ordained at Cincinnati, has charge of this interesting flock. He is, through the mercy of God. another happy instance of the devotedness and success with which the alumni of the diocese commence to labor in sowing in tears and garnering in joy the
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spiritual harvest. Besides Tiffin, the congregation of Mccutchen- ville [ceased to exist since 1870] and the German settlement in Big Spring township [New Riegel], Attica [St. Stephen's], Maumee, Perrysburg [?], Toledo, Defiance, etc., * are at- tended from Tiffin and Norwalk.
MCCUTCHENVILLE, WYANDOT COUNTY.
"The church of Mccutchenville, a neat, frame edifice, wanting but a fraction of the dimensions of the church at Tiffin, was dedi- cated to God [June 26], under the title of The Visitation. In few places of this, or. as it is believed, of any other diocese, has more been done by a few families than has been accomplished [here] towards the building and decoration of a church.
NEW RIEGEL, SENECA COUNTY.
"The church of the German settlement [then called Wolf's Creek, near New Riegel], six miles from Mccutchenville, is called St. Boniface. It is frequented by 120 families, chiefly Germans- all whose children. planted like young olives on each side of an avenue of trees leading to the church, received on their knees the blessing of the Bishop as he approached the church. Very Rev. Mr. Henni consoled the congregation by one of his eloquent and fervent sermons, after which 16 persons were confirmed. The Easter communicants in all the Tiffin range this year were 662; baptism from 1st of July, 1840, to 1st of July, 1841, 310; confirmed at Tiffin, 65 ; marriages, 11; interments, 25.
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SANDUSKY.
"Rev. Mr. Machebeuf is stationed at Sandusky, on the lake, county seat of the new county of Erie. Church is held in a large hall kindly loaned for this purpose by the proprietor, Judge Mills. an old and tried friend of Catholics, though not himself a Catholic. Five years ago this benevolent man offered the Bishop three lots and a handsome subscription towards a church. The want of a priest, which, thank God. no longer exists, only debarred the acceptance of this liberal offer and the execution of the long cherished prospect. In this city and immediate vicinity there have been 110 communicants. this Easter; 20 baptisms since 1st of January, 20 confirmed, 3 marriages, 3 first communions. After preaching in meeting rooms and in the court house, on Tuesday in the afternoon [June 29], the Bishop, attended by the Very Rev. Mr. Henni and Rev. Mr. Machebeuf, held a meeting of the con- gregation, at which he stated that besides the three lots, the sum of $530 in cash was offered by the family of Mr. Mills. The sub- scriptions of the congregation, very many of whom have not yet
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been called upon, raised the amount to upwards of $1,600. An estimate hastily drawn up by Mr. Robert Cassidy, stone mason, showed that the walls of a church, 60 x 46, with basement of 8 ft., and height from principal floor, of due proportions, would require 730 perch of stone. The work can be done here with certainty for $1.50 per perch, all materials, etc., furnished. A building com- mittee to aid the pastor, who must frequently be absent from home, was appointed by the Bishop, and all other preliminary arrange- ments made, so that the foundations could be blessed and corner stone placed with one solemnity. The zeal, prudence and piety of the pastor, and the excellent spirit of the flock lead us to hope with confidence that their new church will be covered in before bad weather. The church will be styled 'Holy Angels.'
11. REPORT OF BISHOP PURCELL'S VISIT TO NORTHERN OHIO, IN 1841.1
SANDUSKY; FREMONT; MAUMEE, ETC.
"Before leaving Sandusky the Bishop established there a Total Abstinence Society. * It was at the earnest request of the Rev. Mr. Machebeuf, their devoted pastor, that this effort · was made, and the success was such as to leave a strong ground for hope that the example of Cleveland will be here followed. * > "* * Our way [from Sandusky City] to Lower Sandusky [Fremont] lay through the woods profusely adorned with beauti- ful wild roses, interspersed with rich clusters of the orange lily. We missed the road, but arrived in good time at our destination. Here, as in Sandusky City, church is kept in a large room, origin- ally built for a store ; but a commencement has been made towards the erection of a church on an eligible lot presented for this purpose by Charles Brush, Esq., of Columbus; and an old and faithful friend of the Catholic congregation, Rudolph Dickinson, Esq., at whose hospitable residence the clergy have always found a welcome, has, besides other help, offered all the brick that may be required for the building. The Bishop and Rev. Mr. Henni preached here several times, the former in the court house, where he always finds a large and courteous auditory. In this little con- gregation, which has greatly improved since it has received more pastoral care than it was possible to bestow on it while there was . only one priest for this and the Tiffin missions, 21 were confirmed; and there have been since January 1st. of this year, 19 baptisms, 102 Easter communions, 16 first communions, 3 marriages and 2 interments. *
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