USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume II > Part 88
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At the City Hall tables were provided with generous refreshment for the vis- iting multitudes. In the evening at half past seven o'clock Right Rev. Bishop
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Chatard sang Pontifical Vespers and Right Rev. Bishop Kain, of Wheeling, preached the sermon, taking for his subject that most glorious of the prerogatives of the church, the Bride of Christ, speaking to the text: "Come with me and I will show thec my spouse." It was considered a masterly oration.
Bishop Rosecrans ; his Life, Labors and Death. - The evening hymns of praise and thanksgiving had not yet been intoned within the newly consecrated Tem ple when alarming premonitions in the way of hemorrhages caused the Bishop, on whom so many honors had that day been bestowed, to retire to his private apartments, whence he was never to return. When the startling news of Bishop Rosecrans's death spread with lightning speed throughout the city and country on the evening of the day following that of his Cathedral's consecration, the feelings which were everywhere aroused cannot be described. The Bishop had suffered during the latter years of his life repeated hemorrhages from the stomach, but each time the recurrence was attended with more alarming symptoms, and on this occasion the severest of all. His condition during the day excited apprehen- sions regarding his ability to endure so great a loss of blood, but when evening came a violent hemorrhage completely prostrated him, and death seemed inevit- able. The Bishop calmly prepared himself for the reception of the Sacraments of Penance, Holy Eucharist and Extreme Unction, administered by Rev. J. B. Eis. About the deathbed were gathered Rev. Fathers Eis, Gallagher and Lane, and several of the Bishop's intimate friends amongst the laity, who had been sum- moned by the reports of the Bishop's condition. When asked if he had any last requests to make or temporal affairs to be attended to he replied : - " My will is made. All things, of course go to my successor, save any little personal articles of mine, that the family may desire for mementos." At ten o'clock the death agony began and in fifteen minutes the Bishop breathed his last. The manifesta- tions of grief by the priests of the diocese who had learned to love Bishop Rose- crans as a father, were everywhere visible. The Vicar-General had been buried in the morning and now in the evening of the same day, the Bishop lay a corpse. It was a sad moment for the diocese, and the priests and people experienced the terrible bewilderment.
Arrangements for the funeral began. The prelates and clergy who had been present at the Cathedral consecration the previous day and had departed from the city, were summoned to return and attend the sad obsequies which would take place on the following Friday, October 25. The festive decorations of the Cathedral were replaced by the sombre black and purple of mourning, and the remains of the beloved Bishop, that had rested since death in the beautiful little chapel of the Convent, were, on Friday morning, tenderly borne to the Cathe- dral, for the final services of the dead. At an early hour masses for the dead were celebrated in the presence of the corpse by Bishops Dwenger, Foley, Burgess, Chatard and Fitzgerald. At the Mass of the latter, the children of all the Catholic schools were present. They were dismissed after viewing the corpse. From early morning the Cathedral was jammed with people, and even in the streets in front of the building large crowds waited anxiously to review the remains. At half past nine o'clock the Office of the Dead was chanted in the sanctuary by the Bishops and priests, the Most Reverend Archbishop of Cincin- nati presiding.
Immediately after the office had been chanted, Solemn Pontifical Mass of Requiem was commenced, Right Reverend Bishop Toebbe being Celebrant, Rev. F. J. Pabisch, D. D., Assistant Priest, Rev. F. X. Specht Officiating Deacon, Rev. D. B. Cull Officiating Subdeacon, Rev. J. B. Murray First Deacon of Honor, Rev. M. M. Meara Second Deacon of Honor, Very Rev. N. A. Gallagher Master of Ceremonies, and Mr. K. W. Mulhane Assistant Master of Ceremonies. Other offices were performed by seminarians and sanctuary boys. The sombre color of
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the vestments, the solemn dirge of the Requiem, the mournful trimmings of the altar, the drapery of the entire building and more than all the presence of the body of the illustrious dead, guarded by the Knights of the Red Cross and of St. George in their medieval costume, whilst the sanctuary contained the venerable Prelate of the West, Archbishop Purcell, seated on his throne, and eight Bishops in the episcopal purple, all conspired to make a scene most solemn and impressive. Mass being finished, the Right Rev. Bishop Foley, of Chicago, ascended the pulpit and preached an able and touching sermon reviewing briefly the scenes and anticipations of the previous Sunday, and commenting upon the life and anxieties of a Bishop with special reference to the deceased Prelate and his labors.
The sermon conelnded, the Most Rev. Archbishop and Right Rev. Bishops Toebbe, Fitzgerald, Gilmour, and Dwenger, receiving the black cope and mitre, proceeded to give the last Absolutions, the Most Rev. Archbishop first performing the ceremony and the others following successively. The remains were placed in position to be viewed by the vast concourse of people anxiously waiting for that privilege. Many however were sadly disappointed in not having an opportunity of gazing for the last time on the countenance of their beloved Bishop. It was fully half past one o'clock when the body was borne from the vestibule to the vault which had been prepared under the sanctuary and directly beneath the throne. The crowd was so dense that the Knights of St. George could only with great difficulty clear the way and prevent a rush into the basement. Only a few persons were admitted there, these being the clergy, the seminarians, Mother Mary Agnes, the faithful attendant upon the Bishop; Mrs. Keep, several Sisters from the Sacred Heart Convent; the Bishop's niece, Miss Mamie Rosecrans, and her classmates dressed in white with black sashes and white garlands of flowers. These, with two or three other persons whose service was necessary, were the only ones who witnessed the blessing of the tomb performed by Rev. M. M. Meara, and then all was over, and the mortal remains of Bishop Rosecrans rested beneath the monument his hands had reared, there to await a glorious resurrection.
Our historical sketches would be incomplete without at least a short biography of the first Bishop of Columbus. The name Rosecrans, originally and etymologi- cally Rosenkrantz, literally signifies a garland of roses. It is also the word used in German to designate the Rosary or. Beads. As the name, then, indicates, the ancestors of Bishop Rosecrans were Dutch. The family records show that they came from Amsterdam and settled in Pennsylvania, in the neighborhood of Wilkes- barre. In 1808, Crandall Rosecrans, father of the Bishop, came to Ohio and set- tled in Delaware County but soon afterwards removed to Licking County. His wife's name was Jemima Hopkins, a kinswoman of Stephen Hopkins, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a daughter of a soldier in the War of Inde- pendence. Although farming was the favorite and usual pursuit of Crandall Rose- crans, his talent for engineering frequently led him to contract for the construc- tion of public works. Thus the even tenor of his life went on, a strict observance being made of the requirements of the Methodist persuasion, in whose practice was also raised a family of sons, the youngest being Sylvester Horton Rosecrans, the subject of this sketch, born in Homer, Licking County, February 5, 1827. Homer is a village of 250 inhabitants situated north of Newark and four miles from Utica. Sylvester, when quite young, was placed by his father as a student at Kenyon College, Gambier, Knox County, Ohio. This institution has given several eminent converts to the Catholic Church, among whom may be mentioned J. Kent Stone, its former President, now a member of the Passionist Order. While the future Bishop was studying at this seat of learning, General W. S. Rosecrans, an older brother, graduated at West Point Military Academy and became a professor in
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that institution. He was attracted to the Catholic faith and became a convert to it. This important step on the part of the General had an influence on the mind and heart of the young Sylvester, who, after much thought and study, also embraced the same faith. Some years afterwards both parents, who had been Methodists, joined the Catholic Church and died in its fold. One year after his baptism. Sylvester was placed by the General in the college of the Jesuit Fathers, at Fordham, New York, where, in 1846, he graduated with distinguished honors. Archbishop, then Bishop, Purcell, seeing every sign of a vocation to the priest- hood in the young man, sent him to Rome to prosecute his studies at the Propa- ganda. At this famous school, where many hundreds from all parts of the world are educated, he was known as a model student. He was the superior of all in intellectual ability and application to study, yet he bore the honors that were bestowed upon him with meekness and humility, prominent traits of his whole life. He received the Doctor's degree in divinity at the end of a five years' course and on the sixteenth of July, 1852, was ordained priest with over one hundred others, among whom, as he often remarked with satisfaction, was a negro who stood beside him. Doctor Rosecrans, after making a tour of Italy, England, Ire- land and France, returned to his diocese, and was appointed pastor of St. Thomas's Church, Cincinnati. At the end of several months' pastoral duty, the Bishop, desiring his able assistance at the Cathedral, made him one of the pastors of that important congregation. For seven years Doctor Rosecrans discharged sacerdotal functions at the Cathedral, at the same time making daily trips to the Seminary of Mount St. Mary's near the city, where he taught a class in theology. While serving in this twofold capacity he employed his leisure time in contributing to the editorial columns of the Catholic Telegraph. The fame of Doctor Rosecrans was spread throughout the country, but his characteristic modesty caused him to shrink from public recognition of his merits. In 1859 the Archbishop opened a college in connection with the Seminary and named Doctor Rosecrans as its presi- dent, which position he hold until the beginning of the Civil War, when the insti- tution was compelled to suspend. The learned doctor was now well worthy of episcopal consecration, and the Archbishop desiring a Coadjutor, Pope Pius IX, at the earnest request of the venerable Prelate and other admirers in the hierarchy of the United States, nominated him as Bishop of Pompeiopolis, in partibus infide- lium, and Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati. He was consecrated by the Archbishop in St. Peter's Cathedral, Cincinnati, March 25, 1862. For five years he labored with zeal in all the works pertaining to the office of a Bishop, rendering thus very efficient aid in the government of the large and important diocese. While acting in this capacity he laid the cornerstone of St. Joseph's Cathedral in this city.
The diocese of Cincinnati, which included nearly all the southern half of the State, had grown in Catholic population and importance to such an extent that a division of it was necessary to its better administration. An occasion suitable as a preliminary step to such a division presented itself when Rev. Edward Fitzger- ald, of St. Patrick's Church, this city, was consecrated Bishop of Little Rock. Bishop Rosecrans was appointed to succeed Bishop Fitzgerald as pastor of St. Patrick's Church, with the understanding that he was to be the first Bishop of Col- umbus as soon as the Holy See should have approved of the division. The Bishop arrived in the city February 28, 1867, the day following the departure of Bishop Fitzgerald. He continued as simply the pastor of St. Patrick's until the arrival, in July, 1868, of the Papal Letters erecting the new see and naming him as the Bishop thereof, bearing date of March 3, 1868. He immediately entered upon the work of organizing the diocese, having many discouraging difficulties to contend with, but he conquered all by mildness, charity, generosity and determination. The foundation walls of the new church which were covered over upon the depar- ture of Bishop Fitzgerald, were taken up and reconstructed to better conform to
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plans for a Cathedral. Besides the erection and completion of the Cathedral, the material progress of the diocese in the building of churches, academies and schools attested the work of the Bishop. His life was ever a busy one. In all his labors as Bishop and pastor he found time to devote to teaching in St. Aloysius' Semin- ary, Sacred Heart Convent, and St. Mary's of the Springs, and into this work he brought his characteristic earnestness and love for children. As a preacher he was inclined to be diffident, but his great simplicity, depth and originality of thought were wonderful, while he always displayed a love of God and charity to man that at once marked him as a true apostle. His memory will linger in the minds of the C'atholies of Columbus diocese for generations to come. His life in Columbus was coeval with the building and finishing of his Cathedral, beginning with its cornerstone and ending with its consecration.
On the death of Bishop Rosecrans, Archbishop Purcell, as the Metropolitan, appointed Very Rev. N. A. Gallagher administrator of the diocese during the vacaney. The appointment was afterwards confirmed by Rome. Father Galla- gher, who was pastor of St. Patrick's Church, took up his residence at the Cathe- dral in order to better direct the affairs of the diocese. Rev. M. M. Meara con- tinued in the capacity of Rector of the Cathedral during the administration of Father Gallagher, and was assisted in 1879 and 1880 by Rev. J. Kuehn, Rev. L. W. Mulhane and Rev. F. M. Woesman. Rev. D. A. Clarke was also stationed at the Cathedral from 1879 to 1884, not as assistant but as chaplain of the Catholic prisoners in the Penitentiary, and to attend to the spiritual needs of the missions attached to the Cathedral.
John Ambrose Watterson, D. D., Second Bishop of Columbus .- The diocese of Columbus remained without a Bishop for over eighteen months, when finally Rome named a successor to the lamented Roseerans in the person of Rev. John Ambrose Watterson, D. D., President of Mount St. Mary's Seminary, at Emmitts- burg, Maryland. The Holy See made the appointment on March 15, 1880, but the Papal Letters conveying the official information and necessary faculties were not received until early in May. The Bishopelect shortly after assumed the govern- ment of the diocese, as affairs of importance required almost immediate attention by the exercise of jurisdiction not possessed by the Administrator. Very Rev. Father Gallagher, who had labored faithfully and untiringly in the office of Administrator, had many difficulties to overcome but finally brought into almost perfeet system the temporal concerns of the diocese.
Doctor Watterson chose Sunday, August 8, 1880, as the day of his eonseera- tion. After spending a number of days in retreat and prayer at the Passionist Monastery of St. Paul, Pittsburgh, the Bishopelect was given a most heartfelt reception by the Catholics of the city on his arrival on Wednesday, August 4, to arrange for the solemn ceremonies of the ensuing Sunday. Never before was there such a demonstration in honor of any ecclesiastical dignitary witnessed in Columbus. The Bishopelect was escorted in a special car from Newark, by a large delegation of priests and laymen, who had been several days arranging the reception. At the depot dense throngs of people filled the immense building and the space about the tracks in the immediate vicinity. A procession of all the Catholie societies of the city, headed by a detail of police, marched to the music of two brass bands and were followed by carriages containing Doctor Watterson and Very Rev. Father Gallagher, committees of reception and arrangements and citi- zens in general. The route of the procession up High Street and down Broad Street was densely lined with people.
Arriving at the Cathedral doors, the Bishop was addressed by Mr. J. G. Gil- more on behalf of the laity. The Bishop made a feeling and eloquent reply, where- upon the doors of the sacred edifice were opened and a vast congregation filled every available space. The hymn of praise and thanksgiving, " Holy God, we
John C. Goldschmidt
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Praise Thy Name," was sung by the choir as the procession of priests and the Bishop moved up the centre aisle. Within the sanctuary the Bishop was addressed in words of cordial welcome to the diocese by the Very Rev. Administrator. Doe- tor Watterson's response was characteristic of a minister of God, who felt the responsibility he was assuming on becoming a successor of the Apostles. His words bespoke a fervent zeal for the honor of God and the salvation of souls. A most favorable impression was made and all expressed admiration for the new Bishop of Columbus. The congregation was dismissed with the benediction of the Bishop.
Preparations for the consecration of the Bishopelect on Sunday, August 8, were on a grand scale, and when the day for the great event dawned everything was in perfect readiness for the imposing ceremonies. Societies from different. portions of the diocese and large delegations from various congregations accom- panied by their pastors, who had provided early Masses for the people, arrived by the morning trains and were escorted to their proper quarters. Nearly all the priests of the diocese were present. Precisely at ten o'clock the imposing proces- sion of Bishops and priests moved from the pastoral residence to the front entrance of the Cathedral, thence up the main aisle to the sanctuary where the celebrant vested. The officiating ministers of the Mass and consecration were: Consecrat- ing Bishop, Right Rev. William H. Elder, Coadjutor Bishop of Cincinnati ; First Assistant Consecrating Bishop, Right Rev. John G. McCloskey, Louisville, Ken- tucky ; Second Assistant Consecrating Bishop, Right Rev. John M. Twigg, Pitts- burgh ; Assistant Priest, Very Rev. Nicholas A. Gallagher, Columbus ; Deacons of Honor, Rev. Francis X. Specht, Columbus, and Rev. Nicholas E. Pilger, Delaware ; Deacon of the Mass, Rev. Francis J. Campbell, Dennison ; Subdeacon of the Mass, Rev. Richard J. Fitzgerald, MeLuney ; First Master of Ceremonies, Rev. L. W. Mulhane, Columbus ; Second Master of Ceremonies, Rev. John C. Goldschmidt, Columbus; Third Master of Ceremonies, Rev. John McGirk, Columbus; Acolytes, Messrs. Singleton and Cusack ; Thurifer, Mr. James Hartley ; Bearer of Book of Gospels, Rev. George J. Montag, Lancaster ; Chaplains to Bishopelect, Reverends William F. Hayes and George H. Ahrens.
The following bishops were seated within the sanctuary rails during the solemn functions : Most Reverend John B. Purcell, D. D., Archbishop of Cinein- nati; Right Reverend Edward M. Fitzgerald, Bishop of Little Rock ; Right Rev- erend A. M. Toebbe, Bishop of Covington ; Right Reverend Silas F. Chatard, Bishop of Indianapolis ; Right Reverend Joseph Dwenger, Bishop of Fort Wayne.
Sixtyfive priests and a number of seminarians were present. The Mass and ceremonies proceeded as far as the Gospel, when, after its singing, Bishop Fitz- gerald ascended the pulpit and preached eloquently on the life, duties and respon- sibilities of the priesthood and its complement, the episcopacy. Bishop Fitz- gerald was formerly pastor of St. Patrick's Church and as such commenced the foundation of the present Cathedral, as stated elsewhere in this historical sketch. After the sermon, the sacred ceremonies continued in all their solemn character, replete with beautiful significance and terminating with the installation of the new Bishop at his throne.
In the afternoon a parade of the Catholic societies, local and visiting, took place, the procession passing through the Cathedral and receiving the Bishop's blessing. Bishop Watterson sang Pontifical Vespers in the evening and Bishop Chatard preached learnedly and in a very interesting manner on The True Church. Thus closed another memorable day in the annals of Catholicity in Columbus.
On Sunday, August 15, one week from the day of his consecration, the Right Reverend Bishop celebrated his first Pontifical High Masy at the Cathedral. He
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was assisted in the sacred function by the following ministers: Assistant Priest Very Reverend N. A. Gallagher; Deacons of Honor, Rev. J. A. Zahm, C. S. C., and Rev. D. A. Clarke ; Deacon of the Mass, Rev. M. M. Meara; Subdeacon of the Mass, Rev. L. W. Mulhane : Master of Ceremonies, Mr. James Hartley. Father Gallagher preached the sermon.
Sketch of Bishop Watterson .- John Ambrose Watterson, second Bishop of Columbus, was born in Blairsville, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, May 27, 1844, and was the sixth child of John A. Watterson and Mary A. McAfee Watterson. The father was engaged in the drygoods business and was possessed of consider- able real estate, which, however, would not rank him among those considered well off' in the possessions of this world.
The children were given the advantage afforded them by the parochial school attached to the church of Saints Simon and Jude, then under the pastoral care of Rev. J. A. Stellinger, a most faithful priest, now many years deceased. It was at this school of his native place that the future Bishop at an carly age entered upon the primary course of instruction that was destined to lead him up to the Altar of God, and amongst the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in America. In his hum- ble and happy home, about which shone the influence of pious and edifying par- ents, the youthful John Ambrose experienced promptings of a graee that urged him to become a Levite to serve God in the sanctuary of His Church. The signs of a vocation to the priesthood were so decided that his good father and mother, with the approbation. and recommendation of his pastor, and Right Reverend
Michael O'Connor, then Bishop of Pittsburgh, sent him to St. Vincent's College, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, under the direction of the Benedictine Fathers. Here, in an atmosphere of religions life, amid inducements to forsake the world and its dangers and spend one's years in the seclusion of a monastery, the student was well tried in his vocation to the secular priesthood. Four years of the discipline and study required at this seat of learning laid the foundations for the exact student life that the young candidate for priestly honors is expected to lead in order to become well versed in the science of saered things. At the age of seventeen he was well prepared to enter the advanced elasses in that noted semi- nary, Mount St. Mary's, Emmittsburg, Maryland, whenee have gone forth so many scholars in various walks of life. Particularly has this institution been noted for the number of her sons who have worn the purple of the episeopacy. Step by step was the young student led up to the realization of his hopes and aspirations. The proud day of graduation came, and crowned with the honors that an alma mater loves to bestow upon worthy sons, he received the academic degree of Bachelor of Arts. Before him yet lay the broad fields of the sacred sciences. These must he traverse ere he attain his heart's desire. The theological and accompanying studies engaged the earnest attention of the brilliant college gradu- ate, until he was adjudged by the seminary faculty to be worthy of the crown of priesthood, which he received at the hands of Right Rev. Doctor Dominic, Bishop of Pittsburgh, of whom Father Watterson was a subject. The ordination took place amid the scenes of early college life at St. Vincent's Abbey, August 9, 1868. Soon after his ordination, the faculty of Mount St. Mary's, who had knowledge of his brilliant attainments, offered the young priest a position as professor in the college, which, with the consent of his Bishop, he accepted. Moral theology and sacred scriptures were the subjects which engaged his attention while employed as a professor.
Rev. John McCloskey, D. D., President of the College, having resigned that office, Father Watterson was selected in September, 1868, by the unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees to succeed that learned and much respected officer. Placed at the head of the oldest Catholic college in the United States, an institu- tion, too, with a prestige most distinguished on account of the eminent ability of
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